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'{{Short description|American rock band}} {{Multiple issues| {{More citations needed|date=January 2023}} {{Original research|date=January 2023}} }} {{Use mdy dates|date=February 2021}} {{Infobox musical artist |name = Green River |image = Green-River.jpg |image_upright = 1.2 |caption = Green River live in 1984. From left to right: [[Stone Gossard]], [[Mark Arm]], [[Alex Vincent (drummer)|Alex Vincent]] and [[Steve Turner (guitarist)|Steve Turner]]. |background = group_or_band |origin = [[Seattle]], Washington, U.S. |genre = {{hlist|[[Grunge]]<ref name="Huey">{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/green-river-mn0000799771/biography |title=Green River {{!}} Biography & History |publisher=[[AllMusic]] |last=Huey |first=Steve |access-date=June 13, 2005}}</ref>|[[punk&nbsp;rock]]<ref name="Mudhoneysite">{{cite web|title=MudHoney biography|url=http://www.mudhoneysite.com/biography|access-date=February 22, 2018}}</ref>|[[Heavy metal music|heavy&nbsp;metal]]<ref name="Mudhoneysite"/>|[[garage rock]]<ref>{{cite web|last=Prato|first=Greg|title=Mother Love Bone {{!}} Biography & History|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mother-love-bone-mn0000502269/biography|access-date=August 26, 2020|website=[[AllMusic]]}}</ref>}} |years_active = 1984–1988, 2008–2009<br/>(one-off reunion in 1993) |label = [[Homestead Records|Homestead]], [[Sub Pop]] |associated_acts = [[Limp Richerds]], [[Spluii Numa]], [[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]], [[Mudhoney]], [[Mother Love Bone]], [[Love Battery]], [[Soundgarden]], [[Pearl Jam]], [[Brad (band)|Brad]], [[Three Fish]] |past_members = [[Jeff Ament]]<br/>[[Mark Arm]]<br/>[[Steve Turner (guitarist)|Steve Turner]]<br/>[[Alex Vincent (drummer)|Alex Vincent]]<br/>[[Stone Gossard]]<br/>[[Bruce Fairweather]]<br/>[[Chuck Treece]] }} '''Green River''' was an American [[Rock music|rock]] band formed in [[Seattle]], Washington, in 1984. Considered one of the first [[grunge]] bands, Green River is most well known for being the precursor to multiple key early ‘90s rock bands, most notably [[Pearl Jam]], [[Mudhoney]], [[Mother Love Bone]], [[Temple of the Dog]], and [[Love Battery]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Green River Biography, Songs, & Albums |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/green-river-mn0000799771/biography |access-date=2023-10-24 |website=AllMusic |language=en}}</ref> Green River reunited for several live shows between 2008 and 2009. ==History== In its first practice sessions in early 1984, Green River's members were vocalist [[Mark Arm]], guitarist [[Steve Turner (guitarist)|Steve Turner]], drummer [[Alex Vincent (drummer)|Alex Vincent]] (also known as Alex Shumway) and bassist [[Jeff Ament]]. Prior to joining Green River, they had played for a variety of rock, punk, and hardcore groups, often with overlapping lineups. Arm and Turner had played together in Mr. Epp and the Calculations and the [[Limp Richerds]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Cameron |first=Keith |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3OTcBAAAQBAJ&dq=%22Green+River%22+%22Ament%22+%22Deranged+Diction%22&pg=PA44 |title=Mudhoney: The Sound and the Fury from Seattle |date=2014-03-21 |publisher=Voyageur Press |isbn=978-0-7603-4661-7 |pages=22, 33–35 |language=en}}</ref> Determined to start a new band together, they first recruited Vincent, whom Turner had briefly played with in [[Spluii Numa]], as drummer, and then set about convincing Ament to join.<ref name=":0" /> He and Turner worked at the same Seattle coffeeshop, and Arm had befriended him after a DJ set by Ament at Metropolis, a local club.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Yarm |first=Mark |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z-44p7V2TrUC&dq=%22Green+River%22+%22Ament%22+%22Deranged+Diction%22&pg=PA50 |title=Everybody Loves Our Town: An Oral History of Grunge |date=2012-03-13 |publisher=Crown |isbn=978-0-307-46444-6 |pages=49–51 |language=en}}</ref> Ament had a low opinion of Mr. Epp, but agreed to join the new band due to Turner's persistence and Ament's frustration with Deranged Diction, his band at the time.