Unit 13 – Grunge

• They had only modest success in the USA, but were

more successful in the United Kingdom and Europe.

• The Pixies' musical style has been described as "an

unorthodox marriage of surf music and punk rock, ...

characterized by Black's bristling lyrics and hackle-

raising caterwaul, Kim Deal's whispered harmonies

and waspy basslines, Joey Santiago's fragile guitar,

and the persistent flush of David Lovering's drums."

The band's music incorporates extreme dynamic

shifts.

• Francis is the Pixies' primary songwriter and singer

who has been noted for his yowling delivery.

• The group has been described as a big influence on

the alternative rock boom of the 1990s

• The band's first full-length album, Surfer Rosa.

o Singles: Melody Maker and Sounds

• Doolittle featured the single "Here Comes Your Man”

and "Monkey Gone to Heaven”

• After Doolittle tensions between Deal and Francis

came to a head (for example, Francis threw a guitar

at Deal during a concert in Stuttgart),[27] and Deal was

almost fired from the band when she refused to play

at a concert in Frankfurt. • The band continued to tour, and released Trompe le

Monde in 1991, their final album before their break-

up.

o The album included "U-Mass", also featured

a cover of "Head On" by The Jesus and Mary

Chain.

• In June 2004, the band released a new single,

"Bam Thwok" exclusively on iTunes.

• In 2005, the band made appearances at festivals including Lollapalooza

• Influence include: The Cars, The Beatles' "White Album, " Buddy Holly, Black Flag,David Bowie,

Jimi Hendrix, The Everly Brothers, Gang of Four, Elvis Costello and Rush.

• Their videos: "Monkey Gone To Heaven", "Here Comes Your Man", "Velouria", "Dig For Fire",

"Allison", "Alec Eiffel", "Head On", and "Debaser "Here Come Your Man" and "Allison

Pixies

The Pixies performing in June 2004. Left to

right: Joey Santiago, Black Francis, David

Lovering, and Kim Deal.

Background information

Origin Boston, Massachusetts, United

States

Genres Alternative rock

Years active 1986–1993, 2004–present

Members

Black Francis – vocals, rhythm guitar

Joey Santiago – lead guitar

Kim Deal – bass, vocals

David Lovering - drums

Nirvana

• American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic

in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987.

• During its initial months, the band went through a series of names, starting with Skid Row, Pen

Cap Chew, Bliss, and Ted Ed Fred.

• Nirvana released its first single, "Love Buzz", in Nov 1988 on a Seattle independent record label

• Nirvana established itself as part of the Seattle grunge scene, releasing its first album Bleach in

1989.

• Nirvana found unexpected success with "Smells Like Teen Spirit", the first single from the band's

second album Nevermind (1991).

• Nirvana's third studio album In Utero (1993), featured an abrasive, less-mainstream sound.

o In Utero debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 album chart in September 1993.

• When Cobain heard the Pixies' 1988 album Surfer Rosa after recording Bleach, he felt it had the

sound he wanted to achieve but was too intimidated to try.

o The Pixies' subsequent popularity encouraged Cobain to follow his instincts as a

songwriter.

• Style

o Cobain's rhythm guitar style, which relied on power chords, low-note riffs, and a loose

right-hand technique

o Cobain would often initially play a song's verse riff in a clean tone, then double it with

distorted guitars when the part repeated.

o In some songs the guitar would be absent from the verses entirely to allow the drums

and bass guitar to support the vocals, or it would only play sparse melodies like the two-

note pattern used in "Smells like Teen Spirit".

o The band eventually came to develop a sound that relied on dynamic contrasts, often

between quiet verses and loud, heavy choruses.

• The band made a habit of destroying its equipment after shows. Novoselic said he and Cobain

created the "shtick" in order to get off of the stage sooner.

