Robert Arthur Mould (born October 16, 1960) is an American musician, principally known for his work as guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter for

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commercial ...

bands

Hüsker Dü Hüsker Dü () was an American punk rock band formed in Saint Paul, Minnesota, in 1979. The band's continual members were guitarist/vocalist Bob Mould, bassist/vocalist Greg Norton, and drummer/vocalist Grant Hart. They first gained notabili ...

in the 1980s and

Sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or do ...

in the 1990s.

Early years

Born in Malone,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, Mould lived in several places, including the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, where he attended

Macalester College Macalester College () is a private liberal arts college in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Founded in 1874, Macalester is exclusively an undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 2,174 students in the fall of 2018 from 50 U.S. states, four U.S te ...

. There, he formed

in the late 1970s with drummer/singer Grant Hart and bass guitarist Greg Norton. Mould and Hart were the principal songwriters for Hüsker Dü, with Hart's higher-pitched vocals and Mould's baritone taking the lead in alternate songs.

Musical career

Hüsker Dü

Forming in 1979, Hüsker Dü first gained notice as a punk rock group with a series of recordings on the independent label

SST Records SST Records is an American independent record label formed in 1978 in Long Beach, California by musician Greg Ginn. The company was formed in 1966 by Ginn at age 12 as Solid State Tuners, a small business through which he sold electronics equipm ...

. In 1986, they signed with a major record label ( Warner Bros. Records), but found only modest commercial success. However, they were later often cited as one of the key influences on 1990s

, including bands such as

Nirvana ( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lamp Richard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colomb ...

and

Pixies A pixie (also pisky, pixy, pixi, pizkie, and piskie in Cornwall and Devon, and pigsie or puggsy in the New Forest) is a mythical creature of British folklore. Pixies are considered to be particularly concentrated in the high moorland areas aro ...

. In the late 1980s, Hüsker Dü broke up acrimoniously amid members'

drug abuse Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, is the use of a drug in amounts or by methods which are harmful to the individual or others. It is a form of substance-related disorder. Differing definitions of drug abuse are used in public health, ...

, personal problems, disputes over songwriting credits, musical direction, and the suicide of the band's manager, David Savoy. Mould and Grant Hart, the band's other songwriter and vocalist, still took occasional jabs at each other in the press until Hart's death in 2017, though the two briefly revisited their Hüsker Dü back catalog together at a 2004

benefit concert A benefit concert or charity concert is a type of musical benefit performance (e.g., concert, show, or gala) featuring musicians, comedians, or other performers that is held for a charitable purpose, often directed at a specific and immediate hu ...

for an ailing friend, the late Karl Mueller of

Soul Asylum Soul Asylum is an American alternative rock band formed in 1981 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Their 1993 hit "Runaway Train" won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Song. The band was originally called Loud Fast Rules, with a lineup consisting of D ...

First solo period (1988–1991)

After Hüsker Dü broke up in 1988, Mould sequestered himself in a remote farmhouse in Pine City, Minnesota, having quit drinking and drugs, and wrote the songs that would make up his first solo album. Signing to the newly formed Virgin Records America label, 1989's '' Workbook'' eschewed Mould's trademark wall-of-noise guitar for a lighter tone. Drummer Anton Fier (of The Feelies and later The Golden Palominos) and bassist Tony Maimone (of

Pere Ubu Pere Ubu is an American rock group formed in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1975. The band had a variety of long-term and recurring band members, with singer David Thomas being the only member staying throughout the band's lifetime. They released their ...

) served as Mould's rhythm section. The album peaked at number 127 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...

'' 200 chart, and the single "See a Little Light" reached number 4 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. 1990's '' Black Sheets of Rain'' had a much heavier guitar sound, recalling Hüsker Dü's louder, angrier moments. According to the liner notes for the 2012 re-release of

's ''

Copper Blue ''Copper Blue'' is the debut studio album by American alternative rock band Sugar. It was voted 1992 Album of the Year by the NME. All of the songs were written by guitarist/vocalist Bob Mould, who also co-produced with Lou Giordano. Musically, th ...

