Hope to see you there!
Poster design & layout, Scott Schmaljohn, artwork Cliff Green and Pat Schmaljohn, repspectively.
Shows played in loving memory of Pat 'Brown' Schmaljohn
This is a music history of my time playing music in Boise, Idaho, and Seattle, Washington between 1983 and 2000. I encourage any verifiable corrections (my memory ain't perfect) and any worthwhile additions, so feel free to comment or contact me with those. Also, send me any pictures you have from the years I cover. - Photo of State of Confusion by Brian E. Bothwell
Showing posts with label punk rock. Show all posts
Showing posts with label punk rock. Show all posts
Thursday, February 23, 2023
State of Confusion Reunion Shows, Boise, ID, April 21st & 22nd, 2023
State of Confusion (SOC) is playing 2 reunion shows in Boise, Idaho on April 21st. & 22nd, 2023. The last reunion was in 2011, and this may be the last (we're gettin' old!) Watch this space for ticket info end of February.
Sunday, August 25, 2019
Music History Part 41 - The Rise of Up Records, Built to Spill and 'Indie Rock'
Disclaimer: Memory is a
funny thing, and an elusive one. Meaning; I might have some of this
wrong, as 1. My memory is not always accurate, like anyone and 2. It is
from my perspective only. Any friends who were there, feel free to
correct me or add things I have missed. It helps! Also, no gossip on
anyone here, it ain't about that. Personal details are on a surface
level, and friends, girlfriends and others are re-named to respect their
privacy. People in bands generally put their names out there on albums
and in interviews anyway, and are not in the habit of staying anonymous,
and therefore are named here. That said, anyone who is in the blog that
wishes me not to use their name has only to ask.
Seattle Years Disclaimer: As I enter the Seattle years in this music blog, the above disclaimer goes double, because so much happened and there are so many details to cover in this 14 year period; so many shows, so many bands, so many friends and so much change in my life. As a result of this and the fact that the four of us who formed Treepeople found ourselves in the midst of a scene which blew up around us and attracted the eyes of the world just 2 years after our arrival, not to mention the 12 years I played music following that, I am bound to, hell, I will forget something.
Seattle Years Disclaimer: As I enter the Seattle years in this music blog, the above disclaimer goes double, because so much happened and there are so many details to cover in this 14 year period; so many shows, so many bands, so many friends and so much change in my life. As a result of this and the fact that the four of us who formed Treepeople found ourselves in the midst of a scene which blew up around us and attracted the eyes of the world just 2 years after our arrival, not to mention the 12 years I played music following that, I am bound to, hell, I will forget something.
This means two things: I will be coming back to entries and adding things to them over the months following publication, and, that the part of the above disclaimer where I ask for help from people in keeping me honest and in remembering things is crucial to them. I thank anyone ahead of time who was there, and, those who weren't there who have access to valid info, for helping me to correct errors in dates or chronology. Yes, I have the Internet, but many bands, scenes and things I will cover did not receive the attention I feel that they deserved and thus I will recall them mostly from memory, or rather, memories; mine and those of friends. Also, friends who were in bands which I do not happen to mention, please don't take it personally, just remind me. I have created a monster in undertaking this blog, one which I am determined to ride until the end!
Lastly, as mentioned, this scene gained national attention, and thus, needless to say and as we all know, many bands/people became famous, became rock stars, were/are admired by millions, etc and etc...This makes another part of my original disclaimer even more important. This memoir is intended to tell my story, from my perspective. I have no intention of creating a place where people can seek gossip about famous people, nor is it about 'name-dropping'. I write of my impressions of people, bands, and the Seattle scene from the '90s into the early 2000s. I protect those who are my friends fiercely because a symptom of being known is frequent intrusion into their lives beyond a level that I feel is acceptable. Thank you for indulging me this disclaimer.
A kind of disclaimer on Violent Green entries...In writing about the band Violent Green, at this time I am not in contact with Jenny O'lay, so I am not directly getting input from her, and, one member is no longer alive. In the case of the former, out of respect to O'lay, I am compelled to keep personal details at a high level, and in terms of Drew Quinlan (RIP, Brother), I am not in touch with any of his family to get approval of what I write about concerning him, as I did with my previously passed bandmate, Pat Schmaljohn (and thus felt better in writing about Pat) but I do not have the same access to family in Drew's case, so for that reason, out of respect for Drew and his family, I will also keep details at a high level. I won't make it cold and unpersonal, don't misunderstand me. Our dynamic as people was a huge part of the band. I guess what I am getting at is there are details that will remain private, to meet with high standards I strive to meet on this blog, even more so in light of this lack of input from the former bandmates of which I write. I hope I have achieved these standards. This also brings up the point I always make, but it is important to reiterate; this is all from my perspective only, and of anyone whom I get input from.
Our odd relationships and their tensions were one with the music, and I think, actually I know, that was a good thing, a necessary ingredient of this band, a band that forever reshaped how I thought about music, both listening to it and making it. I owe that to Drew and Jenny's brilliance and imperfectness, which made me feel okay about my own imperfections, (only to a degree, as my inner, self-critical voice was still in full effect) and it helped me realize that even I held brilliance, in my own way, when I played with them, warts and all. One thing I can confidently say is; we gave a fuck about the music. And that was because this was a highly musical band (most of the people who got what we were doing were musicians themselves) and thus I will focus much of my energy in terms of the VG entries talking about that; the music, it's influences and forms, and how the three of us and what we brought to the band from previous projects and the music we each loved, created, eventually, a rich tapestry. It is worth digging into this world O'lay spun with this bizarre, dark, poppy, goth, folksy punk music from Mars ~ *
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My other blogs: Short Story Long - (Top of mind, conversational, formal essays, photo essays, etc.) Artwork, Poetry
Bad Dog, No Bagel
I previously mentioned I had started a new job around '93 at a hip bagel cafe that was beginning to expand, called 'Spot Bagel.' The 'spot' part of the name came from their mascot, a dalmation, and eventually led to the slogan, 'Bad dog, No Bagel,' as a play on 'Bad Cop, No Donut,' and which became a T-shirt and effectively the uniform. In the beginning of Spot Bagel's history, a uniform would be anathema.
It was a pretty low key business, the vibe of which reminded me of health food stores in the '70s. Spot started with a cafe located in the Wallingford Neighborhood of Seattle, right in the heart of it, across the street from the iconic Food Land store (which eventually became a QFC store, who replaced the 'Foodland' sign of the previous tenants with a sign that said 'Wallingford' because the residents of the neighborhood were losing their shit, not because a small business was being crushed - though some were in that camp - but because the sign was so important to them, and marked something for them - to me this scenario represented how Seattlites, most anyway, have their priorities all fucked up - a similar scene played out when Tully's Coffee bought the iconic building that housed Rainier Beer and people were freaking out about the giant red 'R' sign going away - causing Tully's to replace it with a giant green 'T,' which only served to piss people off even more).
