Wipers was a punk rock band formed in Portland, Oregon, in 1977 by guitarist and vocalist Greg Sage, along with drummer Sam Henry and bassist Dave Koupal. The group's tight song structure and use of heavy distortion were hailed as extremely influential by numerous critics and musicians. They are also considered to be the first Pacific Northwest punk band.[1]
Sage's intense interest in music began with cutting records at home as an adolescent.[1]
"I was very lucky to have my own professional record cutting lathe when I was in 7th grade due to my father being involved in the broadcast industry. I would cut records for friends at school of songs off the radio and learned the art of record making long before learning to play music. I would spend countless hours studying the grooves I would cut under the microscope that was attached to the lathe and loved the way music looked, moved and modulated within the thin walls. I might have spent too much time studying music through a microscope because it gave me a completely different outlook on what music is and a totally opposite understanding of it as well. There was something very magical and private when I zoomed into the magnified and secret world of sound in motion. I got to the point that I needed to create and paint my own sounds and colors into the walls of these grooves."[2]
Inspired by Jimi Hendrix, Sage soon picked up the guitar, and in 1969, at age 17, he played on an eponymous album by professional wrestler Beauregarde.[1]
Foundation, early years
Sage founded Wipers in Portland in 1977 along with drummer Henry and bassist Koupal, originally just as a recording project. The plan was to record 15 albums in 10 years without touring or promotion.[3] Sage thought that the mystique built from the lack of playing traditional rock 'n' roll would make people listen to their recordings much deeper with only their imagination to go by. He thought it would be easy to avoid press, shows, pictures and interviews. He looked at music as art rather than entertainment; he thought music was personal to the listener rather than a commodity.[citation needed]
Wipers' first single, "Better Off Dead", was released in 1978 on Sage's own Trap Records.
Sage wanted to make his own recordings and manufacture and run his own label without outside financing. In 1979, Sage approached several Portland punk bands (including Neo Boys, Sado-Nation and Stiphnoyds) and asked them to record singles for his new Trap label.
The Wipers first album, Is This Real?, was issued in January 1980 on Park Avenue Records, a label that the band hoped would gain them wider distribution. It was originally recorded on a 4-track in the band's rehearsal studio, but the label insisted that the band use a professional studio.[3] Once released, the album gained a cult following, although the band was best known for their live shows around the Portland area.
Henry left to join the Rats, and Koupal moved to Ohio.[3]
Later in 1980, Park Avenue released the Alien Boy EP, consisting of the title track and three demo outtakes.
With the new rhythm section of bassist Brad Davidson and drummer Brad Naish (ex-Stiphnoyds), Wipers recorded a second album for Park Avenue, the last for that label. Youth of America, released in 1981, contrasted with the short/fast punk songs of the time. According to Sage, this change of pace was a reaction against the punk trend of releasing short songs.[4] The album was, according to Sage, not well received in the United States at the time of its release, though it did fare better in Europe.[4] Along with other Wipers records, Youth of America came to be acknowledged as an important album in the development of American underground and independent rock movements of the early 80s.[5]
The next album, Over the Edge, issued in 1983 by Trap via Brain Eater Records, was the first Wipers record to gain significant modern rock airplay.[3] It was led by the song, "Romeo", which had already been released the previous year as a 7" single by Trap. The band then embarked on their first extensive tour, documented on the Wipers Tour 84 cassette-only live album, which was reissued by Enigma Records in 1985 as Wipers.
In 1985, Naish was replaced by Steve Plouf, and Enigma issued Sage's first solo album, Straight Ahead.
In 1989, drummer Travis McNabb joined Wipers for a tour, during which Sage announced that the band was ending due to music business frustrations and the loss of their studio space. Sage then relocated to Phoenix, Arizona,[3] and Davidson left to move to London. After building a new recording studio in Arizona, Sage released a second solo album, 1991's Sacrifice (For Love).[3]
Two compilations were released in this era: The Best of Wipers and Greg Sage in 1990 by Restless, and Complete Rarities '78–'90 in 1993 by Germany's True Believer Records. The latter included the first Wipers 7", the B-side of the "Romeo" 7", sampler contributions, and live material from 1986 and 1989.
Sage restarted Wipers in 1993, rejoined by Plouf, releasing three additional albums as a duo: Silver Sail (1993) and The Herd (1996), both on the Tim/Kerr label, and Power in One (1999) on Sage's new Zeno Records. The band became inactive after 1999.
In 2001, Zeno released Wipers Box Set, which included the first three Wipers albums, which by that time had been long out-of-print, along with the songs from the Alien Boy EP and additional previously unreleased material. Jackpot Records and Sage later reissued Is This Real?,Youth of America and Over the Edge on vinyl.
Post-Wipers
Henry formed Napalm Beach with Chris Newman in 1982. He remained an active musician in Portland, Oregon, and continued to play with Napalm Beach and Don't, as well as popular Pacific Northwest songwriters such as Pete Krebs, Morgan Grace and Jimmy Boyer. Henry died from complications of stomach cancer on February 20, 2022, at the age of 65.[7]
Plouf operated a vintage goods/Zeno Records store in Portland, appropriately named Zeno Oddities, which closed sometime between 2009 and 2010.
Sage later remarked on their initial reception: "We weren't even really a punk band. See, we were even farther out in left field than the punk movement because we didn't even wish to be classified, and that was kind of a new territory. ... When we put out Is This Real? ... it definitely did not fit in; none of our records did. Then nine, ten years later people are saying: 'Yeah, it's the punk classic of the '80s'".[8]
The Wipers had an influence on Nirvana.[9] Wipers gained significant exposure as a result of Nirvana's 1992 covers of two songs from Is This Real? ("D-7" on the EP Hormoaning, and "Return of the Rat" on the Eight Songs compilation), and Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain's mention of Wipers as a major influence. As did Cobain's wife Courtney Love, whose band Hole covered "Over the Edge" both on recording and frequently at live performances. The Wipers were influential for the grunge music scene in general, also being cited by the Melvins, Mudhoney, and Dinosaur Jr. German grunge band Alien Boys named themselves from the Wipers song Alien Boy.
