Indie pop quartet the Dimes was formed in Portland, OR, after singer/songwriter/guitarist Johnny Clay met the other members, guitarist Pierre Kaiser, bassist Ryan Johnston, and drummer Jake Rahner, in 2002. While performing extensively in their local area, the Dimes self-released a six-song self-titled debut EP in 2003, followed by another, Atlanta, in 2005. They next released four-song EP The Long Arm Came Down on January 15, 2007. Their first full-length CD, The Silent Generation, had songs based on newspaper articles from the Depression era found by Kaiser under the floors of his 1908 home while he was renovating it. The Dimes began selling the album at shows on August 25, 2007. Local label Pet Marmoset Records picked it up for national retail release starting on December 11, 2007. ~ William Ruhlmann