Misplaced Pages

#891108

136-464: The early grunge movement revolved around Seattle's independent record label Sub Pop and the region's underground music scene. The owners of Sub Pop marketed the style shrewdly, encouraging the media to describe it as "grunge"; the style became known as a hybrid of punk and metal . By the early 1990s, its popularity had spread, with grunge bands appearing in California, then emerging in other parts of

272-493: A dirge -like music that was the beginning of northwest grunge. The Melvins were the most influential of the early grunge bands. Sub Pop producer Jack Endino described grunge as "seventies-influenced, slowed-down punk music". Leighton Beezer, who played with Mark Arm and Steve Turner in the Thrown Ups, state that when he heard Green River play Come On Down , he realized that they were playing punk rock backwards. He noted that

408-554: A fanzine called Subterranean Pop that focused exclusively on American independent record labels. Pavitt undertook the project in order to earn course credit while attending Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington . By the fourth issue, Pavitt had shortened the name to Sub Pop and began alternating issues with compilation tapes of underground rock bands. The Sub Pop #5 cassette, released in 1982, sold two thousand copies. In 1983, Pavitt moved to Seattle, Washington , and released

544-415: A pick to provide "different textures". Shepherd considers that he approaches guitars "like a horn section ", split between rhythm and lead , while "Bass is more fluid; you're a lot more free to do stuff because it's a song within a song". Rather than the more common practice of synchronizing with the drummer, Shepherd's preference is to play the bass along to the vocals, as "it helps to harmonize". As

680-464: A sellout ?" Clothing commonly worn by grunge musicians in Washington were a "mundane everyday style", in which they would wear the same clothes on stage that they wore at home. This Pacific Northwest "slacker style" or "slouch look" contrasted sharply with the "wild" mohawks , leather jackets and chains worn by punks. This everyday clothing approach was used by grunge musicians because authenticity

816-418: A snare drum and, for cymbals , Zildjian instruments, including "... 14-inch K Light [Hi-] hats ; 17-inch K Custom Dark crash [cymbal] and 18-inch K Crash Ride; 19-inch Projection crash; a 20-inch Rezo crash; ... and a ... 22-inch A Medium ride [cymbal]". A second example is Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl 's set-up during 1990 and 1991. He used a four-piece Tama drumset, with an 8" × 14" birch snare drum,

952-457: A "dirty" background texture which is done with dull, subdued colors. A key figure in creating the "look" of the grunge scene for outsiders was music photographer Charles Peterson . Peterson's black and white, uncropped, and sometimes blurry shots of the underground Pacific Northwest music scene's members playing and jamming, wearing their characteristic everyday clothes, were used by Sub Pop to promote its Seattle bands. Sub Pop Sub Pop

1088-419: A "low-rent studio named Reciprocal ", where producer Jack Endino created the grunge genre's aesthetic, a "raw and unpolished sound with distortion , but usually without any added studio effects ". Endino is known for his stripped-down recording practices and his dislike of 'over-producing' music with effects and remastering . His work on Soundgarden's Screaming Life and Nirvana's Bleach as well as for

1224-512: A 14" × 15" rack tom, a 16" × 18" floor tom, and a 16" × 24" bass drum (this kit "was demolished at the Cabaret Metro, Chicago, 10/12/91"). Like Matt Cameron, Dave Grohl used Zildjian cymbals. Grohl used the company's A Series Medium cymbals, including an 18" and a 20" crash cymbal, a 22" ride cymbal, and a pair of 15" hi-hat cymbals. Although other instruments are generally not included in grunge, Seattle band Gorilla created controversy by breaking

1360-508: A Bone EP for Pavitt's new label in June 1986; Pavitt couldn't afford to release it until the following year. When finally released, Dry as a Bone was promoted by Sub Pop as "ultra-loose grunge that destroyed the morals of a generation". Also in 1987, Jonathan Poneman provided $ 20,000 in funding for Sub Pop to release the debut Soundgarden single "Hunted Down"/"Nothing to Say" in July 1987, followed by

1496-440: A Bone EP in a Sub Pop record company catalogue as "gritty vocals, roaring Marshall amps, ultra-loose GRUNGE that destroyed the morals of a generation". Although the word "grunge" has been used to describe bands since the 1960s, this was the first association of grunge with the grinding, sludgy sound of Seattle. It is expensive and time-consuming to get a recording to sound clean, so for those northwestern bands just starting out it

SECTION 10

#1732863329892

1632-461: A carpenter and a laborer, and while playing in Tic Dolly Row with drummer friend Chad Channing , introduced him to Novoselic, who went on to bring Channing into his band Nirvana . Shepherd would later travel with Nirvana on a tour leading up to the release of Nevermind , being a nominal second guitarist but not playing on stage. Shepherd was a fan of Soundgarden ever since their early days as

1768-467: A check for half a million bucks." Sales of Bleach helped keep the label going for years afterwards. The mainstream success of Nirvana also brought Poneman and Pavitt worldwide media attention as the self-stylized "creators of the grunge scene". After the suicide of Kurt Cobain and the subsequent decline of grunge, Poneman began signing acts that were "not typically Sub Pop-ian", such as 5ive Style , Combustible Edison and Eric Matthews . In 1995,

1904-425: A concern for social issues, particularly those affecting young people. The main themes in grunge were "tolerance of difference", "support of women", "mistrust of authority" and "cynicism towards big corporations." Grunge song themes bear similarities to those addressed by punk rock musicians. In 1992, music critic Simon Reynolds said that "there's a feeling of burnout in the culture at large. Kids are depressed about

2040-504: A drug related to Ecstasy , "was a vital contributor to grunge", because it gave users a "body high" (in contrast to marijuana's "head high") that made them appreciate "bass-heavy grooves ". Pat Long's History of the NME states that scene members involved with the Sub Pop label would have multi-day MDMA parties in the woods, which shows that what Long calls Ecstasy's "warm glow" had an impact even in

2176-587: A few notes apart but sound unalike. He took the same rhythm with the same chord, however descending the neck made it sound darker, and therefore grunge. Early grunge bands would also copy a riff from metal and slow it down, play it backwards, distort it and bury it in feedback, then shout lyrics with little melody over the top of it. Grunge fuses elements of punk rock (specifically American hardcore punk such as Black Flag) and heavy metal (especially traditional, earlier heavy metal groups such as Black Sabbath), although some bands performed with more emphasis on one or

2312-540: A guitar, his father complied only after insisting he must learn every chord in a large book with nothing but a guitar neck. Shepherd did so—with help from his cousin Ralph "Tony" McMullen—and his father bought him his first guitar. Shepherd played in numerous punk-rock bands with friends as a teenager like March of Crimes, Mind Circus and 600 School, meeting future musicians such as Stone Gossard , Krist Novoselic and Matt Cameron . After graduating from high school, he worked as

2448-451: A high level of distortion and fuzz, typically created with small 1970s-style stompbox pedals, with some guitarists chaining several fuzz pedals together and plugging them into a tube amplifier and speaker cabinet. Grunge guitarists use very loud Marshall guitar amplifiers and some used powerful Mesa-Boogie amplifiers, including Kurt Cobain and Dave Grohl (the latter in early, grunge-oriented Foo Fighters songs). Grunge has been called

