Rappers and R&B artists from around the country are coming together for a one night event at the historic WOW Hall on Saturday night in Eugene. Polar Fest, presented by Plugintheox, will string together performances from growing artists Aris Ray, Toddie B, Haywood, Prznt, 2MuchPeso, keshawn, 3am, YT and Zae, with Zavy and Watrcup headlining.
The group of musicians, though from different regions, are tight-knit. “It’s just crazy how we built this family that literally spans so many miles, you know?” Eitan Schorr, who organizes concerts under the name Plugintheox, said. “And with the power of the internet, it’s allowed us to bring a bunch of creative minds together.”
And there’s no venue Schorr and the rest of the musicians would have wanted to hold Polar Fest at than WOW Hall. “WOW Hall is uncompared to any other venue — we’ve performed at the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles, we’ve performed at Los Globos, you know, a bunch of venues out there, but nothing compares to WOW Hall,” Schorr said. “I remember standing on side stage watching during the last song of [a concert] and we thought the speakers were gonna knock over the crowd was so crazy.”
“[WOW Hall’s] becoming our home,” Watrcup said. “I love WOW, it’s a great environment.”
Watrcup — originally from Los Angeles, now based in Eugene — aims to blend an old school lyrical approach with elements of contemporary hip-hop. “I tried to find a way to get that old school sound with those lyrics — all the meaningful shit — going into more of a bubble we’re in now, with more melodic stuff,” he said.
When translating his music to the live stage, he works to bring an immediate feeling to the crowd. “I like to create my own little world with each song,” Watrcup said. “The only place I really can express that is on stage, because I can make everybody feel what I’m feeling with that song and get them in the headspace I was in when I was recording.”
“All of us together — our clique — we all hit different genres,” Zavy said, who’s headlining alongside Watrcup. His music leans more towards sing-style hip-hop, but draws from a wide range of influences. “I grew up listening to Pac and Biggie, even older music like Zapp & Roger,” he said. “I’m Islander, so a lot of that side hits too — like Bob Marley, UB40, Common Kings.”
“Some songs I make specifically for shows,” Zavy said. “I have a song called ‘Flex Like Zavy’ — super repetitive, it’s a hard ass beat. When the beat drops that shit just goes crazy. Everybody knows that song.” The other performers, like Haywood and Prznt, are focusing on bringing a similar energy to the stage.
The show will be in a festival-type format, with individual performers taking the stage one after another. “We’re going four hours straight through, you know, hitting them with as much music as we can. It allows them to keep their energy up,” Schorr said. “It becomes kind of like a constant four hour workout mosh pit-type deal but it’s awesome and people love it.”
The event is all ages and tickets are $12 at the door. Show starts at 6pm.
