Eugene Local Music

The other day during a bout of Zoom Dungeons and Dragons, a side discussion came up regarding shows we got to attend before all of that kind of thing was shut down. When I brought mine up, it was commented that they sounded like "Oregon" bands. And, a couple of them certainly were. It's true that a band can have a name or musical sound that is reminiscent of a certain region, although it might be difficult to fully describe in words what makes it so. In any event, while I've been trying my darnedest to comply with the stay at home order for my home state, I've been going back to albums I've loved over the years by bands from my home town and state. All the bands I'm mentioning here have either had their heyday here in Eugene or are current local super star acts. Maybe you'll find something new to love or be reminded of a band you're ready to revisit...

In no particular order...

1. Boogie Chillen' - Chillen of a Lesser God

I had the fortunate experience of seeing Boogie Chillen' perform many times at the ever so popular 90's Eugene hangout, Cafe Paradiso. It was always a great show. They had mastered their blues sound, with all the classic riff and rhythm that would entail, and some very good harmonica and vocal parts. It was classic already at the time. I do wonder whatever happened to the members of the band and always wished they'd recorded more. To my knowledge, this was their only album.


2. The American Girls - In the Whiskey Ya-Ya's

There was a stretch of years where it seemed like The American Girls were playing someplace in Eugene every week. I went quite a few times to their shows and always had fun, despite how their songwriting was never that memorable. They were a good band anyway and it always seemed like they were on the verge of something, and releasing something new. Any one of their albums I put on now, it seems I get that "oh yea, I remember this song!" feeling. There's something to like about each of their albums, but this one is likely their best.


3. Sweaty Nipples - Thrill Crazed Space Kids Blasting the Flesh off Humans

I can still remember my excitement seeing the Sweaty Nipples 4 song ep in a Berkeley record shop (Amoeba? Rasputin? I can't recall... it was a day!) and thinking those guys are from Oregon, with excitement. I'm sad I never got to see them live. It seems like they were winding down as my show attending days were just winding up. Still, I had the fine opportunity to be an intern for Elemental Records when TCSKBtFOH was released and listened to the album quite a bit. It was one of the first metal/punk influenced albums I ever got way into and can look back with thanks now. I felt like I was listening to the music version of MAD Magazine back then, like I was getting away with something. It's still a very good album.


4. The Cherry Poppin' Daddies - Kids on the Street

No list of bands from Eugene could be complete without mention of The Cherry Poppin' Daddies. This is my favorite of their albums. While many might say they took off when they came out with Zoot Suit Riot, while many from Eugene would say that was the beginning of the end. They left their beloved fans and eclectic musical style for a spotlight on a national stage and being forever labeled part of the flash-in-the-pan that was the swing revival. I'm happy to say they've regained some of their local respect and have gone back to expanding their own musical horizons in more resent years. I still have a fondness for this album. It has a little of a lot of things and is fun all the way through. The songs on Kids on the Street are hugely entertaining and diverse, yet distinctively CPD. For anyone who only knows this band for their Zoot Suit Riot album, I encourage you to check out their other stuff. Start with Kids on the Street, then check out Ferociously Stoned and Rapid City Muscle Car. 


5. Floater - Acoustic

Floater remains one of the most legendary bands to ever come out of Eugene and in recent years, they've only improved. I chose Acoustics because I think it marked a clear departure for them from other stuff they'd been doing, what they were known for. They'd been firmly entrenched in a heavy 90s rock sound and they began to evolve. I've loved Floater in all their different styles. Rob, Pete, and Dave, always consistent and seemed like the perfect unit to compliment each others styles and strengths. I love how they can go from super heavy, making a room move in a massive mosh pit, to making you cry with emotion through a soft heartfelt song. They have a signature sound, with lead bass and lead guitars, and some of the best vocals I've ever heard. Every album is a distinct work of art. After Acoustics, for me, they showed they could go in any direction and do anything musically. I think Floater is the band I've seen live more than any other band, too many times to count.



