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Soft Tags
Indie / Shoegaze

"we have all your records."

Portland, Oregon
United States

Profile Views:  7580




Last Login:  7/6/2008
View My: Pics | Videos

   Contacting Soft Tags

 MySpace URL: 
  http://www.myspace.com/softtags  

   Soft Tags: General Info
Member Since2/3/2007
Band Websitesofttags.com
Band Membersrichard shirk (vox/gtr left). adam j. (vox/gtr right), nick o (drums), paul n.(bass/gtr), shannon h. (vox, bass, tambourine), ean m.(visuals/design).
Influencesgo-betweens, R.E.M., velvet underground, smiths, orange juice, wire, elephant six bands, flying nun bands, La's.
Sounds Like...something analog.

from the portland mercury thurs. june 5:

'In the current age of affordable recording software, Soft Tags keep the spirit of lo-fi alive with four-track opuses that gleam like excavated relics. Richard Shirk's vocals occasionally poke their way out of the murky froth like a Pentacostal howler, while chords are bludgeoned with all the subtlety of a battering ram. Live, acoustic guitars are cranked through amplifiers and the drum setup dispenses with cymbals entirely, for a thumping, simplistic groove that will have your foot stomping the earth and your fist unconsciously crushing your can of beer. The flyer for this show boasts an appearance by 'The Optophonic Carousel Lightshow,' which could be promising and "Free Books!" So expect some visuals and some book-learnin' along with your raw, bare-bones, indier-than-indie folk 'n' roll. NL.'

from eugene weekly...

Getting a press kit from the Portland band Soft Tags is like getting a gift from a really creative boyfriend. Housed in a modest brown box with a Spanish vocabulary sticker on the front (mine said "El Cantarito"), the Tags’ EP and introductory materials were lovingly nestled amidst quirky goodies like a Stash tea bag (orange spice) and a frayed guitar string (either an A or a D). Cute as a button. Oh, and there was a really cute button in there too. After opening something so precious, I really wanted to like these self-declaredly lo-fi, DIY fellows and, luckily, the tracks they sent lived up to their promotional promises ("fuzzed-out acoustic guitars, songs in waltz time, a rejection of chorus-vs-chorus song structure"). There’s a kind of Mazzy Star-ish, Joy-Division-y, recorded-in-a-bathroom sound to the winchester mansion EP that deeply satisfies the indie rock lover in me. And while I have no idea how the low-budget-and-proud recording quality will translate into a live performance, the lyrical quality of their songs combined with the multi-media lightshow they tour with and their general sense of whimsy and style make Soft Tags a pretty appealing prospect for a Saturday night.

from willamette week....

[BEDROOM POP] Richard Shirk's echo-heavy lo-fi pop project the Soft Tags reminds of early Mountain Goats and Robyn Hitchcock B-sides. The Goats because of Shirk's near-monotone, rambling storytelling, and Hitchcock because of the accessible psychedelia that flows throughout the recent limited-edition Winchester Mansion EP. Jangly guitars shoot down empty hallways, and Shirk's voice bounces off the walls in somewhat schizophrenic fashion. Hearing the Soft Tags' reverb-heavy music isn't unlike having a talented but noisy musician living next door—you can only imagine what it would sound like if there wasn't a barrier between you and the music. And it's sorta cool that Shirk never really shows his hand. CASEY JARMAN.

[INDIE] The band's recordings—which were probably made in a basement—are kind of like "Beginning to See the Light" from the Velvet Underground's self-titled album. But Soft Tags aren't quietly playing the same song over and over, waiting for a chance. Once in a while, this shoegazing trio breaks out into a guitar-driven rock song, sounding less like the Smiths and more like the Stone Roses.
Record Labelunsigned
Type of LabelNone





   Upcoming Shows ( view all )
Jul 5 2008 9:00P
rotture (w/ green circles & the prids!) portland, Oregon
Jul 26 2008 9:00P
towne lounge Portland, Oregon
Aug 23 2008 8:00P
mars bar (seattle) Seattle, Washington

Soft Tags's Latest Blog Entry  [Subscribe to this Blog]

tags on broadway pt 2. towne lounge.  (view more)

tags ink in the mercury.  (view more)

tags get classy. show & tell gallery.  (view more)

tags dodge the shake down. hawthorne theater.  (view more)

tags again. return to towne lounge.  (view more)

