"photo by Kelsey Reckling"
I remember covering, shooting The Memories and their other incarnation at the time,White Fang, at a few of the Burgerama shows (circa 2013, 2014) and I always found them to be really entertaining. In whatever guise I saw them, they were tongue and cheek, really engaging and most probably really high, like 30 percent of the audience so that made for a good time. Whether performing stoner rock or 60's styled sock hop punk, the aesthetic always felt like part genuine and part taking a smirking jab at the genre they themselves were performing so when I heard Second Try, I was pretty stunned at how great it sounds. Not that they didn't sound great on previous works but on this track, the sound is drop dead gorgeous for a period piece (true 60's vibe). It is tender and feels more deeply genuine than I have ever heard them before. There is a true sense of iconic bands like The Byrds and, even the Beatles stirred into the harmonies and guitar sounds,
The Memories are a band but also a sort of collective led by Los Angeles based (by way of Portland) artist Rikky "Free Weed" Gage, with longtime friends Izak Arida, Chris "Unkle Funkle" Uehlein, Jimmy "Jerry Rogers" Leslie, and, most notably, songwriter and longtime collaborator Colleen Green.
-Robb Donker Curtius
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM - PRESS NOTES:
The Memories are a lot of things: prolific, mysterious, heartbreaking, dumb. With a loose lineup composed of longtime friends and ever-changing members scattered across the world, The Memories are led by the Los Angeles-based artist Rikky "Free Weed" Gage, alongside longtime friends Izak Arida, Chris "Unkle Funkle" Uehlein, Jimmy "Jerry Rogers" Leslie, and notable songwriter and longtime collaborator Colleen Green. With frequent accompaniment and contribution by other friends (including PYNKIE on Pickles & Pies), The Memories are like the Wu-Tang Clan; a collective/supergroup of talented artists who each bring their own strengths and sensibilities to the table. In addition to their sister band White Fang, The Memories’ lineup boasts a large list of side projects including Free Weed, Heaven The Dude, Unkle Funkle, Colleen Green and more. After dozens of albums, EPs, singles, and compilations on practically every format (look no further than their extensive Bandcamp catalog), extensive world tours and shows alongside the likes of The Growlers, R. Stevie Moore and many more, The Memories has garnered a sizable cult following around the globe.
The formerly Portland-based band owns and operates the beloved, long-running Burger Records-affiliated label Gnar Tapes (YACHT, Lucky Dragons, Fat Tony, JUICEBOXXX and more), which Gage launched in 2008 at the age of 18. Around the same time, the group of friends formed White Fang, which shares many of the same members of The Memories and frequently tours the globe. While White Fang embraces more of a DIY punk, campy aesthetic, The Memories is geared more towards the individual members’ laid-back experimental songwriting, fusing elements of weirdo lo-fi stoner rock with a bedroom pop vibe, even touching on folk, country, oldies and pop. The band(s) often pull double duty, touring together and playing back to back on tour. In 2015, the band slowed their intensive touring schedule when they opened their Gnar Tapes music and lifestyle boutique in Los Angeles, an experience that led to the development and production of a pilot for Comedy Central called Gnarnia.
For the first time on Pickles & Pies, each member of The Memories contributed songwriting credits; the end result is an absolutely brilliant fusion from a band who you never know what to expect to hear next. Most of the album was written at Axis Mundi Records’ Rockaway Beach Hut studio in Rockaway, Queens, where they also recorded the album.
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