The Riffs are a

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...

and

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

band from

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

. They have released three full-length albums, all on

indie label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented ...

s, namely Pelado Records, Vendetta Records, and

TKO Records TKO Records is an independent punk rock record label in Portland, Oregon. The label is primarily known for its role in the late 1990s American street punk scene and has continued its notability as a source of new releases, reissues, and archival ...

Influences

The Riffs are heavily influenced by early punk bands, most notably the

Sex Pistols The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they were one of the most groundbreaking acts in the history of popular music. They were responsible for ...

, whose influence can be heard most prominently in the guitars,

Sham 69 Sham 69 are an English punk rock band that formed in Hersham in Surrey in 1975. They were one of the most successful punk bands in the United Kingdom, achieving five top 20 singles, including "If the Kids Are United" and "Hurry Up Harry". The ...

and the Dead Boys (they paid tribute to the Dead Boys on the cover of "Dead End Dream"). Like other bands that played the first wave of punk music, they were also fans of

Protopunk Proto-punk (or protopunk) is rock music played mostly by garage bands from the 1960s to mid-1970s that foreshadowed the punk rock movement. The phrase is a retrospective label; the musicians involved were generally not originally associated wi ...

like Eddie and the Hot Rods and

The Velvet Underground The Velvet Underground was an American rock band formed in New York City in 1964. The original line-up consisted of singer/guitarist Lou Reed, multi-instrumentalist John Cale, guitarist Sterling Morrison, and drummer Angus MacLise. MacLise w ...

, as displayed by their cover of "Waiting for My Man" on ''Underground Kicks''.

Song Content

Throughout the first two LPs, ''Underground Kicks'' and ''Dead End Dream'', the songs and lyrics (written by all members of the band) tell a bleak story of growing up in the Portland punk scene, presumably in poverty, afflicted with drug addiction, the repercussions of drug abuse, regret about past violent criminal activity, and a "No Way Out" feeling when it came to creating a fulfilling (if any) future. The band matured for their latest release, ''Death or Glory'', as evident by lead singer Mengis' improved vocal abilities; also, he achieved a greater vocal range, such as in "Death or Glory," smoother production, and implementation of experimental instruments (such as the keyboard in "Poison Boys"). The lyrical content also took a turn for the positive in many ways; ''Death or Glory'' had considerably more romantic songs than ever before.

Members

*Tony Mengis - Vocals *Dogs Body - Guitars and vocals *Alex Hagen - Guitars and vocals *Scott Goto - Bass *Joey O'Brien - Drums

Past Members

*Amphetamine Blue - Guitars, backup vocals *Saigon Shakes - Guitar, then Bass *Karl - drummer *Toni Transmission - first drummer

Discography

Albums

*''Underground Kicks'' (released 1999 by Pelado Records, re-released December 17, 2002 by

) *''Dead End Dream'' (March 19, 2002) *''Death or Glory'' (May 20, 2003)

EPs

*"The Lucky Ones are Dead" B/W "Johnny Won't Get to Heaven" 7" on Pelado Records *"White Line Kids" B/W "Kick Time Suicide" 7" released in 2000 on Tombstone Records *"A Million Scars" B/W "Outta my Mind and I Won't" 7" on Vendetta Records *"Such a Bore" B/W "Coming Back" 7" on TKO Records *"Poison Boys" B/W "Lesson Number Nine" 7" released in 2003 on TKO Records

References

External links

The Riffs
on Myspace * {{DEFAULTSORT:Riffs, The Punk rock groups from Oregon Musical groups from Portland, Oregon