The Taxpayers

Punk-infused folk rock collective

Punk Rock/Punk Jazz band from Portland, Oregon. Formed in 2007. Originally a three-piece guitar/bass/drum combination, the band incorporates accordion, horns, piano, harmonica, and other instruments during recording sessions. Currently they perform live with a range from three to eight members. They strongly support the DIY punk ethic, booking their own shows, printing their own merchandise, printing CDs from scrap material, and hand-written notes and other gifts included with each CD. The Taxpayers release digital copies for free, via blogs and Quote Unquote Records. Noah Taxpayer said the following in a letter to the blog Rock Sellout: “We believe that offering free music is imperative to challenging the ever failing soul sucking music industry.” The Taxpayers are a punk rock band, taking influence from folk, country, jazz, swing, blues, hardcore punk. They have been credited for working with different styles. Experimenting with different forms of audience participation, they often incorporate magic tricks, stories, and more at live shows.