And a part of my 2025 e-book, Various for the Plenty: The ’90s Alt-Rock Revolution – An Oral Historical past, definitely digs deep into this matter.
Under is an excerpt from early within the e-book, wherein such famend names as Ian MacKaye, Fred Armisen, and Matt Pinfield (amongst many others) recall what the indie music scene was like on the time, and the stepping stones that led us to late 1991 – when alt-rock seemingly exploded on a worldwide scale.
MATT JOHNSON (Jeff Buckley drummer): Within the late ’80s, I had moved to New York from Houston. Finally, I grew to become a working drummer enjoying in native bands. I had a brief internship on the Trying Glass, which is Phillip Glass’s studio on Decrease Broadway. I met some numerous musicians, and I keep in mind this man, John Moran, walked by outdoors—I used to be in a bar on Avenue A and First Avenue. And he was with Rebecca Moore—I imagine Jeff Buckley’s girlfriend at that precise time.
So, I ran on the market to say hello to John, and that is the place I met Rebecca. After which John talked about to Rebecca that I used to be a drummer, and he or she mentioned, “Let me get your quantity.” And lo and behold, I obtained a telephone name from Jeff a day or two afterward my answering machine. I met Jeff at Context Studios [in Williamsburg, Brooklyn]. We performed collectively, and I imagine at the moment we began to create what ultimately grew to become “Dream Brother”—in all probability at that first rehearsal/audition.
CHAD TAYLOR (Reside guitarist): There have been a handful of worthy artists and bands [near York, Pennsylvania]—all featured performers on the Chameleon Membership. Out of the blue, Tammy! was amongst my favorites, together with Innocence Mission. The band Ocean Blue was additionally from our area and did effectively.
CRAIG WEDREN (Shudder to Assume singer/guitarist): The late ’80s and early ’90s had been fairly fascinating to me by way of what was happening within the D.C. underground music scene. Dischord had began within the early ’80s. I used to be dwelling in Cleveland on the
…everyone was rising up—it was a bunch of children who had been of their early teenagers within the early ’80s and had been now entering into their late teenagers within the mid-to-late ’80s. The older you bought, the extra omnivorous you get.
time . . . I used to be solely vaguely conscious of Minor Risk and Dangerous Brains. I moved there in ’85, on the finish of what can be termed “revolution summer season,” which was Rites of Spring and the second wave of D.C. hardcore. And it was extra impressionistic and somewhat extra . . . not overtly psychedelic, however there was an experimentation to it. And everyone was rising up—it was a bunch of children who had been of their early teenagers within the early ’80s and had been now entering into their late teenagers within the mid-to-late ’80s. The older you bought, the extra omnivorous you get. It was okay to confess you liked the Beatles. Whereas that was verboten earlier than. So, this kind of expansive creativity or angle towards experimentation within the D.C. underground actually kicked in within the Dischord world at that time.
In Cleveland, you took no matter you may get. There weren’t sufficient weirdos to be strict about “Nicely, I am into hardcore.” “Nicely, I am into ska.” “Nicely, I am into noise.” It was only one bunch of freaks. So, once I joined Shudder to Assume, it was throughout that part of D.C. music that was already beginning to open up. The minute we began enjoying collectively, it was very clear that there was one thing completely different occurring—the mix of sensibilities, the sounds, my voice, and lyric model. And luckily, everyone within the band agreed that originality and inventiveness can be a premium. And I feel there was a variety of that mentality occurring in younger bands in D.C. within the late ’80s. So, by 1990, there have been so many various kinds of bands in D.C. and within the Dischord secure between Shudder to Assume, Jawbox, and Fugazi. That is a reasonably extensive number of music proper there already.
IAN MacKAYE (Fugazi singer/guitarist, co-owner of Dischord Information): Dischord Information largely exists in our personal zone. Within the forty-plus years since we put out our first document, we have by no means used contracts and by no means had a lawyer. And Fugazi . . . I do not suppose every other bands operated like us. In consequence, I feel I’ve a very bizarre perspective on the music enterprise. Fugazi by no means had a supervisor or relied on a reserving agent; we by no means toured on a bus and by no means used setlists. We had been a bizarre fuckin’ band.
CRAIG WEDREN: We had been shut—and nonetheless are—with Dave Grohl as a result of he was a part of the D.C. scene. He performed within the band Scream; he had a band known as Dain Bramage. And we had been the identical age—he was relationship a lady in my class, and we went to the promenade collectively. We had been all buds. And I’d go see any band he was enjoying in simply to observe him play drums, as a result of it was so electrical.
