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The music of Oregon reflects the diverse array of styles present in the music of the United States, from Native American music to the contemporary genres of rock and roll, country, rhythm and blues, jazz, pop, electronic music, and hip hop. However, throughout most of its history, the state has been relatively isolated from the cultural forces shaping American music. Much of modern popular music traces its roots to the emergence in the late 19th century of African American blues and the growth of gospel music in the 1920s. African American musicians borrowed elements of European and indigenous musics to create new American forms. As Oregon's population was more homogeneous and more white than the United States as a whole, the state did not play a significant role in this history.
The state's main contributions to American popular music began in the 1960s, when The Kingsmen and Paul Revere & the Raiders established Oregon as a minor center of frat rock and garage rock. This led in one direction to the blues-rock tradition of the Robert Cray Band and Curtis Salgado, and in another direction to the hardcore punk scene of the early 1980s Pacific Northwest, led by the Wipers in Portland and like-minded bands in Seattle and Vancouver, BC. Over the next twenty years, punk rock evolved into grunge, riot grrrl, alternative rock, and, eventually, indie rock. For a brief time in the 1990s, the college towns of Corvallis and Eugene led the third wave ska craze. In the last decade, Oregon has made a unique contribution to American independent music, with a strong indie music scene developing in Portland. The city's reputation as a hipster mecca has paralleled the rise of local indie musicians such as The Decemberists, The Gossip, The Dandy Warhols, M. Ward, and the late Elliott Smith. Floater is Portland's leading example of an indie band. They have remained unsigned to a major label for over 15 years and have managed to be voted the best band of Portland for 2009 in addition to frequently selling out major venues like the Crystal Ballroom and the Aladdin Theater. Other prominent musicians have relocated to Portland, including Modest Mouse (of Seattle), Sleater-Kinney (of Olympia, Washington), The Shins (of Albuquerque, New Mexico), Spoon (of Austin, Texas), and former Pavement leader Stephen Malkmus (of Stockton, California).
The state also has a unique rural-urban dynamic, which has influenced the development of local bluegrass, folk, and alternative country music. Jam bands have a strong presence in the state, dating back to Grateful Dead performances at the Oregon Country Fair, and outdoor music festivals continue to be popular. Portland's Waterfront Blues Festival is the second largest blues festival in the country. Prominent cultural institutions include the Oregon Bach Festival, Oregon Festival of American Music, Oregon Symphony, and Mt. Hood Jazz Festival.
Portland
The Kingsmen, best known for their 1960s rock classic "Louie, Louie", were originally from Portland, and Paul Revere & the Raiders gained popularity in Portland after relocating there from Idaho.
Seafood Mama was a 1970s rock band, with singer Rindy Ross, with a substantial local following that tried for national success as Quarterflash. The band was unable to find much success after its first album.
Another Portland band that reached a national audience was Nu Shooz.
Punk rock
Portland had one of the most vibrant hardcore punk scenes in the early 1980s Pacific Northwest, rivalled only by Seattle and Vancouver. The Wipers and Poison Idea are the best known representatives of the scene, especially The Wipers, a major grunge influence. These bands played at The Met (now Dante's) and The Satyricon, and were connected with cult comedian Bill Hicks. Other hardcore bands included Lockjaw, Final Warning, and The Rats.
Bluegrass and old-time
Portland is home to a thriving bluegrass and old-time music scene. Popular bands include the Foghorn Stringband. Banjo player Tony Furtado and fiddler Darol Anger, who have both branched out from traditional bluegrass music into progressive bluegrass, jazz, and other genres, currently live in Portland.
World and world fusion
Portland is home to a thriving world music and international folk dancing scene. Central Africa is represented by such groups and artists as Obo Addy (Ghana), Jujuba (Nigerian Afrobeat), and Boka Marimba (Zimbabwe). Eastern Europe and the Middle East has music and dance representation through groups such as Vagabond Opera, Kafana Klub, Krebsic Orkestar & Balkan Fusion Project, The Underscore Orkestra, Balkan And Beyond, Kef, The Mora, Vequinox, 3 Leg Torso and Chervona.
