Portland Band Obituaries

These are bands that died, died. All these bands, they died.

By MARK BAUMGARTEN

The Carolines

(January 2001ÐOctober 2005)

The end of the Carolines came as a shock to the Portland pop band's devout fanbase. One MySpace acquaintance named FancyPants begged the band: "DONT BREAK UP. I LOVE YOU. A LOT. I NEED YOU AND I HAVEN'T EVEN PURCHASED YOUR BROWN AND ORANGE SHIRT."

The members of the Carolines-Nate Purscelley, 29, Aaron Trueb, 26, Nathan Trueb, 22, Jared Abraham, 22 and Matthew Lenhart, 26-had played music together for five years before forming the band in 2001, quickly releasing their debut EP, Don't Believe What You Hear, that year. The band went on to release 2003's Youth Electronics and this year's Meet Me at the Marriot.

The Carolines had opened for Ben Kweller and the Presidents of the United States of America. "Those were rad shows," recalls lead vocalist Aaron Trueb, "but the real highlight for me was playing with Jared, Nathan, Nate and Matthew. Sounds cheesy, but that's the truth. Great musicians and great guys."

The Carolines are survived by Jaycob Van Auken's backup band.

Sex with Girls

(November 2003ÐAugust 2005)

Consisting of core members Alexander S. Merrill and WW contributor James Squeaky, Sex with Girls started out as "Sex with Girls Is Rad," a moniker that earned the ire of those who saw the name as a misogynistic volley. The band (or art-punks) tempered its handle to read Sex with Girls. This way, Squeaky wrote on a local listserv, anyone who called them "Sex with Girls Is Rad" was automatically complimenting the band. Despite this brilliant stroke, many were not amused. Fellow Portland band Skeleton Coast castigated SWG on an online message board about the name [Editor's note: This is cowardly]. Later, SWG would get its revenge while opening for Skeleton Coast. "We just threw our instruments around for five minutes and then left," Squeaky recalls.

After a series of odd and ambitious releases, a couple of drummers and tours that earned them enthusiastic applause in Seattle, Los Angeles and Davis, Calif., the band called it quits. "We quickly started straying heavily from the concept," says Squeaky. "It was just too confusing for people to understand that we weren't trying to be humorous."

Sex with Girls is survived by Spacehawk and Night.

Trauma le Tron

(September 2003-October 2005)

Trauma le Tron's end is, in no way, as traumatic as its beginning. The trio was formed by the two remaining members of the Spooky Dance Band-Caroline Buchalter and Jason Sands-shortly after the leader of that band, Orion Satushek, was hit and killed on his bicycle by a drunk driver.

While recovering from their loss, Buchalter (who was injured in the same crash) and Sands picked up Beth Borland and created Trauma le Tron, an instrumental dance band sporting thumping beats layered with Buchalter's teetering viola and Borland's bright synth lines. The band managed to release only one album, Rainbow Venom.

"We will die a natural death and will be born into something equally grand but completely different," Buchalter says. "We go our separate ways in total peace."

Trauma le Tron is survived by Brainhole, Beige Ferrari and Viol Viedma.

Trauma le Tron's final show will be Friday, Oct. 14, at the Know, 2022 NE Alberta St. 9 pm. Cover. 21+.

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