JASON PETTIGREW (Various Press journal author and editor): Being in Cleveland [where Alternative Press was based], you were not business sufficient for L.A., you were not cool sufficient for New York. We typically wrote about stuff that was completely different. And hopefully, we might pull any person away from their dad and mom’ basic rock data lengthy sufficient to get them hooked on one thing else.
PAGE HAMILTON (Helmet singer/guitarist): Madison [Wisconsin] had—due to Sensible Studios—a cool a part of the world, too. There have been little pockets like Chicago, Madison, Minneapolis, New York, and Seattle—the place there have been scenes.
BILL GOULD (Religion No Extra bassist): I grew up in Hollywood within the late ’70s/early ’80s. And it was like mods and rockers. There have been hair bands and there have been punks. And I used to be on the facet of the punks. So, on a really cultural degree, I at all times noticed the hair bands as “the opposite.” Sort of the enemy. These had been the blokes that drove the pickup vehicles and would kick our ass.
FAT MIKE (NOFX singer/bassist): Los Angeles was essentially the most violent music scene of all time. There have been punk gangs: There was the Suicidal Tendencies gang; there was FFF, the L.A. Dying Squad, and Burbank Punk Group. The primary cause I left L.A. is as a result of I went to see the Dickies at a nightclub in Santa Monica, and I knew some Suicidals, and my good friend obtained stabbed within the lung on the present. They did not know him—they only knew he wasn’t from Venice. My mates obtained beat up with golf golf equipment. Y’know, punk rockers beating different punk rockers.
And the cops would mace us. I obtained arrested—solely as soon as, in Hollywood—however for nothing. However that was each punk present. It wasn’t till the late ’80s when Fugazi and Dangerous Faith got here out. Dangerous Faith put out the best-selling document that 12 months in punk [No Control]. Are you aware what number of it offered? Ten thousand. And we could not imagine they offered ten thousand as a result of NOFX offered two thousand in ’89. So, what was the punk scene like in L.A.? It was essentially the most horrific, violent scene. I moved to San Francisco after my good friend obtained stabbed.
MATT PINFIELD (MTV VJ, host of MTV’s 120 Minutes): [Drummer] Matt Sorum discovered Tori Amos enjoying by the LAX Airport in a lodge. He heard her, and he was so blown away by her piano enjoying that he was like, “Hey, we have to begin a band collectively!” And mainly, they began the band Y Kant Tori Learn. That document [1988’s self-titled] did not actually do something, however Jason Flom ended up signing her to Atlantic—by telling her that he did not need the entire band, he needed her to do her personal factor. After which, Little Earthquakes got here subsequent.
MOBY (Solo artist/DJ/remixer): After which in a single day, we realized there have been these nerdy different rockers in Seattle—who additionally had been listening to Black Sabbath.
KEVIN MARTIN (Candlebox singer): I moved to Seattle in 1984. My dad took a job up there. It was proper when all of the grunge music was beginning to occur. Chris Cornell was nonetheless enjoying drums once I noticed Soundgarden—they had been a three-piece.
BILL GOULD: After we performed in Seattle, I feel the primary time was 1985/1986 on the Central Tavern. It was us, Pores and skin Yard—Jack Endino’s band—and Soundgarden. There have been solely like thirty individuals there. We went with Soundgarden to play Ellensburg, Washington, and I feel that the blokes from Screaming Bushes got here to that present and began a band after that. It wasn’t like a motion—they had been simply mates of ours up there that we might play with. And issues gathered steam. I keep in mind the primary time I heard Nirvana; Nirvana appeared like youngsters coming from that world, mainly.
CHRIS HASKETT (Rollins Band guitarist): Soundgarden had been the primary of “us” to get signed. They obtained signed to a significant label [A&M] in, like, 1988. We had been all like, “Whoa! How did that occur?” That type of put them in a special world.
COREY GLOVER (Dwelling Color singer): We did a present in Albany, New York, as soon as; and Soundgarden opened. And it was essentially the most wonderful shit I’ve ever seen in my life. I believed that Chris Cornell was wonderful. I believed the band was overly gifted—too gifted for the room.
FRED ARMISEN (actor/comic [Portlandia, Documentary Now!, Saturday Night Live], Trenchmouth drummer): I feel once I noticed Mudhoney’s data—that appeared like a special motion was occurring. It did not seem to be the identical type of “school rock/ different” bands that had been popping out. Even with out listening to them, I might inform there was one thing occurring. Then after all, there have been these different genres beginning to occur within the late ’80s.
