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Variant Cause
Rock / Alternative / Progressive

1980s Pacific Northwest DIY Indie rock group



Seattle, Washington
United States

Profile Views:  8996




Last Login:  11/10/2009
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   Variant Cause: General Info
Member Since9/28/2006
Band Websitewww.variantcause.com
Band MembersJan Gregor -- lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Mark Fenton -- drums
Greg Morlan -- lead guitar
Ryco -- bass

The core band of Jan, Mark and Greg played together from 1981 till 1989. Keyboard players in Variant Cause were Rick Hogan and later Frank Holman. Tony Bortko played lead guitar during the last year of the group.
InfluencesJan Gregor -- lead vocals rhythm guitar
influenced by British Invasion 60s groups the Rolling Stones, the Kinks, the Animals, the Troggs, Free; American Garage rock including the Seeds, Standells, Sonics, Stooges; Paul Revere & Raiders; 1st Generation 70s glam including Mott the Hoople, Slade, Alice Cooper Group, David Bowie and the Spiders from Mars. And 1950s legends Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Howlin' Wolf, Bo Diddley and Jerry Lee Lewis. And a vocal nod to Chrissie, Nina, Lene and Cyndi.

Mark Fenton -- drums
Traffic, Genesis with Peter Gabriel, David Bowie, Alex Harvey Band, Spooky Tooth, Family, Aynsley Dunbar, Keith Moon.

Greg Morlan -- lead guitar
Adrian Belew, Robert Fripp. Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Buck Dharma, Will Sargent, Daniel Ash.

Ryco -- bass
Fishbone, Slayer, Tom Petty, Rockpile, the Ventures, the Who, Todd Rundgren, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix Experience, Fear.
Sounds LikeSome kind of a strange brew. When these guys mixed the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s together they did not get the 90s -- it was something else called Variant Cause.

Long live Spinal Tap! Contemporary ritics have made comparisons to the Wipers, Thin Lizzy, Deep Purple and Creedence Clearwater Revival. Critics past made references to David Bowie, the Sparks, Van Halen, Abba, Sonic Youth. Today Variant Cause would not sound out of place alongside Green Day, the Raconteurs, the Strokes, Franz Ferdinand, the Kaiser Chiefs, Eagles of Death Metal, Modest Mouse, Death Cab for Cutie, AFI, My Chemical Romance, the Killers, the Hives, Jet, Interpol, Snow Patrol, the White Stripes, the Towers of London, Pearl Jam, the Foo Fighters, OK Go, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, the Flaming Lips, Neko Case, Wolfmother, the Futureheads, Sparta, Snow Patrol to name a few.
Record Labelvariantcause


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Variant Cause's Latest Blog Entry  [Subscribe to this Blog]

Rough Edge reviews Variant Cause  (view more)

1984 Variant Cause predecessor group Next Exit on YouTube  (view more)

Variant Cause on YouTube  (view more)

Variant Cause on YouTube from 1980’s KJET Twilight concert at Seattle Center  (view more)

Variant Cause in Poland on My Pocket Player podshow  (view more)

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   About Variant Cause

Variant Cause Logo

Excavating Variant Cause
1980s Pacific Northwest
Volume 1 and Volume2
Out Now!


Own the Variant Cause Excavating Vol. 2 CD from CDBaby
Click Here!


Own the Variant Cause Excavating Vol. 1 CD from CDBaby
Click Here!


"By 1986, hard rock in Seattle -- at least the stuff getting noticed elsewhere -- was starting to sludge like Flipper crossed with the Birthday Party (or maybe Black Sabbath crossed with Led Zeppelin in bands' dreams), and that's not where Variant Cause were at either . . .

"Their just-compiled album rocks some dark-and-spooky carnival-goth slime, some psychobilly goo-goo muck, some proto-techno jungle drums and a great song called "She's A Moving Violation" that dedicates surf guitar explosions and metal screeches and trippy garage organs to someone's backfield in motion. And it all has a goofball bounce to it that would have scared most grungesters back to their heroin dens."
Chuck Eddy, Paper Thin Walls Sept 2006

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"As far as most of music fandom knows (including me), the Pacific Northwest was a dead issue between the 60s garage rock explosion and the ascent of grunge in the very early 90s. (Heart's 70s superstardom was an exception, of course.) Variant Cause intends to change that perception.

