GREEN RIVER BAND PAGE
 GREEN RIVER
|
CURRENT NAME
|
Green River |
|
FORMER NAMES
|
- |
|
ORIGIN
|
USA |
|
STATUS
|
Disbanded |
|
FORMED IN
|
- |
|
GENRE
|
Grunge |
|
STYLE
|
- |
|
LYRICAL THEME
|
- |
|
BAND ADDED
|
2004-04-05, 00:00 |
|
LAST UPDATE
|
2004-04-05, 00:00 |
Green River were arguably the first grunge band, forming
around the same time as the rest of Seattle's first wave (the Melvins,
Soundgarden, and Malfunkshun). In 1985, they became the first grunge band
to release a record, kickstarting the Seattle music scene and later
helping to establish the Sub Pop label. However, Green River are even more
famous for the bands that sprang from their breakup: Mudhoney and
Mother Love Bone, the latter of which also contained the roots of Pearl Jam.
That lineage somewhat overshadows Green River's actual music, which
helped lay out the blueprint for grunge but didn't necessarily rank among
its most transcendent expressions. Green River specialized in a dirty,
sludgy, gleefully ugly hybrid of punk, heavy metal, and bluesy hard
rock, drawing from bands like the Stooges and Aerosmith in addition to the
hardcore punk outfits where many of the members first cut their teeth.
Its appeal tends to depend upon the depth of the listener's int!
erest in grunge, but regardless, the seeds of a revolution are
certainly audible.reen River were formed in Seattle in 1984, taking their name
from the area's notorious, then-recent serial killer (who wasn't
brought to justice until around two decades later). Lead vocalist/guitarist
Mark Arm and guitarist Steve Turner had previously played together in
the local hardcore bands Mr. Epp and the Limp Richerds, while drummer
Alex Vincent (aka Alex Shumway) came from Spluii Numa and bassist Jeff
Ament from Deranged Diction. Late in the year, second guitarist Stone
Gossard — Turner's onetime bandmate in the Ducky Boys — came onboard,
allowing Arm to concentrate exclusively on singing. Green River started
playing local clubs, and in 1985 they recorded two tracks for the
compilation album Deep Six, the inaugural release on local indie C/Z Records (it
also featured early tracks by Soundgarden, the Melvins, Malfunkshun,
and Skin Yard). Later in 1985, Green River went to New York to rec!
ord their debut EP, Come On Down, for the Homestead label.Following the
release of Come On Down, Steve Turner left the band (reportedly over
his distaste for its metal influences) and was replaced by Bruce
Fairweather, who had played with Ament in Deranged Diction. In the summer of
1986, the group recorded another EP, Dry as a Bone, in Seattle with
producer Jack Endino; it was issued by Bruce Pavitt's fledgling Sub Pop
label in July 1987. Green River subsequently began work on an eight-song
mini-album for Sub Pop, which was released in early 1988 under the title
Rehab Doll. By the time it appeared, though, intra-band tensions were
tearing Green River apart. The central issue was commercialism: Gossard
and Ament wanted to pursue a major-label deal, while Arm preferred to
remain independent and record for Sub Pop. The final straw apparently
stemmed from a gig in Los Angeles; Arm wanted to give his friends
backstage passes, but found that Ament had reserved them all for A&R rep!
s who never showed up. Not long after Rehab Doll appeared, Green River
officially disbanded.Arm reunited with Turner to form the punkier
Mudhoney, while Gossard, Ament, and Fairweather joined up with
ex-Malfunkshun singer Andrew Wood in the glammier Mother Love Bone in 1989.
Following Wood's death from a heroin overdose, Gossard and Ament moved on to
found the hugely successful Pearl Jam with vocalist Eddie Vedder.
Fairweather, meanwhile, moved on to Love Battery. In late 1993, during a Pearl
Jam encore in Las Vegas, Arm and Turner joined Gossard and Ament
on-stage for a one-time-only Green River reunion.
| Session musicians Add - Fetch |
| Unknown / none |
