#basementrock hashtag - Bluesky

@exhibitphotopdx.bsky.social

10 months ago

It was 1989? I was doing sound for a bunch of bands that were packing clubs (ie, getting 300 people to Satyricon) around Portland so I recruited some of them to flesh out the band that my friend Miles and I had been creating over late-night beers for several months. Our first show turned out to be opening for an unknown band from Aberdeen called Nirvana, which sorta set the hook. I honestly don't remember First Person at all but we were STOKED to be opening for Dead Moon and even more excited that newly-minted member of Soundgarden Ben Shepherd was supposed to be coming to see us play. Visions of sugarplums danced in our heads. We were pretty proud of our excesses but that was par for the times. I was couch-surfing between Miles place and a band-house where we practiced near Portland State. Brothers Chris and Pete ran a wildly overboard bachelor pad that hosted parties most nights of the week. We would come to in the morning and look at each other in some kind of awe at what had transpired, choke back a sullen "I'm never drinking again" and then start checking our pockets to see if we had enough for a fifth of Jim Beam. It may have only lasted a year or so but it seemed like forever at the time. Very little remains of that time -- I ran across a cassette tape but it smeared itself into tiny little bits the first time I tried to play it. Our next incarnation was pretty similar in tone but added a singer. We did some duets to honor my inspiration of X, among others, but Sarah brought a particular bent to the whole thing that was pretty cool. Best summarized here....https://soundcloud.com/clint-kaster/ampeg?si=d90ae1132e474d8a826e7a53df50c176&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

This whole period comes with a story. I'll try to fit into the alt-text! #firstband #grungeyears #the20's #basementrock