Grrr. Arrr. Ogre are primal ooze BY MARILYN ZARKOS

Do you long for days of yore, when dinosaurs ruled the earth? When Ozzy was a fresh-faced young lad from Birmingham, not America’s favorite TV dad? A simpler time when there were no boy bands, just Mark, Don, and Mel? Close your eyes and transport yourself back to an era when sludge was considered a complimentary term. Ah, yes. Fear no more my bombastic brethren, our saviors have arrived.

Rock-and-roll salvation lies in the form of three unassuming guys known collectively as Ogre. This Paleozoic powerhouse was formed about three years ago, and by years I mean twelve-month periods that can be sonically measured in decades. Guitarist Ross Markonish and drummer Will Broadbent found themselves playing together in a progressive-rock band. " Basically, " says Broadbent, " we were unhappy in that situation. Everyone else would be noodling around and we’d be playing Black Sabbath riffs. "

Says Markonish, " when Will came to practice one day with a Kiss T-shirt on, we looked at each other and knew we had another calling. " The two started jamming together and it was " total karma " says the guitarist.

Inspired, the two advertised for a bassist in a local paper. " We got one call, it was Ed [Cunningham]. From the first song it was magic. I mean really, those things don’t happen, " says Markonish with amazement. Cunningham concurs. " I’ve never played in a band, except for this one, where I didn’t feel like somebody was a weak link. We feel that nobody is a weak link in this band. " Evolution complete, the three set about refining their primordial ooze into the tuneful dinosaur sludge that is Ogre’s sound.

" We all worship ’70s bands, " explains Cunningham, " our own iconic ’70s bands. Mine was Rush, still is. Will’s was Kiss, for Ross it was Black Sabbath. " Then he adds, with a touch of irony (actually a shovel full), " It’s hard to tell probably, but our sound is different from what you might usually hear. " It is true that most bands on the scene don’t have elements of Kiss, Motorhead, and early Grand Funk in their music. Says Broadbent, " There’s a kind of layer of irony to our music. " Adds Cunningham, " We’re serious about what we do, but we realize what we’re imitating as well, so it’s sort of worship and a tribute. "

The band’s straight-from-the-tar-pits sonic assault has often attracted the label of " stoner rock. " " We’ve made a lot of connections outside of Portland with stoner-rock bands, " says Markonish. " We were able to go to DC and play some big shows. "

Says Cunningham, " We get played on the radio in Helsinki and we’ve also been added in Greece. "

" I don’t like the term that much but I appreciate what it’s done for heavy music, " laments Markonish. " Stoner rock, for what it is, is bringing back great ’70s bands like Sabbath and Deep Purple. "

But the trio feel alone in their quest to reverse the laws of natural selection. " As far as being retro and a tribute to our idols, we feel that there aren’t a lot of bands in Portland who are doing that right now. We wish there were more, " adds Markonish. If audience reaction is any indication, there should be more. Ogre inspires their leather-clad faithful to spontaneous fits of air guitar and adoring fist pumping. They are a lethal live act.

It’s difficult not to respond to the heavy groove that these guys lay down. " It’s surprising how people react to it, " says Markonish. " We’re hittin’ ’em down here in the heart and the gut. And this guy " he says, referring to Cunningham, " he can imitate Bon Scott, he can do Ozzy, he can do every metal vocalist out there, it’s uncanny. That voice is our secret weapon. "

Presently, Ogre can be heard on their 2000 six-song demo, a tasty selection of catchy, plodding, ultra-heavy riffage drenched with insane pentatonic soloing, wah-wah pedal abuse, Dungeons & Dragons imagery, and that voice. And more looms on the horizon. After what seems like an ice age, the boys have completed a new release called Dawn of the Proto-Man. According to Broadbent, " It’s been a long time coming. We’ve had many misfires with the production and mixing and whatnot but finally it’s about to be mastered. "

It would be a crime if history were to overlook this leaden mutation of hard rock’s gene pool, leaving the promise of a new musical frontier to premature extinction. The current musical generation needs a good old-fashioned dinosaur stomping.

Marilyn Zarkos can be reached at zarkos@yahoo.com

Ogre play, with 5ive’s Continuum Research Project, Rock City Crimewave, and the Austerity Project, at Geno’s, in Portland, May 9. Call 772-7891.