Eugene band STEEL WOOL, fronted by singer and guitarist Tim Mueller, features a special statue in their 2014 music video of their song “Fat Jesus Riding a Bicycle.” The statue, a tribute to author Ken Kesey, sits on a plot of land that many refer to as the heart of Eugene—Kesey Square.
Kesey Square, an area known for gathering travelers and transients, is being eyed for sale and re-development for apartments and retail locations. In February, the Eugene City Council held a public forum to discuss options, which many voiced against.
This Saturday night, STEEL WOOL will host a concert called Goodbye July at Kesey Square aimed at raising awareness for the effort keep the location a public area.
“If that was a private space, we might have been required to get a permit [for the music video], “Mueller said, “We may have ran into red tape.”
Mueller, 65, fears that privatizing the square would degrade Eugene’s culture and gentrify the area. “I believe that gentrifying a space so poor people can’t use it is just not the right thing,” Mueller said.
“Eugene prides itself on its diversity,” Mueller said.
The eclectic lineup of bands scheduled to be at Saturday’s event include Gypsy-style American Jazz group Cardboard Caravan, Zimbabwe marimba artist Musekiwa Chingodza, and fungrass-genre artist Gumbo Groove.
After stumbling across the band Cardboard Caravan at the Eugene Saturday Market, Mueller was impressed by what he heard. Their “gypsy-style” jazz prompted Mueller’s request to invite them to play at the concert.
“I bought one of their CDs and asked of they wanted to come,” Mueller said. They agreed, and will be the first band to play on Saturday.
The Goodbye July concert will also raise money for the White Bird Clinic, a collective human services non-profit agency in Eugene that benefits low-income and homeless residents.
Moose Andresen, a Whitebird employee, will be collecting donations at the event. “We are very excited about it,” he said.
Andresen said Whitebird is working with Voodoo Doughnuts to create a custom chocolate doughnut for the event. The doughnut features “a little white bird on it,” and is available through August. A portion of the proceeds will go toward Whitebird and their mobile crisis intervention team, CAHOOTS (Crisis Assistance Helping Out On The Streets).
Mueller expects a full crowd to appear at the concert. This is the first Goodbye July hosted by Mueller and STEEL WOOL. Mueller hopes to make it an annual event.
The concert is at 10 E. Broadway in Eugene, and will run from 6-10 p.m. on July 30 and admission is free.