And a part of my 2025 e book, Different for the Lots: The ’90s Alt-Rock Revolution – An Oral Historical past, actually digs deep into this subject.
Under is an excerpt from early within the e book, by which 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 world scale.
MATT JOHNSON (Jeff Buckley drummer): Within the late ’80s, I had moved to New York from Houston. Finally, I turned a working drummer taking part in in native bands. I had a brief internship on the Wanting Glass, which is Phillip Glass’s studio on Decrease Broadway. I met some varied 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 Road. 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 she or he stated, “Let me get your quantity.” And lo and behold, I obtained a cellphone name from Jeff a day or two in a while 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 turned “Dream Brother”—most likely at that first rehearsal/audition.
CHAD TAYLOR (Stay guitarist): There have been a handful of worthy artists and bands [near York, Pennsylvania]—all featured performers on the Chameleon Membership. Immediately, 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 residing in Cleveland on the
…all people was rising up—it was a bunch of children who had been of their early teenagers within the early ’80s and had been now stepping 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 Menace 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 a bit of extra . . . not overtly psychedelic, however there was an experimentation to it. And all people was rising up—it was a bunch of children who had been of their early teenagers within the early ’80s and had been now stepping 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 type 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 could possibly get. There weren’t sufficient weirdos to be strict about “Properly, I am into hardcore.” “Properly, I am into ska.” “Properly, I am into noise.” It was only one bunch of freaks. So, once I joined Shudder to Assume, it was throughout that section of D.C. music that was already beginning to open up. The minute we began taking part in collectively, it was very clear that there was one thing totally different occurring—the mixture of sensibilities, the sounds, my voice, and lyric type. And thankfully, all people within the band agreed that originality and inventiveness can be a premium. And I feel there was lots 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 large number of music proper there already.
IAN MacKAYE (Fugazi singer/guitarist, co-owner of Dischord Data): Dischord Data 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 some other bands operated like us. Consequently, I feel I’ve a extremely 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 referred to 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 might go see any band he was taking part in in simply to observe him play drums, as a result of it was so electrical.
JASON PETTIGREW (Different Press journal author and editor): Being in Cleveland [where Alternative Press was based], you were not industrial sufficient for L.A., you were not cool sufficient for New York. We usually wrote about stuff that was totally different. And hopefully, we might pull any person away from their mother and father’ 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.” Type 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 probably 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. Demise Squad, and Burbank Punk Group. The principle 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 yr in punk [No Control]. Have you learnt what number of it bought? Ten thousand. And we could not imagine they bought ten thousand as a result of NOFX bought two thousand in ’89. So, what was the punk scene like in L.A.? It was probably 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 taking part in by the LAX Airport in a lodge. He heard her, and he was so blown away by her piano taking part in that he was like, “Hey, we have to begin a band collectively!” And principally, 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 various 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 taking part in drums once I noticed Soundgarden—they had been a three-piece.
BILL GOULD: Once 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 folks 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, principally.
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 form of put them in a distinct world.
COREY GLOVER (Dwelling Color singer): We did a present in Albany, New York, as soon as; and Soundgarden opened. And it was probably the most wonderful shit I’ve ever seen in my life. I believed that Chris Cornell was wonderful. I believed the band was overly proficient—too proficient for the room.
FRED ARMISEN (actor/comic [Portlandia, Documentary Now!, Saturday Night Live], Trenchmouth drummer): I feel once I noticed Mudhoney’s data—that seemed like a distinct motion was occurring. It did not look like the identical form of “faculty rock/ various” 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 totally different than faculty/various. What I imply by “faculty/various” is the Smithereens, 10,000 Maniacs, and perhaps even the Sugarcubes—someplace in there, that is what appeared like various. Other than the jangle of the sound, I might 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 a bit of tougher than that. I cherished 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 form 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 distant, and there was no place to even get a fanzine the place I grew up. So, I grew up virtually 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 principle factor in my life that was occurring was that I turned conscious of Massive Black, as there was this type of raconteur on campus who wrote for The Each day Northwestern and was a recognized determine as being an outspokenly public asshole. The primary individual that I used to be conscious of being publicly in opposition to 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, principally. And Massive Black performed one among their first reveals—I feel it was Steve and a drum machine.
I am unable to 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 really performed music with
…we’re speaking mid-’80s. It was a really tiny world of misfits and dreamers. It is principally a bunch of Asperger’s sufferers who did not know the right way to have enjoyable and had very delinquent tendencies.
him a few occasions. It was type of a nascent scene in Chicago, and whereas I used to be there, I used to be capable of see a couple of issues that had been essential to me—I noticed Bare Raygun open for the Replacements, and I feel there have been about twenty folks there. Steve was the man who stated, “You’ll be able to really lease 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 the planet of punk rock. All people else was not succesful with the ability to listen 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 principally a bunch of Asperger’s sufferers who did not know the right way to have enjoyable and had very delinquent tendencies. I imply, Contact and Go events on the time, folks would grill a bunch of meat and you could possibly most likely depend the phrases stated amongst folks within the a whole lot, as a result of nobody knew the right way to 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 develop into knowledgeable recordist and blaze his personal path. And since we had been within the combine early sufficient and we had been all buddies, one among 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 whole world: the nascent Contact and Go scene.
The largest band on earth to me on the time was Sonic Youth. And Steve had a relationship with them. Once 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 develop into one thing that anyone was going to care about. It was the place to go in case you 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 want 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 night time would have been wildly eclectic. And it was a joyful factor. It will 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 centered on being feminine in music. However once I look again now, I am like, “There was a wholesome share of ladies 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 in every single place, clearly; however Boston was so female-rich. I really feel that that was one thing that I type 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 folks like going there may be that it was grungy. It was in an previous warehouse that had been a industrial laundry. And it was like a metropolis block—it was an infinite empty warehouse, with previous industrial bogs and previous beat-up wooden flooring. So, our studio was carved out of the second ground of that constructing. We did not have the entire ground, however lots of occasions at night time, we would use it—we would drag mics on the market. A number 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 could possibly do: You may go right into a studio, e book time, document songs, and make a quarter-inch reel- to-reel tape that you could possibly take to varsity radio stations and some industrial various stations that might probably play that tape. Y’know, it was the native ghetto present on Sunday night time, but when it was actually profitable, you’d graduate over into really being added to the rotation. And no one 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 favored it, they’d play it
The primary actual industrial success we had was Deal with Her Proper—Mark Sandman’s band earlier than Morphine. They scored a neighborhood hit that truly turned a nationwide hit [“I Think She Likes Me”], they usually signed to RCA Data. Hastily, 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 cope with a label. We had been fairly proactive about going after bands that we needed to document, particularly within the early days.
Come on Pilgrim, and I engineered it. All of us form of teamed up on it. Man, that was an actual Fort Apache early golden period. Folks had been sleeping within the different room, and we had been mixing across the clock. That document actually blew lots 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 cope with 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 stated, “Let’s make a document.” That did not at all times work. Nevertheless 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 folks. And so they stated, “You are an engineer? Properly . . . what did you do?” And I stated [Come on Pilgrim], they usually had been like, “Wow, actually? You probably did that?” They knew about it immediately—it had solely been out a couple of 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 common?” And Steve—actually properly—stated, “I do not suppose Slint will ever be common . . . however they’re going to be influential.” After which he stated 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.
Different for the Lots: The ’90s Alt-Rock Revolution – An Oral Historical past is offered on the market now, as Kindle, hardcover, and audio editions.