'',

Creation Records Creation Records Ltd. was a British independent record label founded in 1983 by Alan McGee, Dick Green, and Joe Foster. Its name came from the 1960s band The Creation, whom McGee greatly admired. The label ceased operations in 1999, although ...

president

Alan McGee Alan John McGee (born 29 September 1960) is a Scottish businessman and music industry executive. He has been a record label owner, musician, manager, and music blogger for ''The Guardian''. He co-founded the independent Creation Records label, r ...

verified that total album sales were 7,000 copies. Still, the album peaked at number 123 on the ''

'' 200 chart, and the single "It's Too Late" reached number 10 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. Mould also co-founded a record label, Singles Only Label, with Coyote Records label founder Steve Fallon. The label released singles from bands such as

Daniel Johnston Daniel Dale Johnston (January 22, 1961 – September 11, 2019) was an American singer, musician and artist regarded as a significant figure in outsider, lo-fi, and alternative music scenes. Most of his work consisted of cassettes recorded a ...

Grant Lee Buffalo Grant Lee Buffalo was an American rock band based in Los Angeles, California, United States, consisting of Grant-Lee Phillips (vocals and guitar), Paul Kimble (bass) and Joey Peters (drums). All three were previously members of another Los Ange ...

Moby Richard Melville Hall (born September 11, 1965), known professionally as Moby, is an American musician, songwriter, singer, producer, and animal rights activist. He has sold 20 million records worldwide. AllMusic considers him to be "among the ...

Mojo Nixon Mojo Nixon (born Neill Kirby McMillan, Jr.; August 2, 1957) is an American musician and actor best known for his humorous, irreverent Novelty song "Elvis Is Everywhere" which was an alternative staple on MTV. His style can generally be defined ...

Morphine Morphine is a strong opiate that is found naturally in opium, a dark brown resin in poppies ('' Papaver somniferum''). It is mainly used as a pain medication, and is also commonly used recreationally, or to make other illicit opioids. T ...

, Nikki Sudden, and

R. Stevie Moore Robert Steven Moore (born January 18, 1952) is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter who pioneered lo-fi (or "DIY") music. Often called the "godfather of home recording", he is one of the most recognized artists of the cas ...

from 1989 to 1994.

Sugar (1992–1995)

Mould then formed the group

, with bassist

David Barbe David Barbe (pronounced ˈbɑɹ.bi BAR-bee; born September 30, 1963) is an American musician and producer/engineer from Athens, Georgia and director of the Music Business Certificate Program at the University of Georgia. He is chief of Chase Pa ...

and drummer

Malcolm Travis Malcolm Winfield Travis (born February 15, 1953) is an American drummer from Boston, Massachusetts, best known for his work with Human Sexual Response, The Zulus, Sugar (with Bob Mould and David Barbe), No Man (with Roger Miller Roger Dea ...

. Along with extensive touring, Sugar released two albums, an EP and a B-sides collection before breaking up. 1992's ''

'' was named as NME's 1992 Album of the Year, and was Mould's most successful commercial album, selling nearly 300,000 copies. While in the band Sugar, in 1993 he contributed the track "Can't Fight It" as a solo artist to the AIDS Benefit Album

No Alternative ''No Alternative'' is an alternative rock compilation album produced by Paul Heck and Chris Mundy. It was released in 1993 to benefit AIDS relief. The album features original tracks and cover versions from bands who went on to define the altern ...

produced by the

Red Hot Organization Red Hot Organization (RHO) is a not-for-profit, 501(c) 3, international organization dedicated to fighting AIDS through pop culture. Since its inception in 1989, over 400 artists, producers and directors have contributed to over 15 compilati ...

. In 1994, he recorded "Turning of the Tide" for ''Beat The Retreat'', a tribute album to the English guitarist and songwriter Richard Thompson.

Second solo period (1996–present)

In 1996, Mould returned to solo recording, releasing a self-titled album in 1996 on

Rykodisc Rykodisc is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, operating as a unit of WMG's Independent Label Group and is distributed through Alternative Distribution Alliance. History Claiming to be the first CD-only independent record la ...

, often referred to as ''Hubcap'' because of the cover photo. Mould played all of the instruments himself, and programmed the drums instead of using a real drummer. The album peaked at number 101 on the ''

'' 200 chart, and number 1 on the Heatseekers chart. In 1998, Mould released '' The Last Dog and Pony Show'', his final album on Rykodisc (who had released all of the Sugar albums in the U.S.). The album was named as such because Mould decided that the tour that followed would be his "last electric band tour." After the tour, Mould took a break from the music world to get involved with another passion of his,

professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...

