Recent Stories with tag alice in chains

If 2009 was an unusually nostalgic year in local music for certain wistful Seattle Gen-Xers, 2010 was the opening cymbal crash of an encore. Defunct old favorites reunited. Extant old favorites continued to soar. A tight-knit community that first rocked the world a quarter-century ago grew ever closer, through remembrance of lost friends and the sharing of new music. Here are five 2010 music-related events that tickled those Seattleites who’ve been listening all these years. (Part two here.)

10. Pearl Jam Launches Satellite Radio Station
What do you give the fans who have everything (hundreds of official bootlegs, multiple live records, nine studio releases since 1991)? On October 22, the 20th anniversary of the band's first show, Pearl Jam gave its fans the whole sonic shebang, in 24-hour rotation: Pearl Jam Radio. The band's satellite channel (Sirius, 17; XM, 39) not only mixes concert and studio recordings, but gives its cult-status fan family a chance to hear previously unreleased show tracks (going back to that first gig) and another to commune on fan roundtable show "The All Encompassing Trip." Live and studio recordings from PJ members' other current and defunct projects, including Eddie Vedder's solo work, Temple of the Dog, Mother Love Bone, and Mad Season are gravy. There's no better way to tune in to Pearl Jam's origins and evolution...unless you magically have all of this on vinyl.

9. Soundgarden Issues Telephantasm Retrospective
No one expected a Soundgarden reunion prior to January 1, but most folks knew that a career-spanning best-of box was just a matter of time. On September 28, the latter followed the former, in multiple packages—from simple CD to sly (and savvy) Guitar Hero bonus to limited-pressing vinyl set. The box included all the audio hits, of course, but also some previously unreleased live tracks, 14 music videos, bonus videos, and one (excellent) unearthed song from the Badmotorfinger sessions, "Black Rain." For those who couldn't witness Soundgarden's stage return—and that was pretty much everyone—Telephantasm was a worthy consolation prize.... (more)

Somehow, Alice in Chains never quite got its due. Of the "Big Four" bands to rise from Seattle's phenomenal grunge era, the more metal-leaning AIC sold millions of albums and scored multiple music award noms but didn't reach the success stratosphere of Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, or Nirvana. Perhaps the band's addiction-informed lyrics made Alice in Chains less accessible. Maybe its beautifully schizophrenic acoustic-electric album jumps (Dirt to Sap; Jar of Flies to Alice in Chains) threw people off. Or maybe the AIC guys just didn't have the extra luck that comes with looks; Cobain, Cornell, and Vedder each radiated virile creative darkness, while Jerry Cantrell and Layne Staley, Alice's pale, blonde harmonizing frontmen, seemed more distant and pitiable.

Drug addiction, which pervaded AIC's most successful release, Dirt, eventually put the band on the shelf. Staley, a fading presence after Dirt hit in 1992, succumbed to the disease ten years later. Ironically, by that time Alice in Chains had outlasted Nirvana and Soundgarden and witnessed Pearl Jam's members recoil from their success—without playing shows or recording a studio record after 1995. But Cantrell, drummer Sean Kinney, and bassist Mike Inez refused to officially disband.

When the group issued Black Gives Way To Blue last September—with vocalist-guitarist William DuVall assuming Staley's role—and played the Paramount last Thursday and Friday, we were reminded why: Alice in Chains is too good to stop making music.... (more)

If you grew up when grunge blew up—in the Northwest or unfortunately far away, like me—you probably felt a few tugs at your heartstrings via your eardrums (and eyeballs) this year. Maybe what you heard gave you a little thrill. Maybe it pissed you off. Either way, it was a fine year for remembering and reliving Seattle’s flannel-rock heyday. Here's the most compelling (first half of the) evidence.

10. News flash: Satchel is back!

Mid-year, founding members Shawn Smith and Regan Hagar both said Satchel was long-gone history. A reunion for the melodic rock band, defunct since 1997, was admittedly an old-school fan's sentimental wish. Or was it? By fall, Smith was tweeting hints that he and former Satchel cohorts (drummer Hagar and guitarist John Hoag) were playing together again. Then Smith's site boasted an official reunion, fresh tunes, and a new studio record (Heartache and Honey, appropriately). And finally, this belated Christmas Twitter-gift from Smith on the 28th: "Satchel confirmed, Feb. 18th 2010 at The Crocodile in Seattle." Awesome. I so want to believe I helped make this happen.

9. Pearl Jam’s Ten turns 18, gets deluxe reissue

The first step in a promised 2011 celebration of 20 years of music, the reissue of Pearl Jam's big-time debut was a doozy. Multiple packages boasting multiple music formats (viva la vinyl!) and replicated grunge-era memorabilia sated hardcore fans while a complete crisp, Vedder-vocal-boosting new mix from producer Brendan O'Brien pleased everyone. By clearing up the hitherto unnoticed echo effects and cloudy fuzz, O'Brien made a classic rock album sound even classic-er. Look for similar reissues of Pearl Jam's successive records in the coming years.

