Seattle’s Alternative Grunge Music Scene

Posted on January 8, 2008 by Eric Hebert
Filed Under Music |

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If you happened to be living under a rock during the early 1990’s, you may have missed one of the most significant eras of modern rock lore - the Seattle grunge music scene.

Alongside a lesser-felt So-Cal scene (at least in terms of being a household name), grunge music pretty much started and ended with one city in America’s northwest, one which happens to get a lot of rain (which equals to more depression, drug use, and ultimately, good music).

Grunge music has heavy influences of punk and metal in it’s distorted guitars, creative song dynamics, and “woe-is-me” depressive or frustrated lyrics. Some of the musicians actually did end up killing themselves too, either by shotguns or drugs. Alongside these details came an image of rebellion, in that many of the grunge-era bands took a blue-collar approach to their appearance and wardrobe, much different then the glossy, pseudo-drama of the 80’s hair bands prior to grunge.

What makes the scene interesting is the fact that many of the bands involved crossed each others paths, and multiple times. How could these guys NOT run into each other, all playing the same scene at the same time? Seattle carved out a big happy family (okay, not always happy) of musicians, and pretty much most of them signed major label deals and were a big deal.

Green River

The early days before grunge “officially” began included bands such as Green River, who’s band members would later go on to become parts of the mainstream grunge movement. The band featured future Pearl Jam members Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament, in addition to Mudhoney singer Mark Arm.

Malfunkshun

Malfunkshun, while not much of a typical “grunge” band with their glam-rock lead singer, should be mentioned for their lead singer Andrew Wood, who would prove to be a very influential part of what became grunge. The band was known for their live performances, costumes, and “alter egos” that each band member shared.

Mother Love Bone

After the demise of Green River, Gossard, Ament, and drummer Bruce Fairweather hooked up with glam man Andrew Wood and eventually formed the band Mother Love Bone. Developing a very popular sound, the band was destined for rock superstardom as they began courting major labels. That all changed when Wood, always the token heroin user, died of an overdose just days before their debut album was released.

Mudhoney

Mark Arm of Green River eventually hooked up with former members of the band The Melvins (known as the “godfathers” of grunge) to form the band Mudhoney. While never achieving the commercial success of their contemporaries, the band was still an important part of the scene as the world began paying closer attention to what was happening in Seattle.

Soundgarden

While the previous bands became and then broke up, one band was playing right alongside them the entire time. Soundgarden, formed in 1984, was named after a wind channeling pipe sculpture in Seattle. The band would release several albums before their 1991 major label breakthrough, “Badmotorfinger”, ultimately becoming legends of the grunge music scene. Lead singer Chris Cornell would also go on to achieve commercial success as a solo artist and singer of Audioslave, and drummer Matt Cameron eventually becoming a staple of a little band called Pearl Jam.

Temple of the Dog

Speaking of Cornell and Cameron, after the death of Andrew Wood (Cornell’s former roommate - small world, huh?), the two would team up with some dudes named Gossard, Ament and Mike McCready, to record an album dedicated to their fallen friend. The band and album was called Temple of the Dog (a reference to a Mother Love Bone lyric), and featured back up vocals by another dude named Eddie Vedder, who had just moved to Seattle to form a new band with Gossard and Ament. The album would eventually achieve some mainstream success with the single “Hunger Strike”.

Pearl Jam

As the Temple of the Dog project unfolded, so did another. With the demise of Mother Love Bone, Gossard and Ament could have went their separate ways. They eventually recorded a 3 song demo with Mr. McCready and Cameron, which landed in the hands of original Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Jack Irons, who in turn sent the demo to San Diego’s Eddie Vedder. The rest they say is history. Pearl Jam forms (although Cameron would not become their permanent drummer until years later…and after a short stint by Irons) and becomes THE most popular band to ever come out of Seattle.

Alice In Chains

In addition to the commercial success of Soundgarden and Pearl Jam, another Seattle band would form that would be just as important and influential. Alice In Chains would start their careers with the metal and hair band influenced “Facelift”, but get thrown into the “grunge” label as their contemporaries began achieving mainstream success (and as their dynamic sound changed with future albums). The band would hook up with Cornell (background vocals) on their second album Sap, and singer Layne Staley (who would go on to overdose years later, RIP) cut an album with McCready as the band Mad Season.

What a small, small world the Seattle scene turned out to be.

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