Mad Season
Encyclopedia
Mad Season was an American rock
supergroup
formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1994 by members of three popular Seattle-based bands: Alice in Chains
, Pearl Jam
and Screaming Trees
. Mad Season only released one album, Above, and is best known for the single "River of Deceit
". The band went on a semi-permanent hiatus in 1996 due to the band members' conflicting schedules and vocalist Layne Staley
's problems with substance abuse. Attempts were made in the late 1990s to revive the group without Staley; however, the band dissolved following the death of bassist John Baker Saunders
in 1999. Staley died three years later of a drug overdose.
's Vitalogy
, guitarist Mike McCready
went into rehabilitation in Minneapolis
, Minnesota
, where he met bassist John Baker Saunders
. In 1994, when the two returned to Seattle, Washington, they formed a side band with drummer Barrett Martin
. McCready, who played in such bands as Pearl Jam
and Temple of the Dog
, Martin with Skin Yard
and the Screaming Trees
and Saunders with blues talents such as Little Pat Rushing, Hubert Sumlin
, Sammy Fender, and The Lamont Cranston Band. Immediately the trio set up rehearsal time together and wrote the music for two songs that would later become Mad Season's "Wake Up" and "River of Deceit
" , both of which would later appear on the band's album Above. McCready then brought in friend and Alice in Chains
frontman Layne Staley
to round out the line-up. McCready had hoped that being around sober
musicians would push Staley to get himself sober.
Despite not having a single song completely prepared (only beginnings of songs, according to Martin) and not even having a name for the band, McCready scheduled an unannounced show at the Crocodile Cafe
on October 12, 1994, which turned out to be a big success. The song "Artificial Red", which was also to appear on the album, actually came together during the show itself. Two more gigs were scheduled (November 6 & 20, 1994) at the same venue, with the band calling itself The Gacy Bunch, after both the notorious serial killer John Wayne Gacy
of Chicago
and the 1970s sitcom The Brady Bunch
. On January 8, 1995, the band made an appearance on Pearl Jam's Self-Pollution satellite radio broadcast, a four-and-a-half hour long pirate broadcast out of Seattle which was available to any radio stations that wanted to carry it, performing "Lifeless Dead" and "I Don't Know Anything". After gaining more popularity, the band recorded its only album and changed its name to Mad Season, which is an English term for the time of the year when psilocybin mushrooms are in full bloom, and a term which McCready related to "the seasons of drinking and drug abuse."
The album, Above, which was recorded in Seattle, Washington at Bad Animals Studio
(co-owned by Ann
and Nancy Wilson of Heart
) and co-produced by the band and Pearl Jam sound engineer Brett Eliason, featured ten songs. It also included guest vocals and additional lyrics by Screaming Trees
frontman and solo artist Mark Lanegan
. McCready said, "We did all the Mad Season music in about seven days. It took Layne just a few more days to finish his vocals, which was intense since we only rehearsed twice and did four shows." The album was released on March 15, 1995 through Columbia Records
to critical and commercial success. Stephen Thomas Erlewine
of Allmusic said that the album "sounds like a cross between Alice in Chains and Pearl Jam, taking the ponderous seriousness of Alice and PJ's '90s update of winding '70s guitar rock." Staley's lyrics dealt with his personal troubles, with Martin saying, "Layne Staley felt as though he was on a spiritual mission through his music." Over the course of 1995, Above scaled the Billboard 200, eventually peaking at #24 and spawning two singles: "River of Deceit
" (#2 Mainstream Rock Tracks, #9 Modern Rock Tracks) and "I Don't Know Anything
" (#20 Mainstream Rock Tracks). Above was certified gold on June 14, 1995.
The band continued to play shows during the spring of 1995 before going on hiatus so that the members could return to work with their main bands. During this time the band released the Live at the Moore
video, which was a live performance recorded at Seattle's Moore Theatre
on April 29, 1995. Also, during this time the band contributed a cover of John Lennon
's "I Don't Wanna Be a Soldier" to the 1995 John Lennon tribute album, Working Class Hero
. In 1996, a live version of "River of Deceit" surfaced on the Bite Back: Live at Crocodile Cafe compilation album, although by this time Mad Season had long been dormant from live work as McCready and Martin went back to work with their respective bands and Saunders joined The Walkabouts
.
