Eugene is not necessarily known for an overly flourishing local music scene. After all, every mid-sized city of respect has local music worth listening to: Whitman-infested Walla Walla has an incredible underground punk scene; neo-aristocratic Bend produces pretty good surf music; meth-afflicted Medford has its fair share of death metal.
What makes the music of Eugene different from these scenes? The fact that in Eugene, no band is an island; throughout the city, local musicians often see themselves in terms of a collective, constantly influencing one another. With musicians playing a broad array of styles in Eugene, local bands can’t help but be affected by the city’s emphasis on variety, and the eclectic.
Creswell-based group Kenzie, who in August opened for Wet Confetti and the Thermals and was recently asked to join a traveling music festival, has experienced the unique musical influence of its Eugene/Creswell surrounding throughout seven years as a band. Because the band has at different times considered its music a part of so many different genres, the group has rotated through nearly 30 members,
with only one original member of the band still playing. Mikhail Swanson started Kenzie in 1999, and went through several periods of being the sole member.
However, vibrations stayed positive and Mikhail’s spirits regarding his musical path never depreciated.
The year 2003 brought about solidarity, as Mikhail found three rare and reliable members to form the current consistency of the group. With Dallas Helt on a second guitar, Tyler Reid on bass and Dagan Helt on drums, Kenzie searched for an audience in the Emerald City. Home recordings and band-funded festivals such as the annual Kenzie Fest became the members’ facet of fandom. The once small, one-band festival started at the Creswell Community Center, and grew to a full night’s entertainment at the WOW Hall, featuring fellow local bands. This year the Ovulators and the Deleted Scenes, among others, joined Kenzie at the Fest.
Always remaining unique and honest in its recordings, and always committing to improve enthusiasm during performance, Kenzie admits that it is often criticized as being “stoner rock.” Yet, the group invalidates that semi-insult with the reasoning that it just wants to put on a good show for any type of crowd.
Improvisation and inconsistent gigs are the heart and soul of the Eugene music scene. The presence of other local bands, great fans and good drugs, create a feeling, a vibe, and a union of universal riffs and lyrics in the town. Collaboration and jamming during a performance or practice is always present, and an effective way to create good music. Kenzie enjoys jamming with several different groups throughout the Eugene area with whom it has familiarized itself during shows at the WOW Hall, the late Cafe Paradiso and other local venues.
Mikhail Swanson says he has been living the Kenzie dream since he was in the seventh grade. Currently, the singer/songwriter can play 13 different instruments, and as a whole, the band is never scared to experiment with different sounds. Bongo drums, distorted guitar, and broken clash symbols is some of the many ways Kenzie likes “to make noise.” While consisting mostly of rock rhythms, Swanson testifies that he is incredibly affected by the jug band scene in Eugene.
“The Inkwell Rhythm Makers is my favorite band in Eugene. A lot of my favorite local bands are these jug bands,” Swanson said.
Eugene is rumored to be a good breeding ground for grunge and punk, and Dallas concurs. “There’s a huge scene. Really! But it’s not like a grunge scene where every band sounds the same. It’s more diverse. No band is unaffected and, of course, we really influence each other.”
“There is just so much talent,” Dagan ecstatically comments as he dives into the band’s fascination with fellow local rock group, the Useless Fucking Derelicts, an octane-fueled, punk-rock group with extreme feedback, verbally and electronically. Although Kenzie says that the music scene worldwide can often feel lacking, especially in terms of pop music, it sincerely feels this only creates more reason for locals to regain faith in artists from their area.
The melting pot of musical genre in Eugene has grown on Kenzie, and helped nurture the band to maturity through the camaraderie inherent in the local scene. Whether creating a masterpiece or just “fucking around,” Mikhail says that “any party, any venue, any gathering we have ever been to turns into a reason to perform for people.”
The band is currently finishing its first CD, titled Cosmos, and is planning to release it sometime in late fall or early winter of this year. Look for Kenzie as the band hits Eugene and Creswell venues, with collaborated local band gigs and incredible intentions.