22 years in, Melvins play on

From MelvinsWiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search

22 years in, Melvins play on

Buzz Osborne wasn't 100 percent sure how long he and drummer Dale Crover had been playing as the Melvins ("22 maybe," he said), and he also didn't offer a reason why they've survived so many changes and trends that have come and gone.

He did offer this simple statement: "We're too stupid to do anything else."

Stupidity or not, fans of the Melvins should rejoice that the group is coming to the New Oasis in Sparks on Nov. 27. The band will not only be playing a majority of its amazing new CD, "(A) Senile Animal," but will also feature two drummers: Crover and Coady Willis of the loud rock duo Big Business. Williams' bandmate, Jared Warren, is now the Melvins' bassist.

Osborne was talking about this new four-piece Melvins while driving toward a tour stop in Tallahassee, Fla. ("Ted Bundy's old stomping grounds," he helpfully added).

Fans should expect an interesting show on Tuesday. It's about a two-hour show, with Big Business opening up followed by a Melvins set, with no breaks.

"It will be enough for everybody," Osborne said.

Be that as it may, "(A) Senile Animal" is definitely one of the best Melvins CDs, and a great place for beginners to discover the band. Most songs are four minutes or less, and many even feature harmony or unison vocals between the band members. It's plenty heavy, though, closer to the band's earliest material or its best stuff from albums like "Stoner Witch." The last third features three songs topping seven minutes or more, but even at that length this lineup works.

Osborne said making a more easily digestible record wasn't intentional: "It's just how it worked out. I dunno. It might sound more normal than what people are used to us doing, but it's still pretty f---ed up."

The album also boasts one of the most interesting "don't download this CD" statements ever: " Unathorized copying is punishable under Federal Law, so don't do it or the FBI will come and get you, and then your life will be ruined and it won't be anyone's fault but yours, so don't go trying to blame someone else for your reckless disregard for the legal system. Your sense of entitlement is astonishing and it will inevitably be your downfall if you don't grow up and take responsibility for your actions."

What's that all about?

"There's nothing you can do about it," Osborne said when asked about downloading and whether that humorous statement above had some kernels of truth. "People download whatever they want to, which is fine, so really I think it's cool. I have some downloaded stuff, but generally speaking I'd rather have the CD. Personally, I think MP3s, most of them, are just meant as crappy music to listen to on s**tty stereos. That's fine if that's what you are into. If you think that a CD is a waste of money, then good for you."

Osborne expanded a bit into why he prefers the full album package over a file, but then he stopped short with his initial answer: "When you get to our age, anything you say sounds like, 'These kids today€»' I don't want to go along with that. But, let me just say that my parents never bought me a computer. I didn't have access to it. Certainly I would not have an iPod. No f--king way, out of the question.

"But I don't want to be some sourpuss about it. There are advantages to either way. Even if you are losing in one area, you gain in another. It all balances out."

A different kind of balance -- between straightforward rock and total noise -- has informed the band all along. The Melvins formed in the mid-1980s in Aberdeen, Wash. Their first of many bassists, Matt Lukin, eventually left to join Seattle band Mudhoney, one of the many Sub Pop Records groups that admired the Melvins. The most famous of those was Nirvana, and Crover was the drummer on several early Nirvana tracks, as well as toured with the band before Dave Grohl joined.

It was in 1992 that the band moved from indies to major label Atlantic for three albums. It didn't change its sound an iota, and that's been the case through its current long tenure with Ipecac Records. Its albums have ranged from ones with actual songs to full-length, one-song noise fests.

The audience-testing has left room for criticism. The band's All Music Guide entry has this statement in the first paragraph: "While the Melvins can be dull and repetitious, their place in rock history is interesting, even if it is just a minor footnote."

And this is anecdotal, but friends I know who saw the Melvins open for Tool at Livestock Events Center earlier this decade all had disdain for the band.

"First off, even if we played 'Happy Birthday' to someone and begged them to like us, the majority of the audience at that show is not going to like you," Osborne said. "That doesn't surprise me at all. But, they suck. 'Go back to whatever pathetic life you were leading.'"

So did you guys just do it for the paycheck?

"No, not at all," Osborne quickly answered back. "Some people, if you let them, will understand and that's what makes it worthwhile. We do shows to this day where there will be someone in a Tool shirt. So it worked on some level. Actually, we're not doing stuff like (opening tours) now. I stopped selling the band a long time ago. I can't imagine when we'd do something like that again."

Retrieved from "https://themelvins.net/wiki/index.php?title=22_years_in,_Melvins_play_on&oldid=6609"