• In early 1994, the band embarked on a European tour. In Rome, on the morning of March 4,

Cobain's wife, Courtney Love, found Cobain unconscious in their hotel room and he was rushed

to the hospital. A doctor from the hospital told a press conference that Cobain had reacted to a

combination of prescription Rohypnol and alcohol. The rest of the tour was canceled, including a

planned leg in the UK. In the ensuing weeks, Cobain's heroin addiction resurfaced. An

intervention was organized, and Cobain was convinced to admit himself into drug rehabilitation.

After less than a week in rehabilitation, Cobain climbed over the wall of the facility and took a

plane back to Seattle. A week later, on Friday, April 8, 1994, Cobain was found dead of a self-

inflicted shotgun wound to the head at his Seattle home.[66]

• Immediately following Cobain's death, numerous headlines referred to Nirvana's frontman as

"the voice of a generation", although he had rejected such labeling during his lifetime.

Band members

• Kurt Cobain – lead vocals, guitar (1987–1994)

• Krist Novoselic – bass guitar (1987–1994)

• Dave Grohl – drums, backing vocals (1990–1994)

Former members

• Aaron Burckhard – drums (1987–1988)

• Dale Crover – drums (1988, 1990)

• Dave Foster – drums (1988)

• Chad Channing – drums (1988–1990)

• Jason Everman – guitar (1989)

• Dan Peters – drums (1990)

Soundgarden

• American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington In 1984 by:

o lead singer Chris Cornell

o lead guitarist Kim Thayil

o bassist Hiro Yamamoto.

o Matt Cameron became the band's permanent drummer in 1986 while bassist Ben

Shepherd became a permanent replacement for Yamamoto in 1990.

• Badmotorfinger, was released on October 8, 1991.

o The first single from Badmotorfinger, "Jesus Christ Pose"

o MTV decided to ban its corresponding music video in 1991.

o Many listeners were outraged by the song and its video, perceiving it as anti-Christian.

• The singles "Outshined" and "Rusty Cage" were able to find an audience at alternative rock radio

and MTV

• Released on March 8, 1994, Superunknown became the band's breakthrough album, driven by

the singles "Spoonman", "The Day I Tried to Live", "Black Hole Sun", "My Wave", and "Fell on

Black Days";

• Superunknown debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 album chart.

• The band's fifth album, Down on the Upside, was released on May 21, 1996.

o The album was notably less heavy than the group's preceding albums, and marked a

further departure from the band's grunge roots

o singles, include "Pretty Noose", "Burden in My Hand", and "Blow Up the Outside World"

• The band took a slot on the 1996 Lollapalooza tour with Metallica, who had insisted on

Soundgarden's appearance on the tour.

o At the tour's final stop in Honolulu, Hawaii on February 9, 1997, Shepherd threw his

bass into the air in frustration after suffering equipment failure, and subsequently

stormed off the stage. The band retreated, with Cornell returning to conclude the show

with a solo encore. On April 9, 1997, the band announced it was disbanding.

• A secret reunion concert under the name "Nudedragons" was held in Seattle on April 16, 2010.

It was Soundgarden's first show since 1997.

• As of 2010, Soundgarden had sold over nine million records in the United States,[2] and an

estimated twenty-one million worldwide.[3]

• A previously unreleased Soundgarden song—"Black Rain"—debuted on the Guitar Hero video

game and appears on the compilation album.

• On January 13, 2011, Soundgarden announced that they will release their first live album, Live

on I-5

o Thayil told Reuters.com that it may not surface until 2012. He explained, "If we were to

say, 'Let's get this record out by the fall', I think it would put a lot of pressure on us and

the quality would at some point suffer."

• Thayil has said that Soundgarden usually did not consider the time signature of a song until after

the band had written it, and said that the use of odd meters was "a total accident."

o Examples:"Outshined" is in 7/4, "My Wave" is in 5/4 and 4/4, "He Didn't" is in 5/4 and

6/4, "Black Hole Sun" is in 4/4 and 9/8, and many, many others.

Silverchair

• The band formed as Innocent Criminals in New South Wales, Australia, in 1992

• Members include

o vocalist and guitarist Daniel Johns

o bass guitarist Chris Joannou

o drummer Ben Gillies.

