Reuse, Recycle, Repeat Refrain

It could only happen in the land that spawned grunge. The Garbage Gurus, a trio from Portland, Oregon, have pioneered a new rock genre, "garbage music," created by banging on old kitchen sinks and plucking stringed instruments fashioned from dilapidated stair railings. Their debut cassette includes such spirited tunes as "Stinky, Stinky Landfill" and "Compost." The Gurus, who until recently performed mostly at grade schools, scored their mainstream break on Earth Day last April, sharing a Portland stage with several notable regional bands and inciting the crowd into a lather with the dance step "Milk Jug Stomp." Now the only thing keeping the musicians from launching a national tour is the completion of their bus. "We want a cross section of real landfill in the back," explains sink virtuoso Scott Becker, "so people will say, 'Whoa! Someone actually threw that away?'"