Mudhoney
Encyclopedia
Mudhoney is an American alternative rock
band. Formed in Seattle, Washington
, in 1988 following the demise of Green River
, Mudhoney's members are vocalist and rhythm guitar
ist Mark Arm
, lead guitar
ist Steve Turner
, bassist
Guy Maddison
, and drummer
Dan Peters
. Original bassist Matt Lukin
left the band in 1999 but briefly returned in December 2000 to complete touring obligations. Mudhoney's early releases on Sub Pop
; the "Touch Me I'm Sick
" single and the Superfuzz Bigmuff
EP; were influential in the Seattle music scene, and helped inspire the dirty, high-distortion sound that would characterize grunge
. Mudhoney were also notable for their mixing of heavy blues rock and punk rock
. Although they have found little commercial success during their long career, which has yielded ten studio albums, they nonetheless inspired many grunge and alternative rock musicians, such as Kurt Cobain
of Nirvana
.
, a suburb of Seattle. While at Bellevue Christian High School, Mark McLaughlin (later known as Mark Arm
) and some friends started Mr. Epp and the Calculations, a band named after a math
teacher of his. Initially the band was more a joke band than a real band; their first "show" was in class singing Marvin Gaye
's "Got to Give It Up" and using rolled-up maps as guitars because they could not play real instruments. Mr. Epp played their first show in 1981, three years after they formed. Around this time Mark Arm and friend Steve Turner
formed a more serious yet still humorous band, Limp Richerds
. Mr. Epp appeared on KZAM-AM radio and were introduced as "the worst band in the world." They played their last show on February 3, 1984 with Malfunkshun
at Seattle's Metropolis.
Green River
was formed in 1984 when Arm and Turner recruited Alex Vincent
as drummer, who had previously played with Turner in the short-lived Spluii Numa
. Bassist Jeff Ament
joined the band after arriving in Seattle with his band Deranged Diction. Stone Gossard
, another of Turner's former bandmates, was recruited as second guitarist. Green River recorded their debut EP, Come on Down
, in 1985, and it is often regarded as the first true "grunge" record. Turner left the band after its release due to his distaste of the band's heavy metal
leanings. He was replaced by another Derranged Diction member, Bruce Fairweather
. After recording another EP (Dry As a Bone
) and a full-length album (Rehab Doll
), the band disbanded in late 1987. Gossard, Ament, and Fairweather went on to join Mother Love Bone
. Following lead singer, Andrew Wood's death, Gossard and Ament went on to form Pearl Jam
, and Fairweather joined Love Battery
. In January 1988, Arm reunited with Turner to form Mudhoney.
drummer Dan Peters
. The trio decided that Matt Lukin
, who had recently left The Melvins
, should join the band as bassist. They named themselves after the Russ Meyer
movie Mudhoney
, which none of the band members had actually seen.
In 1988, the band recorded and released their debut EP, Superfuzz Bigmuff
, and their first single, "Touch Me I'm Sick
", on the Sub Pop
label. The single attracted attention and the band enjoyed moderate success in the United States. Mudhoney quickly became Sub Pop's flagship band. Sonic Youth
, who were fans of the band, had invited Mudhoney to join them for a tour in the UK
in 1989. After this tour Superfuzz Bigmuff entered the British indie charts and they received a respectable amount of press coverage. The band released their first album, Mudhoney
, in 1989.
They released their second album, Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge
, in 1991. After the album's release they were offered a deal with Reprise Records
, and they joined the label in 1992.
. In a 2008 Mojo
magazine article, Turner explained the album references "how easily things had come to them...the
songs were kinda half-baked..." They also contributed a track "Overblown" at this time to the soundtrack
to the film
Singles.
With their 1995 album My Brother the Cow
they mixed their earlier and more recent sound, but Turner explained in an article in Mojo, "There was a backlash after Kurt [Cobain] killed himself. The English press were so angry that we were still around. Those were some of the worst reviews we'd ever gotten. We were mocked for still existing."