• Silverchair's sound has evolved throughout their career from grunge on their debut to their

more recent orchestral chamber-pop.

• The band's mainstream breakthrough came when they won a national competition in 1994

called "Pick Me” by submitting a demo of their original song "Tomorrow".

• They had to change their name because "Innocent Criminals" was the name of an American

Band.

• In 1995, a re-recorded version of "Tomorrow" (and a new video) was made for the US market,

becoming the most played song on US modern rock radio that year.

• Silverchair’s debut album, Frogstomp, was recorded in just nine days, and released in 1995.

o At the time, the band members were only 15 years old, and still in high school.

o Yielded two singles: "Tomorrow,” and “Frogstomp”

• Their second studio album, Freak Show, was released in 1997.

o Singles in Australia – "Freak", "Abuse Me", and "Cemetery"The Door”

• After graduating from school the band was able to spend much more time creating their next

album, Neon Ballroom, released in 1999.

o produced four singles; "Anthem for the Year 2000", "Ana's Song (Open Fire)", "Miss You

Love", and "Paint Pastel Princess

• Their fourth album was Diorama.

o The first single from Diorama, "The Greatest View"

o Other singles that were released; "The Greatest View", "Without You", "Luv Your Life",

"Across the Night", and "After All These Years

• Young Modern became the fifth Silverchair

o They performed a cover of Midnight Oil's "Don't Wanna Be the One

o The album was released in 2007, as was the first single, "Straight Lines".

o "Reflections of a Sound", "If You Keep Losing Sleep", and "Mind Reader", were

subsequently released.

• On May 25, 2011 the band announced through their LAS fan club that their career had come to

a halt. The official website stated:

"We formed Silverchair nearly 20 years ago when we were just 12 years old. Today we stand by the

same rules now as we did back then ... if the band stops being fun and if it's no longer fulfilling

creatively, then we need to stop. Back in 2009 we went into the studio to start work on a record. Initially

things were going well and as a result we did some shows in 2010 to maintain creative momentum.

However, over the months that followed in the studio it became clear to us that we were moving in

different directions. Despite our best efforts over the last year or so, it's become increasingly clear that

the spark simply isn't there between the three of us at the moment. Therefore after much soul

searching we wanted to let you know that we're putting Silverchair into "indefinite hibernation" and

we've decided to each do our own thing for the foreseeable future. "

Bush

• Formed in London in 1992 shortly after vocalist/guitarist Gavin

Rossdale and guitarist Nigel Pulsford met in a London nightclub.

• The band found immediate success with the release of their

debut album Sixteen Stone in 1994

• In late 1996 Bush released their second album titled Razorblade

Suitcase

o single "Swallowed,” and "Greedy Fly”

• In Canada, they were once known as Bushx, because the 1970s

band Bush, led by Domenic Troiano, owned the Canadian rights

to the name.

o In April 1997, Troiano agreed to let them use the

name Bush in Canada without the exponent x, in

exchange for donating $20,000 to charity.

• The Science of Things (3rd album)featured some electronic music

influences that distinguished the work from Bush's earlier

sound. The lead single "The Chemicals Between Us" had a

prominent guitar riff, it also had many electronic elements

o Singles were released from The Science of Things,

most notably

� "The Chemicals Between Us

� "Letting the Cables Sleep

• Bush released its final album, Golden State, in October 2001.

The album attempted to return to the simple, catchy sound of

the band's debut, it failed to achieve commercial success

o Several singles were released, most notably the hit

"The People That We Love (Speed Kills)"

• Bush went on to become one of the most commercially

successful rock bands of the 1990s, selling over 10 million

records in the United States.

• The band separated in 2002 but the name was revived in 2010

to support a new album, Everything Always Now

o new single, "Afterlife",

• On June 22, 2010, it was announced that Bush would play their

first show in eight years at the second-annual Epicenter Music

Festival in Fontana, California on September 25, 2010.

