Green River (band)

Green River

Green River was an influential Seattle based rock band active from 1984 to 1987. Although the band arguably 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 music its members would create in future bands.

According to a story released to Reuters in October 2007, Stone Gossard confirmed rumors that Green River will reunite for one show in the summer of 2008.

History

Green River (named after the then at-large serial killer of the same name) was formed in early 1984 by vocalist/guitarist Mark Arm, guitarist Steve Turner, drummer Alex Vincent and bassist Jeff Ament. Guitarist Stone Gossard then joined the band to allow Mark Arm to concentrate on singing. Prior to joining, each member had played with punk and hardcore groups. Arm and Turner had played together in both Mr Epp & The Calculations and the Limp Richerds. Turner had also performed with Vincent in Spluii Numa, and Gossard in The Ducky Boys. Ament had been asked to join after moving from Montana with his band Deranged Diction.

By late 1984, the band was playing shows in and around Seattle. In December 1984, the band began production on its first record, Come on Down. However, by the time the band finished the record in early 1985, Turner had left the group, citing his distaste with Ament and Gossard's heavy metal leanings. He was replaced by former Deranged Diction guitarist Bruce Fairweather.

In mid-1985, the band embarked on its first nationwide tour to promote the now completed Come on Down EP. Release of the record was delayed however, thus negating the purpose of the tour. From all accounts the experience was less than positive, though it did help cement alliances with other emerging American indie rock bands. Among them was Sonic Youth, who later quoted the song "Come on Down" on its own composition "Never Mind (What Was It Any Way?)". After the tour, Come on Down was finally released by the New York-based Homestead Records. The record was released to little fanfare, and did not sell well. However it is often considered the first album to be released by a "grunge" band, as it predated both the Deep Six compilation and the Melvins' debut album.

In 1986, the band continued to play in and around the Pacific Northwest to steadily larger crowds (especially in the band's hometown of Seattle). Early in the year, the now legendary Deep Six compilation was released on the local C/Z Records label. Alongside two Green River songs, the compilation features the music of fellow Washington bands Soundgarden, Melvins, Malfunkshun, Skin Yard and the U-Men. Kathleen C. Fennessy of All Music Guide stated that the compilation "documents a formative period in Northwest rock history."

In June 1986, the band began production on its second EP, Dry As a Bone, with local producer Jack Endino. Again the record was delayed. In the meantime the band issued the one off "Together We'll Never" single on the local Tasque Force Records. Dry As a Bone was finally released through Sub Pop Records in July 1987, a full year after it was recorded. It was the new label's first non-compilation release. Steve Huey of All Music Guide called it Green River's "strongest individual release...perfecting their sleazy, raucous fusion of '70s hard rock and post-hardcore punk."

Almost immediately following the release of Dry As a Bone, the group re-entered the studio to begin production on its first full-length album, Rehab Doll. Band in-fighting, though, took center stage over the music. A stylistic division developed between Ament and Gossard on one side, and Mark Arm on the other. Ament and Gossard wanted to pursue a major-label deal, while Arm wanted to remain independent, viewing the duo as being too careerist. Ament and Gossard wanted to form a band that was more musical and groovier. On October 31, 1987 Ament, Gossard and Fairweather stated their desire to quit the band. Although the band members agreed to complete production of Rehab Doll during the next three months, Green River had by late October 1987 ceased as a band. Ten years later, Mark's band Mudhoney signed on to major label, Warner Bros to further their careers.

Post-Breakup

After the break-up, Mark Arm and Steve Turner began rehearsing together. They recruited bassist Matt Lukin (formerly of the Melvins) and drummer Dan Peters (of Bundle of Hiss and Feast) to form Mudhoney in January 1988. Mudhoney quickly gained popularity in the Seattle scene, with debut releases "Touch Me I'm Sick" and Superfuzz Bigmuff receiving positive reviews in the music press. Since releasing its debut album in 1989, Mudhoney have recorded a further seven albums and continue to tour.

