Mudhoney is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, on January 1, 1988, following the dissolution of Green River. Its members are singer and rhythm guitarist Mark Arm, lead guitarist Steve Turner, bassist Guy Maddison and drummer Dan Peters. Original bassist Matt Lukin left the band in 1999 and rejoined for a tour from December 2000 to January 2001.
Mudhoney's early releases on the Sub Pop label, particularly the debut single "Touch Me I'm Sick" and the EP "Superfuzz Bigmuff", contributed to the development of the grunge genre. The band has released eleven studio albums and has remained associated with the Seattle alternative rock scene throughout its career.
Mark Arm and Steve Turner first became associated through Mr. Epp and the Calculations, which was formed in 1978 in Bellevue, Washington. Arm, then known as Mark McLaughlin, formed the band with several friends while attending Bellevue Christian High School. The group was initially conceived as a joke band and took its name from one of McLaughlin's mathematics teachers. Its first performance took place in a classroom, where the members sang Marvin Gaye's "Got to Give It Up" while using rolled-up maps as imitation guitars. The band performed its first conventional concert in 1981.
Turner joined Mr. Epp and the Calculations after the band added a second guitarist, having previously played in the garage band The Ducky Boys. Arm and Turner subsequently became friends and began collaborating on other projects. Three songs by Mr. Epp and the Calculations appeared on "First Strike", a 1983 compilation that was the first cassette released in the BCT catalogue. The band also appeared on KZAM radio, where it was introduced as "the worst band in the world". Mr. Epp and the Calculations performed their final concert on February 3, 1984, at Seattle's Metropolis with Malfunkshun. Arm and Turner also formed the punk band The Limp Richerds in 1984, although it dissolved shortly afterwards.
Green River was formed in 1984 by Arm and Turner with drummer Alex Vincent, who had previously played with Turner in Spluii Numa. Bassist Jeff Ament joined after moving to Seattle with Deranged Diction, while Stone Gossard, another of Turner's former bandmates, became the band's second guitarist. Green River recorded its debut EP, "Come on Down", in 1985. The release has been identified as an early grunge recording and preceded the compilation album "Deep Six", which featured Green River and five other Seattle bands associated with the genre.
Turner left Green River following the release of "Come on Down", citing differences over the band's increasing hard rock influence. He was replaced by Bruce Fairweather, another former member of Deranged Diction. Green River subsequently recorded the EP "Dry as a Bone" and the album "Rehab Doll" before disbanding in late 1987. Gossard, Ament and Fairweather subsequently joined Mother Love Bone. Following the death of Mother Love Bone singer Andrew Wood, Gossard and Ament became members of Pearl Jam, while Fairweather joined Love Battery.
Turner and Arm began forming a new band in 1987 with drummer Dan Peters, who had previously played in Bundle of Hiss. Turner wanted the new group to rehearse before performing live. Matt Lukin, who had recently left the Melvins, joined as bassist. The complete original lineup first rehearsed on January 1, 1988, and performed its first concert on April 19 of that year. The band took its name from the 1965 Russ Meyer film "Mudhoney".
In early 1988, Arm played a low-quality recording by the band for Sub Pop founder Bruce Pavitt. Pavitt suggested that the group record with producer Jack Endino and offered to release the recording through Sub Pop. The resulting session produced Mudhoney's debut single, "Touch Me I'm Sick". The band subsequently recorded and released the EP "Superfuzz Bigmuff" through the label. Mudhoney became one of Sub Pop's prominent acts.
Sonic Youth subsequently invited Mudhoney to join a tour of the West Coast and Southwest of the United States, followed by a tour of the United Kingdom. "Superfuzz Bigmuff" entered the British independent music charts and Mudhoney received increased media coverage in the United Kingdom.
On June 6, 1989, Mudhoney performed at Lamefest in Seattle with Nirvana and Tad. The concert, organised by Sub Pop and held at the Moore Theatre, sold out. That year, the band released its debut studio album, "Mudhoney".
In 1991, Mudhoney released its second studio album, "Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge". Following the album's release, the band signed with Reprise Records in 1992.
Mudhoney's first album for Reprise was "Piece of Cake". The band also contributed the song "Overblown" to the soundtrack of the 1992 film "Singles". Its next album, "My Brother the Cow", was released in 1995 and incorporated elements of the band's earlier sound. The album received mixed critical responses, including criticism in parts of the British music press, while several American publications gave it positive reviews.
In 1996, Mudhoney appeared in the comedy film "Black Sheep", starring Chris Farley and David Spade. The band was shown performing at an MTV concert and subsequently appeared in a backstage scene with Farley.
"Tomorrow Hit Today" was released in September 1998. The album incorporated blues-rock influences and was produced by Jim Dickinson. Recording took place in three cities. Following several years of touring, Reprise ended its association with the band. Lukin subsequently left Mudhoney. The band released "March to Fuzz", a retrospective compilation.
Mudhoney continued performing in the Pacific Northwest and recruited Guy Maddison, formerly of Monroe's Fur and Lubricated Goat, as its permanent bassist. Maddison had previously played with Arm in the side project Bloodloss. In 2002, Mudhoney returned to Sub Pop and released the studio album "Since We've Become Translucent", followed by a tour of South America.
In early 2003, the band recorded "Hard-On for War", which appeared on the compilation album "Buddyhead Presents: Gimme Skelter". Later that year, Mudhoney recorded material for its next studio album, "Under a Billion Suns", which was released in 2006 and included a new version of "Hard-On for War". The album received generally favourable reviews. In 2006, the band also helped curate an edition of the British All Tomorrow's Parties festival.
Mudhoney returned to Brazil in 2007 and undertook a European tour. In November of that year, the band released the live album "Live Mud", recorded during a concert in Mexico.
In 2008, Mudhoney recorded its next studio album with producer Tucker Martine. "The Lucky Ones" was released in May 2008. Sub Pop subsequently released a deluxe remastered edition of "Superfuzz Bigmuff", containing the original EP, singles, demos and two live recordings from 1988.
In 2009, Mudhoney announced a series of live performances, including an extensive European tour that began in Edinburgh, Scotland, with fellow Sub Pop act The Vaselines. The tour concluded on October 26. The band also performed at the Nelsonville Music Festival in Nelsonville, Ohio, in May 2009. In September 2010, Mudhoney performed at the ATP New York festival in Monticello, New York, where it played "Superfuzz Bigmuff" in its entirety.
In 2011, Mudhoney opened for Pearl Jam during the latter's 20th Anniversary tour. In May 2012, the band performed at the All Tomorrow's Parties "I'll Be Your Mirror" festival at Alexandra Palace in London, after being selected by Mogwai. Mudhoney released its ninth studio album, "Vanishing Point", in April 2013, followed by "Digital Garbage" in 2018.
In 2021, Mudhoney and Sub Pop marked the 30th anniversary of "Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge" with a remastered deluxe edition containing remastered material, music videos, previously unreleased songs and demos.
Mudhoney's eleventh studio album, "Plastic Eternity", was released by Sub Pop on April 6, 2023.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mudhoney
Studio albums
Superfuzz Bigmuff (1988)
Mudhoney (1989)
Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge (1991)
Piece of Cake (1992)
My Brother the Cow (1995)
Tomorrow Hit Today (1998)
Since We've Become Translucent (2002)
Under a Billion Suns (2006)
The Lucky Ones (2008)
Vanishing Point (2013)
Digital Garbage (2018)
Plastic Eternity (2023)
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…shrink me down again