[View All Blog Entries]

   About Soft Tags
libraries, ghosts, movie theaters, and bicycles, etc.

most of the current tags songs began as a series of dreams. other draw from lead singer richard shirk's ability to happen to be near bizarre events - aside from being on a commuter train that was struck by lightning and later having a waking vision of joan of arc (these are within the last six months), he spent a bizarre childhood in the midwest where he lived in a haunted house and had 3 run-ins with what is described in journals of the paranormal as a poltergeist. three years later outside of newton, iowa, he saw a UFO from about a hundred feet away.

all of these things contributed to soft tags being one of the few bands anywhere not singing 'girl i like you' or 'girl you don't like me anymore' songs. but those were getting a bit old hat anyway, weren't they? these songs - which sometimes land between spooky lo-fi folk/psych and the kind of chiming rock song you might hear on college radio circa 1981 - are narrative, strange vignettes that were sometimes beamed straight from the rock satellite ala 'VALIS.'

soft tags operate as a modular collective. a typical show features a core group of about 5 with other shows utilizing up to sixteen. live sets are augmented by analog visuals projected by multimedia group optophonic carousel lightshow and past sonic experiments have involved audience controlled tone generators and tape loops.

soft tags have been self-releasing EPs as they see fit. the 'loteria EP' is currently out of print and the 'winchester mansion EP' - a 5 track EP featuring the singles 'she's got a history of notes' & 'winchester mansion' - is in its second printing and is currently in rotation on indie/college radio in most of the west coast.

tags are currently in the midst of the ongoing 'tags make a good impression tour' which is set to wrap up in the winter with shows scheduled in seattle, portland, eugene, salem, and berkeley. please give us an emai for questions regarding booking, press or radio, etc...

   Soft Tags's Friend Space (Top 12)
Soft Tags has 412 friends.
 Apteka 


 Adam 


 Flick 


 nick 


 Mistina 


 heidi 


 KALX 


 Local Cut 


 Davittt 


 adele 


 KEXP.ORG 


 Tom 





Soft Tags's Friends Comments
Displaying 50 of 63 comments  ( View All | Add Comment )
Wooden Nickle





Jul 6 2008 9:42 PM

xo
PortlandNoise.com





Jul 6 2008 7:02 PM

Watch David Kyle and the Invisibles on

Portland Noise

Episode 9


David Kyle and the Invisibles appearing live in downtown Portland on SW Ankeny at Valentines-- an open-ended process toward music that allows everything from a solo performance to full improvised jams, building and blending hypnotic phasing loops with varied acoustic instrumentation. Includes a solo performance on the taisho koto!

Post your songs/fliers/videos and GET IN TOUCH!
We want to hear from your band!
Shannon Colors





Jul 6 2008 11:19 AM

Hey good times! Thanks for letting me play with you last night.
PortlandNoise.com





Jun 20 2008 12:14 AM

Advice on touring in Las Vegas from ACTION CAT
PortlandNoise.com





Jun 16 2008 2:14 AM


Episode6 - Soft Tags


Live, acoustic guitars are cranked through amplifiers lovingly nestled amidst the drums, having dispensed with cymbals entirely. The Soft Tags weave a spooky lo-fi folk/psych/rock vibe ala college radio circa 1981 - augmented by analog visuals from slide projectors made in collaboration with multimedia group optophonic carousel lightshow.



Post your songs/fliers/videos and GET IN TOUCH! We want to hear from your band!
kaylee cole





Jun 13 2008 9:44 AM

thank you for being so nice and so fun to watch and listen to. i had a great time in portland and would love to see you again one day.

best of luck,
kaylee cole
Afantomlym





Jun 1 2008 8:21 PM

Tyler





May 28 2008 10:47 PM

Photobucket
Imaginary Airship





May 25 2008 2:45 AM

Hey right back at you. It was a really fun show.
:-) -Jonathan
Tyler





May 13 2008 6:54 PM

Photobucket
Allison Francis





May 13 2008 12:15 PM

:) june 4th
The Clarences





May 11 2008 9:24 PM

The Clarences love & support Soft Tags!!!
Erin





Apr 6 2008 9:58 PM

Tags - I just wanted to reiterate that your Eugene show was one of the best. Everyone was really on, from the drums, to the bass, guitars, vocals, and light show...Thanks!!
Just People