Spot Bagel was started by a young, hipster Jewish guy named Jay Glass. I interacted with him a few times over the time I was at Spot. Seemed like a decent guy. He made the decisions that were later very bad for the company, but it was the people he brought in that really messed it up, in my opinion, and ultimately led to its closure in 1996, here is a blurb about its closure: http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19960801&slug=2342067)
I interviewed with a guy I will call Luis outside a new Spot Bagel cafe being opened up, the first of many planned, located in the Newmark Building, one block East of the famous Pike Place Market downtown. The Newmark was a brand new building that had gone up in what seemed like just a couple of months (and how fast it fell apart confirms it couldn't have been more). I hadn't done a high number of official interviews.
At that time in the US, and, for young folks especially, it was a lot who you knew that got you hired at a job, a good word got you in, like how I got the construction job just after moving to Seattle with zero construction experience. I was a little nervous about the interview, but I kinda didn't give a fuck if I got this job or not, had steeled myself for a slog of pavement pounding. In retrospect, I would have easily gotten any number of service jobs, as the city's job economy was strong, most specifically in service jobs (to serve all the self-important new money people flocking there in white flight from Oakland and other urban centers, they clutched their pearls and bought property like mad, driving up the cost of living in a wave that has only increased to the point of no return. Seattle may as well be San Francisco, now).
My indifference came off as confidence, and Luis offered me the job on the spot (no pun intended, but I'll take it) and when I said' "I'll take the job," he seemed stunned. "You will?"
Oh how I wished that I had remembered this little demonstration of what self-assuredness (not a word, but should be - and yet 'self-absurdness' is?) gets you, but really, to be fair to Young Wayne, he had no fucking clue it came off as confidence, just as he didn't understand this fact for most things.
I will come back to Spot Bagel, as it was an important thread to my increasingly busy and complex life. Shit fell apart there in a spectacular way that now at least makes a good story.
I found a photo of the café and I had forgotten how Jetsons and neo-Seattle modern it was! This was where I worked everyday, and while the café area itself looked like a sci-fi film set, the kitchen was pretty standard.
Photo retrieved from:
https://twitter.com/y2k_aesthetic/status/1292940002322599937/photo/1
The rise of Up Records and 'Indie Rock'
In 1993, 1994, the 'indie rock' scene (so dubbed as most bands that fell under the title were on independent, rather than major labels, though that quickly changed somewhat post Nirvana in the aforementioned 'major label feeding frenzy'), Chris Takino's and co-founder Rich Jensen's label (who had been a musician with early releases on Sub Pop and K Records and a productive music enthusiast since 1981) Up Records arose as a much needed alternate to the music then dominating the Seattle scene, where the majority of visible bands were on Sub Pop, most of whom at the time were a derivation of 70s hard rock with a splash of punk. In fact, Chris first approached Sub Pop about putting out a Built to Spill lp and they encouraged him to put it out himself.
The Up roster included bands/artists like Modest Mouse, Edsel, Mike Johnson, Juned, Caustic Resin, (do yourself a favor and clear some time to sit back and listen to the epic 1995 Up Records double LP release by them called Fly Me to the Moon - Well, what are you waiting for? At least look it up on You Tube!) Satisfact, Butterfly Train, Built to Spill, Duster (one of my fav bands at the time, still love their stuff, it stands up), Land of the Loops, acoustic guitarist and songwriter Rick Sabo, and of course, Violent Green, from where the whole thing launched, and on and on, all very different bands (and note the above list is off the top of my head, mostly.)
Up Records 17th release in 1995 - Artwork by Jeff Hogan
The bands of the label represented what was still true to the idea of the roster being simply bands Chris Takino loved. Luckily for Seattle, his taste was pretty fucking good. Go through the catalogue and you will see what I am on about. It should be noted with these indie labels, there was no exclusivity in the contracts, or if ever there was, not for long, thank goodness - for instance the Treepeople got our best record Guilt, Regret, Embarrassment back from Toxic Shock Records in 5 years, and now it is re-released on K Records. My point though, is that a number of these bands were also putting out records on other indie labels, for instance, the bands Satisfact and Modest Mouse both had released records on K simultaneously or before/after doing records with Up. One time I asked Calvin Johnson what he thought of Up Records and he smiled a wry little smile and half-jokingly said, "Not bad, but tell Chris to stop stealing my bands!"
The first office for Up Records was a one room office in the Terminal Sales Building, the same building Sub Pop was in (which made sense as Chris worked there still for a time, and of course Sub Pop I assume helped him get the space.) As I remember it, Chris was able to quit his job fairly soon after starting the label, but I could be wrong about that. When Up was in the Terminal building was the period when I stopped by the most often, I think because it was close to where I worked. Chris had assembled a small crew of folks to work for him. I remember every time I visited it was kind of exciting, too, to think that one of our own started a label, that the label started to put out a little record by an obscure band I was in and had begun to get a lot of attention. This makes sense, because Chris was one the most connected people I have ever met in the alternative/indie rock world, and one of the smartest.
Terminal Sales Building, Seattle
It was also during the Terminal Sales Building period of Up that they put out Built to Spill's second lp, the wonderfully charming and introspective 'There's Nothing Wrong With Love.' This record made an instant splash, and put Doug on the map, and on a path to becoming an indie rock icon. That may not have been the goal for him or for Up, but it inevitably happened. Right place, right time.
I don't remember a time when Built to Spill shows in Seattle weren't packed. The guy who just wrote songs, showed up for Treepeople rehearsals and did little else in the band was gone. In his place was an enthusiastic, thoughtful and professional musician/songwriter, and leader of a band. It seemed in retrospect that the transformation was overnight, but I am sure this isn't true. The fact is since we met him, when he was 16, he slowly began to realize the potential of playing music for more than just a hobby [Then Future, now Now Wayne says; 'That's ridiculous, we all knew this pretty quickly, Yours, soon to be Past Wayne']. In one interview not long after this period he talked about how seeing the punk thing and what we, State of Confusion, and others were doing, he realized that you could do it without much money (or even talent, and he had plenty of that, anyway). Drive was the key thing, and he developed a drive over time. It was a drive, not to be 'the next big thing' or a rock star, but to get his music out to as many people as possible, and to play in front of as many people as possible.
The first incarnation of the band was pretty much a project, and he had intended to rotate line-ups on a regular basis. This line-up for There's Nothing Wrong With Love was essentially Farm Days, his first band, with Brett Nelson on bass and Andy 'Capps' on drums (RIP).