I really feel like industrial had its personal look—the Wax Trax! scene and all that. That appeared like one thing completely different than school/different. What I imply by “school/different” is the Smithereens, 10,000 Maniacs, and possibly even the Sugarcubes—someplace in there, that is what appeared like different. Except for the jangle of the sound, I’d say that the Smithereens additionally had a distorted sound. Which on the time, was not being performed on each radio station. I see them as much less jangly and somewhat more durable than that. I beloved all of it, however Mudhoney caught my eye as, “Oh . . . what’s occurring right here?”
EDDIE “KING” ROESER (Urge Overkill singer/bassist): We fashioned in a microcosm, the place I type of confirmed up on the campus of Northwestern from a small city in Minnesota. I used to be unaware of the scene in Minneapolis—on the time, the Replacements and Hüsker Dü had been thriving. And I lived far-off, and there was no place to even get a fanzine the place I grew up. So, I grew up nearly unaware of any underground punk rock factor. A pal of mine had issues that had been extra public—I used to be conscious of the Intercourse Pistols and issues like that.
The primary factor in my life that was occurring was that I grew to become conscious of Huge Black, as there was this kind of raconteur on campus who wrote for The Every day Northwestern and was a recognized determine as being an outspokenly public asshole. The primary person who I used to be conscious of being publicly towards the grain. By the point I confirmed up there, Steve Albini was on his manner out, and I ended up at this tiny on-campus place the place I noticed a model of Urge Overkill. It was their final present, mainly. And Huge Black performed certainly one of their first reveals—I feel it was Steve and a drum machine.
I can not even say what was occurring in Chicago, however by assembly [Urge Overkill bandmate] Nash [Kato] and Steve, I used to be conscious of stuff like Bare Raygun. And Ministry—I feel Al Jourgensen was a man that Steve truly performed music with
…we’re speaking mid-’80s. It was a really tiny world of misfits and dreamers. It is mainly a bunch of Asperger’s sufferers who did not know how one can have enjoyable and had very delinquent tendencies.
him a few instances. It was kind of a nascent scene in Chicago, and whereas I used to be there, I used to be in a position to see just a few issues that had been essential to me—I noticed Bare Raygun open for the Replacements, and I feel there have been about twenty individuals there. Steve was the man who mentioned, “You’ll be able to truly hire a studio and make a document.” We recorded a document that Steve helped finance. It was recorded in 1984—it got here out on Steve’s label, Ruthless [1986’s Strange, I . . .]. He was an entrepreneur on this planet of punk rock. Everyone else was not succesful with the ability to concentrate and see a undertaking by. Steve was the man who did that.
Corey Rusk began the label Contact and Go in Detroit, and his presence on the scene was essential. And in some way, Steve connected with them. I do not know the way they met the Butthole Surfers, however that was within the combine as effectively. So, we’re speaking mid-’80s. It was a really tiny world of misfits and dreamers. It is mainly a bunch of Asperger’s sufferers who did not know how one can have enjoyable and had very delinquent tendencies. I imply, Contact and Go events on the time, individuals would grill a bunch of meat and you may in all probability depend the phrases mentioned amongst individuals within the tons of, as a result of nobody knew how one can talk or have enjoyable.
After which these freaks from Texas confirmed up. Scratch Acid had been within the combine. These guys got here to Chicago, and Jesus Lizard was a later factor. However Steve left the campus space, purchased a home, and determined he needed to change into knowledgeable recordist and blaze his personal path. And since we had been within the combine early sufficient and we had been all buddies, certainly one of our first excursions, Steve rented a van and performed in Kentucky and had Squirrel Bait play, and the primary model of Urge went together with them. This was our complete world: the nascent Contact and Go scene.
The most important band on earth to me on the time was Sonic Youth. And Steve had a relationship with them. After they got here to city, we went to the park and had a barbecue. However there was no intimation that something concerned with punk rock would change into one thing that anyone was going to care about. It was the place to go if you happen to had been a loser or a misfit. It was for its personal leisure.
We recorded a model of “Wichita Lineman” with Steve. And Steve obtained it to Corey, and he is like, “I wish to put this single out.” We could not even imagine that we had a label that wasn’t Steve. Nash, his actual curiosity was arts and graphic design. He designed the Contact and Go emblem.
