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