In 1997, attempts were made by McCready, Saunders and Martin to revive Mad Season, although by this point Staley's health had worsened due to severe drug addiction. As a result he declined to participate in the project any further, thus leaving Mad Season without a singer. With Staley now out of the picture, the band recruited vocalist Mark Lanegan (of the Screaming Trees), who had previously guested on the Above album (as well as at live shows) as its new permanent singer. With the switch in frontmen the group also switched names adopting the Disinformation moniker in late 1997.
Work reportedly began in 1998 on what would have been Disinformation's debut album, although between everyone's busy schedules studio time was hard to come by. Over the course of the year the quartet gradually grew apart, making a Disinformation album all the more unlikely. Another critical blow was dealt to the project in January 1999 with the death of bassist John Baker Saunders from an overdose of heroin. The group (especially Saunders' long-time friend Mike McCready) was deeply saddened to hear news of his death. Although no official announcement was ever given, it is widely accepted that Mad Season/Disinformation broke up following Saunders' death.
. Martin briefly returned to work with Screaming Trees before the band disbanded in 2000. Since then Martin has worked as an occasional touring drummer for R.E.M.
and performs with R.E.M guitarist Peter Buck in the band Tuatara
. Staley briefly reunited with Alice in Chains in the late 1990s before dropping out of the public eye permanently. His body was later found on April 19, 2002 in his condominium, the victim of an apparent overdose of cocaine
and heroin. Lanegan has gone on to a relatively successful solo career, has worked with Queens of the Stone Age
, and performed with Isobel Campbell
on the 2006 Mercury Prize
nominated album, Ballad of the Broken Seas
, and as part of a duo with Greg Dulli
under the name The Gutter Twins
.
On February 28, 2010, McCready performed at the Hootenanny For Haiti at the Showbox at the Market in Seattle along with the likes of Velvet Revolver
, Jane's Addiction
and former Guns N' Roses
bassist Duff McKagan
, Fastbacks
bassist Kim Warnick
, Loaded
and former Alien Crime Syndicate
, Sirens Sister
and Vendetta Red
bassist Jeff Rouse
as well as Truly
and former Screaming Trees
drummer Mark Pickerel
among others.
A number of songs were covered during the show, including Belinda Carlisle
's "Heaven Is a Place on Earth
", Hank Williams' "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry
", The Rolling Stones
' "Dead Flowers" among others however one of the more notable covers came when McCready performed a cover of "River of Deceit
" for the first time since the breakup of Mad Season with Jeff Rouse performing vocal duties on the song.
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
supergroup
Supergroup (music)
In the late 1960s, the term supergroup was coined to describe "a rock music group whose performers are already famous from having performed individually or in other groups"....
formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1994 by members of three popular Seattle-based bands: Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1987 by guitarist and songwriter Jerry Cantrell and original lead vocalist Layne Staley. The initial lineup was rounded out by drummer Sean Kinney, and bassist Mike Starr...
, Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam is an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. Since its inception, the band's line-up has included Eddie Vedder , Jeff Ament , Stone Gossard , and Mike McCready...
and Screaming Trees
Screaming Trees
Screaming Trees was an American rock band formed in Ellensburg, Washington in 1985 by vocalist Mark Lanegan, guitarist Gary Lee Conner, bass player Van Conner and drummer Mark Pickerel. Pickerel had been replaced by Barrett Martin by the time the band reached its most successful period...
. Mad Season only released one album, Above, and is best known for the single "River of Deceit
River of Deceit
"River of Deceit" is a song by the American rock band Mad Season, released in 1995 as the first single from the band's only studio album, Above...