6. Ingredients - Bears Driving Trains

Where did The Ingredients come from? I think they won a contest or something, then they were everywhere. They had two albums and then it seems like they disappeared. I really don't know. But, for a couple years they were basically the biggest thing I'd ever seen, at least here in Eugene. They even got the legendary Oregonian Mike Allred to draw the cover for their first album. Maybe it was because Carey, one of the members, worked at Nostalgia Collectibles, where Mike was a frequent visitor. I enjoyed more than a few conversations with Carey there at Nostalgia, myself. As for the music, it was weird and sort of indie, punk, rock, pop, or something else. It didn't quite fit in a category and wasn't quite catchy, but it was friendly and pleasant, and it was Eugene all the way. 


7. Halie Loren - After Dark

Practicing for a Junkyard All-Stars show in the house Luke lived in on Almaden Street, yes the same house where the Sugar Beets used to practice, Halie Loren came over and we worked on a song. Later, I can remember Luke saying wow she has really got a voice and I didn't really feel the gravity of Luke's comments. I mean, at that time, I just didn't get it. Halie did a great job playing with Luke and I, actually she stole the show, singing Angel From Montgomery, the John Prine classic with us down at Cosmic Pizza. I still have a recording of that night and it is still a special memory. Anyway, Halie went on to do much bigger and better things and on the occasion I have to run into her, it is always a great time. She's an amazing performer and truly does have an amazing Jazz voice, that has only gotten better over time. She's surrounded herself with top notch musicians and each of her albums is something you can't get enough of. I chose this one only because it is one I've listened to a little more than some others. 


8. Henry's Child - Mumbles and Screams

Henry's Child released a really good album called Clearly Confused in the late 90's that will stand as one of my all time favorites for many reasons and I've talked about them in other posts, however they released an album earlier than that, Mumbles and Screams, that is also very, very good. I had a chance to see them last year for a release party for a new album and they still put on one fantastic show. It is high energy and very evident that they have not stopped practicing. The songs they play off Mumbles and Screams are perhaps the best live. And, they're all nice guys. The new album, while not my favorite, has a lot to like about it and is still so much a Henry's Child album. Mumbles and Screams is their heaviest and while maybe the simplest song writing, it is killer. 


9. Yob - Catharsis

Pick whatever Yob album you want as a favorite, you'll get no argument from me. I have this one on vinyl and am impressed every time I listen to it. The sweeping guitar parts and heavy emotion filled vocals. Yob has managed to gain an international following and yet still feel like a local band, in some regards, although the musicianship is definitely worthy of the international stage. Catharsis is an earlier album, before they'd gotten so huge, and there's something of an emotional investment in the music that feels youthful. They were already impressive. This is an album for the ages. And if you're around town or at a show and fortunate enough to run into Mike Scheidt, if there's occasion to say hello you might consider doing so, he's got a soul that glows.


10. Jacob Marley's Ghost - No Crying

Jacob Marley's Ghost is another band I saw often for a stretch of years, usually at Cafe Paradisso but also a few times at the old Wild Duck. My sister and I both liked them a lot so it was something we enjoyed together. They had a sound I couldn't get enough of and it seemed perfect for the small venues that Eugene seems to have a plenitude of. If they'd released ten albums, I'd have loved them all. Alas it was not to be, as bands can be fragile entities, and when Ezra Holbrook tried to make that leap to the bigger stage, it just didn't work out for some reason. My sister and I had the chance to see him after he'd gone solo, up in Portland, and he still had a lot of the magic. And we chatted with him as we'd done in the past lots of times (not sure if he really remembered us but he always said he did). His voice and guitar was as good as it has always been but there was also a sadness and I think it was the void not filled by Jacob Marley's Ghost, playing with is brother, Jules, Robb, and Bones. They seemed to be having so much fun up there. 


So, there you have it. Ten bands from Eugene with Ten albums. Listen to them and think about my great little city of Eugene, OR and then maybe think about what your favorites are from your home town. I'm sure I could go beyond ten and maybe I will in another post, but these will always be some of my favorites.

-Jason