Wipers was an American

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

band formed in

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

, 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 In signal processing, distortion is the alteration of the original shape (or other characteristic) of a signal. In communications and electronics it means the alteration of the waveform of an information-bearing signal, such as an audio signal ...

were hailed as extremely influential by numerous critics and musicians. In particular, Nirvana's lead singer,

Kurt Cobain Kurt Donald Cobain (February 20, 1967 – ) was an American musician. He was the lead vocalist, guitarist, primary songwriter, and a founding member of the grunge band Nirvana (band), Nirvana. Through his angsty songwriting and anti-establis ...

acknowledged that they had heavily influenced him. They are also considered to be the first

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (PNW; ) is a geographic region in Western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though no official boundary exists, the most common ...

punk band.

History

Origins

Sage's intense interest in music began with cutting records at home as an adolescent. Inspired by

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of all time. Inducted ...

, Sage soon picked up the guitar; further, in 1969, at age 17, he played on an eponymous album by professional wrestler Beauregarde.

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. Sage thought that the mystique built from the lack of playing traditional

rock 'n' roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and 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 African ...

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. 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? ''Is This Real?'' is the debut studio album by the Portland, Oregon-based punk rock band Wipers, originally released on vinyl in January 1980 by Park Avenue Records. The album was reissued on CD by Sub Pop in 1993, augmented by the three tracks ...

'', 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. 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. Later in 1980, Park Avenue released the '' Alien Boy'' EP, consisting of the title track and three demo outtakes. 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. 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. 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. 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 Modern rock is an umbrella term used to describe rock music that is found on college and commercial rock radio stations. Some radio stations use this term to distinguish themselves from classic rock, which is based in 1960s–1980s rock music. ...

airplay. 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 Enigma Records (also known as Enigma Entertainment Corporation) was a popular rock and alternative American record label in the 1980s. History Enigma Records launched as a division of Greenworld Distribution, an independent music importer/d ...

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. In 1989, drummer

Travis McNabb Travis Aaron McNabb (born November 18, 1969) is an American drummer and percussionist. McNabb is perhaps best known as a longtime member of the band Better Than Ezra, although he has performed session and touring work with many acts during his c ...

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 Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...

, 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)''. Two compilations were released in this era: ''The Best of Wipers and Greg Sage'' in 1990 by Restless, and ''Complete Rarities '78–'90'' in 1993 by Germany's True Believer Records. The latter included the first Wipers 7", the B-side of the "Romeo" 7", sampler contributions, and live material from 1986 and 1989. 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. 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 Gavin Shane DeGraw (born February 4, 1977) is an American singer-songwriter. DeGraw rose to fame with his song "I Don't Want to Be" from his debut album ''Chariot (album), Chariot'' (2003); the song became the main theme song for The WB/The CW, ...

. McNabb was a member of Better Than Ezra from 1996 to 2009. In 2007, he joined bluegrass/

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

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'". In 1992, tribute album '' Eight Songs for Greg Sage and the Wipers'' was released by Tim/Kerr as a

box set A boxed set or (its US name) box set is a set of items (for example, a compilation of books, musical recordings, films or television programs) traditionally packaged in a box, hence 'boxed', and offered for sale as a single unit. Music Artists ...

of four colored 7" records, featuring Wipers songs performed by

Nirvana Nirvana, in the Indian religions (Jainism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism), is the concept of an individual's passions being extinguished as the ultimate state of salvation, release, or liberation from suffering ('' duḥkha'') and from the ...

Hole A hole is an opening in or through a particular medium, usually a solid Body (physics), body. Holes occur through natural and artificial processes, and may be useful for various purposes, or may represent a problem needing to be addressed in m ...

, 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 Thurston Joseph Moore (born July 25, 1958) is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter best known as a member of the rock band Sonic Youth. He has also participated in many solo and group collaborations outside Sonic Youth, as well as running ...

and Keith Nealy. Wipers had a great influence on Nirvana. For example, fans can hear similarities between the bass line of Wipers' song "Potential Suicide" and Nirvana's track "

Breed A breed is a specific group of breedable domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist seve ...

". 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 Lithium (from , , ) is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Li and atomic number 3. It is a soft, silvery-white alkali metal. Under standard temperature and pressure, standard conditions, it is the least dense metal and the ...

" and played as part of Nirvana's 1992 live show that was later released as '' Live At Reading).''

's list of his top 50 albums, probably written in 1993, included the first three Wipers' albums. 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. German

grunge Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock Music genre, genre and subculture that emerged during the in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington, particularly in Seattle and Music of Olympia, Washington, O ...

band, Alien Boys named themselves from Wipers song Alien Boy. Other bands that have cited Wipers as an influence include

Mudhoney Mudhoney is an American rock music, rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, on January 1, 1988, following the demise of Green River (band), Green River. Its members are singer and rhythm guitarist Mark Arm, lead guitarist Steve Turner (guitari ...

, Cloud Nothings, Hot Snakes, and

Metz Metz ( , , , then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle (river), Moselle and the Seille (Moselle), Seille rivers. Metz is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Moselle (department), Moselle Departments ...

Members

Final lineup * Greg Sage – vocals, guitar (1977–1989, 1993–1999) bass (1993–1999, only in the studio) * Steve Plouf – drums (1985–1988, 1993–1999) Former members * Sam Henry – drums (1977–1980) (died 2022) * Dave Koupal – bass (1977–1981) * Brad Naish – drums (1981–1985) * Brad Davidson – bass (1981–1987) *

– drums (1989, former touring member) Timeline

Discography

Studio albums

* ''

'' (1980, Park Avenue Records) * '' Youth of America'' (1981, Park Avenue Records) * '' Over the Edge'' (1983, Trap Records/Brain Eater Records) * '' Land of the Lost'' (1986, Restless Records) * '' Follow Blind'' (1987, Restless Records) * '' The Circle'' (1988, Restless Records) * '' Silver Sail'' (1993, Tim/Kerr) * '' The Herd'' (1996, Tim/Kerr) * '' Power in One'' (1999, Zeno Records)

Live albums

* ''Wipers Tour 84'' (1984, Trap Records) * '' Wipers'' (1985,

)

EPs

* '' Alien Boy'' (1980, Park Avenue Records)

Singles

* "Better Off Dead" (1978, Trap Records) * "

Romeo Romeo Montague () is the male protagonist of William Shakespeare's tragedy ''Romeo and Juliet''. The son of Characters in Romeo and Juliet#Lord Montague, Lord Montague and his wife, Characters in Romeo and Juliet#Lady Montague, Lady Montague, he ...

" (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'' (1993, True Believer Records) * '' Wipers Box Set'' (2001, Zeno Records) * ''Out Takes'' (2010, Jackpot Records)

Compilation appearances

* "Same Old Thing" on ''10-29-79'' (1980, Trap Records) * "My Vengance" and "The Story" on ''Trap Sampler'' (1981, Trap Records) * "Nothin' to Prove" on ''Sub Pop 9'' (1983,

Sub Pop Sub Pop is an independent record label founded in 1986 by Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman. Sub Pop achieved fame in the early 1990s for signing Seattle bands such as Nirvana (band), Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Mudhoney, central players in the gru ...

) * "Let Me Know" on '' River's Edge'' (1987, Enigma Records) * "Nothin' to Prove (Live)" on '' Sub Pop 100'' (1986, Sub Pop) * "Return of the Rat" on '' Hype! The Motion Picture Soundtrack'' (1996, Sub Pop)