The Days of Lore

Mean Jeans mean business

Thursday, November 12th, 2009 | musiX, pdX | No Comments

Green Noise was one of the first record stores I found when I moved to Portland about a year ago. Loads of garage and punk albums; not to mention owner Ken Cheppaikode is a helluva nice gent with an affinity for Reigning Sound, and an almost robotic ability for relaying the who? what? when? where? and why? of the most bizarro/obscuro bands from the past four decades.

The cozy, punk rawk hub on Clinton Street is also home to Dirtnap Records, the label Cheppaikode started in 1999 while still living in Seattle. The label has put out tons of 7-inches and records from bands like The Epoxies, The Marked Men and The Girls, the latter of which made TDoL’s 2008 Year-End List. To celebrate its 10th anniversary, Dirtnap is offering a free 15-song sampler with some of the aforementioned bands as well as the Mean Jeans, who will perform along with White Fang tonight at Ground Kontrol to celebrate the release of their new record Are You Serious? And in true punk rock fashion, this shindig is FREE.

Mean Jeans might be the second coming of The Ramones … or perhaps one of those other bands that sound like The Ramones. Needless to say their two-minute jabs are damn catchy and fun. And based on members’ reported aptitudes for consuming illicit substances, I firmly believe that listening to the Mean Jeans could give you cotton mouth, the drip and the spins. So uh … when’s their next record coming out?

“Born On a Saturday Night” - Mean Jeans

Tags: Are You Serious?, Dirtnap Records, Green Noise Records, Ken Cheppaikode, Mean Jeans

I have my Hunches

Monday, April 20th, 2009 | musiX, pdX | 4 Comments

Every day should be Record Store Day … I mean, why not? Ken Cheppaikode, who runs Portland’s Green Noise Records, said it was probably the best day of business he’s had since taking over the place in 2005. He was understandably in a chipper mood that day.

So was I. Beautiful weather brought Portlanders out in droves. And I was able to make it to a couple of stops on on my RSD09 tour. I snagged a handful of free CDs from Cheppaikode’s label Dirtnap Records, as well as the latest release from Portland’s The Hunches.

Exit Dreams was recorded in the spring and fall of 2007, and was finally released earlier this year. It’s the four-piece’s first record in almost five years. Exit Dreams continues their knack for stirring up shit over a semblance of melody, before twisting it into an unnerving, unending knot. Songs like “Not Invited” and “From This Window” are the calm before “Fall Drive” and “Your Sick Blooms”—think some of Velvet Underground’s louder moments colliding with Frank Black’s weirdo pop songs.

It all started with 2002’s Yes. No. Shut It., and the band continued to spill blood on records like Got Some Hate and Hobo Sunrise (on the always trustworthy In The Red Records) and alienate their show-goers. It’s the kind of stuff usually remembered years after a band is dead and gone. And the end is coming soon. The Hunches will play a handful of shows, including one at the East End in Portland on June 24 with Eat Skull, The Whines and The Blimp. Then, poof … (?).

“Not Invited” - The Hunches

“Fall Drive” - The Hunches

Tags: Exit Dreams, Got Some Hate, Green Noise Records, Hobo Sunrise, In The Red Records, Ken Cheppaikode, The Hunches, Yes. No. Shut It.

Record Store Day is groovy

Saturday, April 18th, 2009 | musiX, pdX | No Comments

Record/music stores are disappearing faster than … hmm … than a plate of donuts in front of a fat kid’s face? Sorry. But there is hope … for record stores, not for my lack of couth … or child obesity in America.

Record Store Day was first observed in 2007 as a way to celebrate the holiest of places for white males ages 25 to 50. Six months ago I moved from a town that was down to its last record store, not counting the one that had a horrible selection of over-priced CDs and sold more dildos and bongs than it did actual music. But Portland—being the mega-hot indie rock mecca of planet Earth—has several fine establishments where one can peruse for hours on end while the rest of the world passes by and your girlfriend finally comes to terms to the fact that you have a problem. I’ve come home.

So. Take your pick. There will be tons of special releases from a laundry list of bands like [inhale] The Thermals, The Decemberists, Blitzen Trapper, Flaming Lips, Elvis Costello, Pavement, Slayer, Queen (!), Bob Dylan, Jesus Lizard, Obits and much, much more [exhale]. More info on releases and participating stores can be found here.

There will also be loads of live performances and special events here in Portland including Langhorne Slim (1 p.m. at Jackpot Records on Hawthorne), and Loch Lomond and Shaky Hands at the downtown location starting at 2 p.m. Queensrÿche (yes, that Queensrÿche) will sign copies of their new record at Music Millennium at noon. And Green Noise Records will be giving away some goodies from its sister label Dirtnap. Oh, and make sure Exiled Records is on your list of stops today. All of this, of course, leads up to the big Night Owl Record Show—a Portland tradition since 2003—where vinyl junkies come together and do what they do ($2; 5-9 p.m).

In honor of Record Store Day I give you a song from the very first 45 rpm I owned that wasn’t associated with Batman or Star Wars (promise, no more KISS-related posts for at least a few months). Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to get into some mischief.

“See You In Your Dreams” - Gene Simmons (1978 solo album)

Tags: Green Noise Records, Jackpot Records, Langhorne Slim, Loch Lomond, Music Millennium, Night Owl Record Show, Queensrÿche, Record Store Day, Shaky Hands