In 1996, Mudhoney appeared in the comedy movie Black Sheep, starring Chris Farley
and David Spade
. The band was shown performing at an MTV concert and then speaking with Farley backstage. Tomorrow Hit Today
was released in September 1998. The album demonstrated a blues-rock
influence, utilising the record producer
Jim Dickinson, who worked with the Rolling Stones
. They recorded the set in three different cities.
After a few years of touring, Reprise decided to release Mudhoney. Subsequently, Lukin left the band. They released March to Fuzz
, a retrospective compilation album
.
(of Monroe's Fur and Lubricated Goat
) who had played with Arm in one of his many side projects, Bloodloss. In 2002, following their return to Sub Pop, the band recorded and released a new studio album, Since We've Become Translucent
. This was followed by a major South American tour.
In early 2003 the band entered the studio to record "Hard-On For War", that would appear exclusively on Travis Keller's Buddyhead Presents: Gimme Skelter compilation album. Later that year the band recorded Under a Billion Suns
on which a new version of the song appeared. The album was released in 2006 and received favorable reviews. In 2006 the band also helped to curate an edition of the British All Tomorrow's Parties
festival.
During 2007, Mudhoney played in Brazil again and went on a brief European tour. In November that year, the band released a live album entitled Live Mud
, containing songs recorded at a concert in Mexico.
In 2008, Mudhoney began recording their next album with producer Tucker Martine
, The Lucky Ones, which was released in May 2008. Shortly thereafter, Sub Pop released a deluxe, remastered edition of Superfuzz Bigmuff. The reissue contained the original EP in its correct running order, along with singles, demos, and two live recordings from 1988. In the liner notes of the reissued Superfuzz Bigmuff, Jay Hinman wrote:
In 2009, Mudhoney announced a series of live dates. This included an extensive tour of Europe which started in Edinburgh
, Scotland
with Sub Pop label mates The Vaselines
. The tour ended on 26 October in Tel Aviv
, Israel
. The group played at the ATP New York 2010
music festival in Monticello, New York in September 2010, where they performed Superfuzz Bigmuff in its entirety.
In 2011, Pearl Jam had Mudhoney open for them on their 20th Anniversary tour. They have been chosen by Mogwai to perform in May 2012 at the All Tomorrow's Parties
'I'll Be Your Mirror' festival at Alexandra Palace, London.
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band. Formed in Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
, in 1988 following the demise of Green River
Green River (band)
Green River was an American rock band from Seattle, Washington that was active from 1984 to 1988. Although the band had little commercial impact outside of its native Seattle, Green River proved to have significant influence on the genre later known as grunge, both with its own music and with the...
, Mudhoney's members are vocalist and rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
ist Mark Arm
Mark Arm
Mark Arm is the vocalist for the grunge band Mudhoney. He is also credited with coining the term "grunge" to describe his style of rock music...
, lead guitar
Lead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
ist Steve Turner
Steve Turner (guitarist)
Steve Turner is an American guitarist, most famous for his work with Seattle band Mudhoney.-Biography:Turner was born in 1965 in Houston, Texas. His first band was called The Ducky Boys. The line up included future Pearl Jam member Stone Gossard. The Ducky Boys split around 1983.Turner later found...
, bassist
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
Guy Maddison
Guy Maddison
Guy Maddison is primarily known as a bassist associated with punk and grunge music. He is arguably best known as the current bassist of the grunge band Mudhoney.-1980s:...
, and drummer
Drum kit
A 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 ....
Dan Peters
Dan Peters
Daniel Joe Peters is the drummer for Mudhoney. He joined Bundle of Hiss when he was fifteen years old. He also played drums for Nirvana, appearing on one single, "Sliver". Peters' only live appearance with Nirvana was on September 22, 1990, in Seattle, Washington, at the Motor Sports International...
. Original bassist Matt Lukin
Matt Lukin
Matt Lukin is an American musician, best known as a bassist and founding member of the Melvins and Mudhoney.-The Melvins :...
left the band in 1999 but briefly returned in December 2000 to complete touring obligations. Mudhoney's early releases on Sub Pop
Sub Pop
Sub Pop is a record label founded in 1986 by Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman in Seattle, Washington. Sub Pop achieved fame in the late 1980s for first signing Nirvana, Soundgarden, Mudhoney and many other bands from the Seattle music scene...
