MAKING PORTLAND PUNK HISTORY
OLDTOWN, Portland, Oregon
A new full-building wrap mural has hit the streets of Portland, designed, and painted by Portland tattoo artist and illustrator, Notsik. Notsik moved to Portland from California determined to createtheir unique style of art which was a perfect match for this mural. Notsik incorporates a bold, limited palette, often using only black, red, and white in their artwork. The mural showcases an incredible amount of detail, from the patches on the back of the jacket to intricate tattoos hand-painted on the arms of the punk rocker.
"It has been an incredible honor to be able to do a tribute for legendary PDX punk bands and the many venues and bars that made the punk scene thrive here.” – Notsik, Muralist Prominently positioned in Old Town’s Ankeny Triangle, this pie-shaped building is within sight of iconic Portland punk cultural and historical locations. In these few blocks (and near SW Yamhill and 2nd) the heart of Portland’s punk culture in the 70’s and 80’s thrived.
The mural fully wraps the tiny building at 33 SW 3rd. Avenue, owned by longtime Portland real estate investor Jim Atwood, who also owns the building that is home to Dante’s, one of the last large Portland venues that consistently host punk and hardcore shows in town.
Extensive community outreach was completed by the PSAA team to help inform the design of the mural. Leading the way, Caleb Ruecker reached out to over two dozen bands to ask for their blessing to be included in the artwork. Ruecker was born and raised in Portland and has always identified with the punk community.
“This mural is well deserved to the punk scene. For many decades of amazing musical talent, rad venues, raw style, great shops and incredible people. Thanks for everything and welcoming me in, even if I ride BMX.” – Caleb Ruecker, Community Member
While there was no way to include the full breadth of bands originating from Portland, we squeezed in as many as we could. Featured in patches on the back of a rocker’s jacket are: The Exploding Hearts, Sado Nation, Final Warning, The Procrastinators, Nightmares, Religious War, Cut Throat, Rotten Cadaver, Death Charge, Another State of Mind, and more.
Around the corner, another band line up appears, this time as buttons displayed on the front of a musician’s jacket. Included are: Defiance, Dead Moon, The Wipers, The Rats, Poison Idea, Pierced Arrows, The Jackals, The Riffs, Black Jack, Napalm Beach, Soda Pop Kids, Red Dons, All Out, Long Knife, The Bellicose Minds, and Antiworld.
“We feel honored to be included in the new mural representing the Portland Punk music scene, thanks to Portland Street Art Alliance for recognizing some of the bands, clubs and people who have been a part of making our city stand out in the worldwide music scene! “ – Mike Arrogant, Defiance
Also featured on one of the musicians are symbols of classic punk fashion, including a padlock and chain necklace, made famous by the infamous Sid Vicious of the Sex Pistols. Legend goes, Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders gifted Sid with the lock and chain, and Sid, being Sid, lost the keys and therefore never took it off. There is no denying that British punk music had a big impact on Portland’s scene. Sten recorded that at first, Portland wanted to hear British-sounding punk. Along the jacket brim, three safety pins are fastened. Safety pins, while serving a practical purpose of holding things together, became associated with punk in the UK in the late 1970s. Some claim the look was originally taken originally from Richard Hell (of Neon Boys, Television, Heartbreakers, Richard Hell & the Voidoids), whose style British punks emulated.
The mural also features much-loved places such as record stores, punk clothing shops, music venues, recording studios, etc. On the ‘Places 2 Go’ list, the following are featured: Another State of Mind (currently still in business at SE 34th and Hawthorne), The Satyricon, Meow Meow, Club 21,EJs, Paris Theatre, La Luna, X Ray Cafe, Berbati’s Pan, Ozone Records, Twilight Cafe, Discourage Records, 2nd Avenue Records (currently still in business at 400 SW 2nd Ave), Black Water Recording Studio, X House, Revenge, Second Foundation, Clockwork Joe’s, New Arts Center, Captain Whizeagle’s, Renaissance Records, Mildred’s Palace, Wave Studio, New Ritz Disco, Euphoria, and Noize Magazine.
Prominently featured in the mural is the iconic Portland punk fashion shop, Another State of Mind. Still operating today, the shop opened its doors in 1994 – providing a place for “local studs and spikes youth.” First in Old Town and now on SE Hawthorne Blvd., Another State of Mind is owned and operated by Connie Wallace and Frank Schaefer. It’s a classic mom-and-pop shop specializing in traditional 80’s gear, rebellion wear, memorabilia, accessories, and more. As in the early 90’s, Another State of Mind continues to be a meeting place for the PDX punk community today.