, when he joined WCW as a scriptwriter in 1999 for a brief period. Creative differences with some of the other writers led to Mould's leaving the company and returning to music. The

liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for cassettes. Origin Liner notes are des ...

for the 2002 album '' Modulate'' thank some of the wrestlers he associated with, most notably

Kevin Nash Kevin Scott Nash (born July 9, 1959) is an American actor and retired professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE under a legends contract. He is best known for his tenure with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) where he performed under his ...

and Kevin Sullivan. During a stint living in New York City in the late-1990s, as he more fully embraced his identity as a gay man, Mould's tastes took a detour into

dance music Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded da ...

and

electronica Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that started in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mostly used to ...

. Those influences were clear on his 2002 release ''Modulate'', which featured a strong electronica influence to mixed critical reviews and poor fan reaction. One song, "The Receipt," was fairly straightforward, according to ''City Pages'': it "can be taken as a barely veiled attack on Mould's old Husker Dü-mate Grant Hart." (In fact, another song on the album Trade"had been written and performed live during his Hüsker Dü days.) In further pursuit of this sound, Mould also began recording under the pseudonym LoudBomb (an

anagram An anagram is a word or phrase formed by rearranging the letters of a different word or phrase, typically using all the original letters exactly once. For example, the word ''anagram'' itself can be rearranged into ''nag a ram'', also the word ...

of his name), releasing one CD ("Long Playing Grooves") so far under this name. Bob mould mccarren park pool

His next solo album, '' Body of Song'', had been originally scheduled to closely follow the release of 2002's ''Modulate''. Instead, Mould worked on the album for the next three years, resulting in a 2005 release. By this time, he had changed his mind on touring with a band, and announced his first band tour since 1998. The tour lineup included bassist

Jason Narducy Jason V. Narducy is an American musician from Evanston, Illinois, United States. After receiving his first guitar at the age of nine Narducy started his music career, playing guitar and writing songs for his punk rock band, Verboten. Verboten is ...

(of

Verbow Verbow was an American alternative rock band formed in Chicago and active between the mid-1990s and early 2000s. The band's sound was distinguished by emotionally direct songwriting and their unconventional use of cello. History Early period: Ja ...

), drummer Brendan Canty (of

Fugazi Fugazi (; ) is an American post-hardcore band that formed in Washington, D.C., in 1986. The band consists of guitarists and vocalists Ian MacKaye and Guy Picciotto, bassist Joe Lally, and drummer Brendan Canty. They are noted for their sty ...

), and Mould's Blowoff collaborator, Morel, on keyboards. In addition to his solo work, Mould also worked as a live DJ in collaboration with Washington DC-area dance music artist Richard Morel, under the collective banner Blowoff. They frequently staged at the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C. A Blowoff CD was released in September 2006, consisting of songs recorded together by the two. Mould has also done remixes for a variety of dance and alternative rock artists, including a remix of the

Interpol The International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO; french: link=no, Organisation internationale de police criminelle), commonly known as Interpol ( , ), is an international organization that facilitates worldwide police cooperation and cr ...

song "Length of Love." ''

District Line The District line is a London Underground line running from in the east and Edgware Road in the west to in west London, where it splits into multiple branches. One branch runs to in south-west London and a short branch, with a limited serv ...

'' was released February 5, 2008. A little over a year later, on April 7, 2009, Mould released his next album entitled '' Life and Times'' in the midst of researching his life for an autobiography. Mould ultimately wrote that memoir with

Michael Azerrad Michael Azerrad is an American author, music journalist, editor, and musician. A graduate of Columbia University, he has written for publications such as ''Spin'', ''Rolling Stone'', and ''The New York Times''. Azerrad's 1993 biography '' Come a ...

, the author of '' Our Band Could Be Your Life'' and '' Come as You Are: The Story of Nirvana.'' The book, ''See a Little Light: The Trail of Rage and Melody'', was published in June 2011. On August 6, 2012, Mould released the first single from his first album on

Merge Records Merge Records is an independent record label based in Durham, North Carolina. It was founded in 1989 by Laura Ballance and Mac McCaughan. It began as an outlet for music from their band Superchunk and music created by friends, and has expanded ...

, '' Silver Age'', on September 4, 2012. It peaked at #52 on the Billboard 200 album chart, #12 on the Alternative Albums chart, and #3 on the Tastemaker Albums chart. In 2014 Mould released '' Beauty & Ruin'' and in March 2016, his most recent album '' Patch the Sky'' was released. On October 25, 2018 Mould shared a new song, "Sunshine Rock" from his new album of the same name, arriving February 8, 2019 via Merge Records On June 3, 2020 Mould released a new song "American Crisis" the lead single from his album ''Blue Hearts'', released on September 25.