I hung out in the studio with them when they recorded the record and made a couple minor contributions, which hilariously led to people thinking that I at some point was in Built to Spill, some people still think that. Pretend that was said by our president, that is, it is not true. I added a silly little guitar lead with my fingers on the song 'Big Dipper' that was played through one of those transistor radio sized practice amps called, adorably, 'Marshas' (a play on the Marshall brand of amps, by far the amp of choice for any rock guitarist - in retrospect, it's a little sexist!) Listen below - my little silly part comes in at the 2:36 mark.
I also did the voice after the joke ending songs, which are great, Doug wrote little diddies in different styles of music and packaged them as a sort of label promo sampler of different bands, there is a punk song ("...Kick you in the head/Gonna kick you in the head!...) and a country song ("...A man needs a woman/And a woman needs a man to love/Gonna hold on to you/My Midnight Star..."), etc. At the end of all this there is a weird voice I did that says "Look for the record with me on the cover!" When I was recording it, I had a mental block and kept adding 'Just' at the beginning. Doug kept correcting me through the talkback mic (the mic producers and engineers use to talk to artists between takes) and we were all cracking up. For inspiration for the voice, Doug told me to imagine what the voice of one of the artist Mike Scheer's little surreal creatures in his drawings might sound like. It was a hell of a lot of fun. But I was never in Built to Spill! They also used my bass rig on the album Perfect From Now On and Doug borrowed my Fender Jazz Noel Redding edition bass for Keep it Like a Secret as well. I guess I went from contributor to equipment supplier! I was happy to do it, of course.
It can't be overstated how much releasing 'There's Nothing Wrong With Love' put Up on the map, as much as it did for Doug. It was universally well-received and praised by all, and rightly so, I feel. There is nothing else quite like it in all of the BTS catalogue (or frankly anywhere else). It retained the innocence of Farm Days while bringing in stories from childhood that set the stage for the more epic, somewhat more grim lp Perfect From Now On. Listen to Twin Falls, Idaho and then listen to the opening track from PFNO, Randy Described Eternity to see what I am on about.
[And I am gravely remiss here, but I neglected to mention that this LP was produced by the very talented producer, young and up-and-coming Phil Ek, who would go on to produce many fine records, I missed this out of sloppiness? Laziness? Distractedness? Fuck, who knows - Absolutely no offense meant, Brother Phil - more pn Mr. Ek later, I assure you]
Built to Spill's 2nd LP, on Up Records
Captiol Hill's Pine Street Scene
Eventually Up Records moved to Capitol Hill on Pine, right on the other side of the block from the apartment I used to live in on Summit. This strip of Pine (from about Boren to Broadway) was quickly becoming the center of a scene as there were hip businesses opening there. There was Linda's Tavern, a cool, dark bar with pool tables and booths, I think it is still there? Also, Bimbo's Bitchin' Burrito Kitchen became a center for many in the music scene, cheap eats, open late, and they had booze (and eventually opened a bar next door). A few of my friends, all musicians, worked at Bimbos. A record store would pop up here, a coffee house there. Bauhaus Coffee, one of my favorite haunts a few years after this time period of which I write, was toward the bottom of the hill of Pine, just before you head downtown.
Bimbos Bitchin' Burrito Kitchen
Linda's Tavern, Seattle
Meanwhile, back in the world of Violent Green, we went to Reciprocal Studios toward the end of 1994, soon to be bought by Avast! studio owner Stuart Hallerman and producer John Goodmanson, and thus was renamed John & Stu's. Goodmanson would also engineer this very album, that is the album I keep hinting at, the album Eros. I promise I will actually write about it next time. I don't want it to be the old theater writing technique Orson Welles once described, where all the characters mention "Mr. Wu," in reverent tones throughout the play, but the audience never sees him, so that by the time he walks on stage, he has been so built up that his entrance causes 'Ooohs' and 'Ahhhs.' Or hell, maybe I do want that.
It is important to keep in mind when I zero in like this, to one label and one band and a handful of label-mates, whilst all this was going on, that the punk scenes I wrote of in previous entries (see entries #s 28-30) had grown and morphed as well, and, most importantly, were still going strong. Members of the aforementioned bands of our friends, like Whipped, began to play in bands like Decrepit (Guitarist/singer/songwriter Doug Pack of Whipped singing) and Shug (Paula Sen, bass player/singer/songwriter of Whipped playing guitar, songwriting and singing) and most of the bands mentioned in said Seattle punk entries were still at it in '94, bands that had started before Treepeople were still blazing trails, like Olympia's Fitz of Depression (formed 1987).
The Olympia ('Oly') scene was thriving, and it wasn't just K Records bands, there were bands on friendly rival label Kill Rock Stars as well, like one of my favorite bands ever, Unwound, who was relentlessly touring at this time with their new album, also my favorite, 'New Plastic Ideas.' Also on Kill Rock Stars, newly formed in 1994, was Sleater Kinney, who would also capture the attention of the world soon. There was new stuff bubbling, feminist rock movements out of Olympia like riot grrrl were in full bloom, and the whole Pacific Northwest was rising too, like the Portland, Oregon scene, which had bands like Quasi, Pond, Hazel, Crakerbash, Heatmiser (whose member Elliott Smith was quietly crafting brilliant, sad songs of his own that would soon go out into the world) Pink Martini, and so many others, Seattle had fun punk bands like Gas Huffer featuring legend Tom Price on guitar, who were bouncing around, playing clubs. And dozens and dozens of bands were popping up, sometimes homegrown but mostly reloctaed out-of-towners. Nirvana was still on top (but sharing the limelight with Pearl Jam and Soundgarden and Alice in Chains, the first to break), as you can see, things were exploding in indie rock in the NW, but the reluctant pied piper of the movement, Kurt Cobain...he wasn't doing so well mentally and managing his addictions at the beginning of 1994.
I remember working at Spot Bagel later when I heard on the radio that Kurt Cobain had almost Od'ed and gone into a coma in Italy in March (incidentally, the day after my 28th birthday). And I remember thinking, "Uh oh," and sort of bookmarking it. And then the woman asked me to spread the butter on the toasted bagel I was preparing for her more lightly, to scrape some off. "I don't even want to know it's there," she said matter-of-factly.
