When we think 90s grunge we think Seattle, yes? Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, all the big ones. While grunge definitely got its start in Seattle, it also branched out a bit, in at least one featured case. And what about all the other bands who didn’t make it as big? Maybe they had a flash in the pan moment that died out quickly, or maybe they just slowly fizzed out like a sparkler. Either way, if you’re looking for something grunge beyond the mainstream realms, maybe these bands will spark your memory.
Mother Love Bone
Formed in 1987 by Jeff Ament, Bruce Fairweather, Stone Gossard, Andrew Wood, and Greg Gilmore, Mother Love Bone was on the cutting edge of the Seattle grunge scene. At once mixing grunge, glam-rock, and alternative metal, the band was bolstered by frontman Andrew Wood’s spectacular stage presence and evocative songwriting.
They were the first band in the scene to release a record with a major label. Dropping an EP in 1989 after signing to Stardog Records—a PolyGram imprint created exclusively for them—they started churning up more buzz around the Seattle music scene. They were set to release their debut album, Apple, in 1990, but Wood’s sudden death just days before brought the entire band to a halt.
Wood’s death directly led Chris Cornell, Gossard, and Ament to record the album Temple of the Dog as tribute. From there, Gossard and Ament formed Pearl Jam with Mike McCready, Dave Krusen, and Eddie Vedder.
Paw
Paw formed in 1990 with Mark Hennessy, Grant Fitch, Charles Bryan, and Peter Fitch. Being from Lawrence, Kansas, they leaned more southern and alternative rock while also taking a big bite out of grunge. They released two albums, a B-Sides collection, and an EP throughout the decade, often while being compared to Nirvana.
The band signed with A&M Records in the early 90s, releasing their first album, Dragline, in 1993. That year, they supported Tool and Headswim on tour in the U.K. In 1995, they released their second album, Death To Traitors, which incorporated more instrumental elements. This allegedly softened their edge too much, and the album didn’t sell as well. Paw were surreptitiously dropped from A&M Records.
Grant Fitch, Peter Fitch, and new bassist Dan Hines formed the band Palomar in 1998, releasing one album. Meanwhile, Paw was still together, and would often perform. They released an album of B-Sides, Keep The Last Bullet For Yourself, around this time. Paw’s final album, the EP Home Is A Strange Place, was released in 2000, and they split after that.
Seaweed
When Seaweed formed in 1989, all five members were still in high school in Tacoma, Washington. With a front row seat to the burgeoning Seattle grunge scene, Aaron Stauffer, Clint Werner, Wade Neal, John Atkins, and Bob Bulgrien often pulled from punk rock and post-hardcore as well.
In 1990, they put out their first album, Seaweed, after releasing singles and B-Sides up until then. When they later signed to Seattle label Sub Pop, they were pressured to put out a single instead of a full length album. They settled on the EP Despised instead. The first actual full length album from Seaweed came in 1992, titled Weak.
Seaweed went on a European tour with Pavement in 1992, and in 1993 toured with Bad Religion and Green Day, following the release of their next album, Four. 1995 marked their major label debut when they released Spanaway on Hollywood Records. After taking part in the inaugural Vans Warped Tour, they released a final album in 1999, Actions and Indications. They disbanded after that, reuniting in 2007 before disbanding again in 2014.
Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
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