2584-681: A higher one." Steve Albini was another important influence on the grunge sound. Albini preferred to be called a "recording engineer", because he believed that putting record producers in charge of recording sessions often destroys the band's real sound, while the role of the recording engineer is to capture the actual sound of the musicians, not to threaten the artists' control over their creative product. Albini's recordings have been analyzed by writers such as Michael Azerrad , who stated that Albini's "recordings were both very basic and very exacting: like Endino, Albini used few special effects ; got an aggressive, often violent guitar sound; and made sure

2720-580: A highly amplified electric guitar is held in front of its speaker, were used to create high-pitched, sustained sounds that are not possible with regular guitar technique. Grunge guitarists were influenced by the raw, primitive sound of punk, and they favored "... energy and lack of finesse over technique and precision"; key guitar influences included the Sex Pistols , the Dead Boys , Celtic Frost , King's X , Voivod , Neil Young ( Rust Never Sleeps , side two),

2856-563: A major influence, particularly as Yamamoto differed from bassists "relegated to a role of following along", even if his bass "was mixed so damn quietly on the recordings that I could never hear him well enough to develop a deep understanding of his fluidity or his textures." Shepherd followed a fingerstyle playing based on Yamamoto, punk rock musicians Chuck Dukowski from Black Flag , and Mike Watt . He also listened to jazz bassist Charles Mingus "because I wanted to learn how to play some dirty, weird shit." Certain songs have Shepherd using

SECTION 20

#1732863329892

2992-690: A member of Soundgarden. Born in Okinawa, Shepherd grew up in Washington and developed an interest in music after watching Johnny Cash on TV. He played in various punk-rock bands and eventually joined Soundgarden as a bassist in 1990. Shepherd contributed to the band's musical evolution and played a significant role in songwriting. In 1993, he formed a side project, Hater, with Matt Cameron and John McBain. Soundgarden broke up in 1997, leading Shepherd to struggle with addiction and personal issues. He played in various bands before Soundgarden reunited in 2010, continuing until Chris Cornell's death in 2017. Shepherd released

3128-632: A mood of "resigned despair". Catherine Strong, in her book Grunge: Music and Memory, states that grunge songs were usually about "negative experiences or feelings", with the main themes being alienation and depression , but with an "ironic sneer." Grunge artists expressed "strong feelings" in their lyrics about "societal ills", including a "desire to 'crucify the insincere ' ", an approach which fans appreciated for its authenticity . Grunge lyrics have been criticized as "violent and often obscene." In 1996, conservative columnist Rich Lowry wrote an essay criticizing grunge, entitled "Our Hero, Heroin"; he called it

3264-498: A music that is mostly "... shorn of ideals and the impulse for political action". A number of factors influenced the focus on such subject matter. Many grunge musicians displayed a general disenchantment with the state of society, as well as a discomfort with social prejudices . Grunge lyrics contained "explicit political messages and ... questioning about ... society and how it might be changed." While grunge lyrics were less overtly political than punk songs, grunge songs still indicated

3400-449: A non-conformist move against the "manufactured image", often pushing musicians to dress in authentic ways and to not glamorize themselves. At the same time, Sub-Pop utilized the 'grunge look' in their marketing of their bands. In an interview with VH1, photographer Charles Peterson commented that members from grunge band Tad "were given blue collar identities that weren't entirely earned. Bruce (Pavitt) really got him to dress up in flannel and

3536-418: A real chain saw and really play up this image of a mountain man and it worked." Dazed magazine called Courtney Love one of "ten women who defined the 1990s" from a style perspective: the "... image of Courtney Love's too-short baby doll dress, tattered fur coat and shock of platinum hair", a look dubbed " kinderwhore ", "... topped with a tiara, of course – is seared on the memory of anyone who lived through

3672-552: A recording of frog ribbits. On June 25, 2013, Shepherd announced he would be releasing the solo album entitled In Deep Owl on August 27, 2013, under the name HBS. Shepherd premiered the first single "Baron Robber" on Spin . Featured musicians include: Shepherd has two children. He currently resides on Bainbridge Island, Washington . Shepherd is also the partial owner of an upscale Seattle bar called Hazlewood. Shepherd started playing bass trying to replace former Soundgarden bassist Hiro Yamamoto . He considers his predecessor

3808-471: A regional basis. The pair sought to create a cohesive brand identity for Sub Pop. The label's ads promoted the label itself more than any particular band. The label also sought to market a "Seattle sound", which was accomplished with the help of producer Jack Endino , who produced 75 singles, albums, and EPs for Sub Pop between 1987 and 1989. Endino recorded cheaply and quickly; in order to operate this way, he utilized some consistent studio techniques, which gave

3944-408: A savanna landscape wearing grunge-styled clothing. This shoot made McMenamy the face for grunge, as she had her eyebrows shaved and her hair cropped short. Designers like Christian Lacroix , Donna Karen and Karl Lagerfeld incorporated the grunge influence into their looks. In 1993, James Truman, editor of Details , said: "to me the thing about grunge is it's not anti-fashion, it's unfashion. Punk

4080-527: A side-project band called Hater with John McBain of Monster Magnet . Shepherd sang vocals and played guitar in Hater, in addition to writing several songs on the band's first release, a self-titled album. A second album called The 2nd was recorded in 1995 after Superunknown tour's end, but was not released until 2005, ten years later. In 1994, Soundgarden released Superunknown , which featured Shepherd's compositions "Half" and "Head Down". The latter of which

4216-566: A singer, Shepherd described himself as "trying to find out who I sound like, not like someone else." Composing is usually done by Shepherd on the guitar, given all other Soundgarden members play that instrument. Bass-minded tracks such as "Switch Opens" are rare because, as he explained "you don't want to write a whole wandering bass line wondering what the drum beat and the guitar chords are going to be." In 2008, Shepherd had all of his equipment stolen from Soundgarden's storage warehouse, forcing him to buy new instruments and amplifiers. Ben used

Grunge - Misplaced Pages Continue

4352-592: A sister label by the name of Hardly Art . This label is also partially owned by Warner Music. In August 2008, Sub Pop relaunched the singles club for one year to celebrate its twentieth anniversary. In 2009, they signed their second hip-hop group, Seattle-based Shabazz Palaces – the first being The Evil Tambourines in 1999. Ishmael Butler, one half of Shabazz Palaces and former member of jazz rap group Digable Planets became A&R for Sub Pop. Domestically, Sub Pop has released three albums that have been certified as platinum, for sales of over 1 million units, by

4488-569: A slow, "sludgy" speed, and used more dissonant harmonies. Seattle music journalist Charles R. Cross defines "grunge" as distortion-filled, down-tuned and riff-based rock that uses loud electric guitar feedback and heavy, "ponderous" basslines to support its song melodies. Robert Loss calls grunge a melding of "violence and speed, muscularity and melody", where there is space for all people, including women musicians . VH1 writer Dan Tucker feels that different grunge bands were influenced by different genres; that while Nirvana drew on punk, Pearl Jam