Next time: A final Treepeople album fueled by Scott Schmaljohn without Doug (a portent of things to come for Scott), Wayne starts playing drums in a cool band called Faintly Macabre, is also recruited into The Halo Benders, our brother Kurt decides it's no longer worth it anymore, rattling the scene, and opening the doors for Ol Death to steal even more people away~~~~
( x )( x )
IIIIII
IIIIII
Thursday, May 26, 2016
Music History, Part 30: Seattle Punk - Part III
Disclaimer: Memory is a
funny thing, and an elusive one. Meaning; I might have some of this
wrong, as 1. My memory is not always accurate, like anyone and 2. It is
from my perspective only. Any friends who were there, feel free to
correct me or add things I have missed. It helps! Also, no gossip on
anyone here, it ain't about that. Personal details are on a surface
level, and friends, girlfriends and others are re-named to respect their
privacy. People in bands generally put their names out there on albums
and in interviews anyway, and are not in the habit of staying anonymous,
and therefore are named here. That said, anyone who is in the blog that
wishes me not to use their name has only to ask.
Seattle Years Disclaimer: As I enter the Seattle years in this music blog, the above disclaimer goes double, because so much happened and there are so many details to cover in this 14 year period; so many shows, so many bands, so many friends and so much change in my life. As a result of this and the fact that the four of us who formed Treepeople found ourselves in the midst of a scene which blew up around us and attracted the eyes of the world just 2 years after our arrival, not to mention the 12 years I played music following that, I am bound to, hell, I will forget something.
This means two things: I will be coming back to entries and adding things to them over the months following publication, and, that the part of the above disclaimer where I ask for help from people in keeping me honest and in remembering things is crucial to them. I thank anyone ahead of time who was there, and, those who weren't there who have access to valid info, for helping me to correct errors in dates or chronology. Yes, I have the Internet, but many bands, scenes and things I will cover did not receive the attention I feel that they deserved and thus I will recall them mostly from memory, or rather, memories; mine and those of friends. Also, friends who were in bands which I do not happen to mention, please don't take it personally, just remind me. I have created a monster in undertaking this blog, one which I am determined to ride until the end!
Lastly, as mentioned, this scene gained national attention, and thus, needless to say and as we all know, many bands/people became famous, became rock stars, were/are admired by millions, etc and etc...This makes another part of my original disclaimer even more important. This memoir is intended to tell my story, from my perspective. I have no intention of creating a place where people can seek gossip about famous people, nor is it about 'name-dropping'. I write of my impressions of people, bands, and the Seattle scene from the '90s into the early 2000s. I protect those who are my friends fiercely because a symptom of being known is frequent intrusion into their lives beyond a level that I feel is acceptable. Thank you for indulging me this disclaimer.
A short disclaimer on the Seattle Punk entries: I am not a rock journalist (by any stretch of the imagination) and I know that others have covered the subject of Seattle Punk much more thoroughly. I am adding these sections as I thought it was important to add background to the overall history I am telling, and to give Seattle Punk bands who existed during the 'grunge years' more attention. In the spirit of the rest of this blog, it is based mostly on my experiences within the Seattle scene. And before I need to change the title of this blog to 'Disclaimer'...Onward>>>
Crusty/Crust Punk
One cannot discuss the Seattle Punk scene, especially in the '90s, without talking about 'Crusty Punk' (also called 'Crust Punk' or 'Gutter Punk') which is most often defined as a melding of punk rock and metal, specifically, according to some definitions, 'Extreme Metal', a genre that a wikipedia entry describes as an umbrella term for a number of heavy metal music sub genres that have developed since the early 1980s which are characterized by 'sonic, verbal and visual transgression'; "...The term usually refers to more a abrasive, harsher, underground, non-commercialized style or sound associated with the doom metal, speed metal, thrash metal, black metal and death metal genres...Though many extreme sub-styles are not very well known to mainstream music fans, extreme metal has influenced an array of musical performers inside and outside of heavy metal..."
Wikipedia's definition of 'Crust Punk' is as follows; "...Crust punk (or simply crust) is a form of music influenced by hardcore punk and extreme metal. The style, which evolved in the mid-1980s in England, often has songs with dark and pessimistic lyrics that linger on political and social ills. The term "crust" was coined by Hellbastard on their 1986 Ripper Crust demo. Crust is partly defined by its "bassy" and "dirty" sound. It is often played at a fast tempo with occasional slow sections. Vocals are usually guttural and may be grunted, growled or screamed. Crust punk takes cues from the anarcho-punk of Crass and Discharge and the extreme metal of bands like Venom, Hellhammer/Celtic Frost and Motörhead. While the term was first associated with Hellbastard, Amebix have been described as the originators of the style..." Until reading the above, I was unaware of the term originating in England, and had never heard of Hellbastard.
These definitions fit with my understanding of the genre, though I am sure others have different definitions and may take issue with what I have presented here (as is always the way). The band that ultimately defined the genre for me which was admired by every Crusty Punk I knew in Seattle was Neurosis. After doing this 'Crusty Research' and finding definitions like the above, I now realize that Neurosis came a bit later [correction, Neurosis formed in 1985] but, as I have said, this view of Seattle Punk history, like every entry in this blog, is seen through what I call 'The Wayne Filter'.
Another trait, or ideology/lifestyle common to Seattle Crusty Punks was veganism, something I now realize was carried over from the British influences, particularly the vegan, anti-vivisection, animal rights bands that Crusties often listen to, some of which are listed in the above definitions, like CRASS, Amebix (another band logo I often saw worn by Crusties) and Conflict. There was definitely a hippy punk element to Crusties, also carried over from movements founded by CRASS and others. The founders of CRASS actually were hippies first in the '70s before forming a cohesive style and ideology specific to Punk and that particular musical shift. The funny thing to me about veganism among Seattle Crusties, a lifestyle that is in large part motivated by being healthy, was that they were simultaneously doing heroin! Ironic in the extreme, and, the source of many jokes among myself and my friends.
The term above implies that there were specific clubs that exclusively held Punk shows, but this was not at all the case. More accurately, there were clubs which were willing to put on Punk shows in addition to other types of shows (this just isn't as snappy a section header!). Most often the venues were bars, and some were cafés, but there were also different halls that Punks could rent out, either bands or Punk promoters like my friend Paula Sen. And of course, there were always plenty of house parties where bands could play.
The clubs themselves were often dive bars with cheap beer and a cheap cover charge, a sort of market economy response to the demographic, I suppose (to use the parlance of economics.) The clubs that were putting on Punk shows in the time frame of about 1989 to 1998 (a time frame that I am focusing on for the Seattle Punk entries) that I and my awesome friends who helped me remember (thank you!) were (I encourage anyone to send me more!):
'The Year Punk Broke'
The irony of the Seattle Punk scene not getting as much press as Nirvana and 'grunge' is that without that scene, those things would never have existed. As I mentioned in Part I of the 'Seattle Punk' entries, Kurt Cobain definitely acknowledged the band's Punk roots, and sometimes played covers by lesser known Punk bands like The Vaselines and The Raincoats, and to my memory he also was good about telling folks about Punk bands in the Northwest like Fitz of Depression and Karp, among others. He never shied away from his Punk roots, to his credit, and to the credit of his bandmates, who did pretty much the same.
