by Greg Prato
BEN SHEPHERD: Now it’s all bloated again. It’s because the other industries mock it and market it. Calms it down again. And another genre of art will take over when there’s no culture to run with it. It all comes down to music that you’re sharing. So just fucking go for it.
MIKE INEZ: We need something like that to happen again — to change the landscape of the face of music. Right now.
Cast of Characters
Grant Alden: Journalist for The Rocket, later founder of No Depression magazine
Jeff Ament: Deranged Diction/Green River/Mother Love Bone/Pearl Jam/ Temple of the Dog bassist
Dawn Anderson: Journalist, publisher of the zine Backlash, ex-wife of Jack Endino
Mark Arm: Green River and Mudhoney singer/guitarist, the Thrown Ups drummer, husband of Emily Rieman
Jon Auer: The Posies singer/guitarist
Krisha Augerot: Former assistant for Kelly Curtis (Pearl Jam’s manager)
Yanni “Johnny” Bacolas: Alice ‘N Chains (pre–Alice in Chains)/Second Coming/the Crying Spell bassist, roommate of Layne Staley’s in the mid-late ’90s
Peter Bagge: Illustrator (Hate comic series)
Paul Barker: The Blackouts bassist (later member of Ministry)
John Leighton Beezer: The Thrown Ups bassist
Nils Bernstein: Former Sub Pop publicist
John Bigley: U-Men singer
Jim Blanchard: Concert flyer artist
Kurt Bloch: The Fastbacks guitarist
Jennie Boddy: Former Sub Pop publicist
Derrick Bostrom: Meat Puppets drummer
Tim Branom: Gypsy Rose singer
Matt Cameron: Soundgarden/Temple of the Dog/Pearl Jam drummer
Jerry Cantrell: Alice in Chains guitarist
Dylan Carlson: Earth singer/guitarist, friend of Kurt Cobain
Chad Channing: Nirvana drummer
Art Chantry: Concert poster artist, album cover designer
Colleen Combs: Former assistant for Kelly Curtis (Pearl Jam’s manager)
Van Conner: Screaming Trees bassist
John Conte: Concert-goer
Blaine Cook: The Fartz/Ten Minute Warning/The Accüsed singer
Michelle Ahern-Crane: Concert-goer, wife of Scotty Crane
Scotty Crane: Concert-goer, owner of Soundhouse Recording Studio, husband of Michelle Ahern-Crane
Dale Crover: Melvins/Nirvana drummer
Blag Dahlia: Dwarves singer
Kurt Danielson: Tad bassist
Terry Date: Producer (Mother Love Bone, Soundgarden)
Dave Dederer: Presidents of the United States of America guitarist
Matt Dentino: The Shemps guitarist
Tad Doyle: Tad singer/guitarist
Pete Droge: Singer/songwriter
Chuck Dukowski: Black Flag bassist
Jack Endino: Producer/engineer (Soundgarden, Nirvana, Green River, Mudhoney, Tad, Fastbacks, L7, Love Battery), Skin Yard singer/guitarist, ex-husband of Dawn Anderson, Kandi Coded guitarist
Jonathan Evison (aka “Munkeyseeker” and “Johnny Seattle”): March of Crimes singer
Bruce Fairweather: Deranged Diction/Green River/Mother Love Bone guitarist, Love Battery bassist
Cathy Faulkner: KISW DJ
Kathy Fennessy: KCMU music director
Steve Fisk: Producer/engineer (Screaming Trees, Beat Happening, Soundgarden, Girl Trouble, The Gits, Nirvana, Jesse Bernstein)
Ed Fotheringham: The Thrown Ups singer, Mudhoney illustrator
Matt Fox: Bitter End singer
Jeff Gilbert: Journalist for The Rocket and Guitar World, former employee of Sub Pop Records
Regan Hagar: Malfunkshun/Brad/Satchel drummer
Ross Halfin: Photographer
Stuart Hallerman: Soundgarden’s soundman, owner of Avast! Recording Studio
Kathleen Hanna: Bikini Kill singer
Chris Hanzsek: Producer (Green River, the Melvins, the Accüsed, Deep Six compilation), Reciprocal Recording Studio founder
Tim Hayes: Concert-goer, worked at (and later owned) Fallout Record Store
Tom Hazelmyer: U-Men bassist, Amphetamine Reptile Records founder
Ron Heathman: Supersuckers guitarist
Daniel House: Skin Yard bassist, C/Z Records founder, former employee of Sub Pop Records
Mike Inez: Alice in Chains bassist
Mark Iverson: KCMU DJ
Megan Jasper: Former Sub Pop Records receptionist, current Sub Pop executive vice president
Calvin Johnson: Beat Happening singer/guitarist, K Records founder
Adam Kasper: Producer/engineer (Soundgarden, Nirvana, Pearl Jam)
Joe Keithley: DOA singer/guitarist
David Kincaid: The Allies singer/guitarist
Sean Kinney: Alice in Chains drummer
Curt Kirkwood: Meat Puppets singer/guitarist
Libby Knudson: Concert-goer, photographer
Xana La Fuente: Andy Wood’s girlfriend
Ben London: Alcohol Funnycar singer/guitarist
Steve Mack: The Thrown Ups/That Petrol Emotion singer
Steve Manning: Current Sub Pop publicist
Tracy Marander: Photographer (cover of Nirvana’s Bleach), girlfriend of Kurt Cobain
Nancy Layne McCallum: Mother of Layne Staley
Duff McKagan: The Vains bassist, Fastbacks drummer, Fartz drummer, Ten Minute Warning guitarist, Guns N’ Roses bassist
David Meinert: Concert promoter, manager