Following the demise of Green River in late 1987, Gossard, Ament and Fairweather formed the short-lived covers band Lords of the Wasteland with Malfunkshun frontman Andrew Wood. By early 1988 the Lords had become Mother Love Bone. Mother Love Bone quickly rose to popularity in the Seattle scene, and were about to release its debut album in 1990, when frontman Andrew Wood fatally overdosed on heroin. That same year, Ament and Gossard (along with Chris Cornell, Matt Cameron, Mike McCready, and a guest appearance by Eddie Vedder) recorded the Andrew Wood tribute album Temple of the Dog (amidst the formation of the band Pearl Jam), which went on to achieve international mainstream success. After Temple of the Dog, Gossard and Ament founded Pearl Jam along with Mike McCready of Shadow, Eddie Vedder of Bad Radio, and Dave Krusen. Pearl Jam rocketed to fame with its debut album Ten and is still active today, having released eight albums in total.

Bruce Fairweather replaced Tommy Simpson on bass in the psychedelic rock band Love Battery in 1992. He played on two of the band's albums and many of its tours before leaving that band as well. Alex Vincent, Green River's drummer, moved to Japan after the breakup and did not return to the United States for many years.

A Green River reunion occurred on November 30, 1993 during a Pearl Jam concert in Las Vegas, Nevada. Participating in the reunion were Mark Arm, Steve Turner, Stone Gossard, Jeff Ament and Chuck Treece, who filled in on drums for Alex Vincent, who at that time was living in Japan. The band performed the songs "Swallow My Pride" and "Ain't Nothing to Do" before leaving the stage. Another Green River reunion show will take place in 2008 to honour Sub Pop's 20th anniversary.

Legacy

Green River made little commercial impact outside of Seattle, but what the band lacked in commercial success however it made up for in influence. In general, Green River is widely regarded as being one of the originators of the genre later known as grunge. With its sludgy mix of hard rock, punk and metal, heavily influenced by Iggy Pop's original proto-punk group The Stooges, coupled with Arm's twisted lyrics and vocal delivery, Green River greatly influenced both its peers and the bands that followed them. Green River had a quirky side that further influenced early grunge rock. For instance in "Your Own Best Friend", Mark Arm ends the song with laughter with the absurdly repeated lyric "what's wrong with you?" Grunge, at least in the early days, unlike much heavy metal and some punk rock, contained sarcasm and irony beneath the gravity of the subject matter and musicians. Even without the fact that some of its members would later go on to form some of the biggest bands of the Northwest music scene, Green River is still remembered for its musical foresight and innovation, years ahead of the rise of grunge.

Band members

• Mark Arm (b. Mark McLaughlin) - vocals
• Stone Gossard - guitar
• Steve Turner - guitar (1984-1985)
• Bruce Fairweather - guitar (1985-1987)
• Jeff Ament - bass
• Alex Vincent (b. Alex Shumway) - drums

Discography

Title	Year	Type	Label
Come on Down	1985	EP	Homestead Records
Together We'll Never	1986	Single	Tasque Force Records
Dry As a Bone	1987	EP	Sub Pop Records
Rehab Doll	1988	Album	Sub Pop Records
Rehab Doll/Dry As a Bone	1990	Compilation album	Sub Pop Records

Compilation/Soundtrack contributions

• "10,000 Things" and "Your Own Best Friend" on the Deep Six compilation (C/Z Records, 1986).
• "Searchin' (Good Things Come)" on the Motor City Madness compilation (Glitterhouse Records, 1988).
• "Hangin' Tree" on the Sub Pop 200 compilation (Sub Pop Records, 1988).
• "Swallow My Pride" on the This House Is Not A Motel compilation (Glitterhouse Records, 1989).
• "Hangin' Tree" on the Sub Pop Rock City compilation Glitterhouse Records, 1989).
• "Bazaar" and "Away In Manger" on the Another Pyrrhic Victory: The Only Compilation Of Dead Seattle God Bands compilation (C/Z Records, 1989).
• "Ain't Nothing to Do" on the Endangered Species compilation (Glitterhouse Records, 1990).
• "Baby Takes" on the Afternoon Delight: Love Songs From Sub Pop compilation (Sub Pop Records, 1992).
• "Swallow My Pride (1987 Demo)" on the Hype! soundtrack (Sub Pop Records, 1996).
• "This Town" on the Wild And Wooly: The Northwest Rock Collection compilation (Experience Music Project/Sub Pop Records, 2000).

Further reading

• Huey, Steve. "Green River". All Music Guide. Retrieved June 13, 2005.

External links

• Green River at MySpace
• River Green River at AllMusic
• Template:Last.fm