—by Matthew Lindley
Editor's Note: This is the first in what we hope will be a series of articles that take a look at some of the Timbers Army's long-standing traditions. If there is a tradition or ritual you're curious to learn more about, drop me a line (mike.coleman@107ist.org), and let me know.
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As Timbers fans feverishly count down to the kickoff of the 2015 season (fingers crossed), this Friday night brings another grand tradition in TA lore: the Season Opener Kickoff Show. For the better part of the last decade, the season has had its unofficial start with a punk concert that also serves as a tifo fundraiser for the upcoming season.
Drawing on the longstanding relationship between punk/oi/hardcore music and soccer culture, the event has showcased great local and regional bands such as Rum Rebellion, Shock Troops, The McGillicuddys from Victoria, BC, and the TA’s own resident punk band, Green Flag.
Joaquin “Wookie” Gutierrez, a longtime TA member active in Portland’s punk scene, was the organizer for the show for much of its history. According to Wookie, there was only one rule: any band that played had to have at least one Timbers supporter in the group. “We had big plans about bringing in touring bands,” Wookie says, “but in the end, we decided to keep it TA.”
Before the days of social media, this was often the first chance many TA would get to see each other before the season got underway, which made the annual get-together an integral part of any Timbers season. “We had people coming that didn’t like punk, and they still came,” Wookie added, “just for the show and just to hang out with each other.”
“It’s the classic pep rally,” according to Paul Regan, bass player for Green Flag. “The only thing that’s missing is burning someone in effigy.” But the show is much more than that: it serves as a fundraiser for tifo for the upcoming season, as it has since the first show back at the Bitter End. Before advent of No Pity Originals and other money-generating avenues, much of the display fund for the season came from this show.
This year’s show is organized by Green Flag guitar player, Lexi Stern, who is also a TA drummer at matches and an integral part of the TA flag crew. Stern mentioned that, while everyone is very excited to see each other and kick off the season, the money raised (nearly $2000 last year) goes a long way toward providing flags and tifo for the North End.
This year’s show features Green Flag and PDX Punk Collective. As always, in addition to music the show will feature a raffle with TA-related prizes as well as prizes from many local businesses. All proceeds from the raffle and the door will go to the TA tifo fund.
It goes down at High Water Mark Lounge, 6800 NE MLK, this Friday at 9 p.m. The cover charge is $5. And for those worried about the potential work stoppage, Stern promises this year’s show will go on “whether there is a match the next night or not.”