". The band went on a semi-permanent hiatus in 1996 due to the band members' conflicting schedules and vocalist Layne Staley
Layne Staley
Layne Thomas Staley was an American musician who served as the lead singer and co-lyricist of the rock group Alice in Chains, which was formed in Seattle, Washington in 1987 by Staley and guitarist Jerry Cantrell. Alice in Chains rose to international fame as part of the grunge movement of the...
's problems with substance abuse. Attempts were made in the late 1990s to revive the group without Staley; however, the band dissolved following the death of bassist John Baker Saunders
John Baker Saunders
John Baker Saunders was a founding member and bassist for the American grunge rock supergroup Mad Season, as well as a member of The Walkabouts. He was born in Montgomery, Alabama and later attended Providence College...
in 1999. Staley died three years later of a drug overdose.
History
During the production of Pearl JamPearl Jam
Pearl Jam is an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. Since its inception, the band's line-up has included Eddie Vedder , Jeff Ament , Stone Gossard , and Mike McCready...
's Vitalogy
Vitalogy
Vitalogy is the third studio album by the American alternative rock band Pearl Jam, released on November 22, 1994 through Epic Records. Pearl Jam wrote and recorded Vitalogy while touring behind its previous album Vs....
, guitarist Mike McCready
Mike McCready
Michael David McCready is an American musician who serves as the lead guitarist for the American rock band Pearl Jam. Along with Jeff Ament, Stone Gossard, Dave Krusen, and Eddie Vedder, he is one of the founding members of Pearl Jam...
went into rehabilitation in Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, where he met bassist John Baker Saunders
John Baker Saunders
John Baker Saunders was a founding member and bassist for the American grunge rock supergroup Mad Season, as well as a member of The Walkabouts. He was born in Montgomery, Alabama and later attended Providence College...
. In 1994, when the two returned to Seattle, Washington, they formed a side band with drummer Barrett Martin
Barrett Martin
Barrett Martin , is an American drummer, upright bassist, composer, producer, writer, and Zen artist. He was the drummer for the Seattle, Washington groups Skin Yard and Screaming Trees, as well as the supergroups Mad Season and Tuatara...
. McCready, who played in such bands as Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam is an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. Since its inception, the band's line-up has included Eddie Vedder , Jeff Ament , Stone Gossard , and Mike McCready...
and Temple of the Dog
Temple of the Dog
Temple of the Dog was an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington in 1990. It was conceived by vocalist Chris Cornell of Soundgarden as a tribute to his friend, the late Andrew Wood, lead singer of Malfunkshun and Mother Love Bone...
, Martin with Skin Yard
Skin Yard
Skin Yard was an American rock band from Seattle, Washington, who were active from 1985 to 1992. The group never gained a mainstream audience, but were an influence on their contemporaries – most notably Soundgarden, Screaming Trees, The Melvins, and Green River – alongside whom they are considered...
and the Screaming Trees
Screaming Trees
Screaming Trees was an American rock band formed in Ellensburg, Washington in 1985 by vocalist Mark Lanegan, guitarist Gary Lee Conner, bass player Van Conner and drummer Mark Pickerel. Pickerel had been replaced by Barrett Martin by the time the band reached its most successful period...
and Saunders with blues talents such as Little Pat Rushing, Hubert Sumlin
Hubert Sumlin
Hubert Sumlin is an American Chicago blues and electric blues guitarist and singer, best known for his celebrated work, from 1955, as guitarist in Howlin' Wolf's band. His singular playing is characterized by "wrenched, shattering bursts of notes, sudden cliff-hanger silences and daring rhythmic...
, Sammy Fender, and The Lamont Cranston Band. Immediately the trio set up rehearsal time together and wrote the music for two songs that would later become Mad Season's "Wake Up" and "River of Deceit
River of Deceit
"River of Deceit" is a song by the American rock band Mad Season, released in 1995 as the first single from the band's only studio album, Above...