• Founding members Nigel Pulsford and Dave Parsons both

decided not to rejoin the band

• Pulsford and Parsons were replaced by Chris Traynor and Corey Britz respectively The new line up

played seven shows in 2010, performing songs from Bush's previous four albums as well as their

new song "Afterlife".

• Gavin announced on Radio that the album has been renamed The Sea Of Memories. A new single is

coming out July 2011.

• Their music has been used in video games

o Guitar Hero 5 (exportable), Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock

Background information

Also

known as Bushx, Future Primitive

Origin London, England, United

Kingdom

Genres

Grunge,

Alternative rock[1]

Years

active

1992–2002

2010–present

Website www.bushofficial.com

Members

Gavin Rossdale

Robin Goodridge

Chris Traynor

Corey Britz

Past members

Nigel Pulsford

Dave Parsons

Alice in Chains

• Formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1987 by Jerry Cantrell and original lead vocalist Layne Staley.

• Although associated with grunge music, the band's sound incorporates heavy metal and acoustic

elements.

• Although never officially disbanding, Alice in Chains was plagued by extended inactivity due to

substance abuse, culminating in the death of Layne Staley in 2002.

• They released the first official recording in July 1990, a promotional EP We Die Young.

• Their first album, Facelift, was released on August 21, 1990, peaking at number 42

• Following the tour, Alice in Chains entered the studio to record demos for its next album, but

ended up recording five acoustic songs instead.

o Singles: “Sap,” "Brother", "Am I Inside" and "Love Song". "Right Turn

• On September 29, 1992, Alice in Chains released its second album, Dirt

o Dirt singles, including "Rooster", "Them Bones", and "Down in a Hole

• While on tour, Starr left the band, and was replaced by former Ozzy Osbourne bassist Mike Inez.

In 1993, the band recorded two songs with Inez, "What the Hell Have I" and "A Little Bitter"

• While never originally intended for a public release, second acoustic-based EP, Jar of Flies, was

released on January 25, 1994. Jar of Flies debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 o Singles: "No Excuses". "I Stay Away Don't Follow

• On November 7, 1995, Columbia Records released the Alice in Chains,

o Singles, "Grind", "Again", "Over Now", "Heaven Beside You” "Got Me Wrong"

• Other singles, include "Down in a Hole", "Heaven Beside You", Would?", "The Killer Is Me".

• DuVall joined Alice in Chains as lead singer during the band's reunion concerts. Velvet Revolver

and ex-Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan also joined the band for the reunion tour, playing

rhythm guitar on selected songs.

• In Oct. 2008, Alice in Chains began recording its fourth studio album, Black Gives Way to Blue.

o Singles “A Looking in View,” "Check My Brain" "Your Decision "Lesson Learned"

• The band has been described by critics as "hard enough for metal fans, yet their dark subject

matter and punky attack placed them among the front ranks of the Seattle-based grunge

bands".

• Alice in Chains has sold more than 16 million albums in the United States, and around 25 million

worldwide, released two number-one albums and 21 top 40 singles, and has received seven

Grammy nominations. The band was ranked number 34 on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard

Rock.

Band members

• William DuVall – lead and backing vocals, rhythm guitar (2006–present)

• Jerry Cantrell – lead and backing vocals, lead guitar (1987–2002, 2005–present)

• Mike Inez – bass, backing vocals (1993–2002, 2005–present)

• Sean Kinney – drums, percussion (1987–2002, 2005–present)

Former members

• Layne Staley – lead vocals, occasional rhythm guitar (1987–

2002)

• Mike Starr – bass, backing vocals (1987–1993)

• Note: Alice in Chains was inactive from 2002 until 2005.

Stone Temple Pilots

• Stone Temple Pilots, often abbreviated to STP, is an American rock band from San Diego, California

• Members are:

o Scott Weiland (lead vocals)

o brothers Robert DeLeo (bass guitar, vocals) and Dean DeLeo (guitar)

o Eric Kretz (drums, percussion)

• The band had immediate success with the release of their debut album Core. It was released on

September 29, 1992, and peaked at #3 on the Billboard Albums Chart.

o Singles: "Sex Type Thing," "Plush," "Creep", and "Wicked Garden."