; the "Touch Me I'm Sick
Touch Me I'm Sick
"Touch Me I'm Sick" is a song by the American alternative rock band Mudhoney. It was recorded in March 1988 at Seattle's Reciprocal Recording studio with producer Jack Endino. "Touch Me I'm Sick" was released as Mudhoney's debut single by independent record label Sub Pop on August 1, 1988...
" single and the Superfuzz Bigmuff
Superfuzz Bigmuff
Superfuzz Bigmuff is the debut EP by the Seattle grunge band Mudhoney. It was released in October 1988 through record label Sub Pop. The songs later appeared on their 1990 compilation album Superfuzz Bigmuff Plus Early Singles...
EP; were influential in the Seattle music scene, and helped inspire the dirty, high-distortion sound that would characterize grunge
Grunge
Grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...
. Mudhoney were also notable for their mixing of heavy blues rock and punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
. Although they have found little commercial success during their long career, which has yielded ten studio albums, they nonetheless inspired many grunge and alternative rock musicians, such as Kurt Cobain
Kurt Cobain
Kurt Donald Cobain was an American singer-songwriter, musician and artist, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the grunge band Nirvana...
of Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
.
Mr. Epp and the Calculations
Mudhoney started in Bellevue, WashingtonBellevue, Washington
Bellevue is a city in the Eastside region of King County, Washington, United States, across Lake Washington from Seattle. Long known as a suburb or satellite city of Seattle, it is now categorized as an edge city or a boomburb. The population was 122,363 at the 2010 census.Downtown Bellevue is...
, a suburb of Seattle. While at Bellevue Christian High School, Mark McLaughlin (later known as Mark Arm
Mark Arm
Mark Arm is the vocalist for the grunge band Mudhoney. He is also credited with coining the term "grunge" to describe his style of rock music...
) and some friends started Mr. Epp and the Calculations, a band named after a math
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
teacher of his. Initially the band was more a joke band than a real band; their first "show" was in class singing Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
's "Got to Give It Up" and using rolled-up maps as guitars because they could not play real instruments. Mr. Epp played their first show in 1981, three years after they formed. Around this time Mark Arm and friend Steve Turner
Steve Turner (guitarist)
Steve Turner is an American guitarist, most famous for his work with Seattle band Mudhoney.-Biography:Turner was born in 1965 in Houston, Texas. His first band was called The Ducky Boys. The line up included future Pearl Jam member Stone Gossard. The Ducky Boys split around 1983.Turner later found...
formed a more serious yet still humorous band, Limp Richerds
Limp Richerds
The Limp Richerds were a hardcore punk rock band from Seattle, Washington which featured Mark Arm and Steve Turner in one of their many lineups...
. Mr. Epp appeared on KZAM-AM radio and were introduced as "the worst band in the world." They played their last show on February 3, 1984 with Malfunkshun
Malfunkshun
Malfunkshun is a band formed in 1980 by Andrew Wood and his brother Kevin Wood. Malfunkshun, along with Skin Yard, Green River, U-Men, and Melvins are considered the "godfathers" of grunge, with Malfunkshun being the first of those bands to form.-History:...
at Seattle's Metropolis.
Green River: 1984–1987
Green River (band)
Green River was an American rock band from Seattle, Washington that was active from 1984 to 1988. Although the band had little commercial impact outside of its native Seattle, Green River proved to have significant influence on the genre later known as grunge, both with its own music and with the...
was formed in 1984 when Arm and Turner recruited Alex Vincent
Alex Vincent (drummer)
Alex Shumway was the drummer for the bands Spluii Numa and, later, one of the pioneers of the grunge scene, Green River. After Green River had broken up, Shumway moved to Japan...
as drummer, who had previously played with Turner in the short-lived Spluii Numa
Spluii Numa
Spluii Numa was a pre-grunge Seattle punk band from the early 1980s. Its members consisted of Erik Aasen , Charles Quain , Keith Strobel , briefly Harold Hollingsworth , and Alex Shumway. Mudhoney's Steve Turner was also a guitarist for the band for a short amount of time before leaving the band...