Instruments

As a member of Hüsker Dü, Mould was known for playing

Flying V The Gibson Flying V is an electric guitar model introduced by Gibson in 1958. The Flying V offered a radical, "futuristic" body design, much like its siblings: the Explorer, which was released the same year, and the Moderne, which was designe ...

–style guitars, mainly an

Ibanez is a Japanese guitar brand owned by Hoshino Gakki. Based in Nagoya, Aichi, Japan, Hoshino Gakki were one of the first Japanese musical instrument companies to gain a significant foothold in import guitar sales in the United States and Europe, ...

Rocket Roll Jr. In 1988, Mould bought a blue Fender American Standard Stratocaster off the rack after playing it "for about 15 seconds, unplugged." The Stratocaster has been his electric guitar of choice since the breakup of Hüsker Dü around that time. His favored acoustic guitar is a 12-string Yamaha APX.

Collaborations

Mould has made various guest appearances throughout his career. In 1984, Mould played piano on Ground Zero's album ''Ground Zero.'' In 1991, Mould sang and played guitar on the Golden Palominos album ''Drunk with Passion'' on the song "Dying from the Inside Out." In 1992, he contributed vocals to the song, "Dio" on the

Throwing Muses Throwing Muses are an American alternative rock band formed in 1981 in Newport, Rhode Island, United States, that toured and recorded extensively until 1997, when its members began concentrating more on other projects. The group was originall ...

album ''Red Heaven.'' Mould performed the guitars for the

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrac ...

for the film version of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, released in 1999. In 2000, Mould sang "He Didn't" (written by

Stephin Merritt Stephin Raymond Merritt (born February 9, 1965) is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, best known as the songwriter and principal singer of the bands the Magnetic Fields, the Gothic Archies, and Future Bible Heroes. He is ...

) on The 6ths' album ''

Hyacinths and Thistles ''Hyacinths and Thistles'' is the second studio album by the indie rock band The 6ths. It was released in 2000 on Merge Records. Track listing All tracks written by Stephin Merritt Stephin Raymond Merritt (born February 9, 1965) is an Ameri ...

''. He also contributed vocals to the 2009 Fucked Up cover of "Do They Know It's Christmas?" Mould performed on the

Foo Fighters Foo Fighters are an American rock band formed in Seattle in 1994. Foo Fighters was initially formed as a one-man project by former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl. Following the success of the eponymous debut album, Grohl (lead vocals, guitar) ...

2011 album ''

Wasting Light ''Wasting Light'' is the seventh studio album by American rock band Foo Fighters, released on April 12, 2011, through Roswell and RCA Records. Wanting to capture the essence of their earlier work and avoid the artificiality of digital recording ...

'', contributing guitar and vocals to the track "Dear Rosemary." He made sporadic appearances with the band during their Wasting Light tour to perform the song on stage, including on the

Conan O'Brien Conan Christopher O'Brien (born April 18, 1963) is an American television host, comedian, writer, and producer. He is best known for having hosted late-night talk shows for almost 28 years, beginning with '' Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' ( ...

show. In December 2017, Mould opened for the Foo Fighters in four states during their '' Concrete and Gold'' tour.

Personal life

Though Mould's

sexual orientation Sexual orientation is an enduring pattern of romantic or sexual attraction (or a combination of these) to persons of the opposite sex or gender, the same sex or gender, or to both sexes or more than one gender. These attractions are generall ...

had previously been something of an open secret, he was

outed Outing is the act of disclosing an LGBT person's sexual orientation or gender identity without that person's consent. It is often done for political reasons, either to instrumentalize homophobia in order to discredit political opponents or to com ...

in the early 1990s in an interview in the music magazine ''Spin''; he came to terms with being

openly gay Coming out of the closet, often shortened to coming out, is a metaphor used to describe LGBT people's self-disclosure of their sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity. Framed and debated as a privacy issue, coming out of ...

, even appearing in the movie ''Bear Nation'', self-identifying as a

bear Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family Ursidae. They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the No ...

. In April 2004, Mould was a co-organizer of the WEDRock benefit concert for Freedom to Marry. "WedRock" was a play on the word "wedlock". The event raised an estimated US$30,000. Mould also contributed the song "See a Little Light" to the 2006 album ''Wed-Rock: A Benefit for Freedom to Marry,'' an album to support in the legalization of

same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being Mexico, constituting ...