8. Grunge books recount the era's look and feel

Rock journalist Greg Prato put together the most comprehensive and fascinating account of Seattle's global musical domination with spring's Grunge Is Dead: The Oral History of Seattle Rock Music. The book's so good because the tales are told by the people who lived them, before and after the term "grunge" became synonymous with local rock: producers (Jack Endino), concert-goers, girlfriends (Tracy Marander), label owners (Pavitt and Poneman), roadies, managers (Susan Silver), and band members (Mark Arm, Jerry Cantrell, Kathleen Hanna, Mark Pickerel, Kim Thayill, Eddie Vedder...). You'll learn about the iconic (and forgotten) bands of the era, their members' personal struggles, and the clubs that hosted their genre-founding awesomeness.

Grunge isn't as must-have a book, but it's an honest, telling document of that time. Half street-punk album and half band portrait, Michael Lavine's photo book captures the souls of the people who made the music and of those who ate it up—or fashionably rejected it, preferring those bands' pure punk and metal predecessors. (Lavine was a Sub Pop-sanctioned photographer at the time. Cha-ching!) Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore adds some introductory color (and amusing ain't-I-cool lyricism). It's a super look back; the release party, featuring Tad Doyle's Brotherhood of the Sonic Cloth and Mudhoney, was even better.... (more)

The Alice in Chains guys, going it acoustic on new rock-lullaby single "Your Decision" above, are making up for lost time. Fresh off a new studio album-supporting tour (its first since 1993) that saw the band rock the Moore Theatre, AIC is embarking on a long North American trip in early 2010. And thanks to Seattle's ever-fervent, popularly-demanding fans, the band is this time playing two nights in its native city. Tickets for the February 4 and 5 shows, both at the gracefully aging Paramount, are already on sale.

It seems strange to say it, but with a new voice (William DuVall) and a long-overdue new batch of songs (you must hear Black Gives Way to Blue, seriously), Alice in Chains is playing as if in its early-90s prime. The rock—"All Secrets Known," "Check My Brain," et al—is as hard as ever. The soft—play that video again!—is as lovely as ever. I still believe this band released two off the best (Jekyll and Hyde) albums ever made by a Seattle act. But who knows, maybe they'll top Dirt and Sap yet....

A couple of old friends joined Pearl Jam at LA's Gibson Amphitheater last week, one after the other, for the last two songs of PJ's second encore.

Chris Cornell's appearance made for an impromptu Temple of the Dog reunion. "Hunger Strike," ladies and gentlemen.

Jerry Cantrell's made for an Alice in Chains-y "Alive" solo.

Insert superlatives here. And jealousy-tinged expletives. Maybe next time, Seattle. 'Til then, it's bootlegs for us.

Last Thursday, two days after Pearl Jam killed two nights at KeyArena, a reborn Alice in Chains did the same at the Moore Theatre. (Sadly, I missed it.) The like-old-times local show was just one stop on the band's first tour to support new music since 1993. Alice's heavy-as-ever new record, Black Gives Way to Blue, is released tomorrow.

 

The recent resurgence of Alice in Chains has been a contentious development for some nostalgic locals. The issue: Alice is continuing without its original enigmatic soul, the late Layne Staley. One writer, after catching the band's "secret" EMP acoustic set last month—happily, I made it—ditched the post-show Black Gives Way listening party because a Staley-less AIC challenged her constitution.

Look: Outright dismissal of this band's new and future musical output is stupid.

Yes, there's a new face (and much bigger hair) behind the mic that was once Staley's, but William DuVall isn't stepping right into the beloved former singer's shoes. Coincidentally or not, his vocal range is much like Staley's, though it has a signature nasal quality that sets it apart. And DuVall's tone complements co-frontman Jerry Cantrell's, creating vocal harmonies—always Alice's trademark—that beg you to sing along...and haunt your mind later. But Cantrell, drummer Sean Kinney, and bassist Mike Inez didn't invite DuVall into the fold to channel Staley. On the contrary, Cantrell honors his late cohort at every opportunity, still seeing Layne's absence as a regrettable, tangible void.

From the band's blog:

"The encore in Seattle began with Jerry coming out alone. A spotlight shined down on a stool, and Jerry sat down on another stool next to the empty one....I was wondering why our lighting guy didn’t take the spotlight off of the other stool and put it on Jerry, but then it dawned on me. Jerry played "Black Gives Way To Blue" by himself as the spotlight lit up the empty stool with a mic stand in front of it."

I too had been dubious about Alice in Chains reforming and revisiting the music given so much beauty and gravitas by Layne Staley. But my concerns vanished when I met Layne's brother, Eric, at that EMP show. When I noted that his presence said much about how he felt about Alice's continued existence, Eric said, "Jerry and the guys have been very respectful. They waited long enough." And what did he think of the news that the new record's title track, a tribute to Layne, featured Elton John vocals and piano? "Even my kids were impressed with that." Not only was it a pleasure to meet Eric—a very nice, gracious, obviously still heartbroken guy—but it allowed me to wholeheartedly appreciate and respect the show and new music that followed.

I hope other uncertain fans will do the same with Black Gives Way to Blue.

Easy Street Records' Queen Anne location is hosting a listening party and midnight sale of the record tonight. The album will also be available (as will liquor) at West Seattle's Feedback Lounge. Add Alice-related prizes to the music, videos, and fan fraternization, and it will be one fine night to both reflect back and look forward.