. Bassist Jeff Ament
Jeff Ament
Jeffrey Allen Ament is an American musician who serves as the bassist for the American rock band Pearl Jam. Along with Stone Gossard, Mike McCready, and Eddie Vedder, he is one of the founding members of Pearl Jam...
joined the band after arriving in Seattle with his band Deranged Diction. Stone Gossard
Stone Gossard
Stone Carpenter Gossard is an American musician who serves as the rhythm and lead guitarist for the American rock band Pearl Jam. Along with Jeff Ament, Mike McCready, and Eddie Vedder, he is one of the founding members of Pearl Jam...
, another of Turner's former bandmates, was recruited as second guitarist. Green River recorded their debut EP, Come on Down
Come on Down
- Personnel :Green River* Jeff Ament – bass guitar, back and sleeve designs* Mark Arm – vocals* Stone Gossard – guitar* Steve Turner – guitar* Alex Vincent – drumsProduction* Green River – production, cover concept...
, in 1985, and it is often regarded as the first true "grunge" record. Turner left the band after its release due to his distaste of the band's heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
leanings. He was replaced by another Derranged Diction member, Bruce Fairweather
Bruce Fairweather
Bruce Fairweather is a guitarist/bassist based in Seattle. In 1985, he replaced Steve Turner in the grunge band Green River, which included Mark Arm , Alex Vincent as well as Jeff Ament and Stone Gossard, later of Pearl Jam....
. After recording another EP (Dry As a Bone
Dry As a Bone
-Personnel:Green River*Jeff Ament – bass guitar, production, engineering*Mark Arm – vocals*Bruce Fairweather – guitar*Stone Gossard – guitar*Alex Vincent – drumsProduction*Jack Endino – production, engineering...
) and a full-length album (Rehab Doll
Rehab Doll
Cassette bonus track-Personnel:Green River*Jeff Ament – bass guitar, vocals, assistant production, inner sleeve design*Mark Arm – vocals, assistant production*Bruce Fairweather – guitars...
), the band disbanded in late 1987. Gossard, Ament, and Fairweather went on to join Mother Love Bone
Mother Love Bone
Mother Love Bone was an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington in 1988. The band was active from 1988 to 1990. Frontman Andrew Wood's personality and compositions helped to catapult the group to the top of the burgeoning late 1980s/early 1990s Seattle music scene...
. Following lead singer, Andrew Wood's death, Gossard and Ament went on to form 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 Fairweather joined Love Battery
Love Battery
Love Battery is an American grunge band from Seattle, Washington.For the most part Love Battery was an unusual group in the early '90s Seattle music scene, blending intense swirling psychedelic guitar work, pulsating rhythms, driving beats and heartfelt vocals derived from '60s garage/psych, '70s...
. In January 1988, Arm reunited with Turner to form Mudhoney.
Sub Pop: 1988–1991
Turner wanted to start a band that rehearsed before playing to a live audience. He and Arm began songwriting with Bundle of HissBundle of Hiss
Bundle of Hiss were an American grunge band formed in 1980 in Stanwood, Washington by pre-Tad member Kurt Danielson, guitarist Jeff Hopper, vocalist Kurt Schonberg and drummer Russ Bartlett. Schonberg left the band after they had recorded a couple of demo tapes. Russ Bartlett then moved from drums...
drummer Dan Peters
Dan Peters
Daniel Joe Peters is the drummer for Mudhoney. He joined Bundle of Hiss when he was fifteen years old. He also played drums for Nirvana, appearing on one single, "Sliver". Peters' only live appearance with Nirvana was on September 22, 1990, in Seattle, Washington, at the Motor Sports International...
. The trio decided that Matt Lukin
Matt Lukin
Matt Lukin is an American musician, best known as a bassist and founding member of the Melvins and Mudhoney.-The Melvins :...
, who had recently left The Melvins
The Melvins
The Melvins are an American band that formed in 1983. They usually perform as a trio, but in recent years have performed as a four piece with two drummers. Since 1984, singer and guitarist Buzz Osborne and drummer Dale Crover have been the band's constant members...