<ref name=":0" /> The first Green River rehearsal was at the Turner home on Mercer Island.<ref name=":0" /> [[Stone Gossard]], a high school friend of Turner and Vincent, joined as a second guitarist shortly thereafter.<ref name=":1" /> The idea for the name "Green River" came to both Arm and Turner independently.<ref name=":1" /> Arm has cited several possible inspirations — [[Green River College|a local community college]], [[Green River (song)|the 1969 Creedence Clearwater song]] — but the most resonant association was with the [[Gary Ridgway|Green River Killer]], an infamous Washington state serial killer who was prominent in headlines at the time.<ref name=":1" /> To Alice Wheeler, a band photographer, the name reflected undercurrents of depression and danger that would come to characterize grunge;<ref name=":1" /> Turner later came to see it as "a dumb joke."<ref name=":0" /> On June 23, 1984, Green River recorded their first demos at [[Reciprocal Recording]]. They were released on vinyl in 2016. By late 1984, the band was playing shows in and around Seattle. The band began production in December 1984 on its first record, ''[[Come on Down (EP)|Come on Down]]''.<ref name="allmusic">{{cite web|title=allmusic ((( ''Come on Down'' > Review )))|url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r8681|pure_url=yes}}|publisher=[[AllMusic]]|author=Torreano, Bradley|access-date=May 20, 2009}}</ref> By the time the band finished the record in mid-1985, Turner had left the group, citing his distaste with the rest of the band's heavy metal leanings.<ref name="Huey" /> He was replaced by former Deranged Diction guitarist [[Bruce Fairweather]]. In late 1985, the band embarked on its first nationwide tour to promote ''Come on Down''. 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 helped 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 "[[Nevermind (What Was It Anyway)]]". 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 record to be released by a "grunge" band, as it predated both the [[Melvins! (album)|''Melvins'']] debut EP and the ''[[Deep Six (album)|Deep Six]]'' compilation 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 (album)|Deep Six]]'' compilation album was released on the local [[C/Z Records]] label. Alongside two Green River songs, the compilation features the music of fellow Washington bands [[Malfunkshun]], [[Melvins]], [[Skin Yard]], [[Soundgarden]], and [[The U-Men]]. Kathleen C. Fennessy of [[AllMusic]] stated that the compilation "documents a formative period in Northwest rock history".<ref>Fennessy, Kathleen C. [{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r35030|pure_url=yes}} "Deep Six"]. [[AllMusic]].</ref> {{Listen |filename=ThisTown GreenRiver.ogg |title="This Town" |description=Sample of the 1986 Green River track "This Town" off ''[[Dry as a Bone]]''. Characteristic of the band are heavy distortion and Arm's frenetic vocals. |format=[[Ogg]]}}In June 1986, the band began production on its second EP, ''[[Dry as a Bone]]'', with local producer [[Jack Endino]]. Green River chose to record ''Dry as a Bone'' for [[Bruce Pavitt]]'s new label, [[Sub Pop]]. However, Pavitt couldn't afford to release it until the following year, and, as had happened with ''Come on Down'', the record was delayed. In the meantime the band issued the one-off "Together We'll Never" single on the local Tasque Force Records label. ''Dry as a Bone'' was finally released through Sub Pop in July 1987, a full year after it was recorded. It was the new label's first non-compilation release. ''Dry as a Bone'' was promoted by Sub Pop as "ultra-loose GRUNGE that destroyed the morals of a generation".<ref name="Azerrad">Azerrad, Michael. ''[[Our Band Could Be Your Life]]''. Little, Brown and Company, 2001. {{ISBN|0-316-78753-1}}</ref> Steve Huey of AllMusic called it Green River's "strongest individual release...perfecting their sleazy, raucous fusion of '70s hard rock and post-hardcore punk".<ref>Huey, Steve. [{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r316621|pure_url=yes}} "Dry as a Bone"]. [[AllMusic]].