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Explode Into Colors led an existence worthy of its name.
At a time when the prevailing image of Portland music was of sad dudes crying into their banjos, three women playing dubbed-out punk funk took the city's basements by ecstatic force. Formed in 2008, the trio—two-thirds percussion, one-part baritone guitar, with occasional ghostly melodica and vocals consisting mostly of heavily reverbed whoops and yelps—neither looked nor sounded like any other band in town. The group grabbed the scene's attention immediately. In 2009, it upset NPR darlings Blind Pilot to top Willamette Week's annual Best New Band poll, and signed to Kill Rock Stars for an anticipated full-length debut.
Related: "The Six Records That Made Kill Rock Stars."
But after about two years, the band just sort of fizzled out, without ever recording a proper album.
"We just had different interests at the time," says drummer Lisa Schonberg, "and we were just like, 'We don't want to do this right now.'"
Six years later, Explode Into Colors is suddenly bursting back to life. It's not to settle unfinished business, or cash in on whatever reunion money exists for local heroes who thrived for the briefest of moments, but to support all-ages music. The first of its two shows this week is a fundraiser for Portland all-ages advocacy group Friends of Noise, while the second is a benefit for embattled Los Angeles DIY space the Smell.
Related: "Friends of Noise has a plan for saving all-ages music in Portland. Will it work?"
At this point, the band is coy on whether the reformation will continue beyond these upcoming concerts, or if we'll ever get that long-promised album. But perhaps it's just as well—really, the best way to experience Explode Into Colors is its wall-rattling live shows. So we asked the trio—Schonberg, singer-guitarist Claudia Meza and percussionist Heather Treadway—to revisit their most memorable performances preserved on YouTube.
Into the Woods
Lisa Schonberg: This was epic fun. We cooked huge meals, played a magical porch show with fireworks and were led in group dance games with Janet Pants. Picture all that, plus a little bit of the creepy, reality-show, "you're being watched" vibe.
Heather Treadway: The fireworks were very scary, however. At some point, someone let them off and Claudia and I were like, "WTF!" during the show. It was surprising.
Claudia Meza: I also got to see Zac Pennington [of Parenthetical Girls] in nothing but short shorts. He has a very striking figure.
The Lost Gospel
Meza: This was all [former WW freelance photographer and writer] Nilina Mason-Campbell's magic. She had this really fucking cool series of shows around town at the time called the Lost Gospel, and we were able to take part of it.
Schonberg: I was so surprised and excited when the entire audience actually followed the invite's request and showed up wearing all white. The energy of paint flying definitely fed our performance. This was one of the coolest show ideas I've ever been a part of — props to Nilina Mason-Campbell for that experience.
Meza: One thing I distinctly remember is that this kid had come to the show who had just recently recovered from a terrible bike accident, and he was all bandaged up. But there were still some visible blood stains and half his face was covered up in a leather mask, a la Hannibal Lecter. As I was about to start "Offering," I caught a glimpse of him and instinctively yelled into the mic, without thinking, "Oh fuck, are you OK?!" I gave him all the merch he could carry after apologizing profusely for blowing up his spot like that.
Penny Jam at the Portland Art Museum
Meza: Sean Whiteman approached me about having us appear in his video podcast, Penny Jam. They shoot local bands in unusual spaces. It's are really cool video series. He was working in the box office of PAM at the time and somehow got everyone to be OK with us doing this there. This, again, is what's so freaking cool about the Portland scene—just a bunch of people trying to make cool shit happen with little to zero money.
Treadway: "How Adee Got Her Groove Back" is one of my favorite of our songs. It's driving and spooky and puts me in this even trancier headspace when I play it. Also, Adee Roberson—the person who Claudia named the song after—is a rad artist and musician, and was also in the New Bloods.
Schonberg: I forgot a drum stool and had to use three stacked chairs. I remember doing several takes of "How Adee" and making some necessary adjustments in my stick grip that I use to this day.
Holocene, December 2008
Meza: I think this might have been our second show at the Holocene. I remember we sold out our first show there after only having been playing for six months, and now that I think about that, that's fucking nuts. Our friends were putting on a show for a release of their cartoon DVD. The whole night was music paired up with animations. We asked our friend, Chris Hackett, and his animation crew at the time, Los Moustachios, to work with us. I remember they worked really hard on all this stuff and I think they did an amazing job. Again, no money, just burritos and cheap beer and hacked software.
Treadway: I remember being at Chris Hackett's house shooting a bit of imagery that was going to be triggered. I needed to look like I was slowly falling backwards in a staccato beat. We shot this in his backyard. They had these Wii controllers and did all that amazing, synced visual stuff live.
Schonberg: We started to feel like the house band at Holocene at some point, because they asked us to open for so many great bands, the Raincoats being the most memorable for me. It was so exciting to share a bill with them, but I was really sick and exhausted and powered through with a Red Bull. One of the three times in my life I've drank one of those.
Pehrspace, March 2009
Schonberg: This was a really energetic show at one of L.A.'s amazing all-ages spaces. Pehrspace recently met the same fate as the Smell, and are also losing their space.
Meza: This really great band called Mi Ami took us on our first proper tour out of Oregon, all the way down to SXSW. I accidentally drank nighttime medicine and then had to counteract it with like a gallon of coffee to play this show. I just remember I was sweating profusely and could sense that all my organs were very confused.
Dekum Manor, May 2009
Schonberg: Those shows were a dream. So much chaos and energy from friends all packed so close up in front of you while you are sweating, playing so hard.
Treadway: The Dekum Manor show was a mark in time for me, it felt profound—like I was in the right place, doing the right thing. Since I was the newest member of the band, and had the least experience playing out, it took me a while to feel comfortable..this was one of the first times I felt like I belonged, playing in front of people.
Meza: Before I was in EIC, I used to come down from Olympia and play shows at Dekum as the drummer of a band called Hornet Leg. Dekum and everyone who was part of the scene there was a major reason I moved down to Portland rather than just going back home to Los Angeles after finishing up college in Oly. This show was extra special because it felt like all my friends were there. We were opening up for the amazing New Bloods, it was their first show back from their European tour. Our other really good homie, and sometimes visual collaborator, Chris Hackett filmed the whole thing. I'll be very honest, I cried a little when I heard Dekum Manor had burned down, but how else was it going to end? It's the perfect funeral.
Outtakes From Explode Into Colors' Best New Band 2009 Photo Shoot:
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SEE IT: Explode Into Colors plays Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi Ave., on Sunday, Oct. 16. 6 and 9 pm. $12 advance, $15-$20 sliding scale day of show. Early show is all-ages, late show is 21+.
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