4624-656: A solo album, In Deep Owl , in 2013, and has two children. He partially owns an upscale Seattle bar, Hazlewood, and resides on Bainbridge Island, Washington. Shepherd was born in an American military base in Okinawa . His father worked in the Nike missile program and played the guitar. His family moved to Allen, Texas , then settled in Kingston, Washington , where Shepherd grew up. Shepherd became interested in music after listening to Johnny Cash on television. When Shepherd asked his father for

4760-454: A song he wrote in case his daughter ever wanted to learn guitar. In 1996, Soundgarden released Down on the Upside , in which six of the sixteen album tracks were lyrically and/or musically composed by Shepherd. The tracks were: "Zero Chance" (music), "Dusty" (music), " Ty Cobb " (music), "Never Named" (music) "Switch Opens" (music) and "An Unkind" (music and lyrics). Shepherd once said he penned

4896-485: A technique of "ripping, shredding and remaking letters" and using "overprinted, disharmonious letters" and experimental design approaches, including "deliberate 'mistakes' in alignment". Carson's art used "messy and chaotic design" and he did not "respect any rule of composition", using an "experimental, personal and intuitive" approach. Another "grunge graphic designer" was Elliott Earls , who used "distorted ... older typefaces" and "aggressively illegible" type which adopted

5032-483: A three-piece. Once bassist Hiro Yamamoto left in 1989, Shepherd auditioned to replace him even as his primary instrument was the guitar. The band members liked Shepherd and his attitude, but given he did not know how to play the songs, they eventually picked bassist Jason Everman . Following the closure of the Louder Than Love tour in 1990, Everman was fired, and the band contacted Shepherd to see if he could join

5168-543: A very electrified concept album in the end. Shepherd originally intended for the songs to be just voice and acoustic guitar, but soon Matt Cameron and Matt Chamberlain offered up their services on drums. The album was recorded by Dave French, at a few different studios including KAOS in Georgetown , and The Studio With No Name in Interbay . The album was finished, mixed/mastered at Robert Lang Studios by Adam Kasper and contains

5304-487: A way to react to 1980s-era metal pop ; he calls the term a misnomer mostly based on hype. Stetson states that prominent bands considered to be grunge (Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Mudhoney and Hammerbox ) all sound different. Mark Yarm, author of Everybody Loves Our Town: An Oral History of Grunge , pointed out vast differences between grunge bands, with some being punk and others being metal-based. In 1984,

5440-459: A woman's and a man's wardrobe, and his Seattle thrift-store look ran the gamut of masculine lumberjack workwear and 40s-by-way-of-70s feminine dresses. It was completely counter to the shellacked, flashy aesthetic of the 1980s in every way. In disheveled jeans and floral frocks, he softened the tough exterior of the archetypal rebel from the inside out, and set the ball in motion for a radical, millennial idea of androgyny." Cobain's way of dressing "was

5576-487: Is Alice in Chains bassist Mike Inez 's setup. He uses four powerful Ampeg SVT -2 PRO tube amplifier heads, two of them plugged into four 1×18" subwoofer cabinets for the low register, and the other two plugged into two 8×10" cabinets. Krist Novoselic and Jeff Ament are also known for using Ampeg SVT tube amplifiers. Ben Shepherd uses a 300 watt all-tube Ampeg SVT-VR amp and a 600 watt Mesa/Boogie Carbine M6 amplifier. Ament uses four 6×10" speaker cabinets. In contrast to

Grunge - Misplaced Pages Continue

5712-450: Is a progressive college which does not use a conventional grading system and has its own radio station, KAOS . Seattle's remoteness from Los Angeles led to a perceived purity of its music. The music of these bands, many of which had recorded with Seattle's independent record label Sub Pop, became labeled as "grunge". Nirvana's frontman Kurt Cobain , in one of his final interviews, credited Jonathan Poneman , cofounder of Sub Pop, with coining

5848-457: Is about a "man who finds faith after his girlfriend's suicide"; it depicts "irony and ugliness" as a way of dealing with these "dark issues". Like punk, grunge's sound came from a lo fi (low fidelity) recording and production approach. Before the arrival of major labels, early grunge albums were recorded using low-budget analogue studios: "Nirvana's first album Bleach , was recorded for $ 606.17 in 1989." Sub Pop recorded most of their music at

5984-428: Is an independent record label founded in 1986 by Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman . Sub Pop achieved fame in the early 1990s for signing Seattle bands such as Nirvana , Soundgarden , and Mudhoney , central players in the grunge movement. They are often credited with helping popularize grunge music. The label's roster includes Fleet Foxes , Tad , Beach House , The Postal Service , Sleater-Kinney , Flight of

6120-588: The Recording Industry Association of America : Bleach by Nirvana , Give Up by The Postal Service , and Oh, Inverted World by The Shins . Ten albums released by the label have been certified gold for sales of 500,000 copies: Chutes Too Narrow and Wincing the Night Away by The Shins; Fleet Foxes and Helplessness Blues by Fleet Foxes ; The Head and the Heart by The Head and

6256-619: The Small Clone chorus effect , used by Kurt Cobain on " Come As You Are " and by the Screaming Trees on " Nearly Lost You ". The DS-1 (later DS-2) distortion pedal played a key role in Cobain's switching from quiet to loud and back to quiet approach to songwriting. The use of small pedals by grunge guitarists helped to start off the revival of interest in boutique, hand-soldered, 1970s-style analog pedals. The other effect that grunge guitarists used

6392-467: The diminished fifth note was used by Black Sabbath to produce an ominous feeling but it is not used in punk rock. In the 1996 grunge film documentary Hype! , Beezer demonstrated on guitar the difference between punk and grunge. First he played the riff from "Rockaway Beach" by the Ramones that ascends the neck of the guitar, then "Come On Down" by Green River that descends the neck. The two pieces are only

6528-545: The hippie counterculture and reggae , both of which are associated with marijuana and psychedelics. In the 1990s, the media focused on the use of heroin by musicians in the Seattle grunge scene, with a 1992 New York Times article listing the city's "three principal drugs" as " espresso , beer and heroin" and a 1996 article calling Seattle's grunge scene the "... subculture that has most strongly embraced heroin". Tim Jonze from The Guardian states that "... heroin had blighted

6664-417: The rhythm section slammed as one." Nirvana's In Utero is a typical example of Albini's recording approach. He preferred to have the entire band play live in the studio, rather than use mainstream rock's approach of recording each instrument on a separate track at different times, and then mixing them using multi-track recording . While multitracking results in a more polished product, it does not capture

6800-731: The " Eric Clapton of grunge", a reference to the British blues guitarist who Time magazine has named as number five in their list of "The 10 Best Electric Guitar Players". Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready has been praised for his blues-influenced, rapid licks. The Smashing Pumpkins ' guitarist Billy Corgan has been called the "arena rock genius of the '90s" for pioneering guitar playing techniques and showing through his playing skill that grunge guitarists do not have to be sloppy players to rebel against mainstream music. Thayil stated that when other major grunge bands, such as Nirvana, were reducing their guitar solos, Soundgarden responded by bringing back