Other Portland musicians
Songs
- "Portland Town to Klamath" (1941) by Woodie Guthrie
- "Louie Louie" (1963 versions by The Kingsmen and Paul Revere & the Raiders)
- "Hot Time" (1987) by Poison Idea references Old Town
- "I Will Buy You A New Life" (1997) by Everclear specifically mentions Portland's West Hills
- "Portland Rain" (2006), from Everclear's Welcome to the Drama Club
- "Portland, Oregon" by Loretta Lynn and Jack White of The White Stripes
- In the Decemberists' song "California One Youth and Beauty Brigade," Colin Meloy references the Multnomah County Library
- "Paul's Song" (2005) by M. Ward speaks of how "every town is all the same/when you've left your heart in the Portland Rain."
- The Helio Sequence song "Everyone Knows Everyone"
- The Sleater-Kinney song "Light-Rail Coyote" is about the city of Portland and its residents Its title derives from a coyote that boarded a MAX train in 2002.
Eugene
Eugene had a thriving local music scene in the early 1990s that slowly died out in the early 2000s as many of the local musicians became frustrated with the lack of interest in the scene from outside entities. The Eugene scene in the 1990s consisted of several bars, an anarchist teahouse, Icky's, and almost nightly basement shows. There were several houses that were basically music venues that were notorious enough for larger independent acts to stop at them while on tour in the Northwest. Icky's Teahouse was a stop for acts such as Jawbreaker, Green Day, AFI, Defiance, UK Subs, Mukilteo Fairies (now known as …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead), and F.Y.P. More mainstream venues include the W.O.W. Hall, the EMU Ballroom, the Hult Center for the Performing Arts, Cuthbert Amphitheater, The Shedd, Sam Bond's Garage, Beall Concert Hall and McDonald Theatre.
Eugene bands
The Cherry Poppin' Daddies are a rock/swing/ska group formed in 1988 by Steve Perry and Dan Schmid. The band gained both a loyal Eugene cult following and harsh criticism from their supposedly offensive name and stage antics: at one point they were banned from playing the W.O.W. Hall. They rose to prominence in the late 1990s during the third wave ska and swing revival craze with their song "Zoot Suit Riot" and their multi-platinum album of the same name. As of 2008, the band has completed a new album now that Perry has completed a degree in molecular biology. The Daddies side projects, White Hot Odyssey (hard rock) and The Visible Men (power pop) also hail from Eugene.
Formed in 1984, the Surf Trio was a punk/surf band based in Eugene. Founding members included Ron Kleim on guitar and vocals, Pete Weinburger on guitar and vocals, Dave Myers on bass and Aaron Temple on drums.
Floater was formed in 1993 and made their start playing garage parties and at the University of Oregon. Now residing in Portland, Floater has released six studio albums, plus three live albums and an acoustic album on indie label Elemental Records. They have also received nominations to the preliminary level of the Grammys from NARAS in 1995 under Best Rock Performance for their first album Sink and in 1996 under Best Alternative Performance for their second album Glyph .
Additional Eugene musicians
- Frank Black, a member of the Pixies, lived in Eugene and now lives in Portland
- The Detonators, a punk rock band
- Bill Harkleroad (Zoot Horn Rollo when he played guitar for Captain Beefheart)
- Tom Intondi, a folksinger, spent his last years in Eugene
- Kelly Keagy, drummer for Night Ranger
- Mat Kearney, a singer-songwriter
- Thomas Mapfumo is originally from Zimbabwe
- Shawn McDonald, a singer-songwriter
- Paul Wright, a singer-songwriter
Salem
Guitarist John Fahey moved to Salem in 1981 and died there in 2001 at the age of 61. He is buried at Restlawn Memory Gardens, just west of Salem. Larry Norman, who some call the "Father of Christian Rock" lived in Salem until his death in early 2008. Native American jazz sax player Jim Pepper was born in Salem in 1941 and lived for two years at Chemawa Indian School, where his mother and father were employed.
Other Oregon musicians
- Meredith Brooks, singer/songwriter and guitarist from Corvallis
- Falling Up, a Christian rock group from Albany
- Neighb'rhood Childr'n, a 1960s psychedelic group originally from the Medford area
- Mickey Newbury, best known as a country songwriter, lived in Vida
- The W's, a Christian ska/swing group from Corvallis <
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