Members
Final lineup
Greg Sage – vocals, guitar (1977–1989, 1993–1999) bass (1993–1999, only in the studio)
Everclear is an American rock band formed in Portland, Oregon, in 1991. The band was formed by Art Alexakis, the band's lead songwriter, vocalist, and guitarist, and for most of the band's height of popularity, consisted of Craig Montoya on bass guitar and Greg Eklund on drums. After the limited release of their independently released debut album, World of Noise, the band found success with their first three albums on Capitol Records: Sparkle and Fade, So Much for the Afterglow, and Songs from an American Movie Vol. One: Learning How to Smile, which were all certified platinum in sales. However, the following two albums Songs from an American Movie Vol. Two: Good Time for a Bad Attitude and Slow Motion Daydream, were not as well received, and as sales suffered, Montoya and Eklund left the band shortly after in 2003.
Bleach is the debut studio album by American rock band Nirvana, released on June 15, 1989, by Sub Pop. After the release of their debut single "Love Buzz" on Sub Pop in November 1988, Nirvana rehearsed for two to three weeks in preparation for recording a full-length album. The main recording sessions for Bleach took place at Reciprocal Recording in Seattle, Washington between December 1988 and January 1989. It is the only Nirvana album released on the Sub Pop label and their only studio album to feature drummer Chad Channing.
Greg Sage is an American songwriter, guitarist, and vocalist, regarded as an important influence on many punk rock and post-punk artists. Sage is best known as the principal songwriter and vocalist/guitarist of the influential Portland, Oregon-based band Wipers.
Restless Records is a record label that was started in El Segundo, California in 1986 by Enigma Records and primarily released alternative, metal, and punk records. Restless also licensed and released records from Bar/None Records, Metal Blade Records and Mute Records. Restless also had a fully owned subsidiary, Pink Dust Records.
Is This Real? is the debut studio album by the Portland, Oregon-based punk rock band Wipers, originally released on vinyl in January 1980 by Park Avenue Records.
Youth of America is the second studio album by American punk rock band Wipers. It was released in 1981 by record label Park Avenue.
Over the Edge is the third studio album by American punk rock band Wipers, released in 1983.
Wipers is a self-titled live album by punk rock band Wipers, recorded between February and March 1984 and released in 1985 by Enigma Records. It had previously been issued by the band's own Trap Records as a cassette-only release titled Wipers Tour 84. It was later reissued as Wipers by Restless and band leader Greg Sage's Zeno Records.
Ask for It is an EP by American alternative rock band Hole, released on September 8, 1995. It was the band's second and last release on Caroline Records, the first being their debut album Pretty on the Inside (1991). Although the EP was released after 1994's platinum-selling Live Through This, its contents were recorded by an earlier lineup of the band between 1991 and 1992. The EP comprises three songs by Hole as well as several cover versions of songs by the Wipers, Beat Happening, the Velvet Underground, and the Germs.
Land of the Lost is the fourth studio album by punk rock band Wipers, released by Restless in 1986. The album was recorded at frontman Greg Sage's studio, 421 Sound, in Portland, Oregon. "Let Me Know" appears on the soundtrack to the 1986 film River's Edge.
"Miss World" is a song by American alternative rock band Hole, written by frontwoman Courtney Love and lead guitarist Eric Erlandson. The song was released as the band's fifth single and the first from their second studio album, Live Through This, in March 1994.
Eight Songs for Greg Sage and the Wipers is a Wipers tribute album released on Tim/Kerr in 1992. The album was first released as a box set of 4 colored 7-inch records in a run of 10,000. It helped to raise the profile of the independent label.
"Alien Boy" is the seventh song on the first Wipers album, Is This Real?, released in 1980.
The Circle is a studio album by the American band Wipers, released on Restless in 1988. The album was recorded at frontman Greg Sage's studio, 421 Sound, in Portland, Oregon.
Follow Blind is the fifth studio album by punk rock band Wipers, released in 1987 by Restless Records. It was recorded at 421 Sound, in Portland, Oregon.
Silver Sail is the seventh studio album by punk rock band Wipers, released in 1993. After disbanding Wipers in 1989 and releasing a 1991 solo album, Sacrifice , Sage decided to release a new album under the Wipers name.
Tim/Kerr was an American independent record label in Portland, Oregon, United States, run by Thor Lindsay and Thomas "Tim" Kerr IV from 1985 until 1999. Between 1978 and 1984 Lindsay and Kerr were also co-owners of an independent record store in Portland called Singles Going Steady.
Samuel William Henry born legally blind, was an American drummer, best known for his work with the punk rock group Wipers. He was inducted into the Oregon Music Hall of Fame in 2011.
The Herd is the eighth studio album by punk rock band Wipers, released in 1996 by the label Tim/Kerr. The album was written, produced and recorded by Sage at his own Zeno Studios in Phoenix, Arizona.
Power in One is the final studio album by punk rock band Wipers, released in 1999 by Zeno Records. The album was written, produced and recorded at Greg Sage's Zeno Studios in Phoenix, Arizona.
1 2 "Youth of America". ZenoRecords.com. Archived from the original on 2008-02-28. ... at the time of this recording, it was the trend that most songs by bands were very fast and short, to the point that some were doing songs as short as 13 seconds or so. I did just the opposite to make some songs reach 10 minutes long. This did not make us popular in the USA, but overseas was a different story.[self-published source]
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