Lilly Milic: Owner of the record store Top Hat Records, wife of Garrett Shavlik
Craig Montgomery: Nirvana’s soundman
Rod Moody: Deranged Diction singer, Swallow singer/guitarist
Slim Moon: Earth guitarist, Witchy Poo singer/guitarist, solo artist, Kill Rock Stars Records co-founder
Kent Morrill: The Wailers pianist/singer, Etiquette Records co-founder
Joe Newton: Gas Huffer drummer
Tom Niemeyer: The Accüsed/Gruntruck guitarist
Kyle Nixon: Solger singer
Buck Ormsby: The Wailers bassist, Etiquette Records co-founder
Bruce Pavitt: Sub Pop Records co-founder
Charles Peterson: Photographer
Mark Pickerel: Screaming Trees/Truly drummer
Rick Pierce: Ze Fabulous Pickle Sisters/TKO guitarist
Jonathan Plum: Engineer (Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains)
Jonathan Poneman: Sub Pop Records co-founder
Tom Price: U-Men guitarist
Chris Pugh: The Young Pioneers/Swallow guitarist
Riki Rachtman: Host of MTV’s Headbanger’s Ball
Dave Rees: Early Malfunkshun bassist
Larry Reid: U-Men manager, show promoter, owner of art galleries/show venues Rosco Louie and Graven Image
Ben Rew: Tad roadie
Bill Rieflin: The Blackouts drummer (later member of Ministry)
Emily Rieman: Concert-goer, wife of Mark Arm
Johnny Rubato (aka John Rogers): Student Nurse/Red Dress drummer, owner of Rubato Records record store, KRAB DJ
Robert Roth: Truly singer/guitarist
Nick Scott: POPDeFECT drummer
Garrett Shavlik: The Fluid drummer, husband of Lilly Milic
Ben Shepherd: March of Crimes guitarist, Soundgarden bassist, Hater guitarist
Joe Shikany: Big Horn/the Allies guitarist
Susan Silver: Soundgarden/Alice in Chains manager, ex-wife of Chris Cornell
Brad Sinsel: Mojo Hand/Ze Fabulous Pickle Sisters/TKO singer
Mark Smith: The Beakers/Three Swimmers singer/guitarist
Shawn Smith: Brad/Satchel singer/pianist
Jim Sorenson: T-shirt designer
Donita Sparks: L7 singer/guitarist
Ken Stringfellow: The Posies singer/guitarist
Robin Taylor: Concert booking agent
Susie Tennant: DGC Records employee
Whiting Tennis: Concert-goer, painter
Kim Thayil: Soundgarden guitarist
Jim Tillman: U-Men/Love Battery bassist
Tin
uviel: Kill Rock Stars Records co-founder
Joe Toutonghi: Concert-goer, skater, member of the Bopo Boys and Jak’s Team
Steve Turner: The Thrown Ups/Green River/Mudhoney guitarist
Conrad Uno: Egg Studios owner, Pop Llama Records founder, producer/ engineer (Mudhoney, Young Fresh Fellows, Bratmobile, Supersuckers, Love Battery, Presidents of the United States of America)
Kurdt Vanderhoof: The Lewd/Metal Church guitarist
Scott Vanderpool: KCMU/KISW DJ, Room Nine/Young Pioneers drummer
Matt Vaughan: Owner of Easy Street Record Store, Gruntruck manager
Eddie Vedder: Pearl Jam/Temple of the Dog singer
Kim Warnick: The Fastbacks singer/bassist
Alice Wheeler: Photographer
Allison Wolfe: Bratmobile singer
Kevin Wood: Malfunkshun guitarist, brother of Andy Wood
Hiro Yamamoto: Soundgarden/Truly bassist
The Blackouts at Baby-O’s, 1983 [pic by Mike Leach — bestrockphotos.com]
The U-Men at the Golden Crown, 1983 [pic by Mike Leach — bestrockphotos.com]
The March of Crimes at the Metropolis, early ’80s [pic by Damon Romero]
Malfunkshun’s Andy Wood (with nifty homemade T-shirt) in early ’80s [pic by Blaine Cook]
Spluii Numa plays, Mark Arm goes upside down at the Metropolis, early ’80s [pic by Mike Leach — bestrockphotos.com]
Green River dig KCMU (L-R: Je? Ament, Mark Arm, Bruce Fairweather) [pic by Libby Knudson]
The Melvins rock! (L-R: Buzz Osborne, Matt Lukin, Dale Crover) [pic by Libby Knudson]
Early Nirvana, at the Capitol Lake Park, August 20, 1988 (L-R: Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic, Chad Channing) [pic by Rod Moody]
Soundgarden at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago, November 10, 1996 (L-R: Chris Cornell, Ben Shepherd, Kim Thayil) [pics by Seth Perlman]
This living room will never be the same: Tad live in Europe, 1989 [pic by Chad Channing]
Matt Lukin and Krist Novoselic in Europe, 1989 [pic by Chad Channing]
Truly underrated, Truly (L-R: Hiro Yamamoto, Robert Roth, Mark Pickerel) [pic by David Hawkes]
Eddie Vedder and a field, 1992 [pic by Krisha Augerot]
Mad Season’s Layne Staley and Mike McCready perform (in Eddie Vedder’s house!) as part of Pearl Jam’s Self Pollution Radio broadcast, January 8, 1995 [pic by Yanni “Johnny” Bacolas — yannibacolas.com]
Ladies and gentlemen … Bratmobile [pic by John Perry]
Mudhoney outside KEXP, March 2006 (L-R: Dan Peters, Steve Turner, Guy Maddison, Mark Arm) [pic by Bootsy Holler — bootsyholler.com]
Pearl Jam at Easy Street Records, April 2005 (L-R: Mike McCready, Je? Ament, Eddie Vedder, Stone Gossard) [pic by Bootsy Holler — bootsyholler.com]