• In the spring of 1994, Stone Temple Pilots returned to the studio to work on their second album,

Purple. Completed in less than a month, Purple debuted at number one in the United States upon its

release on June 7, 1994.

o "Interstate Love Song" became a hit with fifteen weeks atop the album rock tracks chart.

o Other hits from the album included "Vasoline" and "Big Empty

• Stone Temple Pilots released their third album, Tiny Music... Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop, on

March 5, 1996

• However, Weiland's drug addiction became a serious obstacle. The band was unsuccessful in being

able to fully tour in support of Tiny Music....

• The band released No. 4 in 1999.

o single "Sour Girl".

• During the summer of 2001, the band released their fifth album, Shangri-La Dee Da,

o which produced two modest rock radio hits: "Days of the Week" and "Hollywood %^&$#”

• The band began work on a sixth studio album in 2002 that reportedly would go back to their Core-

era sound and planned on finishing it in January 2003, but when Dean DeLeo and Scott Weiland

nearly got into a fistfight during the last show of Stone Temple Pilots' fall 2002 tour the band

decided to separate.

• In 2007, Dean DeLeo and Weiland discussed a concert promoter's offer to headline several summer

festivals.

• Recording for the band's sixth studio album began in mid-2009. By June 2009, the band had written

18 songs, twelve of which were planned to be released on the album.

• The band appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman for the first time in ten years on May 19,

performing "Between the Lines." STP's self-titled sixth record was released on May 25, 2010,

debuting at #2 on the Billboard 200.

• The band's sound is considered a blending of modern alternative rock and hard rock of the 1970s.

• While Core and Purple resembled a strong grunge-inspired sound, later albums would include

elements of psychedelic rock, glam rock, bossa nova, and country.

• Dean DeLeo's trademark guitar sound is considered to be "crunchy" and especially distorted

• Stone Temple Pilots has covered several popular classic rock artists live and in the studio, such as

The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Kiss, The Doors, Pink Floyd, David Bowie, as well as reggae artist Bob

Marley.

Interesting Story About Origins of STP

Stone Temple Pilots can trace its beginnings to a Black Flag concert in Long Beach, California in 1986,

where Scott Weiland met Robert DeLeo. They began discussing their girlfriends, and, after realizing they

were dating the same woman, developed a bond. They each subsequently broke it off with the girl, who

left town, whereupon Weiland and DeLeo moved into her vacated apartment.

Immediately, Weiland and DeLeo formed a band with two of Scott's friends from Edison High School,

Corey Hicock (guitar) and David Allin (drums). After Allin's departure, drummer Eric Kretz joined the

band. Soon after, Robert DeLeo's brother, Dean DeLeo, decided to play guitar in the band replacing

Hicock, completing the quartet. They then named their band Mighty Joe Young. The band recorded a

demo tape that was completed around 1990. The "Mighty Joe Young" demo features tracks that would

go on to be re-recorded for the band's first studio album, as well as some musical styles not featured on

any of STP's albums, such as funk and yodeling.

Live

• Live (often typeset as LĪVE) was an American rock band from York, Pennsylvania,

• Members:

o Ed Kowalczyk (lead vocals and guitar)

o Chad Taylor (lead guitar)

o Patrick Dahlheimer (bass)

o Chad Gracey (drums).

• The group first played together at a middle-school talent show. They remained together through

high school, playing new wave covers under band names such as First Aid, Club Fungus, Paisley

Blues, Action Front, and Body Odor Boys.

• Under the new name Live, the band entered the studio and recorded the EP Four Songs.

o The single "Operation Spirit (The Ty ranny of Tradition)"

• Their debut album, was 1992's Mental Jewelry

• Live's second album, Throwing Copper, achieved mainstream success.

o The album featured the singles "I Alone", "All Over You” "Selling the Drama" and "Lightning

Crashes"

• The band’s 1997’s album, Secret Samadhi debuted at number one on the US album chart.

o It took its name from a state of Hindu meditation.

o band performed "Lakini's Juice" and "Heropsychodreamer" from the album on Saturday

Night Live.