. In interviews to promote his 2019 album ''Sunshine Rock'', Mould revealed that he had been residing in

Berlin, Germany Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

, since 2015.

In popular culture

Mould's song "Dog on Fire" is the theme song for ''

The Daily Show ''The Daily Show'' is an American late-night talk and satirical news television program. It airs each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central with release shortly after on Paramount+. ''The Daily Show'' draws its comedy and satire form fr ...

''. He originally wrote the track for his third solo album, but cut it as redundant. The name was picked by

mastering engineer A mastering engineer is a person skilled in the practice of taking audio (typically musical content) that has been previously mixed in either the analog or digital domain as mono, stereo, or multichannel formats and preparing it for use in distr ...

Jim Wilson from an offhand comment Mould made in an interview.

They Might Be Giants They Might Be Giants (often abbreviated as TMBG) is an American alternative rock band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years, Flansburgh and Linnell frequently performed as a duo, often accompanied by a dr ...

performed updated versions which were used in the 2000s, and the song was later remixed by

Timbaland Timothy Zachery Mosley (born March 10, 1972), known professionally as Timbaland, is an American record producer, rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. He has received widespread acclaim for his innovative production work and distinc ...

when Trevor Noah took over as host. On December 19, 1996, Mould made a cameo appearance on ''The Daily Show Holiday Spectacular'' in an homage duet of "The Little Drummer Boy" with Mould playing the part of

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

Craig Kilborn Craig Lawrence Kilborn (born August 24, 1962) is an American comedian, sports and political commentator, actor, and television host. Kilborn began a career in sports broadcasting in the late 1980s, leading to an anchoring position at ESPN's ''Spo ...

's "

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...

". Mould is a passionate wrestling fan and was previously a writer for WCW. The song "See a Little Light" has been used more than once in various television applications: It was used in the closing scene of the original un-aired test pilot episode of ''

Buffy the Vampire Slayer ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' is an American supernatural drama television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon. It is based on the 1992 film of the same name, also written by Whedon, although the events of the film are not consid ...

'', it was also used in the closing scene of the season 1 finale for '' 13 Reasons Why'', it became one of the principal theme songs for the HBO series ''

The Mind of the Married Man ''The Mind of the Married Man'' is a television series that ran on the HBO network for two seasons consisting of twenty episodes between September 2001 and November 2002. The story focused on the challenges of modern-day married life from a male p ...

'' and was also used in a television commercial for

TIAA-CREF The Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America-College Retirement Equities Fund (TIAA, formerly TIAA-CREF), is a Fortune 100 financial services organization that is the leading provider of financial services in the academic, research ...

(August 2007). Mould also composed the theme for the TLC program, ''

In a Fix ''In a Fix'' is an American television series involving a team of construction workers and a designer who "rescue" homeowners from stalled "do it yourself" renovation projects. Original episodes of ''In a Fix'', which was produced by NorthSouth P ...

''. In 2001, Mould played lead guitar in the house band for the film of John Cameron Mitchell's '' Hedwig and the Angry Inch, '' and on the film's soundtrack. In 2003, Mould also participated in a Hedwig tribute album, ''Wig in a Box'', on which he covered the song "Nailed." On September 29, 2005, Mould's song "Circles" was included on '' The OC''. Mould appeared on an episode of

Independent Film Channel IFC (formerly known as the Independent Film Channel) is an American basic cable channel owned by AMC Networks, originally launching in 1994 as a TV channel devoted to independent films. The Independent Film Channel originally operated as a com ...

's '' The Henry Rollins Show'' on June 15, 2007. On November 21, 2011, musicians such as

Dave Grohl David Eric Grohl (born January 14, 1969) is an American musician. He is the founder of the rock band Foo Fighters, in which he is the lead singer, guitarist, and principal songwriter. Prior to forming Foo Fighters, he was the drummer of gru ...

Britt Daniel John Britt Daniel (born April 14, 1971) is an American musician. He is the co-founder, lead singer and guitarist of the rock band Spoon, as well as the co-founder, guitarist, bassist, and singer of the band Divine Fits. Daniel also founded nume ...

and Jessica Dobson of

Spoon A spoon is a utensil consisting of a shallow bowl (also known as a head), oval or round, at the end of a handle. A type of cutlery (sometimes called flatware in the United States), especially as part of a place setting, it is used primarily f ...

