New construction and soaring rent isn't just changing the Portland's skyline, but also altering the city's creative class as it becomes harder to thrive in the Pacific Northwest hub. Taking the struggle and new reality of their hometown into account, Ages and Ages explore themes of change and acceptance on their new album, Something to Ruin. Together band leaders Tim Perry and Rob Oberdorfer apply introspection gleaned from travels in Central and South America to the rapid gentrification of their community and the realization that nature will reclaim it all in the end. 

 

 

Something to Ruin's 11 folk-rock tracks combine textured guitar chords, steady beats and piano melodies with verses and choruses practically made to sing along to. The album was recorded in Portland at Ice Cream Party — the studio owned and operated by Isaac Brock of Modest Mouse. We spoke with Rob Oberdorfer about his travels; what's behind Portland's current boom and potential bust; the recording process and presidential playlist recommendations.

 

Hometown/Homebase: Portland, OR

 

You traveled to South America — was it seen as a band trip from the get-go and something that would lead to new music or was it just a trip as friends with an unexpected result? 

 

Tim and I actually took two separate trips at the same time, though we did randomly end up on the same flight at one point. Tim went to Belize and Honduras in Central America, and I went to Chile. It was mostly us taking advantage of a break in our schedule before we started working on the record. We just both happened to want to head south. We came back talking about the ways cultures build over each other and then are eventually taken over by nature. There are all these indigenous civilizations that have come and gone, leaving ruins engulfed by the forest, as well as modern native movements to rediscover pre-colonial roots. It felt relevant to what's currently happening in Portland, though obviously on much different scales.

 

 

It's hard to ignore what's happening in Portland, as rents are rising dramatically and historically working class and minority neighborhoods are being turned into yuppie playgrounds at a crazy rate. There's an odd comfort in thinking that as dramatic as it is, nature is still going to make fools of all of us in the end — one way or another.

 

What do you think contributed to Portland's current boom? The exposure of Portlandia? More attention paid to the thriving communities within it, whether it be the beer scene or music scene? 

 

I think Portlandia is more of an effect than a cause of the Portland hype. There are a lot of reasons to like Portland and the lifestyle that's getting associated with it, but really the same stuff can be found in pockets in any city. What drove so many young creative types to Portland was how affordable it was. That's no longer the reality, so we're in this shaky transition with a lot of people struggling while expensive condos are being built everywhere and the cops are busting up homeless camps.

 

 

Yes, we're all based in Portland still. We know a lot of musicians who have moved out in the last couple years or are making plans to do so. There is still a vibrant scene, but there's a sense that we're at the end of an era in terms of how centralized and livable it has been. How long are people going to be willing to commute 45 minutes for band practice or to wait tables? I don't know. 

 

 

Yes. No one gets to have everything go their way in the end. We have to balance accepting things as they are while also doing what we can to make them better. 

 

 

 

We worked in his studio, so he was just around sometimes. He's a really supportive and creative guy, so you don't have to twist his arm too hard to get him to grab a guitar and play. For "So Hazy" (the track he played on), he did about 15 passes, playing something unique and interesting each time. It was quite a challenge to choose what to include because it was all really cool. 

 

 

Interesting...I've never thought of that. I think of our music as a malleable thing to be lived with and seen from different angles. I'd like to think it offers someone something equally valuable watching a beautiful sunset or being stuck in a traffic jam. 

 

 

Yeah, it is those things. It's communion, commiseration... a way to explain the world to yourself and yourself to the world. It's also just fun to hit shit and make a racket with your friends. 

 

 

Oh man...he's done some good things and some awful things, so it's hard to frame an answer that respects all that. At the end of the day I'd encourage him and and anyone else to just open their hearts and minds to the reality of our interconnectedness and interdependence. Music can be a powerful vehicle for that realization, but the recipe is unique to every individual. Maybe he needs to listen to old Fugazi records?

 

 

We are really just focused on the live show right now, making it happen on stage every night is rewarding in a different way than recording or writing. Seeing people singing along or telling us stories about how they relate to the music constantly recharges our batteries. Once the dust settles from all this touring, we've got plenty of musical ideas to kick around. We're still having fun.