6936-400: The "guitars only" approach and using a 1960s-style Vox organ in their group. In 2002, Pearl Jam added a keyboard player, Kenneth "Boom" Gaspar , who played piano , Hammond organ , and other keyboards; the addition of a keyboardist to the band would have been "inconceivable" in the band's "grungy" early years, but it shows how a group's sound can change over time. The grunge singing style

SECTION 50

#1732863329892

7072-399: The "heroin is not a big part of the [Seattle music] culture", and that "marijuana and alcohol ... are far more prevalent". Jeff Gilbert, one of the editors of Guitar World magazine, stated in 1994 that the media association of the Seattle grunge scene with heroin was "really overblown"; instead, he says that Seattle musicians were "... all a bunch of potheads." Gil Troy's history of America in

7208-411: The "live" sound of the band playing together. Albini used a range of different microphones for the vocals and instruments. Like most metal and punk recording engineers, he mics the guitar amp speakers and bass amp speakers to capture each performer's unique tone. Grunge concerts were known for being straightforward, high-energy performances. Grunge shows were "celebrations, parties [and] carnivals", where

7344-434: The "massive drum kits " used in 1980s pop metal , grunge drummers used relatively smaller drum kits. One example is the drumkit used by Soundgarden drummer Matt Cameron 's set-up. He uses a six-piece kit (this way of describing drumkits counts only the wooden drums, and does not count the cymbals ), including a "12×8-inch rack tom ; 13×9-inch rack tom; 16×14-inch floor tom ; 18×16-inch floor tom; 24×14-inch bass drum " and

7480-469: The "ugliness" they saw around them and shine a light on unseen "depths and depravity" of the real world. Some key individuals in the development of the grunge sound, including Sub Pop producer Jack Endino and the Melvins , described grunge's incorporation of heavy rock influences such as Kiss as "musical provocation". Grunge artists considered these bands "cheesy" but nonetheless enjoyed them; Buzz Osborne of

7616-546: The "unkempt expressiveness" of the "grunge [music] aesthetic"; this radical, anti-establishment approach in graphic design was influenced by the 1910s-era avant-garde Dada movement. Hat Nguyen's Droplet, Harriet Goren's Morire and Eric Lin's Tema Canante were all "signature grunge fonts." Sven Lennartz states that grunge design images have a "realistic, genuine look" which is created by adding simulated torn paper, dog-eared corners, creases, yellowed scotch tape, coffee cup stains, hand-drawn images and handwritten words, typically over

7752-402: The 1980s, he preferred to make noise and do feedback during the guitar solo. Baeble Music calls the grunge guitar solos of the 1990s "raw", "sloppy", and "basic". Not all sources support the "grunge killed the guitar solo" argument. Sean Gonzalez states that Pearl Jam has plentiful examples of guitar solos. Michael Azerrad praises the guitar playing of Mudhoney's Steve Turner , calling him

7888-453: The 1990s states that in the Seattle grunge scene, the "... drug of choice switched from upscale cocaine [of the 1980s] to blue-collar marijuana." Rolling Stone magazine reported that members of Seattle's grunge scene were "coffee-crazed" by day on espresso and "... by night, they quaff[ed] oceans of beer – jolted by Java and looped with liquor, no wonder the [grunge] music sounds like it does." "Some [Seattle] scene veterans maintain that MDA ",

8024-539: The 1999 album I'll Take Care of You and 2001's Field Songs , where he even wrote co-wrote the song "Blues For D"), and Tony Iommi (2000's Iommi ). In 2005, Shepherd formed the shortly lived band Unkmongoni and released the second Hater album, The 2nd . In 2008, following the sale of the warehouse Soundgarden's equipment was being stored in, Shepherd was robbed of all his equipment including guitars, basses, and amplifiers collected and used through Soundgarden's career, and two records he had completed. Following

8160-510: The British press became enamoured with Sub Pop and the grunge sound. Pavitt said, "I really felt that the Brits and the Europeans wanted to see something that was unruly and that was more of an American archetype -- something that was really primal and really drew from the roots of rock & roll, which was very American." Poneman explained the label's success: "It could have happened anywhere, but there

8296-515: The Conchords , Foals , Blitzen Trapper , Father John Misty , clipping. , Shabazz Palaces , Weyes Blood , Guerilla Toss , Bully , Low , METZ , Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever , Kiwi Jr. , TV Priest and The Shins . In 1995, the owners of Sub Pop sold a 49% stake of the label to the Warner Music Group . The origins of Sub Pop trace back to the early 1980s, when Bruce Pavitt started

SECTION 60

#1732863329892

8432-696: The Heart ; Everything All the Time and Cease to Begin by Band of Horses ; Our Endless Numbered Days and The Shepherd's Dog by Iron & Wine ; and Depression Cherry by Beach House . Starting in 2008, Sub Pop has released Deluxe Editions of its top-selling albums, which features a remastered version of the album, as well as some live tracks and demos. The albums released under this were Nirvana ’s Bleach , Mudhoney 's Superfuzz Bigmuff , Sebadoh 's Bakesale , Jason Loewenstein 's Codes , The Postal Service's Give Up , and Red Red Meat 's Bunny Gets Paid . Sub Pop, its founders, and some acts on

8568-478: The Melvins described it as an attempt to see what ridiculous things bands could do and get away with. In the early-1990s, Nirvana's signature "stop-start" song format and alternating between soft and loud sections became a genre convention. In the book Accidental Revolution: The Story of Grunge , Kyle Anderson wrote: The twelve songs on Sixteen Stone sound exactly like what grunge is supposed to sound like, while

8704-534: The Perry Ellis collection they received from Marc Jacobs back in 1993. In 2016, grunge inspired an upscale "reinvention" of the style by A$ AP Rocky , Rihanna and Kanye West . However, "dressing grunge is no longer a badge of authenticity, though: the signifiers of rebellion (Dr Martens boots, tartan shirts) are omnipotent on the high street", says Lynette Nylander, deputy editor of i-D magazine . Many music subcultures are associated with particular drugs, such as

8840-455: The Replacements , Hüsker Dü , Black Flag , and the Melvins . Grunge guitarists often downtuned their instruments for a lower, heavier sound. Soundgarden 's guitarist, Kim Thayil , did not use a regular guitar amplifier ; instead, he used a bass combo amp equipped with a 15-inch speaker as he played low riffs, and the bass amp gave him a deeper tone. Grunge guitarists "flatly rejected"

8976-461: The Seattle scene, and effectively made the label's name synonymous with the music of the Seattle area—much in the same way Motown Records was to Detroit —and helped to secure the label's cash flow. The original series was discontinued in 1993, followed by Singles Club V.2 , launched in 1998 and discontinued in 2002. Some commentators have argued that Sub Pop reframed the history of Seattle's music scene as part of their marketing campaign. Even in

9112-571: The Smashing Pumpkins also died from heroin. After Cobain's death, his "... widow, singer Courtney Love, characterized Seattle as a drug mecca, where heroin is easier to get than in San Francisco or Los Angeles." However, Daniel House , who owned C/Z Records , disputed these perceptions in 1994. House stated that there was "... no more (heroin) here [in Seattle] than anyplace else"; he stated that