" , both of which would later appear on the band's album Above. McCready then brought in friend and Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1987 by guitarist and songwriter Jerry Cantrell and original lead vocalist Layne Staley. The initial lineup was rounded out by drummer Sean Kinney, and bassist Mike Starr...
frontman Layne Staley
Layne Staley
Layne Thomas Staley was an American musician who served as the lead singer and co-lyricist of the rock group Alice in Chains, which was formed in Seattle, Washington in 1987 by Staley and guitarist Jerry Cantrell. Alice in Chains rose to international fame as part of the grunge movement of the...
to round out the line-up. McCready had hoped that being around sober
Sobriety
Sobriety is the condition of not having any measurable levels, or effects from, alcohol or other drugs that alter ones mood or behaviors. According to WHO "Lexicon of alcohol and drug terms..." sobriety is continued abstinence from alcohol and psychoactive drug use...
musicians would push Staley to get himself sober.
Despite not having a single song completely prepared (only beginnings of songs, according to Martin) and not even having a name for the band, McCready scheduled an unannounced show at the Crocodile Cafe
Crocodile Cafe
The Crocodile is a music club at 2200 2nd Avenue at Blanchard Street in the neighborhood of Belltown in Seattle, Washington, USA. Opened as the "Crocodile Cafe" on April 30, 1991 by Stephanie Dorgan, it quickly became a fixture on the local music scene. It closed on December 15, 2007...
on October 12, 1994, which turned out to be a big success. The song "Artificial Red", which was also to appear on the album, actually came together during the show itself. Two more gigs were scheduled (November 6 & 20, 1994) at the same venue, with the band calling itself The Gacy Bunch, after both the notorious serial killer John Wayne Gacy
John Wayne Gacy
John Wayne Gacy, Jr. was an American serial killer, rapist and clown who sexually assaulted and murdered at least 33 teenage boys and young men between 1972 and 1978. Gacy buried 26 of his victims in the crawlspace of his home, buried three others elsewhere on his property, and discarded the...
of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and the 1970s sitcom The Brady Bunch
The Brady Bunch
The Brady Bunch is an American sitcom created by Sherwood Schwartz and starring Robert Reed, Florence Henderson, and Ann B. Davis. The series revolved around a large blended family...
. On January 8, 1995, the band made an appearance on Pearl Jam's Self-Pollution satellite radio broadcast, a four-and-a-half hour long pirate broadcast out of Seattle which was available to any radio stations that wanted to carry it, performing "Lifeless Dead" and "I Don't Know Anything". After gaining more popularity, the band recorded its only album and changed its name to Mad Season, which is an English term for the time of the year when psilocybin mushrooms are in full bloom, and a term which McCready related to "the seasons of drinking and drug abuse."
The album, Above, which was recorded in Seattle, Washington at Bad Animals Studio
Bad Animals Studio
Bad Animals Studio is a music and media recording studio on 4th Avenue in downtown Seattle. It was originally founded as Steve Lawson Productions by founders Steve and Debbie Lawson in 1979. In 1991, Ann Wilson and Nancy Wilson joined forces with Lawson to create Studio X. In 1992, the studio...
(co-owned by Ann
Ann Wilson
Ann Dustin Wilson is an American musician, best known as the lead singer, flute player, songwriter, and occasional guitar player of the rock band Heart.-Personal life:...
and Nancy Wilson of Heart
Heart (band)
Heart is an American rock band who first found success in Canada. Throughout several lineup changes, the only two members remaining constant are sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson. The group rose to fame in the 1970s with their music being influenced by hard rock as well as folk music...
) and co-produced by the band and Pearl Jam sound engineer Brett Eliason, featured ten songs. It also included guest vocals and additional lyrics by Screaming Trees
Screaming Trees
Screaming Trees was an American rock band formed in Ellensburg, Washington in 1985 by vocalist Mark Lanegan, guitarist Gary Lee Conner, bass player Van Conner and drummer Mark Pickerel. Pickerel had been replaced by Barrett Martin by the time the band reached its most successful period...
frontman and solo artist Mark Lanegan
Mark Lanegan
Mark Lanegan is an American rock musician and songwriter. Lanegan began his music career in the 1980s, forming the grunge group Screaming Trees with Gary Lee Conner, Van Conner and Mark Pickerel. During his time in the band Lanegan would start a low-key solo career...