"Excavating-Volume 1 is a set of 80s recordings from a band that crossbreeds the classic rock sounds it grew up with and the new wave noises proliferating in both the mainstream and the underground. Tunes like "She's a Moving Violation," "Right Now She's Not" and "Life in the Wind" sound like the love children of Thin Lizzy and Devo; shockingly, it for the most part works. Part of it's due to Jan Gregor's appealing voice, but most of it is due to the group's unerring accuracy with hooks. It's a sound full of promise, if not exactly timeless. The album title implies this is only the first artifact -- it'll be interesting to hear how this band developed over its lifespan."
Michael Toland, High Bias, Dec 2006




The Pacific Northwest rock scene of the 1980s was a hotbed of creativity, with a multitude of bands developing uncommon sounds in relative geographic isolation. Living was cheap and a band had the time to play and grow, unconstrained by any set musical standards of conformity. A rock generation above the grunge groups that eventually put Seattle on the rock map, Variant Cause was an odd combination of disparate personalities who came together to create a brand new sound.

Any given week throughout the 80s you could find them performing their neoteric rock somewhere: at an armory dance, a DIY loft party or an intimate rock club. In Seattle; Spokane; Bellingham; Salem; Portland; Moscow; Tacoma and all points in between. They were the local opening act for Iggy Pop, Nico, Ian Hunter, the Godfathers and the Blasters.


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Please visit
www.VariantCause.com


Variant Cause on iTunes
Click Here!



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Variant Cause has 670 friends.
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Variant Cause's Friends Comments
Displaying 25 of 53 comments  ( View All | Add Comment )
Howlin Houndog & Infamous Loosers

Howlin Houndog & Infamous Loosers



Aug 29 2009 9:46 PM



Mark your calendars because this will be our only Full Band show in July!  

Howlin Houndog & Infamous Loosers

23/07/2009 9:00 PM at Club Motor (Bad Motor Booty night)
1950 1st Ave S., Seattle, Washington
Cost: $10
In association with Burning Hearts Burlesque we will be appearing at "Bad Motor Booty" night on Thursday July 23rd at Club Motor (1950 1st Ave S) as part of their regular event there. We go on at 11 p.m. Come and Shake Your Moneymaker! See you there.
Bravo Johnson

Bravo Johnson



May 18 2009 7:05 AM

Thanks for the add.
I hope someday you'll join us and the Johnson will live as one.
Gary Heffern

Gary Heffern



Apr 24 2009 12:30 PM

HEY JAN! Hello from Finland! It's a name-dropping FRENZY!!! I just released my new cd featuring Alejandro Escovedo, Mark Lanegan, Steve Berlin (los lobos), Chris and Carla from the Walkabouts, Peter Case, Scott McCaughey (YFF, REM)and Jim Roth (built to spill). CD has liner notes by Biographer Charles R. Cross (BackStreets-Springsteen...Heavier than Heaven-Cobain...Roomful of Mirrors-Hendrix...etc. Also I have finally put "Passing Thru" on my site as well for you to hear...this is the one with Eddie Vedder, Victoria Williams, and Carla Torgerson trading verses with me...it has not been availablé for a long time, and I also have it on i-tunes, etunes, amazon and rhapsody. Okay...I hope you are doing well!

Gary Heffern
Nevah (new songs!)

Nevah (new songs!)



Apr 22 2009 4:25 PM

Hey thanks for being our friend and checking out our page! I hope you like our music. If not, its still great to meet you! Have a good night....
Manooghi Hi

Manooghi Hi



Mar 9 2009 8:06 PM

20 GRIT on The Metal Scene T.V Show Jan 12th 10PM

20 GRIT on The Metal Scene T.V Show Jan 12th 10PM
Online Now!


Jan 20 2009 6:41 PM

Thanks for adding 20 Grit....
Rubber Clown Car

Rubber Clown Car



Oct 18 2008 7:33 PM

Variant Cause,
Thanks for checking us out! Glad you liked the music. Be sure to download "Coward" (it's a FREE download) and share it with your friends. It's from our new CD "Music 'They' Don't Want You To Hear" available at CD Baby now.