That said, the Seattle Punk scene and many of the bands I describe were not much known to Kurt, as he had become a rock star by the time they were thriving. In many cases, Seattle Punk bands formed in part as a reaction to the 'major label feeding frenzy' and onslaught of indie rock bands relocating to Seattle following the explosion of Nirvana. Many Seattle Punks felt that they were literally being invaded by bands who cared only about 'making it' or 'being the next thing', and I think they were correct. Treepeople lamented about this as well, and there were actually smaller, transplanted scenes in Seattle from places like Kansas and Ohio (The Gits being a prime example of the Ohio contingent). Treepeople collectively felt that, since we were technically from the NW, and since we moved to Seattle before everything blew up, we were not part of this invasion. Others may disagree.
And for an entertaining definition of 'yarling', see Jack Endino's take here: http://www.endino.com/archive/yarl.html
There were many bands who I wouldn't call Punk bands, per se, but who played music influenced by Punk, and, played Punk shows as easily as did Treepeople (who I would also put in this group of bands). An example, 7 Year Bitch was a great band, and I know that many people consider them a Punk band, but, as I have covered at length, everyone has their own definition. I would say they were close to Punk, but were more hard rock & roll to my mind, in the modern, post-Zepplin sense of the term. The band was made up of women from the Seattle scene who were very active not only musically, but politically as well. I don't want to write of them too much here, as I plan on doing an entry devoted to women musicians in the Seattle scene. I sort of knew some of the members of 7 Year Bitch from crossing paths in the music scene, and, when I worked at the Pike Place Market, a couple of them also worked there. Whenever I interacted with them, they were always really cool to me, and I looked up to them as people, and as musicians.
Kinda Punk Bands (Send me suggestions for more!)
¡Tchkung!
7 Year Bitch
Ac Autolux
Adickdid
Alcohol Funnycar
Bell Jar
Blood Hag
Bone Cellar
Bundle of Hiss
Catbutt
Crisis Party
Coffin Break
Faintly Macabre
Flop
Gas Huffer
The Gits
Gorilla
Hammerbox
Holden Payne & the Agonies
Imij
Juned
The Kent III
Kill Sybil
Los Hornets
Love As Laughter
Modest Mouse
Monroe's Fur (transplants from Australia, great guys)
Mudhoney
Murder City Devils
Pointy Birds
Pure Joy
Scarcrow
Seaweed
Shug
Sourpuss
Steel Wool
TAD
Treepeople
Truly
Violent Green
Punk Labels (I am including labels outside of Seattle here, as these labels also put out Seattle bands, I am, however, limiting it to within Washington State)
Aroma
Bag of Hammers
Black Label
CZ
Empty Records
Estrus
Fallout
Green Monkey
K
Kill Rock Stars
My Fat Ass
Outcast
Penultimate
Piss Poor
Pot Pie
Pulp Records
Punk in my Vitamins
Regal Select
Rx Remedy
Sub Core
Super Electro
Up Records
Vague Vinyl
Random Seattle Punk Memories
For this section, I am going to employ something akin to stream-of-consciousness free writing on my 'Punk memories' from my time in Seattle. One Punk show that stands out in my mind was at a hall in the Central District called 'The Party Hall'. The Party Hall was a small, one room hall located on Madison, just at the crest of the hill that dips down and eventually, after a few miles, ends at the beach on the west side of Lake Washington. Treepeople played there with Screeching Weasel and Whipped, Paula Sen put it on, I believe. We played our set and I think we had to leave right after to go play another show that night.
We later heard that someone who lived in the neighborhood entered the hall with a shotgun and fired it into the ceiling a couple times, scaring the holy hell out of people at the show. At that time, the neighborhood was a mostly black part of town, largely a mellow residential area, but the beginnings of gentrification had begun there, and people were already getting priced out of homes which they had lived in for years. My assumption is that people seeing white Punk kids gathering and hearing their obnoxious music blaring out of the hall and into residents' homes added insult to injury, and as in all communities, some people are imbalanced and can react violently. I encourage those who were at this show during this incident to help me keep the story accurate!
One of my favorite shows ever in Seattle (or anywhere) was a show at the Washington Hall that Treepeople played with Whipped, Bone Cellar (an amazing band that played heavy, angst-filled dirgey punk metal, one of the more underrated bands from that time) and a Sub Pop band called Love Battery. The show was well-attended, and all the bands played excellent, engaging sets. There was friendly slam dancing and sing alongs. This must have been around 1990 or possibly even 1989. I know it was one of the first big shows we played in Seattle, put on by Paula Sen. To me, it was a defining moment, a moment when we saw the potential of punk/alternative rock's power to draw people in. The crowd was diverse in terms of types of people. It was also one of the first shows that a large amount of people from the Punk scene saw Treepeople. After this show, we felt like we had truly arrived in that scene, and people seemed to really dig what we were doing.
I attended Whipped's last show in about 1997, after the drummer, Drew Quinlan (RIP) decided to quit the band. I was in the band Violent Green with Drew at the time. The show was at a little punk club called Uncle Rocky's. I drank one Guinness after another and became very emotional about Drew quitting Whipped. I felt like it was the end of an era, and I became so drunk that my emotions were majorly amplified and I made a scene, throwing some tables over and crying. I was kicked out of the bar (understandably) and ended up at Drew's apartment, next door to where I used to live, lying in one of his roommates' beds and crying myself to sleep. Needless to say, I felt the fool when I woke up.
Final thoughts on Seattle Punk
This feels a bit like the end of a college paper, where I sum everything up in a neat conclusion, and I suppose that is the result of feeling like I always felt at the end of said papers; I must have missed so much here. This became a bit overwhelming in that regard, and reiterates to my disclaimer that I am not a music journalist. I know for a fact that I have left out bands, clubs, and stories. As always, I appeal to you to help me make this blog better; more accurate and more inclusive (especially in these Seattle Punk entries).
As I have mentioned (well more than once!) I feel that the Seattle Punk scene in the early '80s/Late '90s was (and is) thriving and was overshadowed by the 'Grunge' years and the rise of Nirvana and their wannabe followers and imitators. Again, this may be by design if you consider the ethos of Punk, so, I am not saying that this was some 'conspiracy' against Punk, or that the Punks in Seattle at the time had dreams of being rock stars, but it would have been nice for them to sell more records, get some press and get better tours and local shows, to be sure. But mostly, it would have been nice if these bands had been properly acknowledged for their place and influence in all of music history, at a time and in a city that so many consider important to it. I hope, in a small way, I was able to give some of them at least that.
