Hazel was an American

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 Popular culture, mainstre ...

band based in

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

. The band was a quartet, consisting of

Jody Bleyle Team Dresch is an American punk rock band originally formed in 1993 in Olympia, Washington. The band made a significant impression on the DIY punk movement queercore, which gave voice through zines and music to the passions and concerns of LGBT p ...

(drums and vocals), Pete Krebs (guitar and vocals), Brady Smith (bass), and Fred Nemo (dancer). It lasted from 1992 to 1997.Hazel page from Sub Pop site

History

Formation, style

The group was formed on February 14, 1992. Although based in the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though ...

and active during the

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 p ...

movement in rock music, Hazel's music was different from most grunge in that it featured both male and female vocals as well as a more melodic sound that could be described as

noise pop Noise pop is a subgenre of alternative and indie rock that developed in the mid-1980s in the United Kingdom and United States. It is defined by its mixture of dissonant noise or feedback with the songcraft more often found in pop music. Shoegazi ...

. Hazel's music was not particularly intricate musically, relying on a few chords, sheer energy (many songs being played at breakneck speed), and vocal intensity. Rather than singing together in harmony, Krebs and Bleyle often sang completely different parts that answered or intertwined with one another. The majority of lyrics dealt with problems regarding relationships, including the regret and resentment following a breakup ("Everybody's Best Friend") or the anxiety felt while attempting to begin a relationship ("Day-Glo"). The group was also notable for featuring the dancer Fred Nemo as a full member. Often dressed in fanciful costumes, Nemo, a tall, bearded man, cavorted crazily about the stage, climbing atop speaker cabinets and swinging heavy objects through the air.

Albums

Cavity Search Records Cavity Search Records is a record label in Portland, Oregon that was formed in 1992 by Christopher Cooper and Denny Swofford. It is known for producing debut records by Hazel, Heatmiser, The Helio Sequence, King Black Acid, Richmond Fontaine, ...

was founded as a small, independent

record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produ ...

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...

. Later in 1992, Hazel's "J. Hell" b/w "Day-Glo"/"Joe Louis Punchout" was the first single the label released. The group released two full-length albums, ''Toreador of Love'' and '' Are You Going to Eat That'' on the

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 ...

label. A five-song EP on Candy-Ass/Caroline, '' Airiana'', was their last release in 1997. Intermittently plagued by personality conflicts, Hazel formally broke up on February 13, 1997, following their last show in their hometown of Portland, Oregon, though they generally have played a couple of shows a year since then.

Post-dissolution

As of 2005, Nemo performs with

Tara Jane O'Neil Tara Jane O'Neil (born November 22, 1972) (surname sometimes written as "ONeil"; sometimes credited as TJO) is an American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, audio recording engineer, and visual artist based out of Los Angeles, California, Unite ...

and works as a bicycle activist in Portland. Krebs, also living in Portland, teaches guitar and performs with a wide assortment of ensembles. Bleyle, now based in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, continues to perform around the United States, including reunion shows with punk band

Team Dresch Team Dresch is an American punk rock band originally formed in 1993 in Olympia, Washington. The band made a significant impression on the DIY punk movement queercore, which gave voice through zines and music to the passions and concerns of LGBT p ...

; Family Outing, a duo with her brother Allen; touring with

Amy Ray Amy Elizabeth Ray (born April 12, 1964) is an American alto singer-songwriter and member of the contemporary folk duo Indigo Girls. She also pursues a solo career and has released six albums under her own name, and founded a record company, Daem ...

of the

Indigo Girls Indigo Girls are an American folk rock music duo from Atlanta, Georgia, United States, consisting of Amy Ray and Emily Saliers. The two met in elementary school and began performing together as high school students in Decatur, Georgia, part o ...

; and singing jazz standards in L.A. dives. Smith was the founding principal of Validus Preparatory Academy, a public high school in

The Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

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 * '' ...

. He is currently the principal of Beacon High School in New York City.

Members

(drums and vocals) * Pete Krebs (guitar and vocals) *Brady Smith (bass) *Fred Nemo (dancer)

Discography

Studio albums

*'' Toreador of Love'' (

, 1993) *'' Are You Going to Eat That'' (Sub Pop, 1995)

Other albums

*''Lucky Dog'' (Sub Pop, 1993) (Promo album, commercially released as ''Toreador of Love'') *''Live in Portland'' ( Voodoo Doughnut Recordings/

, 2016) (Live album of two concerts recorded in 1993)

Singles and EPs

*"Heida" b/w "Pop Uncle" ( Candy-Ass Records, 1992) *"J. Hell" b/w "Day-Glo"/"Joe Louis Punchout" (Cavity Search Records, 1992) *"Day-Glo" b/w "Constipation" (Sub Pop, 1993) (Promo single) *"Jilted" b/w "Truly" (Sub Pop, 1993) (also released as a 12" single by Sub Pop in 1993 in Germany, with "Jilted"/"Truly" on the A side and "Gilly's Legs"/"Constipation" on the B side) *"Blank Florida" b/w "Motor Sport Daredevils" ( Pacific Wonderland Records, 1994) *"Wintogreen" b/w "King Twist" (Cavity Search Records, 1994) *''Airiana'' EP (Candy-Ass Records, 1997) *"Romeo" b/w "Incendiary" (Candy-Ass Records, 1997) (Split single with Ovarian Trolley)

References

External links

Hazel page from Sub Pop sitemonkeychicken
(includes Hazel archive; maintained by Fred Nemo)
"Dayglo" music video (from "Toreador of Love")
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hazel 1992 establishments in Oregon 1997 disestablishments in Oregon Rock music groups from Oregon Cavity Search Records artists American grunge groups Indie rock musical groups from Oregon Musical groups established in 1992 Musical groups disestablished in 1997 Musical groups from Portland, Oregon Musical quartets Sub Pop artists