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U-Men
The U-Men was an American rock band, formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1980 and active until 1989. They toured extensively across the United States. Their musically "dirty" sound and off-the-wall sense of humor were a forerunner for the later grunge bands to come out of Seattle. History The U-Men were fronted by vocalist John Bigley and included Tom Price, Charlie "Chaz" Ryan, Robin Buchan, Jim Tillman, Tom Hazelmyer and later Tony "Tone Deaf" Ransom. Their alternative rock sound was credited by Allmusic for helping to inspire the Seattle grunge sound. In 1983, The U-Men became the first band managed by renowned Seattle band manager Susan Silver. Butthole Surfers named the song "The O-Men", from the album ''Locust Abortion Technician'', in their honor. Tom Price moved on to form Gas Huffer, and also play in The Monkeywrench. Bigley and Ryan co-founded The Crows. Jim Tillman, who is recognized as the main line-up bass player having played on the first two full releases which i ...
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Grunge
Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock genre and subculture that emerged during the in the American Pacific Northwest state of Washington, particularly in Seattle and nearby towns. Grunge fuses elements of punk rock and heavy metal, but without punk's structure and speed. The genre featured the distorted electric guitar sound used in both genres, although some bands performed with more emphasis on one or the other. Like these genres, grunge typically uses electric guitar, bass guitar, drums and vocals. Grunge also incorporates influences from indie rock bands such as Sonic Youth. Lyrics are typically angst-filled and introspective, often addressing themes such as social alienation, self-doubt, abuse, neglect, betrayal, social and emotional isolation, addiction, psychological trauma and a desire for freedom. The early grunge movement revolved around Seattle's independent record label Sub Pop and the region's underground music scene. The ...
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Deep Six (album)
''Deep Six'' is a 1986 compilation album featuring six Seattle-based rock bands. It was the first release by C/Z Records, with a catalogue number of CZ01 for 2,000 copies. The album was reissued as a joint C/Z Records/A&M Records release on April 5, 1994. Development The album was compiled by Seattle locals Chris Hanzsek and Tina Casale of CZ Records to showcase what was going on in the Seattle rock community at this time by drawing on the talents of six like-minded bands. The album was not a commercial success; however, it is vital to the history of grunge. It represents the early recordings of a handful of bands that would later become legendary, and dictated what grunge was by establishing its concepts and nuances of sound. In the early 1980s, the Seattle branch of the indie movement was influenced by punk rock; however, it removed its speed and its structure and added elements of metal. The Melvins slowed down punk rock to develop their own slow, heavy, sludgy sound. ...
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Tom Hazelmyer
Tom Hazelmyer (born 1965) is an American musician and printmaker. He is known as the founder and owner of the independent label Amphetamine Reptile Records as well as being the lead vocalist and songwriter for the band Halo of Flies. Biography Tom Hazelmyer was born and raised in Michigan before moving with his family to Minneapolis in 1980 when he was fourteen. During his youth, Hazelmyer worked in a foundry and performed in several punk rock bands during his free time. In 1983, after becoming disenchanted with the underground punk scene, he opted to enlist in the Marines and was eventually stationed near Seattle, Washington. It was there he established his own record label Amphetamine Reptile Amphetamine Reptile Records (or AmRep Industries) is a record label founded in 1986 by Tom Hazelmyer in Washington state. The label specializes in noise rock and also released '' Strap It On'', the debut album by alternative metal band Helmet w ... with the intention of issuing a ...
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C/Z Records
C/Z Records was a Seattle-based punk rock record label that was established in early 1985 by Chris Hanzsek and Tina Casale. It started with the release of '' Deep Six'' which collected the earliest recordings of what later came to be known as grunge. The label was acquired by Daniel House, to whom Hanzsek and Casale sold it after ''Deep Six'' proved commercially unsuccessful. History The label was first founded in early 1985 by Chris Hanzsek and Tina Casale. The label's first release (March 1986) was titled '' Deep Six'' (CZ001). This was a compilation LP that featured early grunge bands Soundgarden, Melvins, Green River, Skin Yard, Malfunkshun, and The U-Men. Nationally, the record was something of a disappointment, and after about 18 months, Hanzsek and Casale realized that running a record label was not a career they wanted to pursue. Daniel House, bass player for Skin Yard, was in the midst of putting together the band's first record, and took over the operation of C/Z ...
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Susan Silver
Susan Jean Silver (born July 17, 1958) is an American music manager, best known for managing Seattle rock bands such as Soundgarden, Alice in Chains and Screaming Trees. Silver also owns the company Susan Silver Management, and co-owns the club The Crocodile in Seattle. Silver was named "the most powerful figure in local rock management" by ''The Seattle Times'' in 1991. Biography Early life Silver was born in Seattle, Washington on July 17, 1958, to Samuel and Emmogene (Jean) Silver. She is the oldest of three children. Silver majored in Chinese at the University of Washington and had been to all the major concerts in Seattle since she was 15. She started by booking for the club The Metropolis and Jonathan Poneman's club parties, co-founder of label's Sub Pop. Career Silver started working as a music manager in 1983. Her first clients were the bands The U-Men and First Thought. In 1985, Silver met Soundgarden, whose lead vocalist was her then-boyfriend Chris Cornell, and i ...