Seattle Years Disclaimer: As I enter the Seattle years in this music blog, the above disclaimer goes double, because so much happened and there are so many details to cover in this 14 year period; so many shows, so many bands, so many friends and so much change in my life. As a result of this and the fact that the four of us who formed Treepeople found ourselves in the midst of a scene which blew up around us and attracted the eyes of the world just 2 years after our arrival, not to mention the 12 years I played music following that, I am bound to, hell, I will forget something.
This means two things: I will be coming back to entries and adding things to them over the months following publication, and, that the part of the above disclaimer where I ask for help from people in keeping me honest and in remembering things is crucial to them. I thank anyone ahead of time who was there, and, those who weren't there who have access to valid info, for helping me to correct errors in dates or chronology. Yes, I have the Internet, but many bands, scenes and things I will cover did not receive the attention I feel that they deserved and thus I will recall them mostly from memory, or rather, memories; mine and those of friends. Also, friends who were in bands which I do not happen to mention, please don't take it personally, just remind me. I have created a monster in undertaking this blog, one which I am determined to ride until the end!
Lastly, as mentioned, this scene gained national attention, and thus, needless to say and as we all know, many bands/people became famous, became rock stars, were/are admired by millions, etc and etc...This makes another part of my original disclaimer even more important. This memoir is intended to tell my story, from my perspective. I have no intention of creating a place where people can seek gossip about famous people, nor is it about 'name-dropping'. I write of my impressions of people, bands, and the Seattle scene from the '90s into the early 2000s. I protect those who are my friends fiercely because a symptom of being known is frequent intrusion into their lives beyond a level that I feel is acceptable. Thank you for indulging me this disclaimer.
A short disclaimer on the Seattle Punk entries: I am not a rock journalist (by any stretch of the imagination) and I know that others have covered the subject of Seattle Punk much more thoroughly. I am adding these sections as I thought it was important to add background to the overall history I am telling, and to give Seattle Punk bands who existed during the 'grunge years' more attention. In the spirit of the rest of this blog, it is based mostly on my experiences within the Seattle scene. And before I need to change the title of this blog to 'Disclaimer'...Onward>>>
Crusty/Crust Punk
One cannot discuss the Seattle Punk scene, especially in the '90s, without talking about 'Crusty Punk' (also called 'Crust Punk' or 'Gutter Punk') which is most often defined as a melding of punk rock and metal, specifically, according to some definitions, 'Extreme Metal', a genre that a wikipedia entry describes as an umbrella term for a number of heavy metal music sub genres that have developed since the early 1980s which are characterized by 'sonic, verbal and visual transgression'; "...The term usually refers to more a abrasive, harsher, underground, non-commercialized style or sound associated with the doom metal, speed metal, thrash metal, black metal and death metal genres...Though many extreme sub-styles are not very well known to mainstream music fans, extreme metal has influenced an array of musical performers inside and outside of heavy metal..."
Wikipedia's definition of 'Crust Punk' is as follows; "...Crust punk (or simply crust) is a form of music influenced by hardcore punk and extreme metal. The style, which evolved in the mid-1980s in England, often has songs with dark and pessimistic lyrics that linger on political and social ills. The term "crust" was coined by Hellbastard on their 1986 Ripper Crust demo. Crust is partly defined by its "bassy" and "dirty" sound. It is often played at a fast tempo with occasional slow sections. Vocals are usually guttural and may be grunted, growled or screamed. Crust punk takes cues from the anarcho-punk of Crass and Discharge and the extreme metal of bands like Venom, Hellhammer/Celtic Frost and Motörhead. While the term was first associated with Hellbastard, Amebix have been described as the originators of the style..." Until reading the above, I was unaware of the term originating in England, and had never heard of Hellbastard.
Helbastard - Images retrieved, rerespectively, from:
&
These definitions fit with my understanding of the genre, though I am sure others have different definitions and may take issue with what I have presented here (as is always the way). The band that ultimately defined the genre for me which was admired by every Crusty Punk I knew in Seattle was Neurosis. After doing this 'Crusty Research' and finding definitions like the above, I now realize that Neurosis came a bit later [correction, Neurosis formed in 1985] but, as I have said, this view of Seattle Punk history, like every entry in this blog, is seen through what I call 'The Wayne Filter'.
Neurosis - Image retrieved from:
This
is a logo I always associate with Seattle Crusty Punks, as I often saw
it on large patches sewed on to the backs of their black hoodies and
sleeveless denim vests
Crusties had
a kind of 'uniform' in that way that young people involved in
'movements' often do, anyway. That is to say, a similar style of dress
that they all adopted. In the case of Seattle Crusties, this generally
consisted of all black clothing, black denim jeans, black boots or
tennis shoes, black band logo T-shirts, and sometimes a denim jacket
with the sleeves torn off, most often worn over a black hoody
sweatshirt. Jackets were covered in band patches, either home made or store-bought. There were also influences from metal fashion, such as spiked belts, bullet belts and spiked wrist bands.
Below: Some examples of Crusty Punk fashion
Image retrieved from:
Image retrieved from:
This is hilarious and actually pretty accurate
Another trait, or ideology/lifestyle common to Seattle Crusty Punks was veganism, something I now realize was carried over from the British influences, particularly the vegan, anti-vivisection, animal rights bands that Crusties often listen to, some of which are listed in the above definitions, like CRASS, Amebix (another band logo I often saw worn by Crusties) and Conflict. There was definitely a hippy punk element to Crusties, also carried over from movements founded by CRASS and others. The founders of CRASS actually were hippies first in the '70s before forming a cohesive style and ideology specific to Punk and that particular musical shift. The funny thing to me about veganism among Seattle Crusties, a lifestyle that is in large part motivated by being healthy, was that they were simultaneously doing heroin! Ironic in the extreme, and, the source of many jokes among myself and my friends.
CRASS - Image retrieved from:
As often happens with youth movements, some who may have been considered Crusty Punks were more into the music and fashion aspects rather than the political ideologies
listed above. That said, many of the people involved were very strict
vegans and animal rights activists who would not even wear leather
(often they wore a leather substitute made of rubber) or use any kind of
animal-based product. They also rescued abused animals and gave them new lives full of love. I admired them for this honorable stance, one I did and still do support.
Many of my friends in the Seattle music scene were or soon became Crusty Punks. Treepeople played shows with some of the bands, like Chritsdriver and Subvert (from Tacoma). Many of the people in the scene that Whipped and Christ on a Crutch were from were Crusties as well. At any given Treepeople show you would see Crusties, Hardcore Punk kids, indie rockers and what I will call 'Pre-Hipsters' at the risk of borrowing the, in my opinion, over-used moniker of Hipster; kids who would later go on to become devout fans of bands such as Built to Spill, Modest Mouse and Death Cab for Cutie.
