Feel the intensity

Punk rock was created to upend the status quo. The Establishment. The Man. And it’s a necessary art form now more than it has been in years.

Over the past six years, the members of heavy rock/punk trio Tiny Knives have attempted to protect the remnants of weird Portland as the city continues to change and grow—homelessness is still an issue, gentrification is shoving people of color out of the city, and rising home prices are making the “American Dream” a faded memory.

Like certain bars and eateries, Tiny Knives is a reminder that the weirdos do still exist in Portland. The band is part of the old guard now. And it has a new record, Black Haze, one of the best heavy releases of the year. The band—vocalist-guitarist Jai Milx, drummer Jamey Anderson and bassist Ursula Morton—has taken the darkest elements of metal, noise rock and anarcho-punk and constructed a rusty shiv to plunge into the hearts of wrongdoers. It’s frighteningly intense, and the fleeting moments of melody will sear a hole into your skull.

It took four years to complete Black Haze, which found a home on Eolian Empire (a Portland label also hellbent on maintaining order), something Milx attributes to a handful of personal setbacks, including issues with her voice and a nasty bout of writer’s block.

“A lot of the reason I play music is so that I can communicate,” said Milx. “I was having trouble unblocking that.”

Morton stepped up, writing the music to “Winter” and “Dark History,” the latter of which calls out warmongers’ selective memory. “Unholy war uncivil war. What myths are formed?/The myths of war. Do you think you know what life is for?” Milx screams. On “Cowschwitz” she rages against animal abuse, calling conditions “flat and toxic as a nuclear test site.”

There was a sense of relief getting Black Haze finally released. With a newfound energy, Tiny Knives continue to perform, but the days of basement and all-ages shows are becoming scarce as rents continue to rise. The irony isn’t lost on any of us as we sit for this interview in a Portland bar in what was once a predominantly black neighborhood, many members of the community having been pushed to the outskirts of town, or out of the city altogether. “It’s one of the greatest sources of dissatisfaction in my life,” Milx said.

Tiny Knives is already working on new material, including a five-song suite about the issues associated with gentrification. It sounds ambitious both musically and thematically. The band is even trying a couple of the new songs out on its current West Coast tour (making a stop at Monstros on Friday, June 3), its first run outside of Portland in some time, and one that has it sharing bills with metalheads and crust punks.

Needless to say, Tiny Knives is a hugely important band in Portland, as style-over-substance dweebs continue to infiltrate the city. But it goes far beyond one city. And beyond any one hot-button issue. For the members of Tiny Knives, this is life.

“Someone came and saw us, and said it was like seeing an exorcism,” said Milx. “Being in this band is the most active form of catharsis in my life. And seeing people respond to it is amazing.”