9248-525: The United States and in Australia, building strong followings and signing major record deals. Grunge was commercially successful in the early-to-mid-1990s due to releases such as Nirvana 's Nevermind , Pearl Jam 's Ten , Soundgarden 's Badmotorfinger , Alice in Chains ' Dirt , and Stone Temple Pilots ' Core . The success of these bands boosted the popularity of alternative rock and made grunge

9384-405: The [grunge] scene ever since its inception in the mid-80s" and he argues that the "... involvement of heroin mirrors the self-hating, nihilistic aspect to the music"; in addition to the heroin deaths, Jonze points out that Stone Temple Pilots ' Scott Weiland , as well as Courtney Love , Mark Lanegan , Jimmy Chamberlin and Evan Dando "... all had their run-ins with the drug, but lived to tell

9520-580: The amp just used to make the sound louder. Grunge guitarists tended to use the Fender Twin Reverb and the Fender Champion 100 combo amps (Cobain used both of these amps). The use of pedals by grunge guitarists was a move away from the expensive, studio-grade rackmount effects units used in other rock genres. The positive way that grunge bands viewed stompbox pedals can be seen in Mudhoney 's use of

9656-714: The anagram Nudedragons . The group released the compilation album Telephantasm in September 2010, followed by King Animal in November 2012, their first studio album since 1996. Shepherd's contributions included two songs which he had written years before and recorded in the eventually stolen demos, " Taree " and "Attrition", and two collaborations with Cornell, " Been Away Too Long " and "Rowing". The band continued to tour frequently, arranging time around Matt Cameron's schedule in Pearl Jam, and Chris Cornell's acoustic tours. In 2014,

9792-609: The antithesis of the macho American man", because he "... made it cooler to look slouchy and loose, no matter if you were a boy or a girl." Music and culture writer Julianne Escobedo Shepherd wrote that with Cobain's style of dress "Not only did he make it okay to be a freak, he made it desirable." Grunge music hit the mainstream in the early 1990s with bands such as Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, and Nirvana being signed to major record labels. Grunge fashion began to break into mainstream fashion in mid-1992 for both sexes and peaked in late 1993 and early 1994. As it picked up momentum,

9928-549: The attention of the American mainstream music press was difficult for all but the largest indie label, Pavitt and Ponemen took inspiration from alternative bands like Sonic Youth, Butthole Surfers , and Dinosaur Jr. and sought to publicize the label via the British music press. In March 1989, Pavitt and Poneman flew Melody Maker journalist Everett True to Seattle to write an article on the local music scene. As Pavitt had anticipated,

10064-468: The audience the finger and left the stage. He later said, "I'd had it up to here with my equipment dying. So I wasn't going to stand onstage and fake what I was playing." He then started a heated argument with Thayil backstage that nearly escalated into a fistfight, leading to only Cornell and Cameron returning for the encore. Two months later, Soundgarden announced it was breaking up, citing dissatisfaction and artistic differences. Shepherd said that he

10200-459: The audience at shows were positive and created a "life-affirming" attitude. Grunge bands rejected the complex and high budget presentations of many mainstream musical genres, including the use of complex digitally controlled light arrays, pyrotechnics, and other visual effects then popular in " hair metal " shows. Grunge performers viewed these elements unrelated to playing the music. Stage acting and "onstage theatrics" were generally avoided. Instead

10336-513: The audience expressed its spirit by stagediving, moshing and thrashing. Simon Reynolds states that in "... some of the most masculine forms of rock— thrash metal , grunge, moshing becomes a form of surrogate combat" in which "male bodies" can contact in the "sweat-and-bloodbath" of the moshpit. As with punk shows, grunge "performances were about frontmen who screamed and jumped around on stage and musicians who thrashed wildly on their instruments." While grunge lyrical themes focused on "angst and rage",

10472-450: The band released a reissue of their 1994 album Superunknown as part of its twentieth anniversary and has toured with drummer Matt Chamberlain filling in for Cameron. Chris Cornell's sudden death on May 17, 2017, resulted in the cancellation of the rest of their tour. In the summer of 2010, Shepherd finished recording his latest solo project. He began writing the record in 2009. It started out as an acoustic project, before morphing into

10608-506: The band's first EP Screaming Life that October. Poneman soon became a full partner in the label. Pavitt focused on the label's artists and repertoire aspects, while Poneman dealt with the business and legal issues. Both men decided they wanted the label to focus on "this primal rock stuff that was coming out," according to Pavitt. In early 1988, Pavitt and Poneman quit their jobs to devote their full attention to Sub Pop. Raising $ 43,000, they incorporated on April 1, 1988. "Of course that

10744-561: The band, the studio album Badmotorfinger , Shepherd took part in writing the following songs: " Slaves & Bulldozers " (music, co-written), " Jesus Christ Pose " (music, co-written), "Face Pollution" (music), and "Somewhere" (music and lyrics). Shepherd also introduced some of the now signature alternate tunings to the band, such as in the singles " The Day I Tried To Live ", " My Wave ", " Pretty Noose ", and " Burden in My Hand ". In 1993, Shepherd and Soundgarden drummer Matt Cameron formed

10880-399: The band. His introduction was deemed by Soundgarden as helpful towards their musical evolution, bringing his own compositions that showed a new style, and guitarist Kim Thayil adding that Shepherd gave "a creative and emotional punch". In addition to his role as bass player, Shepherd's role as a singer and songwriter increased during his tenure with Soundgarden. On his first recording with

11016-450: The bands Green River , Screaming Trees , L7 , the Gits , Hole , 7 Year Bitch , and TAD helped to define the grunge sound. An example of the lower cost production approach is Mudhoney; even after the band signed to Warner Music , "[t]rue to [the band's] indie roots ... [they are] ... probably one of the few bands that would have to fight [their label] to record for a lower budget rather than

11152-445: The bands presented themselves as no different from minor local bands. Jack Endino said in Hype! that Seattle bands were inconsistent live performers, since their primary objective was not to be entertainers, but simply to "rock out". Grunge bands gave enthusiastic performances; they would thrash their long hair during shows as "a symbolic weapon" for releasing "pent-up aggression" ( Dave Grohl

11288-590: The decade." The kinderwhore look consisted of torn, ripped tight or low-cut babydoll and Peter-Pan-collared dresses, slips, heavy makeup with dark eyeliner, barrettes, and leather boots or Mary–Jane shoes. Kat Bjelland of Babes in Toyland was the first to define it, while Courtney Love of Hole was the first to popularize it. Love has claimed that she took the style from Divinyls frontwoman Chrissy Amphlett . The look became very popular in 1994. Vogue stated in 2014 that "Cobain pulled liberally from both ends of

11424-583: The first Green-e certified record label. Through work with the Green-e program and the Bonneville Environmental Foundation, Sub Pop "greened" their label by purchasing enough renewable energy certificates to offset 100 percent of the electricity they use in their office, showing their commitment to putting renewable energy in the mainstream as a way consumers can take action to do something about global warming . In early 2007, Sub Pop started