</ref> 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 Arm on the other.<ref name="Azerrad"/> Ament and Gossard wanted to pursue a major-label deal, while Arm wanted to remain [[independent music|independent]], viewing the duo as being too careerist.<ref name="Huey"/> The in-fighting came to a head following an October 1987 show in [[Los Angeles]], [[California]]. Apparently, without informing the group, Ament had filled the show's guest list with major label representatives, instead of the band's friends; nonetheless only two of the representatives appeared.<ref name="Huey"/> 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. ''Rehab Doll'' was released in June 1988. Ned Raggett of AllMusic called it "a record that sounded caught somewhere between grunge mania and [[Heavy metal music|metal]]/corp [[Rock music|rock]] folly".<ref>Ned Raggett. [{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r8682|pure_url=yes}} "Rehab Doll"]. [[AllMusic]].</ref> ===Reunions=== A Green River reunion occurred on November 30, 1993 during a [[Pearl Jam]] concert in [[Las Vegas]], [[Nevada]]. Participating in the reunion were Arm, Turner, Gossard, Ament and [[Chuck Treece]], who filled in on drums for 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. Green River reunited for four shows in 2008, featuring every band member in its history except Treece. The first show was a warm-up show on July 10, 2008 at the Sunset Tavern in Seattle. The band next played on July 13, 2008 at [[Marymoor Park]] near Seattle to honor Sub Pop's 20th anniversary.<ref>[https://www.reuters.com/article/musicNews/idUSN0241422520071003 "Cult rock band Green River to reunite for show"]. [[Reuters]]. October 2, 2007.</ref> ==Band members== *[[Mark Arm]] – vocals (1984–1988, 1993, 2008–09) *[[Steve Turner (guitarist)|Steve Turner]] – guitar, backing vocals (1984–1985, 1993, 2008–2009) *[[Alex Vincent (drummer)|Alex Vincent]] – drums, percussion (1984–1988, 2008–09) *[[Jeff Ament]] – bass, backing vocals (1984–1988, 1993, 2008–09) *[[Stone Gossard]] – guitar, backing vocals (1984–1988, 1993, 2008–09) *[[Bruce Fairweather]] – guitar, backing vocals (1985–1988, 2008–2009) *[[Chuck Treece]] – drums (1993) ===Timeline=== {{#tag:timeline| ImageSize = width:900 height:auto barincrement:20 PlotArea = left:100 bottom:90 top:5 right:10 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1984 till:05/23/2009 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:4 ScaleMajor = increment:2 start:1984 ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1985 Colors = id:lvocals value:red legend:Vocals id:bvocals value:pink legend:Backing_vocals id:lguitar value:teal legend:Lead_guitar id:rguitar value:brightgreen legend:Rhythm_guitar id:bass value:blue legend:Bass id:drums value:orange legend:Drums,_percussion id:albums value:black legend:Studio_album id:ep value:gray(0.5) legend:Extended_play id:bars value:gray(0.95) BackgroundColors = bars:bars LineData = color:ep layer:back at:05/05/1985 at:07/07/1987 color:albums layer:back at:06/06/1988 BarData = bar:Arm text:"Mark Arm" bar:Turner text:"Steve Turner" bar:Fairweather text:"Bruce Fairweather" bar:Gossard text:"Stone Gossard" bar:Ament text:"Jeff Ament" bar:Vincent text:"Alex Vincent" bar:Treece text:"Chuck Treece" PlotData = width:11 bar:Arm from:start till:01/01/1988 color:lvocals bar:Arm from:11/30/1993 till:12/01/1993 color:lvocals bar:Arm from:07/10/2008 till:05/23/2009 color:lvocals bar:Turner from:start till:05/06/1985 color:lguitar bar:Turner from:start till:05/06/1985 color:bvocals width:3 bar:Turner from:11/30/1993 till:12/01/1993 color:lguitar bar:Turner from:11/30/1993 till:12/01/1993 color:bvocals width:3 bar:Turner from:07/10/2008 till:05/23/2009 color:lguitar bar:Turner from:07/10/2008 till:05/23/2009 color:bvocals width:3 bar:Fairweather from:05/07/1985 till:01/01/1988 color:lguitar bar:Fairweather from:05/07/1985 till:01/01/1988 color:bvocals width:3 bar:Fairweather from:07/10/2008 till:05/23/2009 color:lguitar bar:Fairweather from:07/10/2008 till:05/23/2009 color:bvocals width:3 bar:Gossard from:start till:01/01/1988 color:rguitar bar:Gossard from:start till:01/01/1988 color:bvocals width:3 bar:Gossard