Solger was considered by many as the first American

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band in

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. The name Solger was a misspelling of Soldier, coming from their anti-draft song "Dead Soldier". Their five-song self-titled 7" record and its super lo-fi sound become a collectors item, as well as setting the standard for comparison by other lo-fi punk recordings worldwide. Paul Dana (guitar), also known as Paul Solger, started the band after meeting Kyle Nixon (vocals) in May 1980. The rhythm section on the ''Solger'' EP was Doug Rockness on bass and Seattle based multi-instrumentalist Tor Midtskog (later of Seattle's Colour Twigs, Nightcaps and currently MoonSpinners) on drums. After leaving Solger, Paul joined up with

the Fartz The Fartz were a Hardcore Punk band that was founded in 1981 and were one of the first well-known hardcore bands from Seattle, Washington. They were signed to Jello Biafra's Alternative Tentacles Record label. They were notable not only for play ...

. He then started The Fags with Upchuck, he played with Ten Minute Warning a few years later. In 1984, Paul Solger got back together with The Fags and the band moved to New York City. Paul Solger was an influence to both

Stone Gossard Stone Carpenter Gossard (born July 20, 1966) is an American musician who serves as a guitarist and songwriter for the rock band Pearl Jam. Along with Jeff Ament, Mike McCready, and Eddie Vedder, he is one of the founding members of the band. G ...

Pearl Jam Pearl Jam is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. The band's lineup consists of founding members Jeff Ament (bass guitar), Stone Gossard (rhythm guitar), Mike McCready (lead guitar), and Eddie Vedder (lead vocals, guita ...

and Steve Turner of

Mudhoney Mudhoney is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1988, following the demise of Green River. Its members are singer and rhythm guitarist Mark Arm, lead guitarist Steve Turner, bassist Guy Maddison and drummer Dan Peters. Orig ...

. Paul Solger co-wrote "Rehab Doll" with Green River. Doug Rockness (bass), started R.P.A. with former members of The Lewd and The Refuzors after Solger broke up - Rockness died in Thailand while on vacation in May 2006 from a suspected, but unconfirmed, drug overdose. Paul Dana was diagnosed with cancer in 2004 but was successfully treated and still lives in the state of Washington. Kyle Nixon was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in January 2001.

Duff McKagan Michael Andrew "Duff" McKagan (born February 5, 1964), sometimes credited as Duff "Rose" McKagan, is an American musician. He played bass for twelve years in the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late ...

has been known to use a white bass with "Solger" written in black marker across it, to show his support for his long-time friend Paul Solger, and his battle with cancer.

References

* American Hardcore - A Tribal History by Stephen Blush page 261, published in 2001 by Feral House, Los Angeles, CA . * LOSER - The Real Seattle Music Story by Clark Humphrey page 49, published in 1995 by Feral House, Portland, OR . * Encyclopedia of Northwest Music by James Bush page 43, published in 1999 by Sasquatch Books, Seattle, WA {{ISBN, 1-57061-141-6. Hardcore punk groups from Washington (state)