11560-708: The future". The topics of grunge lyrics– homelessness , suicide , rape , "broken homes, drug addiction and self-loathing"–contrasted sharply to the glam metal lyrics of bands like Poison , which described "life in the fast lane", partying, and hedonism. Grunge lyrics developed as part of " Generation X malaise", reflecting that demographic's feelings of "disillusionment and uselessness". Grunge songs about love were usually about "failed, boring, doomed or destructive relationships" (e.g., " Black " by Pearl Jam). The Alice in Chains songs "Sickman", "Junkhead", "God Smack", and " Hate to Feel " have references to heroin . Grunge lyrics tended to be more introspective and aimed to enable

11696-540: The genre, such as Soundgarden, Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains, have not been receptive to the label, preferring instead to be referred to as " rock and roll " bands. Ben Shepherd from Soundgarden stated that he "hates the word" grunge and hates "being associated with it." Seattle musician Jeff Stetson states that when he visited Seattle in the late 1980s and early 1990s as a touring musician, the local musicians did not refer to themselves as "grunge" performers or their style as "grunge" and they were not flattered that their music

11832-455: The grunge scene wore the "... same plaid [shirt]s, boots, and short cropped heads as their male counterparts", women showed "... that they are not defined by their sex appeal." "Grunge ... became an anti-consumerist movement where the less you spent on clothes, the more 'coolness' you had." The style did not evolve out of a conscious attempt to create an appealing fashion; music journalist Charles R. Cross said, "[Nirvana frontman] Kurt Cobain

11968-475: The grunge tag was being used by shops selling expensive flannelette shirts to cash in on the trend. Ironically, the non-conformist look suddenly became a mainstream trend. In the fashion world, Marc Jacobs presented a show for Perry Ellis in 1992 (the Spring 1993 Collection,) featuring grunge-inspired clothing mixed with high-end fabrics. Jacobs found inspiration in the " realism " of grunge streetwear; he mixed it with

12104-437: The habit of choice for many a grunger". The title of Nirvana's debut album Bleach was inspired by a harm reduction poster aimed at heroin injection users, which stated "Bleach your works [e.g., syringe and needle ] before you get stoned". The poster was released by the U.S. State Health Department which was trying to reduce AIDS transmission caused through sharing used needles. Alice in Chains' song "God Smack" includes

12240-485: The incident, a downtrodden Shepherd decided to quit music altogether and became a carpenter's assistant until he was eventually coerced into making his solo record In Deep Owl and reuniting with Soundgarden shortly thereafter. In an August 2010 feature about the Soundgarden reunion with Spin , Shepherd stated that before reuniting he was "totally broke" and was sleeping on friends' couches. Shepherd has since downplayed

12376-480: The instrument. In Will Byers' article "Grunge committed a crime against music—it killed the guitar solo" in The Guardian , he states that while the guitar solo managed to survive through the punk rock era, it was weakened by grunge. He also states that when Kurt Cobain played guitar solos that were a restatement of the main vocal melody, fans realized that they did not need to be a Jimi Hendrix -level virtuoso to play

12512-459: The instrument; he then says this approach helped to make music feel accessible by fans in a way not seen since the 1960s folk music movement. The producer of Nirvana's Nevermind , Butch Vig , stated that this album and Nirvana "killed the guitar solo". Soundgarden guitarist Kim Thayil stated he feels in part to be responsible for the "death of the guitar solo"; he said that his punk rocker aspects made him feel that he did not want to solo, so in

12648-443: The label signed a $ 20 million joint venture with Warner Bros. Records (which had distributed Geffen since that label was founded in 1980; after 10 years under Warner, Geffen was sold to MCA Music Entertainment Group ), who acquired 49% of the label's stock. Poneman and Pavitt had a disagreement about the direction the label should take, with Poneman wanting the label to become larger and make more money. In 1996, unable to take

12784-498: The label were featured on season 1, episode 5 of Vice Media 's Dark Side of the 90's entitled "Grunge and the Seattle Sound." In David Fincher ’s The Killer , the central villain, played by Arliss Howard , wears a Sub Pop T-shirt. Ben Shepherd Hunter Benedict Shepherd (born September 20, 1968) is an American musician best known as the bassist of rock band Soundgarden . Shepherd has won two Grammy Awards as

12920-486: The late 1980s, the peak of grunge as a regional scene, Seattle's bands could not easily be confined to a single genre, since groups often blended musical styles and techniques, drawing, for example, on folk rock , psychedelic rock , garage rock , and pop hooks . The "Seattle sound" cultivated and marketed by Sub Pop became known as grunge, while other Seattle bands like The U-Men , who preceded Sub-Pop, became pioneers of avant garde post-punk . Mindful that garnering

13056-512: The late 1990s, they influenced modern rock music, as their lyrics brought socially conscious issues into pop culture and added introspection and an exploration of what it means to be true to oneself . Grunge was also an influence on later genres such as post-grunge . The word "grunge" is American slang for "someone or something that is repugnant" and also for "dirt". The word was first recorded as being applied to Seattle musicians in July 1987 when Bruce Pavitt described Green River 's Dry as

13192-512: The line "stick your arm for some real fun", a reference to injecting heroin. Seattle musicians known to use heroin included Cobain, who was using "heroin when he shot himself in the head"; " Andrew Wood of Mother Love Bone [who] overdosed on heroin in 1990"; " Stefanie Sargent of 7 Year Bitch [who] died of an overdose of the same opiate in 1992 ... [and] Layne Staley of Alice in Chains [who] publicly detailed his battles with heroin ...". Mike Starr of Alice in Chains and Jonathan Melvoin from

13328-438: The listener to see into "hidden" personal issues and examine the "depravity" of the world. This approach can be seen in Mudhoney 's song " Touch Me I'm Sick ", which includes lyrics with "deranged imagery" which depict a "broken world and a fragmented self-image"; the song includes the lines "I feel bad, and I've felt worse" and "I won't live long and I'm full of rot". Nirvana's song " Lithium ", from their 1991 album Nevermind ,

13464-468: The lower-sounding, downtuned guitars and the darker-themed lyrical messages used in the style. Grunge singers used "gravelly, raspy" vocals, "... growls, moans, screams and mumbles" and "plaintive groans"; this range of singing styles was used to communicate the "varied emotions" of the lyrics. Cobain's reaction to the "bad times" and discontent of the era was that he screamed his lyrics. In general, grunge songs were sung "simply, often somewhat unintelligibly";

13600-487: The luxury of fashion by sending models down the catwalk in beanies, floral dresses and silk flannel shirts. This did, however, not sit well with the brand owners and Jacobs was dismissed. Other designers like Anna Sui , also drew inspiration from grunge during the spring/summer 1993 season. In the same year, Vogue did a spread called "Grunge & Glory" with fashion photographer Steven Meisel who shot supermodels Kristen McMenamy , Naomi Campbell , and Nadja Auermann in

13736-463: The most popular form of rock music . Several factors contributed to grunge's decline in prominence. During the mid-to-late 1990s , many grunge bands broke up or became less visible. Nirvana's Kurt Cobain , labeled by Time as "the John Lennon of the swinging Northwest", struggled with an addiction to heroin before his suicide in 1994. Although most grunge bands had disbanded or faded from view by

