Wipers (band)

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Wipers was an American 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Grow">Template:Cite web</ref> In particular, Nirvana's lead singer, Kurt Cobain acknowledged that they had heavily influenced him.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> They are also considered to be the first Pacific Northwest punk band.<ref name="guardian">Template:Cite web</ref>

History

Origins

Sage's intense interest in music began with cutting records at home as an adolescent.<ref name="guardian" />

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"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."<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Self-published source</ref>{{#if:|

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Inspired by Jimi Hendrix, Sage soon picked up the guitar; further, in 1969, at age 17, he played on an eponymous album by professional wrestler Beauregarde.<ref name="guardian" />

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.<ref name="mtv">Template:Cite web</ref> 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.Template: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.<ref name="mtv" /> 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.<ref name="mtv" />

Later in 1980, Park Avenue released the Alien Boy EP, consisting of the title track and three demo outtakes.

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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.<ref name="Zeno-Records-Youth-America">Template:Cite webTemplate:Self-published source</ref> 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.<ref name="Zeno-Records-Youth-America"/> 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.<ref>Template:AllMusic</ref>

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.<ref name="mtv" /> 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.

Signing to Enigma's Restless Records division, Wipers released 1986's Land of the Lost, featuring the song "Let Me Know", used in the film River's Edge. It was followed by Follow Blind (1987) and The Circle (1988). All three records were recorded in Sage's studio 421 Sound.<ref>Album credits printed on Wipers album covers (visible on discogs).</ref>

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,<ref name="mtv" /> 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).<ref name="mtv" />

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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Plouf operated a vintage goods/Zeno Records store in Portland, appropriately named Zeno Oddities, which closed sometime between 2009 and 2010.

McNabb formed the Beggars, and went on to work as a session and tour drummer for artists including Vigilantes of Love, Billy Pilgrim, Shawn Mullins, Indigo Girls, Brendan Benson, Howie Day, Dar Williams, Mandi Perkins, Big & Rich and Gavin DeGraw. McNabb was a member of Better Than Ezra from 1996 to 2009. In 2007, he joined bluegrass/country music act Sugarland.

Davidson (who had previously recorded with the Sage-produced Rancid Vat in 1985) played bass on The Jesus and Mary Chain's 1993 EP Sound of Speed.

Influence and legacy

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'".<ref name="Zeno">Template:Cite web</ref>

In 1992, tribute album Eight Songs for Greg Sage and the Wipers was released by Tim/Kerr as a box set of four colored 7" records, featuring Wipers songs performed by Nirvana, Hole, Napalm Beach, M99, Dharma Bums, Crackerbash, Poison Idea, and the Whirlees. The expanded CD release, retitled Fourteen Songs for Greg Sage and the Wipers, also included covers by Hazel, Calamity Jane, Saliva Tree, Honey, Nation of Ulysses, and Thurston Moore and Keith Nealy.

Wipers had a great influence on Nirvana.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> For example, fans can hear similarities between the bass line of Wipers' song "Potential Suicide" and Nirvana's track "Breed".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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. "D-7" was also released as a B-side on the UK CD single release of "Lithium" and played as part of Nirvana's 1992 live show that was later released as Live At Reading). Kurt Cobain's list of his top 50 albums, probably written in 1993, included the first three Wipers' albums.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> His wife, Courtney Love, whose band Hole covered "Over the Edge" both on recording and frequently at live performances, was also influenced by the band.<ref name="Grow"/> German grunge band, Alien Boys named themselves from Wipers song Alien Boy. Other bands that have cited Wipers as an influence include Mudhoney,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Cloud Nothings,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Hot Snakes,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Metz.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Members

Template:Col-begin Template:Col-2 Final lineup

  • Greg Sage – vocals, guitar (1977–1989, 1993–1999) bass (1993–1999, only in the studio)
  • Steve Plouf – drums (1985–1988, 1993–1999)

Template:Col-2 Former members

  • Sam Henry – drums (1977–1980) (died 2022)
  • Dave Koupal – bass (1977–1981)
  • Brad Naish – drums (1981–1985)
  • Brad Davidson – bass (1981–1987)
  • Travis McNabb – drums (1989, former touring member)

Template:Col-end

Timeline <timeline> ImageSize = width:800 height:auto barincrement:20 PlotArea = left:100 bottom:60 top:0 right:10 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1977 till:01/11/1999 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:4 ScaleMajor = increment:2 start:1977 ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1977

Colors = 

 id:voc value:red legend:Vocals,_guitar
 id:b value:blue legend:Bass
 id:dr value:orange legend:Drums
 id:Lines value:black legend:Studio_album
 id:bars value:gray(0.95)

BackgroundColors = bars:bars

LineData = 

 at:01/01/1980 color:black layer:back # Is This Real?
 at:17/05/1981 color:black layer:back # Youth of America
 at:01/01/1983 color:black layer:back # Over the Edge
 at:01/01/1986 color:black layer:back # Land of the Lost
 at:01/01/1987 color:black layer:back # Follow Blind 
 at:01/01/1988 color:black layer:back # The Circle
 at:16/11/1993 color:black layer:back # Silver Sail
 at:20/02/1996 color:black layer:back # The Herd
 at:22/10/1999 color:black layer:back # Power in One

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 bar:Sage  text:"Greg Sage"
 bar:Koupal text:  "Dave Koupal"
 bar:Davidson text:  "Brad Davidson"
 bar:Henry  text:"Sam Henry"
 bar:Naish  text: "Brad Naish"
 bar:Plouf text:  "Steve Plouf"
 bar:McNabb  text: "Travis McNabb"

PlotData= 

 width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4)
 bar:Sage  from:start till:01/01/1989 color:voc
 bar:Sage  from:01/01/1993 till:end color:voc
 bar:Sage  from:01/01/1993 till:end color:b width:3
 bar:Koupal  from:start till:01/01/1981 color:b
 bar:Davidson from:01/01/1981 till:12/01/1987 color:b
 bar:Henry from:start till:01/01/1980 color:dr
 bar:Naish  from:01/01/1981 till:09/01/1985 color:dr
 bar:Plouf  from:01/01/1985 till:01/01/1988 color:dr
 bar:Plouf  from:01/01/1993 till:end color:dr
 bar:McNabb  from:01/01/1988 till:01/01/1989 color:dr

</timeline>

Discography

Studio albums

Live albums

  • Wipers Tour 84 (1984, Trap Records)

EPs

Singles

  • "Better Off Dead" (1978, Trap Records)
  • "Romeo" (1982, Trap Records)
  • "Silver Sail" (1993, Tim/Kerr)
  • "The Herd" (1996, Tim/Kerr)
  • "Insane" (1996, Tim/Kerr)

Compilation albums

  • The Best of Wipers and Greg Sage (1990, Restless Records)
  • Complete Rarities '78–'90 (2001, Objects Of Rarity)
  • Wipers Box Set (2001, Zeno Records)
  • Out Takes (2010, Jackpot Records)

Compilation appearances

  • "Same Old Thing" on 10-29-79 (1980, Trap Records)
  • "My Vengeance" and "The Story" on Trap Sampler (1981, Trap Records)
  • "Nothin' to Prove (Live)" on Sub Pop 9 (1983, Sub Pop) and Sub Pop 100 (1986, Sub Pop)
  • "Let Me Know" on River's Edge (1987, Enigma Records)
  • "Return of the Rat" on Hype! The Motion Picture Soundtrack (1996, Sub Pop)

References

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Interviews

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