from:11/30/1993 till:12/01/1993 color:rguitar bar:Gossard from:11/30/1993 till:12/01/1993 color:bvocals width:3 bar:Gossard from:07/10/2008 till:05/23/2009 color:rguitar bar:Gossard from:07/10/2008 till:05/23/2009 color:bvocals width:3 bar:Ament from:start till:01/01/1988 color:bass bar:Ament from:start till:01/01/1988 color:bvocals width:3 bar:Ament from:11/30/1993 till:12/01/1993 color:bass bar:Ament from:11/30/1993 till:12/01/1993 color:bvocals width:3 bar:Ament from:07/10/2008 till:05/23/2009 color:bass bar:Ament from:07/10/2008 till:05/23/2009 color:bvocals width:3 bar:Vincent from:start till:01/01/1988 color:drums bar:Vincent from:07/10/2008 till:05/23/2009 color:drums bar:Treece from:11/30/1993 till:12/01/1993 color:drums }} ==Discography== ===Studio albums=== {| class ="wikitable" border="1" |- !Year !width="185"|Album details |- |1988 |'''''[[Rehab Doll]]''''' *Released: May 1, 1988 *Label: [[Sub Pop]] (SP-15) *Format: [[Compact Disc|CD]], [[Gramophone record|LP]] |} ===Live albums=== {| class ="wikitable" border="1" |- !Year !width="185"|Album details |- |2019 |'''''Live at the Tropicana''''' *Released: April 14, 2019 *Label: Jackpot records *Format: [[Gramophone record|LP]] |} ===Demo albums=== {| class ="wikitable" border="1" |- !Year !width="185"|Album details |- |2016 |'''''1984 Demos''''' *Released: April 16, 2016 *Label: Jackpot records *Format: [[Gramophone record|LP]] |} ===Compilations=== {| class ="wikitable" border="1" |- !Year !width="185"|Album details |- |1990 |'''''[[Dry as a Bone/Rehab Doll]]''''' *Released: September 13, 1990 *Label: Sub Pop (SP-11b) *Format: CD, [[Compact Cassette|cassette]] (CS) |} ===Extended plays=== {| class ="wikitable" border="1" |- !Year !width="185"|Album details |- |1985 |'''''[[Come On Down (EP)|Come On Down]]''''' *Released: November 1985 *Label: [[Homestead Records|Homestead]] (031) *Format: CD, LP, [[Compact Cassette|cassette]] (CS) |- |1987 |'''''[[Dry As a Bone]]''''' *Released: July 1987 *Label: Sub Pop (SP-11) *Format: CD, LP |} ===Singles=== {| class="wikitable" border="1" |- !Year !width="140"| Single !Album |- |1986 |"Together We'll Never"/"Ain't Nothing to Do" *Released: September 10, 1986 *Label: Tasque Force (ICP-01) *Format: 7" |align="center"|Non-album single |} ===Other appearances=== {| class="wikitable" border="1" |- !Year !width="225"| Song !Title !Label |- |1986 | "10,000 Things"<br>"Your Own Best Friend" |''[[Deep Six (album)|Deep Six]]'' |[[C/Z Records|C/Z]] |- |rowspan="2"|1988 | "Searchin' (Good Things Come)" |''Motor City Madness'' |[[Glitterhouse Records|Glitterhouse]] |- | "Hangin' Tree" |''[[Sub Pop 200]]'' |Sub Pop |- |1989 | "Bazaar"<br>"Away in a Manger" |''Another Pyrrhic Victory: The Only Compilation of Dead Seattle God Bands'' |C/Z |- |1990 | "Ain't Nothing to Do" |''Endangered Species'' |Glitterhouse |- |1996 | "[[Swallow My Pride]]" (1987 demo) |''[[Hype! (soundtrack)|Hype!: The Motion Picture Soundtrack]]'' |Sub Pop |} ==See also== *[[List of alternative rock artists]] ==References== {{Reflist}} == Further reading == *{{Cite magazine |last=Grow |first=Kory |date=2019-02-01 |title=Green River and the Birth of Seattle Grunge: The Oral History |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/green-river-seattle-grunge-oral-history-pearl-jam-mudhoney-783878/ |access-date=2023-10-01 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}} ==External links== *[http://www.subpop.com/artists/green_river Sub Pop's Green River page] *{{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p13088|label=Green River}} {{Green River}} {{Mother Love Bone}} {{Pearl Jam}} {{Brad}} {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Green River}} [[Category:Alternative rock groups from Washington (state)]] [[Category:Grunge musical groups]] [[Category:C/Z Records artists]] [[Category:Homestead Records artists]] [[Category:Musical groups established in 1984]] [[Category:Musical groups disestablished in 1988]] [[Category:Musical groups reestablished in 2008]] [[Category:Musical groups disestablished in 2009]] [[Category:Musical groups from Seattle]] [[Category:1984 establishments in Washington (state)]] [[Category:Sub Pop artists]]'