Admittedly, I may have spent a bit too much space on Crusties here, I guess I am kind of fascinated with them, and, I assume many folks are not familiar with them, and, as I mentioned, I feel it is crucial to understand them in order to understand the Seattle Punk scene in the '90s.
Admittedly, I may have spent a bit too much space on Crusties here, I guess I am kind of fascinated with them, and, I assume many folks are not familiar with them, and, as I mentioned, I feel it is crucial to understand them in order to understand the Seattle Punk scene in the '90s.
Treepeople's sound was becoming harder and more punk than when we started out, and this shift was inevitable for reasons I have stated before, and really, it was more a shift back to our roots rather than us adopting something new. Playing in the Seattle scene tended to move bands to a harder sound as it had done with our Boise Brothers, H-Hour (leading to the influential hard band that formed from them, TAD, also well-liked among Crusties.)
Seattle Punk Clubs
Image retrieved from:
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ9qbbKwj1yrjmxhfbRtYZbTWOKgG6WdFn9A5UiOCYRx_mKdjqqg9KrfGz_1Qs9PUMQVUDnmVf2hssQwFpx9922rxujcUkkc7B0IBv3vqcSryF8cwn6qOQi3uGxaY9KJV89TnvSrfqMOU/s1600/comet5.JPG
The term above implies that there were specific clubs that exclusively held Punk shows, but this was not at all the case. More accurately, there were clubs which were willing to put on Punk shows in addition to other types of shows (this just isn't as snappy a section header!). Most often the venues were bars, and some were cafés, but there were also different halls that Punks could rent out, either bands or Punk promoters like my friend Paula Sen. And of course, there were always plenty of house parties where bands could play.
Above: Punks getting busted for fighting outside the Lake Union Pub.
Below: Stage diving at RCKCNDY
Below: Stage diving at RCKCNDY
Images retrieved, respectively, from:
&
The clubs themselves were often dive bars with cheap beer and a cheap cover charge, a sort of market economy response to the demographic, I suppose (to use the parlance of economics.) The clubs that were putting on Punk shows in the time frame of about 1989 to 1998 (a time frame that I am focusing on for the Seattle Punk entries) that I and my awesome friends who helped me remember (thank you!) were (I encourage anyone to send me more!):
The Backstage
The Black Cat Cafe
The Blue Moon Tavern (also famous for its literary history)
The Break Room
Cafe' Paradiso
Cellophane Square (a record store in the University District)
Central Saloon
The Black Cat Cafe
The Blue Moon Tavern (also famous for its literary history)
The Break Room
Cafe' Paradiso
Cellophane Square (a record store in the University District)
Central Saloon
Chicago's
The Colour Box
The Comet Tavern
The Colour Box
The Comet Tavern
The Crocodile
The Ditto
The Easy
Fallout Records
The Funhouse
Gibsons Bar & Grill
The Lake Union Pub
Linda's Tavern
The Easy
Fallout Records
The Funhouse
Gibsons Bar & Grill
Gorilla Gardens
Kelly'sThe Lake Union Pub
Linda's Tavern
Lucky's
Moe's
My Suzy's Lounge
The Offramp
The OK Hotel
The Rainbow
The Rainbow
The Rebar
The Rendezvous
Rock Candy (aka RCKCNDY)
The Store Room
The Sunset Tavern
Rock Candy (aka RCKCNDY)
Second Time Around
Skoochie's
Sit n' Spin
Squid RowSkoochie's
Sit n' Spin
The Store Room
The Sunset Tavern
The Velvet Elvis
The Vogue
The Vogue
The Weathered Wall
Uncle Rocky's
Under the Rail
Under the Rail
Some halls...
Washington Hall
The Party Hall
Oddfellows Hall
And houses...(need more of these!)
The Comb House
Goathouse
The Hellhound House
House of Wong
The Rat House
And houses...(need more of these!)
The Comb House
Goathouse
The Hellhound House
House of Wong
The Rat House
Anti-Flag (from Pittsburgh) playing at the Lake Union Pub, Seattle
Image retrieved from:
'The Year Punk Broke'
The irony of the Seattle Punk scene not getting as much press as Nirvana and 'grunge' is that without that scene, those things would never have existed. As I mentioned in Part I of the 'Seattle Punk' entries, Kurt Cobain definitely acknowledged the band's Punk roots, and sometimes played covers by lesser known Punk bands like The Vaselines and The Raincoats, and to my memory he also was good about telling folks about Punk bands in the Northwest like Fitz of Depression and Karp, among others. He never shied away from his Punk roots, to his credit, and to the credit of his bandmates, who did pretty much the same.
That said, the Seattle Punk scene and many of the bands I describe were not much known to Kurt, as he had become a rock star by the time they were thriving. In many cases, Seattle Punk bands formed in part as a reaction to the 'major label feeding frenzy' and onslaught of indie rock bands relocating to Seattle following the explosion of Nirvana. Many Seattle Punks felt that they were literally being invaded by bands who cared only about 'making it' or 'being the next thing', and I think they were correct. Treepeople lamented about this as well, and there were actually smaller, transplanted scenes in Seattle from places like Kansas and Ohio (The Gits being a prime example of the Ohio contingent). Treepeople collectively felt that, since we were technically from the NW, and since we moved to Seattle before everything blew up, we were not part of this invasion. Others may disagree.
"...Things were starting to get really weird in Seattle, what with this
new yarl-filled rock coming out of long-haired bands with shirtless lead
singers. I saw it coming, and I started running..." - Fred Speakman
(to be fair, this is a photo of Chris Cornell, singer of Soundgarden, not a 'yarler', and Fred likes Soundgarden, however, in doing a google image search for 'shirtless grunge singers', the best photos were of him, so, here we are).
(to be fair, this is a photo of Chris Cornell, singer of Soundgarden, not a 'yarler', and Fred likes Soundgarden, however, in doing a google image search for 'shirtless grunge singers', the best photos were of him, so, here we are).