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Mark Arm
Mark Arm (born Mark Thomas McLaughlin; February 21, 1962) is an American singer and songwriter, best known as the vocalist for the grunge band Mudhoney. His former group, Green River, was one of the first grunge bands, along with Malfunkshun, Soundgarden, Skin Yard, the U-Men, and others. He is also the manager of the Sub Pop warehouse and previously worked at Fantagraphics Books. Early life Arm was born February 21, 1962 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, and was raised in Kirkland, Washington. . As a child, he was a member of Boy Scouts of America. He graduated from Bellevue Christian High School in Bellevue, Washington. In 1985, Arm earned an English degree with an emphasis in creative writing from the University of Washington. Early career Arm first entered the Seattle rock scene in 1980, when he formed a band while still in high school, called "Mr. Epp and the Calculations" with singer Jo Smitty, and Peter Wick, who wrote and recorded their first song,"The Pigeo ...
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Love Battery
Love Battery was an American rock band from Seattle, Washington. History Love Battery was formed in 1989 by former rock band Room Nine leader Ron Nine (b. Ron Rudzitis), guitarist Kevin Whitworth (ex-Crisis Party), bassist Tommy "Bonehead" Simpson (also ex-Crisis Party) and rock band Mudhoney drummer Dan Peters. Their name came from a song of the same name by British punk band the Buzzcocks. Before releasing their first single Peters left the group and was replaced by grunge band ex-Skin Yard drummer Jason Finn. With this lineup the band released their debut single ''Between The Eyes'' for seminal Seattle record label Sub Pop. By 1990 Simpson had been replaced by ex-U-Men bassist Jim Tillman. With this lineup the band released their debut EP ''Between the Eyes'' in 1990, again on Sub Pop. This record was later expanded and released as their first full-length album in 1991. Following the ''Between The Eyes'' EP were the ''Foot'' singles and ''Out Of Focus'' EP. In 1992 the ban ...
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Gas Huffer
Gas Huffer was an American garage rock band from Washington. They were known for their informal and comical lyrics and their antic-laden stage presence. History Gas Huffer classified themselves loosely in the garage punk genre. The band created comic books with each album (drawn by all four members of the band, including Joe Newton, now deputy art director for ''Rolling Stone'' magazine), that contain the lyrics to the songs. This was done for every album up to (and including) "Just Beautiful Music". Gas Huffer played its final show – dubbed "The Last Huffer" – at Seattle's Crocodile Cafe on January 14, 2006. Opening the show were Girl Trouble from Tacoma, Washington, and Canned Hamfrom Vancouver, British Columbia. At the conclusion of Girl Trouble's set, K.P. Kendall called Gas Huffer's Tom Price (who has been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease) to the stage and presented to him a "Certificate of Achievement". Prior to Gas Huffer, Tom Price played with The U-Men. Tom ...
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Homestead Records (1983)
Homestead Records was a Long Island, New York-based sublabel of music distributor Dutch East India Trading that operated from 1983 to 1996. The label was known for not paying its artists and not spending any money on promotion. History The label was created and named by Sam Berger while he worked as the American Independent buyer at Dutch East India. Berger saw that many bands had already recorded tapes ready to be put out and just needed somebody to press them and distribute them. He came to Dutch East owner Barry Tenenbaum who agreed to the venture. Tennenbaum had started a mail-order business, called Lord Sitar Records, from his bedroom when he was a teenager, importing records by the Beatles and other artists from England that he could sell for a profit in the States. Tenenbaum had established an extensive distribution network, called Dutch East India Trading, so when the Copyright Act of 1976 curtailed his ability to import artists who already had U.S. labels, he began l ...
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Sub Pop
Sub Pop is a 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, Beach House, The Postal Service, Sleater-Kinney, Flight of the Conchords, Foals, Blitzen Trapper, Father John Misty, clipping., Shabazz Palaces, Bully, Low, METZ, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, TV Priest and The Shins. In 1995, the owners of Sub Pop sold a 49% stake of the label to the Warner Music Group. History Formation The origins of Sub Pop can be traced back to the early 1980s, when Bruce Pavitt started 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 is ...
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Amphetamine Reptile Records
Amphetamine Reptile Records (or AmRep Industries) is a record label founded in 1986 by Tom Hazelmyer in Washington state. The label specializes in noise rock and also released '' Strap It On'', the debut album by alternative metal band Helmet which sold more than 40,000 records. According to Hazelmyer, the success of the album was vital to keeping AmRep going throughout the 1990s, as it "helped support the other things that sold less." The label was the subject of the 2014 documentary ''The Color of Noise''. History Hazelmyer originally started the label to release records by his band, Halo of Flies. Eventually the label's roster expanded to include releases by Helmet, Melvins, Cows, Helios Creed, Chokebore, Servotron and others. Hazelmyer later moved the label to Minneapolis. Today the label is used by the Melvins, H•O•F and other legacy AmRep acts to release limited edition vinyl. These releases are generally noted for their Linocut artwork, hand carved by Hazelmyer, t ...
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Butthole Surfers
Butthole Surfers are an American rock band formed in San Antonio, Texas, by singer Gibby Haynes and guitarist Paul Leary in 1981. The band has had numerous personnel changes, but its core lineup of Haynes, Leary, and drummer King Coffey has been consistent since 1983. Teresa Nervosa served as second drummer from 1983 to 1985, 1986 to 1989, and 2009. The band has also employed a variety of bass players, most notably Jeff Pinkus.Lieck, "Reissuing the Butthole Surfers: Tongue-in-Cheek Terror", Austin Chronicle vol. 18 No. 52. Emerging from the 1980s hardcore punk scene, Butthole Surfers quickly became known for their chaotic live shows, black comedy, and a sound that incorporated elements of psychedelia, noise rock, and punk as well as their use of sound manipulation and tape editing.Young, "Butthole Surfers biography", RollingStone.com. Although they were respected by their peers and attracted a devoted fanbase, Butthole Surfers had little commercial success until 1996's '' ...
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