. McCready said, "We did all the Mad Season music in about seven days. It took Layne just a few more days to finish his vocals, which was intense since we only rehearsed twice and did four shows." The album was released on March 15, 1995 through Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
to critical and commercial success. Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine is a senior editor for Allmusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for Allmusic, as well as a freelance writer, occasionally contributing liner notes. He is also frontman and guitarist for the Ann Arbor-based band Who Dat?Erlewine is the nephew...
of Allmusic said that the album "sounds like a cross between Alice in Chains and Pearl Jam, taking the ponderous seriousness of Alice and PJ's '90s update of winding '70s guitar rock." Staley's lyrics dealt with his personal troubles, with Martin saying, "Layne Staley felt as though he was on a spiritual mission through his music." Over the course of 1995, Above scaled the Billboard 200, eventually peaking at #24 and spawning two singles: "River of Deceit
River of Deceit
"River of Deceit" is a song by the American rock band Mad Season, released in 1995 as the first single from the band's only studio album, Above...
" (#2 Mainstream Rock Tracks, #9 Modern Rock Tracks) and "I Don't Know Anything
I Don't Know Anything
"I Don't Know Anything" is a song by the American rock band Mad Season, released in 1995 as the second single from the band's sole studio album, Above...
" (#20 Mainstream Rock Tracks). Above was certified gold on June 14, 1995.
The band continued to play shows during the spring of 1995 before going on hiatus so that the members could return to work with their main bands. During this time the band released the Live at the Moore
Live at the Moore
Live at The Moore is a home video featuring the final live performance by the American rock band Mad Season. It was released on August 29, 1995.-Overview:...
video, which was a live performance recorded at Seattle's Moore Theatre
Moore Theatre (Seattle, Washington)
The Moore Theatre in Seattle, Washington, U.S.A. is a 1,419-seat performing arts venue located at the corner of 2nd Avenue and Virginia Street, two blocks from Pike Place Market in downtown Seattle. It is the oldest still-active theater in Seattle. The Moore hosts a mix of theatrical productions,...
on April 29, 1995. Also, during this time the band contributed a cover of John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
's "I Don't Wanna Be a Soldier" to the 1995 John Lennon tribute album, Working Class Hero
Working Class Hero: A Tribute to John Lennon
Working Class Hero is a 1995 tribute album to Beatles singer/songwriter John Lennon. It gets its name from a Lennon song of the same name. The album was produced by Lindy Goetz through Hollywood Records in support of the Humane Society of the United States...
. In 1996, a live version of "River of Deceit" surfaced on the Bite Back: Live at Crocodile Cafe compilation album, although by this time Mad Season had long been dormant from live work as McCready and Martin went back to work with their respective bands and Saunders joined The Walkabouts
The Walkabouts
The Walkabouts is an American rock band formed in Seattle in 1984. The core members are vocalist Carla Torgerson and vocalist and songwriter Chris Eckman...
.
In 1997, attempts were made by McCready, Saunders and Martin to revive Mad Season, although by this point Staley's health had worsened due to severe drug addiction. As a result he declined to participate in the project any further, thus leaving Mad Season without a singer. With Staley now out of the picture, the band recruited vocalist Mark Lanegan (of the Screaming Trees), who had previously guested on the Above album (as well as at live shows) as its new permanent singer. With the switch in frontmen the group also switched names adopting the Disinformation moniker in late 1997.
Work reportedly began in 1998 on what would have been Disinformation's debut album, although between everyone's busy schedules studio time was hard to come by. Over the course of the year the quartet gradually grew apart, making a Disinformation album all the more unlikely. Another critical blow was dealt to the project in January 1999 with the death of bassist John Baker Saunders from an overdose of heroin. The group (especially Saunders' long-time friend Mike McCready) was deeply saddened to hear news of his death. Although no official announcement was ever given, it is widely accepted that Mad Season/Disinformation broke up following Saunders' death.