Your Pal,
Dirk
Rubber Clown Car
Max X

Max X



Sep 10 2008 7:18 AM

Hi. Just letting you know I'm back in the studio recording the next two albums.
Details on the Max X Blogs.
I won't be able to answer many myspace messages for the next few months, so please be patient with me.


Quantcast Things have been going great! With the help of some internet radio play the site is up to 10,000 Fans! Yay! Shooting to release new stuff at the beginning of the 2009. Hope you're well.
- Max X
AutoRimessa Band

AutoRimessa Band



Aug 20 2008 10:52 AM

Image Hosting by Picoodle.com
Fight The Quiet

Fight The Quiet



Mar 22 2008 8:22 PM

We are in the final round of voting to get on Tempe Music Festival, cast your vote for Fight The Quiet at the link below. And if you live in the Phoenix area watch our performance on channel 7 at the times listed on our site and vote for us again! Thanks for helping us get this far, this is the last stretch! And send us a comment after you vote saying you did so so we look cool!
-Fight The Quiet





Anton

Anton



Feb 23 2008 10:41 PM

I remember Koo Dat Tah too.
Fight The Quiet

Fight The Quiet



Feb 12 2008 3:53 AM

So we try not to be one of those bands that bothers you all the time to come help us with this or that, but we have an opportunity to play with My Chemical Romance at the Tempe Music Festival and we need your help to do it. If you follow the address you can vote for us there.
Thanks so much!
-Fight the Quiet


<
Alana Cini

Alana Cini



Jan 17 2008 6:24 AM

Aloha Variant Cause! Stopping by to say love your music.. Rick Hogan and I used to have the band MerKaBa back in Seattle. Wishing you guys the best :-)
Blessings from Maui!
Annette

Annette Deymonaz



Dec 1 2007 2:26 AM

the youtube videos are awesome.
Howlin Houndog & Infamous Loosers

Howlin Houndog & Infamous Loosers



Nov 8 2007 8:22 PM

Kickin' It Oldskool (ha!) Iknow you folks are skattered to the 4 winds but, I hope you can make it out on November 16th @ The Funhouse!
You'll see some faces in my band that you haven't seen on stage in a long ass time. I promise that!
80s Dark Wave

80s Dark Wave



Sep 6 2007 4:36 PM

The English Beat

The English Beat



Sep 3 2007 10:06 PM

Thanks for stopping by and welcome aboard!
Love,
Dave
X
The Ultra Twist

The Ultra Twist



Jul 21 2007 7:44 AM


CHEERS!
X-15

X-15



Jun 26 2007 5:30 PM

Holy shit!!!! Good to see you around!!!! Man, it is actually the 21st Century now. I guess we were all ahead of our time. Check out myspace.com/newsoulenterprises for a blast...

best,
Douglas/X-15 biz
The Tailgunners

The Tailgunners



May 24 2007 2:31 PM

We have added a 5th song to our Myspace page from our newly arrived CD.
Stop on by and check it out- let us now what you think.
Or better yet - If ya happen to be in the area, come on out to one these shows and say hi.

In Zepp We Trust

In Zepp We Trust



Apr 10 2007 6:08 AM

I hope your holiday was awesome!!....Hugs from Cali to ya, luv!!

New Yardbirds 1968
In Zepp We Trust

In Zepp We Trust



Mar 12 2007 11:49 PM

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket
Mono Mono

Mono Mono



Mar 1 2007 7:45 PM

Invitame a pecar....
Invitame o te invito!

MONO MONO es GUAPO
The Tailgunners

The Tailgunners



Mar 1 2007 9:11 AM


CUSTOM

CUSTOM



Feb 12 2007 9:53 PM

We played the Virginia V show together..and Ryco was in the Trains with me for some time...You guys Rock!!!
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