Greg Sage
Birth nameGreg Sage
Born (1951-10-21) October 21, 1951
Portland, Oregon, U.S.
OriginPortland, Oregon, U.S.
GenresPunk rock, post-punk
Occupation(s)Musician, songwriter, record producer
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar
Years active1977–present
LabelsEnigma Records, Restless, Zeno Records, Jackpot Records

Greg Sage (born October 21, 1951) is an American songwriter, guitarist, and vocalist, regarded as an important influence on many punk rock and post-punk artists. Sage is best known as the principal songwriter and vocalist/guitarist of the influential Portland, Oregon-based band Wipers.

Early years

Greg Sage was born in Portland, Oregon, on October 21, 1951. His involvement with music began with cutting records at home as an adolescent, due to his father being involved in the broadcast industry.[1] Sage’s first instrument was bass guitar, because of the low tones that made larger grooves in the vinyl records due to slower modulations. Basses were harder to find and much more expensive when Sage was in grade school, so he used guitar instead.[2]

Sage has been involved in music professionally since the age of 17, when he worked on a full-length album by the professional wrestler Beauregarde (Beauregard, 1971; re-released 2004). After several years of playing and recording guitar, Sage founded Wipers in Portland in 1977.[2]

The mood of Sage's lyrics is frequently dark, and rife with references to confusion and severe alienation. His song structures often take unexpected turns and are typified by fractured melodic passages punctuated by massive, intricate guitar parts, and use of heavy distortion.[3] He usually plays on a 1969 left-handed Gibson SG with attached Bigsby tremolo.[4][5]

Wipers

In 1977, Sage founded the Wipers. The name was inspired by a job he had picked up cleaning windows at a movie theatre; the crystal clear transparency of the glass was what he realized he wanted to emulate with his music. Its inception was at first an exclusive recording project. Then Sage planned to record 15 LPs in 10 years without touring or promoting. He believed it would be possible to avoid live shows, press, pictures and interviews, and this – coupled with the mystique of his unorthodox music – would encourage a deeper, more imaginative engagement with the recordings.[4][6]

In 1979, Sage established his own record label, Trap, and asked several Portland punk bands to record singles. Some of those early bands were The Stiphnoyds, The Neo Boys and Sado Nation. Sage later re-released some of the material on a compilation record entitled The History Of Portland Punk.

Solo career

Since the demise of Wipers, Sage has also recorded several albums as a solo musician and operates his own label, Zeno Records, based in Phoenix, Arizona, where he currently resides.[1]

Discography

Solo albums

with Wipers

References

  1. 1 2 Hann, Michael (January 22, 2015). "Cult heroes: Wipers – the sound of emptiness and dread". Theguardian.com.
  2. 1 2 Greg Sage. "The Wipers' history". Zenorecords.com. Archived from the original on May 15, 2008. Retrieved June 11, 2008.
  3. ↑ Rabid, Jack (December 30, 2019). "Greg Sage Is Living In The Land of the Lost". Rock and Roll Globe. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  4. 1 2 McMurray, Jacob (May 23, 2011). Book:Taking Punk to the Masses 'From Nowhere to Nevermind. ISBN 9781606994337. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
  5. ↑ "Greg Sage of Zeno Studios and The Wipers". tapeop.com. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  6. ↑ "Smokebox: Interview with Greg Sage". Archived from the original on July 16, 2007. Retrieved May 3, 2007.
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