Craig Finn Craig Finn (born August 22, 1971) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is best known as the frontman of the American indie rock band The Hold Steady, with whom he has recorded eight studio albums. Prior to forming The Hold Steady, Fi ...

and Tad Kubler of The Hold Steady, Randy Randall and

Dean Allen Spunt No Age is an American noise rock duo consisting of guitarist Randy Randall and drummer/vocalist Dean Allen Spunt. The band is based in Los Angeles, California, and was signed to Sub Pop records from 2008 to 2013. No Age's fourth studio album, ' ...

of No Age,

Margaret Cho Margaret Moran Cho (born December 5, 1968) is an American comedian, actress, LGBT social activist, and musician. She is known for her stand-up routines, through which she critiques social and political problems, especially regarding race and se ...

Jon Wurster Jonathan Patrick Wurster (born October 31, 1966) is an American drummer and comedy writer. As a musician, he is best known for his work with Superchunk, the Mountain Goats, and Bob Mould. He is also known for appearing on '' The Best Show'' with ...

Superchunk Superchunk is an American indie rock band from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States, consisting of singer-guitarist Mac McCaughan, guitarist Jim Wilbur, bassist Laura Ballance, and drummer Jon Wurster. Formed in 1989, they were one of ...

, and

Ryan Adams David Ryan Adams (born November 5, 1974) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, artist, and poet. He has released 23 albums, as well as three studio albums as a former member of alt-country band Whiskeytown. In 2000, Adams lef ...

came together at the

Walt Disney Concert Hall The Walt Disney Concert Hall at 111 South Grand Avenue in downtown Los Angeles, California, is the fourth hall of the Los Angeles Music Center and was designed by Frank Gehry. It was opened on October 24, 2003. Bounded by Hope Street, Grand Ave ...

and played songs from Bob Mould's career. During the concert, Bob discussed his then-forthcoming album ''Silver Age'', involving Jason Narducy and drummer Jon Wurster (of

), and a limited tour of Sugar's debut album ''Copper Blue''. Mould has been honored with two stars on the outside mural of the

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origin ...

nightclub First Avenue, one for his solo work and one for Hüsker Dü. The stars recognize performers that have played sold-out shows or have otherwise demonstrated a major contribution to the culture at the iconic venue. Receiving a star "might be the most prestigious public honor an artist can receive in Minneapolis," according to journalist Steve Marsh.

Discography

Studio albums

Notes *A''Workbook 25'' — A remastered version of '' Workbook'' including a second disc of live versions of the songs recorded after the original release in 1989 was released in 2014.

Compilations and live albums

*'' Poison Years'' (1994, Virgin) *''Live Dog '98'' (2002, Granary Music) (released under the name 'Bob Mould Band') *''Live At ATP 2008'' (2009, Granary Music) (released under the name 'Bob Mould Band') *''Bob Mould + The Last Dog And Pony Show + LiveDog98'' (2012,

Edsel Edsel is a discontinued division and brand of automobiles that was marketed by the Ford Motor Company from the 1958 to the 1960 model years. Deriving its name from Edsel Ford, son of company founder Henry Ford, Edsels were developed in an eff ...

) *''Distortion: 1989-2019'' (Series of boxsets released 2020-2021, Demon Records / Edsel)

Singles

*" See a Little Light" (1989) #4 US Modern Rock Songs *"It's Too Late" (1990) #10 Modern Rock Songs *"Egøverride" (1996) *"Fort Knox, King Solomon" (1996) *"Classifieds"/"Moving Trucks" (1998) *"Soundonsound" (2002) *"Paralyzed" (2005) *"The Silence Between Us" (2008) *"I'm Sorry, Baby, But You Can't Stand in My Light Anymore" (2009) *"The Descent" (2012) *"I Don't Know You Anymore" (2014) *"Hold On" (2016) *"Voices in My Head" (2016) *"Sunshine Rock" (2018) *"Lost Faith" (2019) *"American Crisis" (2020) *"Siberian Butterfly" (2020)

Videos

*'' Circle of Friends'' (2007, MVD Visual) *''See a Little Light: A Celebration of the Music and Legacy of Bob Mould'' (2013)

Contributions

Various artist compilations including individual tracks by Bob Mould: *''

'' (1994) – includes "Can't Fight It" *''Beat the Retreat: Songs by Richard Thompson'' (1994) – includes "Turning of the Tide" by Richard Thompson, performed by Bob Mould *''

Wig in a Box ''Wig In A Box: Songs from & Inspired by Hedwig and the Angry Inch'' is a charity tribute album featuring versions of songs from the musical '' Hedwig and the Angry Inch''. It was released in 2003 through Off Records, and proceeds benefited the ...