• Their 4th album, The Distance to Here (1999) entered the US album chart at number four

o hit single from the album was "The Dolphin's Cry".

• On September 18, 2001, they released the experimental album V

o The first single was "Simple Creed", which featured a rap from Tricky

o The events of 9/11, which occurred a week before V was released, meant that the

melancholic "Overcome" received significant airplay and became the album's selling point.

• In May 2003, the band released Birds of Pray

o It spawned the single "Heaven"

• In November 2004, Live released a greatest hits compilation, Awake: The Best of Live. Awake

included:

o "We Deal in Dreams", a previously unreleased song from the Throwing Copper

o a cover version of Johnny Cash's "I Walk the Line",

o A new version of their song "Run Away" with Shelby Lynne sharing lead vocals

• The album Songs from Black Mountain was released in June 2006.

o From the album the single "The River" is best known.

• On September 14, 2007, the band released Radiant Sea: A Collection of Bootleg Rarities and Two

New Songs

o The new songs were "Beautiful Invisible" and "Radiant Sea".

• After a concert at The Palazzo in Las Vegas in June 2009, Live announced that the band would take a

two-year "hiatus". On November 30, 2009, Taylor revealed that the "hiatus" was more likely a

permanent split. He alleged that the reasons for the break-up included Kowalczyk's demand of a

$100,000 "lead singer bonus"

• On June 8, 2011 Chad Taylor revealed that he, Dahlheimer and Gracey will be restarting the band

and recording new songs without Kowalczyk. He made no mention of any potential new lead singer.

Collective Soul

• American rock band originally formed in Stockbridge, Georgia.

• They broke into mainstream popularity with their first hit single, "Shine", which came from their

debut album Hints, Allegations, and Things Left Unsaid, released in 1993.

• The group’s self-titled second album issued following year (1994)

o Notable singles from Collective Soul include "December," "Where The River Flows," and "The

World I Know," "Gel," and the Top 10 hit "Smashing Young Man."

• Disciplined Breakdown was released in 1997

o It produced two more #1 singles: "Precious Declaration" and "Listen

• The band’s fourth album was 1999’s platinum certified Dosage.

o Singles include: "Heavy" "Run", "Needs", and "Tremble For My Beloved"

• The group released its fifth studio album, Blender in 2000.

o "Why, Pt. 2" "Vent" and "Perfect Day," (which was a duet between Roland and Elton John).

• In 2001, Collective Soul released their greatest hits compilation, 7even Year Itch: Greatest Hits 1994–

2001, which featured the new tracks "Next Homecoming" and "Energy".

• In November 2004, they released their sixth studio album, Youth o Singles include: "Counting the Days" "Better Now” (used in commercials for the cereal

Special K) and "How Do You Love" • In May 2005, they released an eight song acoustic EP compilation titled From the Ground Up, which

had acoustic versions of past favorites, plus a new track, "Youth"

• Collective Soul's seventh studio album, Afterwords was released on August 28, 2007.

o The song "Hollywood" was released as the first single in May. "Hollywood" also became the

theme for the hit T.V. show "American Idol"

o The second single from the album, "All That I Know", was released in November.

• Collective Soul released their eighth album, another self-titled, but they designated it as Rabbit.

o single was "Staring Down" "Welcome All Again"

• Band members

o Present

� Ed Roland - (1992–present) - lead vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards

� Dean Roland - (1993–present) - rhythm guitar

� Will Turpin - (1993–present) - bass guitar, backup vocals

� Joel Kosche - (2001–present) - lead guitar

� Cheney Brannon - (2008–present) - drums, other percussion

o Former members

� Ross Childress - (1992–2001) - lead guitar

� Shane Evans - (1992–2003) - drums, percussion

� Ryan Hoyle - (2003–2008) - drums, percussion