Green River
Biography
Green River was an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1984. The band is regarded as one of the early grunge bands and included members who later became associated with bands such as Pearl Jam, Mudhoney, Mother Love Bone, Temple of the Dog and Love Battery. Green River reunited for several live performances in 2008 and 2009.
Green River's initial lineup consisted of vocalist Mark Arm, guitarist Steve Turner, drummer Alex Vincent, also known as Alex Shumway, and bassist Jeff Ament. Arm and Turner had previously played together in Mr. Epp and the Calculations and the Limp Richerds. Turner had also briefly played with Vincent in Spluii Numa. Ament had been a member of Deranged Diction and worked with Turner at a Seattle coffee shop. Stone Gossard, a high school friend of Turner and Vincent, joined the group as a second guitarist shortly after its formation. The band's first rehearsal took place at Turner's home on Mercer Island.
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Arm and Turner independently came up with the name "Green River". Arm has cited several possible sources of inspiration, including a local community college and the 1969 Creedence Clearwater Revival song "Green River". The name was also associated with the Green River Killer, a serial killer active in Washington state who was the subject of extensive media coverage at the time. Photographer Alice Wheeler considered the name reflective of themes of depression and danger associated with the band's music, while Turner later described it as a joke.
On June 23, 1984, Green River recorded its first demos at Reciprocal Recording. The recordings were subsequently released on vinyl in 2016. By late 1984, the band was performing in the Seattle area and began recording its first record, "Come on Down", in December of that year.
Turner left the band in 1985, citing his growing interest in 1960s garage rock, Billy Childish and the Replacements, as well as his dislike of the band's increasing emphasis on hard rock and heavy metal. He was replaced by Bruce Fairweather, formerly of Deranged Diction.
In late 1985, Green River undertook its first nationwide tour. The release of "Come on Down" was delayed, however, and the album was not available during the tour. The tour nevertheless established connections between Green River and other emerging American independent rock bands, including Sonic Youth. After the tour, "Come on Down" was released by New York-based Homestead Records. It received little attention commercially. It has subsequently been identified as one of the earliest releases associated with the grunge movement, predating the Melvins' debut EP and the compilation album "Deep Six".
In 1986, Green River continued performing in the Pacific Northwest, attracting increasingly large audiences. The "Deep Six" compilation was released by the Seattle-based C/Z Records in that year and included two Green River songs alongside recordings by Malfunkshun, Melvins, Skin Yard, Soundgarden and the U-Men. The compilation has been described as documenting an important early period in the development of Northwest rock.
In June 1986, Green River began recording its second EP, "Dry as a Bone", with producer Jack Endino. The band recorded the EP for Bruce Pavitt's newly established Sub Pop label, but the release was delayed because the label lacked the funds to issue it immediately. During the delay, Green River released the single "Together We'll Never" on Tasque Force Records. "Dry as a Bone" was eventually released by Sub Pop in July 1987, a year after it had been recorded. It was the label's first non-compilation release. The EP combined elements of 1970s hard rock with post-hardcore punk and became one of the band's best-known releases.
Following the release of "Dry as a Bone", Green River began recording its first full-length album, "Rehab Doll". Internal disagreements increasingly affected the band. A stylistic and professional division developed between Ament and Gossard and Arm, with Ament and Gossard seeking a major-label recording contract while Arm preferred to remain independent. The disagreement intensified following a show in Los Angeles in October 1987, at which Ament had invited representatives of major record labels. On October 31, Ament, Gossard and Fairweather announced their intention to leave the band. The members agreed to complete "Rehab Doll", but Green River had effectively disbanded by the end of October 1987. "Rehab Doll" was released in June 1988.
Green River reunited on November 30, 1993, during a Pearl Jam concert in Las Vegas, Nevada. Arm, Turner, Gossard and Ament participated, with Chuck Treece playing drums in place of Vincent, who was living in Japan at the time. The reunited lineup performed "Swallow My Pride" and "Ain't Nothing to Do".
In 2008, Green River reunited with all six members of its 1980s lineup for four shows. The first was a warm-up performance at the Sunset Tavern in Seattle on July 10, 2008. On July 13, the band performed at Marymoor Park near Seattle as part of Sub Pop's 20th-anniversary celebrations. The band also performed additional reunion shows in 2009.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_River_(band)
Studio album
Rehab Doll (1988)
Biography text from Last.fm, available under CC BY-SA.