, should join the band as bassist. They named themselves after the Russ Meyer
Russ Meyer
Russell Albion "Russ" Meyer was a U.S. motion picture director, producer, screenwriter, cinematographer, editor, actor and photographer....
movie Mudhoney
Mudhoney (film)
Mudhoney is a 1965 film by Russ Meyer based on the novel by Raymond Friday Locke.-Plot summary:In this Depression-era tale, Calif McKinney is traveling from Michigan to California and stops in Spooner, Missouri, where Lute Wade hires McKinney for odd jobs...
, which none of the band members had actually seen.
In 1988, the band recorded and released their debut EP, Superfuzz Bigmuff
Superfuzz Bigmuff
Superfuzz Bigmuff is the debut EP by the Seattle grunge band Mudhoney. It was released in October 1988 through record label Sub Pop. The songs later appeared on their 1990 compilation album Superfuzz Bigmuff Plus Early Singles...
, and their first single, "Touch Me I'm Sick
Touch Me I'm Sick
"Touch Me I'm Sick" is a song by the American alternative rock band Mudhoney. It was recorded in March 1988 at Seattle's Reciprocal Recording studio with producer Jack Endino. "Touch Me I'm Sick" was released as Mudhoney's debut single by independent record label Sub Pop on August 1, 1988...
", on the Sub Pop
Sub Pop
Sub Pop is a record label founded in 1986 by Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman in Seattle, Washington. Sub Pop achieved fame in the late 1980s for first signing Nirvana, Soundgarden, Mudhoney and many other bands from the Seattle music scene...
label. The single attracted attention and the band enjoyed moderate success in the United States. Mudhoney quickly became Sub Pop's flagship band. Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...
, who were fans of the band, had invited Mudhoney to join them for a tour in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in 1989. After this tour Superfuzz Bigmuff entered the British indie charts and they received a respectable amount of press coverage. The band released their first album, Mudhoney
Mudhoney (album)
Mudhoney is the debut studio album by American grunge band Mudhoney, released in 1989. It was their first LP after several singles and an EP ....
, in 1989.
They released their second album, Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge
Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge
Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge is the second studio album by the grunge band Mudhoney. It was recorded in 1991, at a time when the band was thinking of signing to a major record label, but decided to release the album on Sub Pop...
, in 1991. After the album's release they were offered a deal with Reprise Records
Reprise Records
Reprise Records is an American record label, founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operated through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:...
, and they joined the label in 1992.
Reprise: 1992–1999
Mudhoney's first album with Reprise was Piece of CakePiece of Cake (album)
Piece of Cake is the third studio album by the grunge band Mudhoney. Recorded and released in 1992, it was their first album released through Reprise Records...
. In a 2008 Mojo
Mojo (magazine)
MOJO is a popular music magazine published initially by Emap, and since January 2008 by Bauer, monthly in the United Kingdom. Following the success of the magazine Q, publishers Emap were looking for a title which would cater for the burgeoning interest in classic rock music...
magazine article, Turner explained the album references "how easily things had come to them...the
songs were kinda half-baked..." They also contributed a track "Overblown" at this time to the soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
to the film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
Singles.
My Brother the Cow
My Brother the Cow is the fourth album by the grunge band Mudhoney. It was released on Reprise Records on March 28, 1995 . Of note is the CD version of the album's hidden 13th track, which consists of all of the album's preceding tracks played backwards."My Brother The Cow" is notable for its...
they mixed their earlier and more recent sound, but Turner explained in an article in Mojo, "There was a backlash after Kurt [Cobain] killed himself. The English press were so angry that we were still around. Those were some of the worst reviews we'd ever gotten. We were mocked for still existing."
In 1996, Mudhoney appeared in the comedy movie Black Sheep, starring Chris Farley
Chris Farley
Christopher Crosby "Chris" Farley was an American comedian and actor. Farley was a member of Chicago's Second City Theatre and cast member of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live from 1990 to 1995....
and David Spade
David Spade
David Wayne Spade is an American actor, comedian and television personality who first became famous in the 1990s as a cast member on Saturday Night Live, and from 1997 until 2003 when he starred as Dennis Finch on Just Shoot Me!. He also starred as C.J...
