This P.R.O.B.L.E.M.S., X Ray Cafe and EJ’s Show Totally Rocks

New Year, New Show, Old Songs, Let’s Go!

This week’s show is inspired by a number of things, all of them related to my former home, Portland Oregon.  The show starts off by marking the passing of Jonny Jewels of P.R.O.B.L.E.M.S., before heading way back to the late 70’s to the birth of Punk in Portland.  We then move to the X Ray Café for the kinds of bands that you would expect to hear in an all ages venue on Burnside in the very late 80’s and early 90’s. We then cross the river for bands that played EJ’s in the mid 90’s .

There has been a lot of talk on the internet of Portland being dead and how much better it was in the 90’s and seeing as I haven’t lived there since 98, I can’t really comment.  I must admit that these songs and these bands reminded me of a lot of great gigs and a good scene, but it must be remembered that in the 90’s Portland was a rural backwater that was routinely ignored by touring bands and where opportunities for people under 21 to see live music were limited.  This is particularly evident when you try to do any research or get any live videos of most of the bands listed below.

For those of you looking for a bit more info

Cool little documentary on the X-Ray

Great article on Portland music in the 90’s

Tune in for: 

P.R.O.B.L.E.M.S.

P.R.O.B.L.E.M.S.

Defiance

Napalm Beach

Sado Nation

Styphnoids

The Wipers

Poison Idea

M99

Tao Jones

Completey Crocery

Pond

Thrillhammer

Atomic 61

Fireballs of Freedom

Gern Blanston

Thirty Ought Six

A secret band that Portlanders love to hate (but they packed the Pine Street and the Melody Ballroom regularly)