Post-Mad Season/Disinformation
Following Saunders' death, McCready returned to working and touring with Pearl Jam and also later formed a new side project, The RockfordsThe Rockfords
The Rockfords were an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1999 by Carrie Akre, Chris Friel, and Danny Newcomb of Goodness, Mike McCready of Pearl Jam, and Rick Friel of Jodie Watts...
. Martin briefly returned to work with Screaming Trees before the band disbanded in 2000. Since then Martin has worked as an occasional touring drummer for R.E.M.
R.E.M.
R.E.M. was an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry. One of the first popular alternative rock bands, R.E.M. gained early attention due to Buck's ringing, arpeggiated guitar style and Stipe's...
and performs with R.E.M guitarist Peter Buck in the band Tuatara
Tuatara (band)
Tuatara is a Seattle-based instrumental music group featuring members of R.E.M., The Minus 5, Critters Buggin, and the Screaming Trees.-History:...
. Staley briefly reunited with Alice in Chains in the late 1990s before dropping out of the public eye permanently. His body was later found on April 19, 2002 in his condominium, the victim of an apparent overdose of cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
and heroin. Lanegan has gone on to a relatively successful solo career, has worked with Queens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age is an American rock band from Palm Desert, California, United States, formed in 1997. The band's line-up has always included founding member Josh Homme , with the current line-up including longtime members Troy Van Leeuwen and Joey Castillo , alongside Michael Shuman and...
, and performed with Isobel Campbell
Isobel Campbell
Isobel Campbell is a Scottish singer, cellist and composer in the indie and rock genres.-History:Campbell was a member of Belle & Sebastian from their formation in Glasgow in 1996 until 2002, when she departed the band for personal reasons. She played cello and keyboards with the band, and sang...
on the 2006 Mercury Prize
Mercury Prize
The Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize and currently known as the Barclaycard Mercury Prize for sponsorship reasons, is an annual music prize awarded for the best album from the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was established by the British Phonographic Industry and British...
nominated album, Ballad of the Broken Seas
Ballad of the Broken Seas
Ballad of the Broken Seas is an album released by Isobel Campbell and the first collaboration between her and Mark Lanegan. It made the shortlist for the 2006 Mercury Music Prize and was one of NME's top one hundred albums of the decade....
, and as part of a duo with Greg Dulli
Greg Dulli
-Biography:Greg Dulli was born and brought up in the working-class city of Hamilton, Ohio. Although he was raised a Catholic, he is now agnostic. Dulli first came to public attention in the late 1980s with The Afghan Whigs when he joined D.C. transplant bassist John Curley and Louisville, Kentucky,...
under the name The Gutter Twins
The Gutter Twins
The Gutter Twins is a musical collaboration between rock musicians Greg Dulli and Mark Lanegan. Dulli and Lanegan have regularly contributed to each other's projects since 2000, most notably in Dulli's Twilight Singers; of the duo's origins, Dulli said "I think Mark told a journalist we were doing...
.
On February 28, 2010, McCready performed at the Hootenanny For Haiti at the Showbox at the Market in Seattle along with the likes of Velvet Revolver
Velvet Revolver
Velvet Revolver is an American hard rock supergroup consisting of former Guns N' Roses members Slash, Duff McKagan, and Matt Sorum, alongside Dave Kushner formerly of punk band Wasted Youth. Stone Temple Pilots vocalist Scott Weiland was Velvet Revolver's lead singer from their formation until...
, Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction is an American alternative rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1985. The band's original line-up featured Perry Farrell , Dave Navarro , Eric Avery and Stephen Perkins . After breaking up in 1991, Jane's Addiction briefly reunited in 1997 and again in 2001, both times...
and former Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, in 1985. The band has released six studio albums, three EPs, and one live album...
bassist Duff McKagan
Duff McKagan
Michael Andrew "Duff" McKagan is an American musician and writer. He is best known for his twelve-year tenure as the bassist of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s...
, Fastbacks
Fastbacks
The Fastbacks were a Seattle punk rock band. Formed in 1979 by songwriter/guitarist Kurt Bloch , and friends Lulu Gargiulo and Kim Warnick , they disbanded in 2001...
bassist Kim Warnick
Kim Warnick
Kim Warnick was co-founder, bassist, and lead vocalist of the Seattle band Fastbacks between 1979 and 2002, and bassist with Visqueen from 2001 until her retirement from performing in 2004....
