MetaFilter posts tagged with seattle and grunge

Bleach Your Works

Artw — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:30:53 -0800

The first time they came and recorded with me—which was January 23, 1988—they didn't have a band name, and they just had a borrowed drummer, which was Dale from the Melvins. But, yeah, they came and recorded 10 songs with me in one afternoon. I was left going "God, who are these people?" The cassettes I gave out just said "Kurt Cobain and Company" on them, because that's all I knew. - Recording Nirvana Before They Were Nirvana. As Nirvanas first albulm hits 20 years old, with Sub Pop prepare to release a remastered anniversary edition, the Seattle Weekly takes a look back at the album that launched grunge.

Bombed and Stretched, like Bubblegum

mannequito — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 07:37:13 -0800

Amidst The Ghosts Of Its Fallen Figures: With the 20th anniversary of the Seattle scene's insurgence fast approaching, Exclaim! follows the timeline of Mark Lanegan, the scene's poetic misfit. During the grunge era, Lanegan fronted Screaming Trees - lost somewhere in the middle of the Seattle pack and mostly known for their contribution to the Singles soundtrack. In the wake of their breakup he became a sort of singer/poet-for-hire, recording tracks with Melissa Auf Der Mar, Mad Season. and Bomb The Bass, while maintaining an off-and-on membership in Queens of the Stone Age and a quietly growing solo career. Despite predictions that he would follow Kurt Cobain and Layne Staley to become the next Seattle casualty, his recent duets with Isobel Cambell (of Belle & Sebastian) and Greg Dulli (of Afghan Whigs) hint at a new musical direction. More recent prophecies tell of Lanegan being the heir apparent to the Tom Waits dynasty.... or possibly just embarking on a magical journey with Eddie Vedder, Geddy Lee and Bjork; hard to tell. (and, of course, no discussion of Screaming Trees members can go without a mention of drummer Barrett Martin, who also played in Mad Season, and now leads the epic instrumental group Tuatara)

Rotating Drumstool Policy

mannequito — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 18:03:12 -0800

Matt Cameron gained a lot of respect early on in the Seattle grunge scene, particularly for his ability to make odd time signatures feel like straight time. Over the years he kept time for Soundgarden, Smashing Pumpkins, Temple of the Dog, and his own Wellwater Conspiracy. Since 1998 he's played with the last men standing of the Seattle heavyweights, though it's a little known fact that he recorded drums on the original pre-Vedder demo. In the 8 years between, Pearl Jam had a few other drummers of note sit in. Dave Krusen was only around long enough to record the debut Ten before opting out for rehab, but it'll be enough to keep him in the history books for quite some time. Touring drummer Matt Chamerlain left to take a spot in the SNL house band, and went on to record with a who's-who list of musicians including Tori Amos, Peter Gabriel, Robert Fripp and Kanye West. His work with avant-jazz crew Critters Buggin as well as his experimental 2005 solo record led to a reputation as an innovator in live drumming & electronic looping. Dave Abbruzzese, arguably the best technical drummer in PJ's history, left after 2 albums supposedly due to the pressure of playing in such a high profile act. The most memorable example of this is the story of Dave cracking under pressure from producer Rick Rubin while recording Rearviewmirror for Vs., stabbing his snare drum and throwing it off a cliff near the studio. and Jack Irons, legendary Chili Peppers drummer, was around in the early days as well, even introducing Ed Vedder to Stone & Jeff. His oddball home percussion recordings definitely influenced Yield and No Code, but it was clear from the beginning that another trip through the celebrity gauntlet wasn't at the top of his list, so the timing of his sickness on the Yield tour and Soundgarden calling it quits paved the way for the return of ... Matt Cameron!

Swingin' on the flippety-flop with some 7"s

kyleg — Thu, 18 Aug 2005 10:43:21 -0800

The Sub Pop Singles Club began in 1988 with the release of Nirvana's Love Buzz single, and continued to offer subscribers new singles from popular and up-and-coming grunge bands for five years. In 1998 the label briefly resurrected the club, ultimately ending it three years ago. Featured bands ranged from the popular to the obscure. Earlier this year, the complete collection of singles was put for sale on ebay, cementing its status as a collector's item and making a generation of music geeks feel old.

""But I'm 41 now. That era, it's gone".

matteo — Fri, 18 Feb 2005 10:23:20 -0800

Touch Me I'm Sick. Photographer Charles Peterson helped America see grunge from the inside out. His dramatic black-and-white images portrayed the energy of the music being performed in crowded basements and dingy dive bars featuring such bands as Nirvana, Mudhoney, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Hole, Black Flag, Fugazi, and Sonic Youth, among others. "Touch Me I’m Sick: Rock ‘n’ Roll Photographs by Charles Peterson" will be on view at the Chrysler Museum of Art through May 1. More inside.

Forever in debt to your priceless advice

psmealey — Mon, 05 Apr 2004 09:05:12 -0800

Ten years gone. The unifinished story of Kurt Cobain. Hard to believe that it's been ten years since the unwelcome news was broadcast. As a Cobain contemporary/gen X'er/Seattle musican in the 90s, my own heart is still broken.

Reggie452 — Mon, 23 Sep 2002 09:09:18 -0800

"In late January 1994, Cobain, Novoselic, and Grohl entered Bob Lang's studio in Seattle for their final recording session. Following a long jam, they captured this powerful tune in one take, including the gut-wrenching vocal -- a spooky, ambient intro of echoed harmonics and a fractured guitar solo." --Jim DeRogatis

monkey-mind — Sat, 20 Apr 2002 13:58:38 -0800

Alice in Chains' lead singer dead at 34. Apparently he died several days ago and was just discovered last night. Identity was confirmed today. No cause of death is known yet.