. The band was shown performing at an MTV concert and then speaking with Farley backstage. Tomorrow Hit Today
Tomorrow Hit Today
Tomorrow Hit Today is the fifth album by the grunge band, Mudhoney. It was released by Reprise Records on September 22, 1998 . Although the band retains their grungy sound on the album, a noticeable garage and blues influence can be heard. The album title is a reference to a song, "When Tomorrow...
was released in September 1998. The album demonstrated a blues-rock
Blues-rock
Blues rock is a hybrid musical genre combining bluesy improvisations over the 12-bar blues and extended boogie jams with rock and roll styles. The core of the blues rock sound is created by the electric guitar, piano, bass guitar and drum kit, with the electric guitar usually amplified through a...
influence, utilising the record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Jim Dickinson, who worked with 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...
. They recorded the set in three different cities.
After a few years of touring, Reprise decided to release Mudhoney. Subsequently, Lukin left the band. They released March to Fuzz
March to Fuzz
March to Fuzz is a two-disc compilation album by grunge band Mudhoney. It was released in January 2000 by Sub Pop Records. Disc 1 is a collection of the band's most popular songs, such as "Here Comes Sickness" and "Sweet Young Thing Ain't Sweet No More." Disc 2 is a collection of rare tracks,...
, a retrospective compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
.
After Matt Lukin: 2000–present
Mudhoney continued to play some concerts in the Pacific Northwest, and recruited permanent bassist Guy MaddisonGuy Maddison
Guy Maddison is primarily known as a bassist associated with punk and grunge music. He is arguably best known as the current bassist of the grunge band Mudhoney.-1980s:...
(of Monroe's Fur and Lubricated Goat
Lubricated Goat
Lubricated Goat was an Australian noise rock band of the 1980s.They achieved brief notoriety for playing on a television program naked, wearing only their instruments and shoes...
) who had played with Arm in one of his many side projects, Bloodloss. In 2002, following their return to Sub Pop, the band recorded and released a new studio album, Since We've Become Translucent
Since We've Become Translucent
Since We've Become Translucent is the sixth album by the grunge band Mudhoney, released in 2002. The album was the first to be recorded after the departure of their original bassist, Matt Lukin, three years earlier...
. This was followed by a major South American tour.
Under a Billion Suns
Under a Billion Suns is the seventh album by Mudhoney, released in the USA in March 2006. It was recorded with three different producers: Phil Ek, Johnny Sangster and Tucker Martine....
on which a new version of the song appeared. The album was released in 2006 and received favorable reviews. In 2006 the band also helped to curate an edition of the British All Tomorrow's Parties
All Tomorrow's Parties (music festival)
All Tomorrow's Parties is a music festival which takes place at Camber Sands holiday camp in East Sussex and Butlin's holiday camp in Minehead, Somerset, England....
festival.
During 2007, Mudhoney played in Brazil again and went on a brief European tour. In November that year, the band released a live album entitled Live Mud
Live Mud
Live Mud is the first live album released by Mudhoney. It was recorded live in Mexico City in 2005 by Brett Eliason. Only 500 vinyl copies were made.-Track listing:# "Mudride"# "The Straight Life"# "I Saw the Light"# "No One Has"# "Our Time is Now"...
, containing songs recorded at a concert in Mexico.
In 2008, Mudhoney began recording their next album with producer Tucker Martine
Tucker Martine
Tucker Martine is an American, Grammy nominated record producer, musician and composer who has worked with artists such as My Morning Jacket, Mudhoney, Bill Frisell, The Decemberists, Sufjan Stevens, R.E.M., Laura Veirs, Spoon, and Tift Merritt...
, The Lucky Ones, which was released in May 2008. Shortly thereafter, Sub Pop released a deluxe, remastered edition of Superfuzz Bigmuff. The reissue contained the original EP in its correct running order, along with singles, demos, and two live recordings from 1988. In the liner notes of the reissued Superfuzz Bigmuff, Jay Hinman wrote:
My feeling—and I know I’m not alone in this one—is that for all the play and worldwide attention several Seattle-area bands got during the 1988-92 period, at the end of the day (and even at the time), there was Mudhoney—and then there was everybody else. To me, you, and everyone else paying close attention to underground rock music during those years, Mudhoney still sound like the undisputed kingpins of roaring, surging, fuzzed-out, punk music.