“PSAA is honored to be a part of this special mural project celebrating our distinct character and legacy in the punk music scene. As a fan, I have been dreaming of painting this mural for many years now, and am excited to finally see it come alive! We hope it serves as a reminder that our DIY and edginess as a city has a long history and roots in our early punk culture. We have always been testing limits, experimenting, and going against the normative grain as a city.”– Tiffany Conklin, PSAA Executive Director
This mural project was generously sponsored by a grant from the City of Portland’s Public Environment Management Office (PEMO). Paint discounts were provided by Miller Paint. Sign painting across the top of the building for the property owner was completed by artist and PSAA Site Manager, Hayden Senter.
A Brief Portland Punk History
In the 1970s and 80s, Portland was the epicenter of one of the most thriving hardcore and experimental punk rock scenes in the Pacific Northwest, if not the country. This explosion of new sounds reflected the gritty and radical culture of the city. Portland’s thriving punk scene was due in part to its fluid and non-genre-specific nature, making it accessible and attractive to a new generation of musicians and fans. In Mark Sten’s book All Ages: The Rise and Fall of Portland Punk Rock 1977-1981 (published in 2015), he explains the rise of punk culture in Portland and the conditions of the time:
“By 1977, Portland was starting to take its current shape. Portland had just finished outgrowing its constricting small town Republican outlook, and it was turning into an urban magnet for all kinds of new lifestyle visionaries: potheads, homosexuals, vegetarians, topless dancers, etc. With no conservative power structure left, local punk was born.” - Mark Sten
The Wipers were one of the first major bands out of Portland, with their raw and gritty new sound, influencing everyone from Nirvana to No Age. In a 1993 interview with Kurt Cobain, he was asked if there was a Seattle scene or if this was all a myth, in reference to the music of time. Cobain replied “Yea, but in Portland. It started with The Wipers in 1977. It’s a real dirty, grungy place.” According to Sten, the first bands to take the stage were King Bee and Noize in 1977, producing a few dozen shows and bringing in out-of-town punk bands. King Bee notoriously played a few early shows at Vernonia High School, including at their Senior Prom.
Sten continues to explain that: “Conflict with Portland’s newly dominant liberal ethos provided an ideal stimulus for post-modern creative tension, during a period when geographic isolation gave the emerging punk scene room to breathe. American punk was streamlined by large mass audiences in a few metropolitan centers. In contrast, punk rock in Portland was at liberty to set its own standards and follow its own pace. At the beginning of 1978, overlapping clusters reached critical mass and fused into a single contentious community that turned itself into an efficient production cartel.”
Even the PDX pups dig the PDX Punk Mural! Photo Credit: @Rangerstay
Later, Sten described some of the unique characteristics of Portland’s scene. Portland’s punk scene was unanimously anti-racist and welcoming of the queer community. In downtown, some of the first venues to host punk music were Mildred’s Place and Second Foundation. Mildred’s Palace was anall-ages queer-friendly disco owned and operated by Lanny Swerdlow. Swerdlow kept similar clubs going for decades, including an earlier one called Second Foundation at 258 SW Alder. Lanny was ahead of his time. Lanny ran all his clubs as refuges where ‘lonesome gays’ of every age were encouraged to mingle with alienated minors of all sexual persuasions.
Women also played an important role in Portland’s punk scene. Sten noted that “It was women in Portland who were doing the intensive research into punk’s evolving fashions in 1977, keeping up by scrutinizing the newest British magazines for any late-breaking developments. Piercings were rare, while tattoos were still novel and slightly exotic. Flannel was more common than leather because it was cheaper.”
Notable women in the early scene included Andrea Lafayette who helped get Mildred’s Palace started and DeeDee Morin from the bands Hazel Dell and Terror Wrist. Portland’s historical punk scene is emblematic of our city and culture today. Even though the city has morphed and changed in recent years, Portland still is on the cutting edge of culture-making, doing things ourselves, and in our own unique way. It is this pioneering spirit that continues to draw people to this unique gem of a city, and we hope, will continue to do so for years to come.
MURAL UNVEILING
On Sunday June 30th, 2024, Portland punks from near and far came together for the unveiling of the mural and an after-party gathering and performance by Deathcharge, at the iconic Star Theater in Old Town. In attendance were Mike Arrogant from Defiance, Mira Sonnleitner from The Bellicose Minds, David Corboy from The Jackals and Sado-Nation, Tony Mengis from The Riffs, Connie Wallace and Frank Shafer co-owners of Another State of Mind, and Sandy from the Future Boutique. After the unveiling at the mural wall, Deathcharge played at Star Theater to celebrate the mural.
ADDITIONAL PHOTOS