13872-463: The movement. Grunge appeared as a trend again in 2008, and for Fall/Winter 2013, Hedi Slimane at Yves Saint Laurent brought back grunge to the runway . With Courtney Love as his muse for the collection, she reportedly loved the collection. "No offense to MJ [Marc Jacobs] but he never got it right," Courtney said. "This is what it really was. Hedi knows his shit. He got it accurate, and MJ and Anna [Sui] did not." Both Cobain and Love apparently burnt

14008-529: The music for "Never Named" at the age of sixteen. "Ty Cobb" was the first song Shepherd wrote that was made a single. The Down on the Upside tour ended on February 9, 1997, in Honolulu , with an acrimonious meltdown started by Shepherd. With the band in a bad mood and facing technical problems in their performance, Shepherd eventually got so frustrated he smashed his bass during " Blow Up the Outside World ", gave

14144-515: The name of two overdrive pedals, the Univox Super-Fuzz and the Big Muff , in the title of their debut EP Superfuzz Bigmuff . In the song "Mudride", the band's guitars were said to have "growled malevolently" through its "Cro-magnon slog". Other key pedals used by grunge bands included four brands of distortion pedals (the Big Muff , DOD , and Boss DS-2 and Boss DS-1 distortion pedals) and

14280-489: The new corporate culture following the Warner partnership, Pavitt left the label and was able to spend more time with his family. The split between Pavitt and Poneman was not amicable, and they did not speak for seven years. The label opened offices worldwide and began major investment in new artists, but without achieving great commercial success, prompting a scaling down and a return to Seattle. In 2006, Sub Pop Records became

14416-418: The ninth and final issue of Sub Pop . While in Seattle, he wrote a column for local music magazine The Rocket titled "Sub Pop U.S.A.", a column he ended in 1988. In 1986, Pavitt released the first Sub Pop LP , the compilation Sub Pop 100 , which featured material by artists including Sonic Youth , Naked Raygun , Wipers , and Scratch Acid . Seattle group Green River chose to record their Dry as

14552-434: The other. Alex DiBlasi feels that indie rock was a third key source, with the most important influence coming from Sonic Youth 's "free-form" noise. Grunge shares with punk a raw, lo fi sound and similar lyrical concerns, and it also used punk's haphazard and untrained approach to playing and performing. However, grunge was "deeper and darker"-sounding than punk rock and it decreased the "adrenaline"-fueled tempos of punk to

14688-482: The punk rock band Black Flag toured small towns across the US to bring punk to the more remote parts of the country. By this time, their music had become slow and sludgy, less like the Sex Pistols and more like Black Sabbath . Krist Novoselic , later the bassist with Nirvana , recalled going with the Melvins to see one of these shows, after which Melvins frontman Buzz Osborne began writing "slow and heavy riffs" to form

14824-466: The records a similar sound. In November 1988, Sub Pop released " Love Buzz ", the debut single by Aberdeen, Washington band Nirvana , as the first entry in the Sub Pop Singles Club, a subscription service that would allow subscribers to receive singles by the label on a monthly basis by mail. At its peak in 1990, the club had two thousand subscribers. The club made Sub Pop a powerful force in

14960-530: The rock genre with the most "lugubrious sound"; the use of heavy distortion and loud amps has been compared to a massive "buildup of sonic fog". or even dismissed as "noise" by one critic. As with metal and punk, a key part of grunge's sound is very distorted power chords played on the electric guitar. Whereas metal guitarists' overdriven sound generally comes from a combination of overdriven amplifiers and distortion pedals, grunge guitarists typically got all of their "dirty" sound from overdrive and fuzz pedals, with

15096-479: The solos. The early Seattle grunge album Skin Yard recorded in 1987 by the band of the same name included fuzz bass ( overdriven bass guitar) played by Jack Endino and Daniel House . Some grunge bassists, such as Ben Shepherd , layered power chords with distorted low-end density by adding a fifth and an octave-higher note to a bass note. An example of the powerful, loud bass amplifier systems used in grunge

15232-409: The statement, stating that he was only "sleeping on couches in studios when I was recording my solo album", preferring to stay in Seattle rather than go back home to Bainbridge Island . On January 1, 2010, Chris Cornell confirmed that Soundgarden would reunite, with Shepherd playing as their bassist again. The band played its first show in 13 years on April 16, 2010, at Seattle's Showbox theater under

15368-553: The tale." A 2014 book stated that whereas in the 1980s, people used the "stimulant" cocaine to socialize and "... celebrate good times", in the 1990s grunge scene, the "depressant" heroin was used to "retreat" into a "cocoon" and be "... sheltered from a harsh and unforgiving world which offered ... few prospects for ... change or hope." Justin Henderson states that all of the "downer" opiates, including "heroin, morphine , etorphine , codeine , opium , [and] hydrocodone ... seemed to be

15504-529: The term "grunge" to describe the music. The term "Seattle sound" became a marketing ploy for the music industry. In September 1991, the Nirvana album Nevermind was released, bringing mainstream attention to the music of Seattle. Cobain loathed the word "grunge" and despised the new scene that was developing, feeling that record companies were signing old " cock-rock " bands who were pretending to be grunge and claiming to be from Seattle. Some bands associated with

15640-409: The time they were unpopular enough to offer a new image as opposed to more frequently seen Gibson Les Pauls or Fender Stratocaster and Telecaster used by mainstream pop & rock bands. Being unpopular when grunge started, offset guitars also offered excellent bang for buck. Grunge is generally characterized by a sludgy electric guitar sound with a thick middle register and rolled-off treble tone and

15776-470: The virtuoso "shredding" guitar solos that had become the centerpiece of heavy metal songs, instead opting for melodic, blues -inspired solos – focusing "on the song, not the guitar solo". Jerry Cantrell of Alice in Chains stated that solos should be to serve the song, rather than to show off a guitarist's technical skill. In place of the strutting guitar heroes of metal, grunge had "guitar anti-heroes " like Cobain, who showed little interest in mastering

15912-524: The virtuoso " operatics of hair-metal were shunned." Grunge singing has been characterized as "borderline out-of-tune vocals". Grunge lyrics are typically dark, nihilistic , wretched, angst -filled and anguished, often addressing themes such as social alienation , self-doubt , abuse , assault, neglect , betrayal , social isolation / emotional isolation , psychological trauma , and a desire for freedom . An article by MIT states that grunge "lyrics [were] obsessed with disenfranchisement" and described

16048-495: The wet, grey and isolated Pacific Northwest region. Regarding graphic design and images, a common feature of grunge bands was the use of "lo-fi" (low fidelity) and deliberately unconventional album covers, for example presenting intentionally murky or miscolored photography, collage or distressed lettering. Early grunge "[a]lbum covers and concert flyers appeared Xeroxed not in allegiance to some DIY aesthetic" but because of "economic necessity", as "bands had so little money". This