'' (2003) – includes "Nailed" *''Wed-Rock: A Benefit for Freedom To Marry'' (2006) – includes "If I Can't Change Your Mind (acoustic)" *'' 30 Days, 50 Songs'' (2016) - includes "In a Free Land (live)"

Bands produced

Man Sized Action Man Sized Action was a post-punk group from Minneapolis. John Leland of '' Trouser Press'' described the band as an "unpretentious lot" in the vein of Hüsker Dü who "opened up punk structures with distorted, ringing guitar, some off-kilter ...

, ''Claustrophobia'' *

, '' Made to Be Broken'' *

Articles of Faith A creed, also known as a confession of faith, a symbol, or a statement of faith, is a statement of the shared beliefs of a community (often a religious community) in a form which is structured by subjects which summarize its core tenets. The ea ...

, ''Give Thanks'' and ''In This Life'' *

Magnapop Magnapop is an American rock band based in Atlanta, Georgia. Formed in 1989, the band has consistently included songwriting duo Linda Hopper as vocalist and Ruthie Morris on guitar. Magnapop first achieved recognition in the Benelux countries o ...

, ''

Hot Boxing ''Hot Boxing'' is the second studio album by Magnapop, released in 1994. " Lay It Down" and " Slowly, Slowly" were released as singles. Music videos were created for "Lay It Down", "Slowly, Slowly", and "Texas". Having Priority release the album ...

'' *

, ''Chronicles'' *The Zulus, ''Down on the Floor'' *Friction Wheel, ''Something Tells Me/Won't Fall Down – SOL'' *Impaler, ''If We Had Brains... We'd Be Dangerous'' * Low, '' Tonight the Monkeys Die'' Remixes EP *Half a Chicken, Food For Thought *Starfish, Stellar Sonic Solutions *

Titus Andronicus ''Titus Andronicus'' is a tragedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written between 1588 and 1593, probably in collaboration with George Peele. It is thought to be Shakespeare's first tragedy and is often seen as his attempt to emul ...

, ''An Obelisk''

References

External links

Interview with ''The Quietus 21/02/14''Interview with ''The Onion A.V. Club''''Figure 8 Interview with Bob Mould 19/05/13''Official Bob Mould Granary Music artist pageWishing Well: A Small Web Site About the Music of Bob Mould
published on the

Tellus Audio Cassette Magazine Launched from the Lower East Side, Manhattan in 1983 as a subscription only bimonthly publication, the ''Tellus Audio Cassette Magazine'' utilized the audio cassette medium to distribute no wave downtown music and audio art and was in activity f ...

Ubuweb UbuWeb is a web-based educational resource for avant-garde material available on the internet, founded in 1996 by poet Kenneth Goldsmith. It offers visual, concrete and sound poetry, expanding to include film and sound art mp3 archives. Phi ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mould, Bob American baritones American bloggers American DJs American alternative rock musicians American indie rock musicians 21st-century American memoirists LGBT memoirists American punk rock guitarists Alternative rock guitarists Alternative rock singers American punk rock singers Record producers from New York (state) American rock songwriters Hardcore punk musicians Songwriters from New York (state) Club DJs Creation Records artists Hüsker Dü members LGBT DJs LGBT people from New York (state) LGBT singers from the United States LGBT songwriters

People A person ( : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of prope ...

Living people Singers from Minnesota Singers from New York (state) Singers from Washington, D.C. New Alliance Records artists SST Records artists People from Malone, New York Remixers Rykodisc artists Sugar (American band) members The Golden Palominos members Virgin Records artists Warner Records artists Macalester College alumni American gay musicians American gay writers People from Pine City, Minnesota Songwriters from Minnesota Guitarists from Washington, D.C. Guitarists from New York (state) Guitarists from Minnesota American male guitarists 20th-century American guitarists American male non-fiction writers Electronic dance music DJs Omnivore Recordings artists American male bloggers 20th-century American male musicians Merge Records artists Remote Control Records artists Yep Roc Records artists 20th-century LGBT people 21st-century LGBT people 1960 births American male songwriters American expatriates in Germany Anti- (record label) artists Professional wrestling writers