Solger was considered by many as the first American

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (commonly abbreviated to hardcore or hXc) is a punk rock music genre#subtypes, subgenre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots ...

band in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

. 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. 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 and songwriter who serves as the rhythm guitarist for the rock band Pearl Jam. Along with Jeff Ament, Mike McCready, and Eddie Vedder, he is one of the founding members of the ...

Pearl Jam Pearl Jam is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. One of the key bands in the grunge, grunge movement of the early 1990s, Pearl Jam has outsold and outlasted many of its contemporaries from the early 1990s, ...

and Steve Turner of

Mudhoney Mudhoney is an American rock music, rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, on January 1, 1988, following the demise of Green River (band), Green River. Its members are singer and rhythm guitarist Mark Arm, lead guitarist Steve Turner (guitari ...

. 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) is an American musician. He was the bassist of hard rock band Guns N' Roses for twelve years, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. McKagan rejoined the b ...

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)