TANYA DONELLY (Stomach, The Breeders, and Throwing Muses singer/guitarist): At that time, there have been so many bands [in Boston] from the late ’80s to the early ’90s— Pixies, Throwing Muses, Uzi, the Neats. Any given invoice on any given evening would have been wildly eclectic. And it was a joyful factor. It might be the Blake Infants and Dinosaur Jr., and Throwing Muses and Pixies performed collectively quite a bit. However then there have been the “Mission of Burma breakout bands” like Birdsongs of the Mesozoic.
On the time, I do know this sounds naïve, however we weren’t targeted on being feminine in music. However once I look again now, I am like, “There was a wholesome share of girls driving the scene on the time.” And that’s one thing additionally that I feel was distinctive to that period—and particularly to Boston and London on the time. There have been pockets all over the place, clearly; however Boston was so female-rich. I really feel that that was one thing that I kind of took as a right on the time. It was simply 50/50 at the moment.
PAUL Q. KOLDERIE (Producer [Dinosaur Jr., Radiohead, Hole, Morphine]): When Fort Apache Studios began, we had been only a native eight-track studio in Boston. It was beginning at floor zero from nothing. All of us had been musicians and individuals who performed in bands and knew lots of people on the town. Bu the factor that made individuals like going there may be that it was grungy. It was in an previous warehouse that had been a business laundry. And it was like a metropolis block—it was an infinite empty warehouse, with previous industrial loos and previous beat-up wooden floors. So, our studio was carved out of the second ground of that constructing. We did not have the entire ground, however a variety of instances at evening, we would use it—we would drag mics on the market. Quite a lot of screaming vocals on the Pixies’ Come on Pilgrim had been recorded on the market.
And phrase of mouth was so essential. Again then, there was a really achievable factor you may do: You possibly can go right into a studio, e-book time, document songs, and make a quarter-inch reel- to-reel tape that you may take to school radio stations and some business different stations that will doubtlessly play that tape. Y’know, it was the native ghetto present on Sunday evening, but when it was actually profitable, you’ll graduate over into truly being added to the rotation. And no person was paying payola both—it was very meritocracy- based mostly. It was by no means a query of getting to bribe somebody or slipping a hundred-dollar invoice in with a tape. They listened to it, and in the event that they appreciated it, they’d play it
The primary actual business success we had was Deal with Her Proper—Mark Sandman’s band earlier than Morphine. They scored a neighborhood hit that truly grew to become a nationwide hit [“I Think She Likes Me”], they usually signed to RCA Information. Swiftly, that
We went up the ladder from 8-track to 16-track to 24-track to 2 24-track studios. After which ultimately we had our personal manufacturing take care of a label. We had been fairly proactive about going after bands that we needed to document, particularly within the early days.
actually put us on the map. As a result of as soon as individuals begin to suppose there is a fortunate comfort retailer the place they promote lottery tickets that are available in, persons are like, “How can I get in there?” After which after that, the Pixies. Gary [Smith] introduced within the Pixies and produced Come on Pilgrim, and I engineered it. All of us type of teamed up on it. Man, that was an actual Fort Apache early golden period. Individuals had been sleeping within the different room, and we had been mixing across the clock. That document actually blew a variety of doorways open. And at one level, WFNX put out their “High 50 Native Songs of the 12 months”; and we had like thirty-eight of them!
We went up the ladder from 8-track to 16-track to 24-track to 2 24-track studios. After which ultimately we had our personal manufacturing take care of a label. We had been fairly proactive about going after bands that we needed to document, particularly within the early days. Like, I went to the Rat [the Rathskeller club] with Gary, and we noticed the Pixies. We went backstage and talked to them and mentioned, “Let’s make a document.” That did not at all times work. However it did in that case.
After Come on Pilgrim got here out—which I engineered—I went to Las Vegas, and I used to be hanging out with some individuals. And so they mentioned, “You are an engineer? Nicely . . . what did you do?” And I mentioned [Come on Pilgrim], they usually had been like, “Wow, actually? You probably did that?” They knew about it immediately—it had solely been out just a few weeks. It unfold like wildfire, the equal of going viral.
DAVID PAJO (Slint guitarist, Tortoise bassist): I keep in mind after we had been recording Tweez, [drummer] Britt [Walford] requested [Steve Albini], “Do you suppose Slint will ever be in style?” And Steve—actually correctly—mentioned, “I do not suppose Slint will ever be in style . . . however they’re going to be influential.” After which he mentioned that we had been “the sound of the ’90s.” Which, in 1987, it sounded just like the far-off future. However he was so spot-on.
Various for the Plenty: The ’90s Alt-Rock Revolution – An Oral Historical past is accessible on the market now, as Kindle, hardcover, and audio editions.