, Loaded
Loaded (band)
Loaded is an American hard rock band from Seattle, Washington, formed in 1999. Since 2001, the band's line-up has included vocalist and rhythm guitarist Duff McKagan , lead guitarist Mike Squires and bassist Jeff Rouse Loaded (also known as Duff McKagan's Loaded) is an American hard rock band...
and former Alien Crime Syndicate
Alien Crime Syndicate
Alien Crime Syndicate, often abbreviated to ACS, were a rock band formed in San Francisco, California, in 1997. From 1999 to the band's breakup in 2005, the lineup consisted primarily of Joe Reineke , Jeff Rouse , Nabil Ayers , while guitarists Jason Krevey, Mike Squires and Mike Davis were also...
, Sirens Sister
Sirens Sister
Sirens Sister is an American rock band based in Seattle, Washington. The group was formed in 2006, following the breakup of Vendetta Red, former members Zach Davidson, Leif Andersen and Rouse, as well as local drummer Ben Libay, formed Sirens Sister, initially in Bakersfield, California before...
and Vendetta Red
Vendetta Red
Vendetta Red is an American alternative rock band from Seattle, Washington that formed in 1998. They released an EP, 6 Kisses, A Blatant Reminder of Why We Are Alive, in 1999 and two albums, Blackout Analysis in 2000 and White Knuckled Substance in 2001, before signing their first major label deal...
bassist Jeff Rouse
Jeff Rouse (musician)
Jeff Rouse is an American musician who is best known as the bassist for both Alien Crime Syndicate and Duff McKagan's Loaded. Previously, Rouse was a member of a number of Seattle based groups such as Vendetta Red and Sirens Sister while he also has his own solo project titled To the Glorious...
as well as Truly
Truly
Truly is an American rock band formed in the wake of the grunge era. It featured former Soundgarden bassist Hiro Yamamoto, one-time Screaming Trees drummer Mark Pickerel, and singer Robert Roth...
and former Screaming Trees
Screaming Trees
Screaming Trees was an American rock band formed in Ellensburg, Washington in 1985 by vocalist Mark Lanegan, guitarist Gary Lee Conner, bass player Van Conner and drummer Mark Pickerel. Pickerel had been replaced by Barrett Martin by the time the band reached its most successful period...
drummer Mark Pickerel
Mark Pickerel
Mark Pickerel is best known as the original drummer for the Screaming Trees, a rock group from Ellensburg, WA, that formed in 1985. Other members of the band included the versatile singer Mark Lanegan and the Conner brothers...
among others.
A number of songs were covered during the show, including Belinda Carlisle
Belinda Carlisle
Belinda Jo Carlisle is an American singer who gained worldwide fame as the lead vocalist of the Go-Go's, one of the most successful all-female bands and the first such group whose members wrote their own songs and played their own instruments...
's "Heaven Is a Place on Earth
Heaven is a Place on Earth
"Heaven Is a Place on Earth" is the title of a song recorded by Belinda Carlisle, the lead singer of The Go-Go's. Written by Rick Nowels and Ellen Shipley, and interpolating the aria "Schlafe, mein Liebster, genieße der Ruh'" from Johann Sebastian Bach's Christmas Oratorio, it hit number one on the...
", Hank Williams' "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry
I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry
"I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" is a song written and recorded by American country music singer-songwriter Hank Williams in 1949. The song about loneliness was largely inspired by his troubled relationship with wife Audrey Sheppard...
", The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
' "Dead Flowers" among others however one of the more notable covers came when McCready performed a cover of "River of Deceit
River of Deceit
"River of Deceit" is a song by the American rock band Mad Season, released in 1995 as the first single from the band's only studio album, Above...
" for the first time since the breakup of Mad Season with Jeff Rouse performing vocal duties on the song.
