Local flavor, local fans and local bands make Eugene’s music scene fascinating.
University students hoping to experience a prominent local band will get a chance to see Medium Troy play for free at the Memorial Quad Lawn on Friday night.
Medium Troy, the Bohemian dub-playing band that formed in Eugene in 2006, originally started as a hip-hop jam band that lightly mocked larger hip-hop acts. Since then, the band has slowly evolved into a group that moves freely between musical genres.
“We’re a band that plays dub, reggae, rock, hip-hop and dubstep,” said Jojo Ferreira, lead vocalist and guitarist.
Attempting to place a description on any single song is difficult. With hip-hop-inspired beats, the band can throw in complex guitar riffs while also providing dub-influenced drum and bass.
Since forming, Medium Troy has sold out every show it has headlined at WOW Hall. In August, the band played in Sacramento, Boise, Seattle and Portland on Vans Warped Tour. The band was also named Eugene’s top band by Eugene Weekly. Adding to Medium Troy’s local popularity is its increasingly enthusiastic fan base known as the Squirrel Crew.
Put on for free by the UO Cultural Forum, Friday’s concert will be a chance for University students to experience Eugene’s best musical talent without having to pay the typical venue costs.
“The gist of it is a back-to-school concert for students,” Ferreira said.
The show in the ballroom will be Medium Troy’s first show at the University since 2008, when the band opened for a relatively disastrous show headlined by Lil Wayne at McArthur Court. Lil Wayne was arrested prior to the concert, preventing him from making the show. Medium Troy was the only band to play its full set before giving the stage to hip-hop artists Fat Joe and Sean Kingston, who only performed two songs.
“Students paid $70 to $140 and found out Lil Wayne wasn’t coming,” Ferreira said. “The show almost ended in a riot.”
Fortunately for Medium Troy, Friday’s concert should go down as a concert with a party-type atmosphere to it. Portland-based indie band Water and Bodies will open the show at 8 p.m., followed by the local Eugene pop/soul/rock and Media Rio. DJ Connah Jay, who is also the DJ for Medium Troy, will spin party music third and Medium Troy will headline beginning around 10:30 p.m.
“There’s going to be a lot of people there and it’s going to be a big party,” Trevor Helt, regional coordinator for the Cultural Forum, said. “It’s a good way to support local music and have a good time.”
For Medium Troy, like most of its other Eugene shows, the free concert at Memorial Quad Lawn will be one more great show that adds to their already solidified reputation as one of Eugene’s best bands.
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