In 2009, Mudhoney announced a series of live dates. This included an extensive tour of Europe which started in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
with Sub Pop label mates The Vaselines
The Vaselines
The Vaselines are an alternative rock band from Glasgow, Scotland. Formed in 1986, the band was originally a duo between its songwriters Eugene Kelly and Frances McKee, but later added James Seenan and Eugene's brother Charlie Kelly on bass and drums respectively from the band Secession. McKee had...
. The tour ended on 26 October in Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. The group played at the ATP New York 2010
All Tomorrow's Parties (music festival)
All Tomorrow's Parties is a music festival which takes place at Camber Sands holiday camp in East Sussex and Butlin's holiday camp in Minehead, Somerset, England....
music festival in Monticello, New York in September 2010, where they performed Superfuzz Bigmuff in its entirety.
In 2011, Pearl Jam had Mudhoney open for them on their 20th Anniversary tour. They have been chosen by Mogwai to perform in May 2012 at the All Tomorrow's Parties
All Tomorrow's Parties (music festival)
All Tomorrow's Parties is a music festival which takes place at Camber Sands holiday camp in East Sussex and Butlin's holiday camp in Minehead, Somerset, England....
'I'll Be Your Mirror' festival at Alexandra Palace, London.
Discography
- Superfuzz BigmuffSuperfuzz BigmuffSuperfuzz Bigmuff is the debut EP by the Seattle grunge band Mudhoney. It was released in October 1988 through record label Sub Pop. The songs later appeared on their 1990 compilation album Superfuzz Bigmuff Plus Early Singles...
(1988) - MudhoneyMudhoney (album)Mudhoney is the debut studio album by American grunge band Mudhoney, released in 1989. It was their first LP after several singles and an EP ....
(1989) - Every Good Boy Deserves FudgeEvery Good Boy Deserves FudgeEvery Good Boy Deserves Fudge is the second studio album by the grunge band Mudhoney. It was recorded in 1991, at a time when the band was thinking of signing to a major record label, but decided to release the album on Sub Pop...
(1991) - Piece of CakePiece of Cake (album)Piece of Cake is the third studio album by the grunge band Mudhoney. Recorded and released in 1992, it was their first album released through Reprise Records...
(1992) - Five Dollar Bob's Mock Cooter StewFive Dollar Bob's Mock Cooter StewFive Dollar Bob's Mock Cooter Stew is an EP by the grunge band Mudhoney released on October 26, 1993 by Reprise Records. Mudhoney vocalist Mark Arm described this EP as a chance for the band to "get new songs out for fans in between albums."...
(1993) - My Brother the CowMy Brother the CowMy Brother the Cow is the fourth album by the grunge band Mudhoney. It was released on Reprise Records on March 28, 1995 . Of note is the CD version of the album's hidden 13th track, which consists of all of the album's preceding tracks played backwards."My Brother The Cow" is notable for its...
(1995) - Tomorrow Hit TodayTomorrow Hit TodayTomorrow Hit Today is the fifth album by the grunge band, Mudhoney. It was released by Reprise Records on September 22, 1998 . Although the band retains their grungy sound on the album, a noticeable garage and blues influence can be heard. The album title is a reference to a song, "When Tomorrow...
(1998) - Since We've Become TranslucentSince We've Become TranslucentSince We've Become Translucent is the sixth album by the grunge band Mudhoney, released in 2002. The album was the first to be recorded after the departure of their original bassist, Matt Lukin, three years earlier...
(2002) - Under a Billion SunsUnder a Billion SunsUnder a Billion Suns is the seventh album by Mudhoney, released in the USA in March 2006. It was recorded with three different producers: Phil Ek, Johnny Sangster and Tucker Martine....
(2006) - The Lucky Ones (2008)
- Head on the Curb (Piece of Cake outtakes and demos) (2011)
Other sources
- Deming, Mark. "[ Mudhoney]". Allmusic. Retrieved May 14, 2005.
- Vinylnet Record Label Discographies. link. - Sub Pop catalogue references.