Band members
- Barrett MartinBarrett MartinBarrett Martin , is an American drummer, upright bassist, composer, producer, writer, and Zen artist. He was the drummer for the Seattle, Washington groups Skin Yard and Screaming Trees, as well as the supergroups Mad Season and Tuatara...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... - Mike McCreadyMike McCreadyMichael David McCready is an American musician who serves as the lead guitarist for the American rock band Pearl Jam. Along with Jeff Ament, Stone Gossard, Dave Krusen, and Eddie Vedder, he is one of the founding members of Pearl Jam...
– guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with... - John Baker SaundersJohn Baker SaundersJohn Baker Saunders was a founding member and bassist for the American grunge rock supergroup Mad Season, as well as a member of The Walkabouts. He was born in Montgomery, Alabama and later attended Providence College...
– bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Layne StaleyLayne StaleyLayne Thomas Staley was an American musician who served as the lead singer and co-lyricist of the rock group Alice in Chains, which was formed in Seattle, Washington in 1987 by Staley and guitarist Jerry Cantrell. Alice in Chains rose to international fame as part of the grunge movement of the...
– vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, guitar (1994–1997)
Additional personnel
- Mark LaneganMark LaneganMark Lanegan is an American rock musician and songwriter. Lanegan began his music career in the 1980s, forming the grunge group Screaming Trees with Gary Lee Conner, Van Conner and Mark Pickerel. During his time in the band Lanegan would start a low-key solo career...
– vocals - SkerikSkerikSkerik is an American saxophonist from Seattle, Washington. Performing on the tenor and baritone saxophone, often with electronics and loops, Skerik is a pioneer in a playing style that has been dubbed saxophonics. He is a founding member of Critters Buggin, Garage a Trois and Skerik's Syncopated...
– saxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
, percussion (1994–1995)
Studio albums
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications Music recording sales certification Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,... (sales thresholds) |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
CAN Canada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... |
NOR VG-lista VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by... |
SWE Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
|||
| 1995 | Above
|
24 | 65 | 24 | 46 | |
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Main |
US Mod |
CAN Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays.... |
|||
| 1995 | "River of Deceit River of Deceit "River of Deceit" is a song by the American rock band Mad Season, released in 1995 as the first single from the band's only studio album, Above... " |
2 | 9 | 68 | Above |
| "I Don't Know Anything I Don't Know Anything "I Don't Know Anything" is a song by the American rock band Mad Season, released in 1995 as the second single from the band's sole studio album, Above... " |
20 | — | — | ||
| "Long Gone Day Long Gone Day "Long Gone Day" is a song by the American rock band Mad Season, released in 1995 as the third single from the band's sole studio album, Above .-Origin and recording:... " |
— | — | — | ||
| "—" denotes singles that did not chart. | |||||
Videos
| Year | Video details | US Billboard charts The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine... peak chart position |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Live at the Moore Live at the Moore Live at The Moore is a home video featuring the final live performance by the American rock band Mad Season. It was released on August 29, 1995.-Overview:...
|
24 |
Other appearances
| Year | Song | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | "I Don't Wanna Be a Soldier" |
Working Class Hero: A Tribute to John Lennon Working Class Hero: A Tribute to John Lennon Working Class Hero is a 1995 tribute album to Beatles singer/songwriter John Lennon. It gets its name from a Lennon song of the same name. The album was produced by Lindy Goetz through Hollywood Records in support of the Humane Society of the United States... |
Hollywood Hollywood Records Hollywood Records is an American record label owned by Disney Music Group, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company.-History:Hollywood Records was founded in 1989 by then-Disney CEO Michael Eisner with the idea of expanding the music operations of the company and to develop and promote... |
| 1996 | "River of Deceit" (live) |
Bite Back: Live at Crocodile Cafe | PopLlama PopLlama Records PopLlama Records is an independent record label founded by record producer Conrad Uno in Seattle, Washington, in 1984. After making several of his own demos in his basement studio, Uno would produce the Young Fresh Fellows' debut album The Fabulous Sounds of the Pacific Northwest at the bands request... |