16184-532: The whole point of grunge was that it didn't really sound like anything , including itself. Just consider how many different bands and styles of music have been shoved under the "grunge" header in this discography alone, and you realize that grunge is probably the most ill-defined genre of music in history. Grunge guitarists like Kurt Cobain often used "offset" guitars like the Fender Jaguar, Fender Jazzmaster, or Mustang. They used primarily offset guitars because at

16320-508: Was a key principle in the Seattle scene. The grunge look typically consisted of second-hand clothes or thrift store items and the typical outdoor clothing (most notably flannel shirts) of the region, as well as a generally unkempt appearance and long hair. For grunge singers, long hair was used "as a mask to conceal the face" so they can "expres[s their] innermost thoughts"; Cobain is a notable example. Male grunge musicians were "... unkempt ... [and] ... unshaven [,] with ... tousled hair" that

16456-422: Was a lucky set of coincidences. Charles Peterson was here to document the scene, Jack Endino was here to record the scene. Bruce and I were here to exploit the scene." By 1991, Sub Pop were in financial difficulties, leading Mudhoney and Tad to depart the label and delaying the release of The Afghan Whigs ' Congregation (1992). When Geffen Records bought Nirvana's contract from Sub Pop for $ 72,000, it

16592-503: Was agreed that the former would pay the latter a percentage of any profits from the band's major label debut, Nevermind (1991). A stipulation was also implemented where selected future Nirvana studio LPs were required to carry the Sub Pop logo alongside Geffen's. The album's subsequent commercial success quickly brought Sub Pop out of their financial difficulties. Pavitt noted: "By Christmas [1991], Nevermind had sold 2 million. We went from not being able to pay our phone bill to getting

16728-404: Was already a common feature of punk rock design, but could be extended in the grunge period due to the increasing use of Macintosh computers for desktop publishing and digital image processing. The style was sometimes called 'grunge typography' when used outside music. A famous example of 'grunge'-style experimental design was Ray Gun magazine, art directed by David Carson . Carson developed

16864-467: Was anti-fashion. It made a statement. Grunge is about not making a statement, which is why it's crazy for it to become a fashion statement." The unkempt fashion sense defined the look of the "slacker generation", who "skipped school, smoked pot ... [and] cigarettes and listened to music" hoping to become a rock star one day. Even though grunge fashion had declined in popularity by the late 1990s, designers have continued to occasionally draw inspiration from

17000-400: Was being called "grunge". Rolling Stone noted the genre's lack of a clear definition. Robert Loss acknowledges the challenges of defining "grunge"; stating that while he can recount stories about grunge, they do not serve to provide a useful definition. Roy Shuker states that the term "obscured a variety of styles." Stetson states that grunge was not a movement, "monolithic musical genre", or

17136-590: Was cheaper for them to leave the sound dirty and just turn up their volume. This dirty sound, due to low budgets, unfamiliarity with recording, and a lack of professionalism may be the origin of the term "grunge". The "Seattle scene" refers to a regional Pacific Northwest alternative music movement that was linked to the University of Washington in Seattle, and the Evergreen State College in Olympia. Evergreen

17272-401: Was heavily influenced by The Beatles and was written after experimenting with mic placement on his Gibson L-50, picking up the guitar and strumming it to find he liked the wildly out of tune sound, making up the song's composition on the spot. "Half" was marked by an Indian flavor and was the first song on a Soundgarden album for which Shepherd sang lead vocals. Shepherd has said that "Half" was

17408-438: Was influenced by classic rock , and that "sludgy, dark, heavy bands" such as Soundgarden and Alice in Chains had a sinister metal tone. Grunge music has what has been called an "ugly" aesthetic, both in the roar of the distorted electric guitars and in the darker lyrical topics. This approach was chosen both to counter the "slick" elegant sound of the then-predominant mainstream rock and because grunge artists wanted to mirror

17544-471: Was just too lazy to shampoo", and Sub Pop's Jonathan Poneman said, "This [clothing] is cheap, it's durable, and it's kind of timeless. It also runs against the grain of the whole flashy aesthetic that existed in the 80s." The flannel and "... cracked leatherette coats" in the grunge scene were part of the Pacific Northwest's thrift-shop aesthetic. Grunge fashion was very much an anti-fashion response and

17680-531: Was often unwashed, greasy and "... matted [into a] sheep-dog mop". The lumberjack attire was a common sight in the thrift stores near Seattle for the low prices that musicians could afford. Grunge style consisted of ripped jeans, thermal underwear , Doc Martens boots or combat boots (often unlaced), band T-shirts , oversized knit sweaters , long and droopy skirts, ripped tights, Birkenstocks , hiking boots, and eco-friendly clothing made from recycled textiles or fair trade organic cotton. As well, since women in

17816-513: Was one of the most low-tech effects devices, the wah-wah pedal . Both "[Kim] Thayil and Alice in Chains ' Jerry Cantrell ... were great advocates of the wah wah pedal." Wah was also used by the Screaming Trees, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Mudhoney and Dinosaur Jr . Grunge guitarists played loud, with Kurt Cobain's early guitar sound coming from an unusual set-up of four 800 watt PA system power amplifiers . Guitar feedback effects, in which

17952-400: Was particularly noted for his " head flips "). Dave Rimmer writes that with the revival of punk ideals of stripped-down music in the early 1990s, "for Cobain, and lots of kids like him, rock & roll ... threw down a dare: Can you be pure enough, day after day, year after year, to prove your authenticity, to live up to the music ... And if you can't, can you live with being a poseur , a phony,

18088-402: Was similar to the "outburst" of loud, heavily distorted electric guitar in tone and delivery; Kurt Cobain used a "gruff, slurred articulation and gritty timbre" and Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam made use of a "wide, powerful vibrato " to show his "depth of expression." Layne Staley voiced lyrics with a "heaviness" and tremolo . In general, grunge singers used a "deeper vocal style" which matched

18224-613: Was spent in, like, thirty days", Pavitt recalled. "We almost went bankrupt after a month". That August Sub Pop released the first single by Mudhoney , a band featuring former members of Green River. Sub Pop released the Mudhoney single " Touch Me I'm Sick " in an intentionally limited first pressing of 800 copies to create demand. The strategy was later adopted by other independent labels. Pavitt and Poneman studied earlier independent labels ranging from Motown to SST Records and decided that virtually every successful movement in rock music had

18360-401: Was the lead vocalist on the first Wellwater Conspiracy album, Declaration of Conformity . In 1998, he quit Wellwater Conspiracy for unknown reasons. Matt Cameron took over lead vocals. In the years after the split, Shepherd participated in some of Josh Homme 's Desert Sessions collaboration ( Volumes 1 & 2 ) , on which he played bass and guitar, and played bass with Mark Lanegan (in

18496-453: Was the one most affected by Soundgarden's breakup: "my fianceé broke up with me; and then I broke three ribs. I got addicted to pain pills, drank a ton, and wound up OD'ing on morphine . I was laid out in my house for five days, and no one knew it. It was a fucking horrible time — this total rock'n'roll cliché." Shepherd also disbanded, but he, Cameron, and McBain would go on to form Wellwater Conspiracy with several other artists. Shepherd

#891108