Stumptown Sounds

Oregon is a vast state that has traditionally supported the arts and artists with spaces to exhibit their works publicly.The state has produced a large variety of sounds, with the indie rock of Eugene, the bluegrass/folk of Eastern Oregon, and the punk rock and alt scene in Portland. Artists such as Modest Mouse, The Decemberists, Esperanza Spalding, and Everclear all had their upbringing in Oregon.

“There's a particular openness and warm-welcoming community within Eugene for music. And like, I've found a lot of safe spaces and open mics and things that have really allowed me to explore and put myself out there with my music,” said Peter Romanelli, lead guitarist and vocalist for the Eugene, Oregon bluegrass band The Muddy Souls. 

“There's a particularly high value on the arts and creativity and holding space for people to be able to do that in this town,” Romanelli said, looking back on how thankful he is for the space that Oregon has provided for musicians and other artists to create their works. 

Romanelli has always had a passion for music; from playing saxophone in elementary school, he has successfully turned his passion into reality. The Muddy Souls began in 2017, with Romanelli joining in 2018. They got their name from two sources: their first bass player’s dogs who ran through her home caked in mud, as well as taking the word soul from one genre that influenced them musically. Romanelli says that it can be difficult to tap into that creative pulse of the state because of how diverse everything is. But this diversity also led him to discover his love for folk and bluegrass artists and music. Romanelli says they have pulled from musical influences and backgrounds, himself being into the Grateful Dead/Phish jam music scene in Northeastern America. 

“Eventually [the jam scene] led me to a band called Railroad Earth, which is a sort of a rock and they're like a rock and roll band rooted in like bluegrass and folk music,” said Romanelli, emphasizing how he would have never found an interest in bluegrass and folk if it wasn’t for Railroad Earth. “That was sort of the bridge for me that really sparked my interest in bluegrass music.”

The Muddy Souls released their latest album “The Raven” in 2022, with clear influence from all corners of folk and bluegrass. Romanelli says they crafted this album throughout the pandemic, with their first song and single off the album titled “Troubled Times” first created during the very beginning of the pandemic. 

“I went upstairs and sat down and picked up my guitar, and it was that whole song pretty much was just like, came to me on the spot,” said Romanelli. Bands and artists, like The Muddy Souls and Chainsaw Girl, have been able to use shared trauma to help create something out of that hurt and put those negative feelings into something positive.

The Portland-based band Chainsaw Girl has been performing since January 2020 and has since become integrated into the city's house show/DIY music scene. . The DIY music scene allows independent artists and bands to play at small venues, most of which are people’s houses, where the audience can donate to help bands fund their art. . House shows a  becoming a huge part of the music scene. Especially in Portland, a resurgence emerged after the summerlong protests following the murder of George Floyd. The members of Chainsaw Girl saw this as an opportunity to take that pain felt by the community and put it into a positive outlet.

“The punks at our shows were also the punks in black bloc, protesting against the cops. There’s a lot of shared trauma that comes from that and a lot of relatability that you would only find with a Portland band playing for Portland,” said Manny R., the guitarist in Chainsaw Girl. They spoke about how many of the people at the protests were also the people you would see at the punk shows in Portland. Because of the shared experiences, the scene served as a major release for members of the community.

Chainsaw Girl is a riot grrrl punk band based in Portland, Oregon, with each of the five members bringing in their unique musical influences. The lead vocalist, Cricket Greene, has cited Joyce Manor and other emo bands as being prime influences. Sasha Smith, the drummer, has accredited his musical influences to the shoegaze genre. Each band  member has taken their own interests and influences and put them in a melting pot to create what they say is a “unique sound.” However, it isn’t just music that has influenced the band. Oregon politics and, more specifically, metropolitan Portland have played a large part in the band's inception.

The members of Chainsaw Girl said the energy from the protests exposing the systemic issues of the state was transferred into their ability to make music, as well as allowing them to send political messages through what, where, and how they played. They want their music to help inspire people to recognize the power in their voices and create a community and space to share their beliefs through their art.  “We've been challenging our peers to have DIY shows; to help our community. DIY shows are a bunch of people in our community coming together and celebrating or like, experiencing art together,” said R. The political climate of Portland, Oregon influenced how the band came together and in turn allowed them to help influence the DIY house show scene.

The DIY house show scene has been a springboard for many different indie bands throughout Oregon.  Mommy, a Eugene, Oregon indie rock band, has utilized the space to its fullest potential. Sam Galyen, the guitarist for Mommy, says that this space has been fun and positive to interact with. The University of Oregon has served as a great microcosm for small bands to live in, “All the bands want to play with everyone,” said Galyen, “Coming to Eugene and the house show scene being so much about the energy and the environment you bring to it. We kind of tailor our music really around the shows we're playing.” While Mommy lets the larger community and scene influence what they produce, the band does not let it fully take over.

Mommy began in the basement of the University of Oregon dorm Hamilton Hall. Songwriter and guitarist Patrick Walker and bassist Milo Brosammer all started jamming out in the basement  to make friends and keep connections during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mommy was able to come together for one show last year, “We practiced like every day for two weeks and put it together. We had a great first show,” said Galyen. For 16 consecutive shows, Mommy has never performed below their own high standards. TThe band practices twice a week, but it has never become a chore for them. During practice they let their creativity flow through, allowing them to perfect their songs. 

Walker has written enough originals to create a setlist, with their song Villard Street, named after the street their practice studio is on, being a clear favorite of the band's discography. “We are Mommy and the songs are our babies,” said Walker. The band has a clear moment when the song comes together during its inception. 

“My favorite part of the process is getting to a point where, after a song has been brought to the table, and after everybody has kind of put their own spin o it, taken it for their own ride, and then brought it back,” said Brosammer, emphasizing how everyone contributes to the composition and sound of a song. “Having a finishroduct that you can clearly hear everybody's influencing, to me is like what I'm doing this for.” 

Mommy allows themselves to take the best parts of each musician to create something new because everyone in the band comes from a different musical background, ranging anywhere from jazz, acapella, surf rock, and hip rock

Mommy is excited to keep perfecting their craft and to continue speeding onto the scene. For their singer, Martina Hemstreet, one key moment that keeps the band pushing forward is when a song they’ve been practicing finally clicks. “When you play it you've been playing it like over and over again. It's not really coming together. It's that moment when it finally does and you're like everyone knows that,” said Hemstreet. 

All the members of Mommy just love the environment the scene in Oregon and Eugene provides for artists and musicians. They want to share what they have created with as many people as possible without compromising who they are. “We are Mommy, we love you guys. If you've seen us, we'd love even more if you haven't. We'll love you soon,” said Galyen.

All of Oregon has provided a space for artists to create unique and interesting music. Members of Chainsaw Girl, The Muddy Souls and Mommy are all influenced by the state in their own way and continue to influence their own respective music scenes. Each band has plans to keep playing and creating what they love: music.