It was a number of years ago, when I first saw Japanther. It was at a house party, somewhere in Deep North Portland. I don’t remember how I found out about it (could it have been the Mercury?) and I wasn’t sure, really, what I was about to see. But I was single, lonely and bored. So I fired up the ol’ motorbike and headed out.

And hot damn, the cramped sweaty show in the basement that night was ferocious. Major chords, cassette tape loops, simple structures and all kinds of uplifting, relentless punk energy. The two dudes from New York were on a cross-country tour and they were playing basements. Who said punk is dead?! Fuck… I bought their record, which came across equally well (and one side was covered with a radical hand etching…).

My how they’ve kept at it, traversing back and forth, always finding amazing, all-ages, DIY spaces to play. It’s got to be, and I’m sure there have been many letdowns, clusterfuck and screw jobs and trying times along the way, and yet, in the back of some stinky van, or sleeping on some cold, hard floors, Japanther rattles on.

Last year they set up in that old cavernous building (was it a church once, or just some mega-industrial space) on Mississippi St., playing amidst a ton of art installations. I remember someone had built and furnished these tiny wooden cabins. Inside they were decked out with tiny chairs, type-writers, tools and quaint art. They were beautiful. The band played right up against them. Before they went on we curled up inside and drank 40’s.

Japanther has perfected a sort of organized confusion. The sloppiness is endearing—part of the overall aesthetic. But when it comes to energy and inclusion, the two are always spot on.

Give ‘em a look tonight at Exit Only, another DIY venue which is apparently hard to find. It’s at 1121 N. Loring St. And just in case, here’s a map.

Listen to: Fuk Tha Prince A Pull Iz Dum