Apr 5 2008 5:22 PM

if you guys need to call my number is 541 868 4086. tonight will be epic.
-Scott
Crow Canyon





Apr 1 2008 9:08 AM

Thanks Tags!
We're looking forward to the next one... We have some new things in mind...
Just People





Mar 29 2008 3:29 PM

It is going to be a blast. I am looking forward to it.
Stan DeWitt





Mar 12 2008 8:58 PM

Thanks for the add, guys!
kaylee cole





Feb 26 2008 10:59 PM

yay!

thank you!

see you!

soon!

!

!

enough.
Crow Canyon





Feb 19 2008 8:13 AM

Listening to the EP.
On a Sharp boombox.
Right on.
Harry Tracy and the False Face Bandits





Feb 11 2008 8:51 AM

ya'll sounded nicely the other evening. take care and such...
Twit





Feb 10 2008 9:47 AM

http://www.flickr.com/photos/filmtwit/sets/72157603879869140/
Renee





Feb 9 2008 12:02 AM

when will there be an ia city show, eh?
a.e.s.





Feb 3 2008 10:34 PM

shannon





Jan 24 2008 1:53 PM

thanks for adding me. i will hear you soon.
feyla lynnea odessa anne





Jan 12 2008 12:07 AM

I'm so glad you guys put up Don't Go Back To New England- it made me smile since I'm in the process of trying to escape from New England! I'm posting it to my profile as encouragement to others trying to make the big move. Congrats!
Allison Francis





Dec 31 2007 1:50 PM

so i took a walk and all of a sudden i saw soft tags posters and buttons everywhere. i am going to try to make it on friday.
Flick





Dec 22 2007 6:06 PM

Congratulations on opening for the Green Pajamas. That's way cool.
matthew





Dec 13 2007 7:02 PM

At first I fake liked my friend's band, yknow as we often do, but damn....pretty fucking great shit. How about a coloredno no no no no no./....wait ....coloured vinyl?
Rad stuff man. winch mansion is the shit. hey hey what;d you think of that Dexter show? I will only hear good things you say about it. Later man.
Pablissimo





Dec 13 2007 10:55 AM

Stickers. You need stickers. I want one. Even if it's just printed out onto an address label using an ink-jet printer.
Hide And Go Hustle





Nov 15 2007 11:47 AM

come if you can!
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket
Susan





Nov 8 2007 9:34 AM

We can be tags
We can be tags
We can be tickle tickle tag tag tags
Pablissimo





Oct 12 2007 4:41 PM

I hope someone one day starts a Soft Tags cover band who do Soft Tags songs in the style of Bill Shatner

I can now ... levitate...
I ... Can, now... levitate...
House Of Badger





Sep 11 2007 6:06 PM

thanks for the add, buddy.

hob
Pablissimo





Sep 6 2007 9:44 AM

What's your policy on Saxophone solos?
What about Bagpipe solos?
Susan





Aug 30 2007 9:01 AM

hey soft tags. sorry i can't be at your show on sunday. i'll be there in spirit!
La Huva





Aug 22 2007 9:09 PM

Love biscuits in a life boat! 'This machine is happening'...
GREEN CIRCLES





Aug 22 2007 6:22 PM

Hi Richard! Hi Nick! Hi Adam!
Erin





Aug 19 2007 8:47 PM

The pictures are wonderful!
Peter Bauckham





Aug 19 2007 4:34 PM

Like your new song.

All the best
Peter
Tribute to Grant Go-Between





Aug 16 2007 1:17 AM

THANKS FOR YOUR FRIENDSHIP!


the Dinosaur Heart & Joey w/ Chainsaw Hawkins Band





Aug 11 2007 1:32 PM

Hi Soft Tags! Thank you for playing with us the other night. It was a very enjoyable experience to share the evening with you fine gentlemen and your sweet music.
Image Hosted by ImageShack.us
Pablissimo





Aug 10 2007 10:01 AM