Image retrieved from:
My friend Fred Speakman, a phenomenally talented Seattle guitarist with whom I now have the pleasure of playing with in the reformed band Commonauts, and who came up playing in the awesome Seattle hardcore band Last Gasp puts it best in his entertaining and hilarious 2012 entry on Seattle Punk in the blog 'Blackhole Magazine'; "...Things were starting to get really weird in Seattle, what with this
new yarl-filled rock coming out of long-haired bands with shirtless lead
singers. I saw it coming, and I started running..." Read the entire entry here:
And for an entertaining definition of 'yarling', see Jack Endino's take here: http://www.endino.com/archive/yarl.html
What I am getting at overall in this entry (oh so slowly!) is that there was a lot
going on in music in Seattle during the whole 'grunge explosion' that
never saw the light of day nationally. In some ways it is actually a
compliment that this was the case, at least when one considers the ethos
of Punk, and how non-commercial and 'anti rock star' it was. Cobain was not an enemy to Seattle Punks, however (maybe to some) and my sense is that most of them respected him for,
at the very least, being uncomfortable with his fame and all that it
brought, and at most, for the clear and unrepentant Punk influences in
his songwriting and his prickly resistance to playing the game the way major controlling interests wanted him to. Nirvana is claimed to have ushered in the beginning of 'The Year Punk Broke' but I think that is really just the journalistic label machine in action. Like Cobain's heroes The Pixies, Nirvana took Punk into new territory and mixed late '70s Punk with early '70s rock and a smattering of early '80s New Wave. But was Nirvana a Punk band? Hardly. And I am pretty sure Cobain would agree.
Kinda Punk bands of the Seattle Punk Scene
7 Year Bitch (RIP Stefanie Sargent)
There were many bands who I wouldn't call Punk bands, per se, but who played music influenced by Punk, and, played Punk shows as easily as did Treepeople (who I would also put in this group of bands). An example, 7 Year Bitch was a great band, and I know that many people consider them a Punk band, but, as I have covered at length, everyone has their own definition. I would say they were close to Punk, but were more hard rock & roll to my mind, in the modern, post-Zepplin sense of the term. The band was made up of women from the Seattle scene who were very active not only musically, but politically as well. I don't want to write of them too much here, as I plan on doing an entry devoted to women musicians in the Seattle scene. I sort of knew some of the members of 7 Year Bitch from crossing paths in the music scene, and, when I worked at the Pike Place Market, a couple of them also worked there. Whenever I interacted with them, they were always really cool to me, and I looked up to them as people, and as musicians.
Kinda Punk Bands (Send me suggestions for more!)
¡Tchkung!
7 Year Bitch
Ac Autolux
Adickdid
Alcohol Funnycar
Bell Jar
Blood Hag
Bone Cellar
Bundle of Hiss
Catbutt
Crisis Party
Coffin Break
Faintly Macabre
Flop
Gas Huffer
The Gits
Gorilla
Hammerbox
Holden Payne & the Agonies
Imij
Juned
The Kent III
Kill Sybil
Los Hornets
Love As Laughter
Modest Mouse
Monroe's Fur (transplants from Australia, great guys)
Mudhoney
Murder City Devils
Pointy Birds
Pure Joy
Scarcrow
Seaweed
Shug
Sourpuss
Steel Wool
TAD
Treepeople
Truly
Violent Green
Punk Labels (I am including labels outside of Seattle here, as these labels also put out Seattle bands, I am, however, limiting it to within Washington State)
Aroma
Bag of Hammers
Black Label
CZ
Empty Records
Estrus
Fallout
Green Monkey
K
Kill Rock Stars
My Fat Ass
Outcast
Penultimate
Piss Poor
Pot Pie
Pulp Records
Punk in my Vitamins
Regal Select
Rx Remedy
Sub Core
Super Electro
Up Records
Vague Vinyl
Random Seattle Punk Memories
For this section, I am going to employ something akin to stream-of-consciousness free writing on my 'Punk memories' from my time in Seattle. One Punk show that stands out in my mind was at a hall in the Central District called 'The Party Hall'. The Party Hall was a small, one room hall located on Madison, just at the crest of the hill that dips down and eventually, after a few miles, ends at the beach on the west side of Lake Washington. Treepeople played there with Screeching Weasel and Whipped, Paula Sen put it on, I believe. We played our set and I think we had to leave right after to go play another show that night.
We later heard that someone who lived in the neighborhood entered the hall with a shotgun and fired it into the ceiling a couple times, scaring the holy hell out of people at the show. At that time, the neighborhood was a mostly black part of town, largely a mellow residential area, but the beginnings of gentrification had begun there, and people were already getting priced out of homes which they had lived in for years. My assumption is that people seeing white Punk kids gathering and hearing their obnoxious music blaring out of the hall and into residents' homes added insult to injury, and as in all communities, some people are imbalanced and can react violently. I encourage those who were at this show during this incident to help me keep the story accurate!
Punk show at The Party Hall
One of my favorite shows ever in Seattle (or anywhere) was a show at the Washington Hall that Treepeople played with Whipped, Bone Cellar (an amazing band that played heavy, angst-filled dirgey punk metal, one of the more underrated bands from that time) and a Sub Pop band called Love Battery. The show was well-attended, and all the bands played excellent, engaging sets. There was friendly slam dancing and sing alongs. This must have been around 1990 or possibly even 1989. I know it was one of the first big shows we played in Seattle, put on by Paula Sen. To me, it was a defining moment, a moment when we saw the potential of punk/alternative rock's power to draw people in. The crowd was diverse in terms of types of people. It was also one of the first shows that a large amount of people from the Punk scene saw Treepeople. After this show, we felt like we had truly arrived in that scene, and people seemed to really dig what we were doing.
I attended Whipped's last show in about 1997, after the drummer, Drew Quinlan (RIP) decided to quit the band. I was in the band Violent Green with Drew at the time. The show was at a little punk club called Uncle Rocky's. I drank one Guinness after another and became very emotional about Drew quitting Whipped. I felt like it was the end of an era, and I became so drunk that my emotions were majorly amplified and I made a scene, throwing some tables over and crying. I was kicked out of the bar (understandably) and ended up at Drew's apartment, next door to where I used to live, lying in one of his roommates' beds and crying myself to sleep. Needless to say, I felt the fool when I woke up.
Final thoughts on Seattle Punk
This feels a bit like the end of a college paper, where I sum everything up in a neat conclusion, and I suppose that is the result of feeling like I always felt at the end of said papers; I must have missed so much here. This became a bit overwhelming in that regard, and reiterates to my disclaimer that I am not a music journalist. I know for a fact that I have left out bands, clubs, and stories. As always, I appeal to you to help me make this blog better; more accurate and more inclusive (especially in these Seattle Punk entries).
As I have mentioned (well more than once!) I feel that the Seattle Punk scene in the early '80s/Late '90s was (and is) thriving and was overshadowed by the 'Grunge' years and the rise of Nirvana and their wannabe followers and imitators. Again, this may be by design if you consider the ethos of Punk, so, I am not saying that this was some 'conspiracy' against Punk, or that the Punks in Seattle at the time had dreams of being rock stars, but it would have been nice for them to sell more records, get some press and get better tours and local shows, to be sure. But mostly, it would have been nice if these bands had been properly acknowledged for their place and influence in all of music history, at a time and in a city that so many consider important to it. I hope, in a small way, I was able to give some of them at least that.
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