|
Screaming Trees was an American rock band formed in Ellensburg, Washington in 1985 by vocalist Mark Lanegan, guitarist Gary Lee Conner, bass player Van Conner and drummer Mark Pickerel. Pickerel had been replaced by Barrett Martin by the time the band reached its most successful period. Although widely associated with grunge, the band's sound incorporated hard rock and psychedelic elements. Since its formation, Screaming Trees has released seven studio albums, five EPs and three compilations.
Screaming Trees are known as one of the "Godfathers of Grunge" along with the Melvins, U-Men, Skin Yard, Soundgarden, Green River, and Malfunkshun.Citation needed
History1985-1990: Formation and early releasesThe Conner brothers formed Screaming Trees with Mark Lanegan and Mark Pickerel in 1985 in Ellensburg, Washington, a small town a little over 100 miles from Seattle.
The band rehearsed at the Conner family's video rental store and recorded their demo tape Other Worlds in the summer of 1985 with Steve Fisk at Velvetone recording studio in Ellensburg. They talked the owner of the studio into releasing it as a cassette on the local indie label, Velvetone Records (the recording was re-released as a CD and vinyl EP by SST Records in 1988).
In 1987, the band released their second LP, and their first for SST, Even If and Especially When.
1990-1995: Major Label DebutIn 1990 the band had signed a major-label contract with Epic Records. In 1991, the band released their fifth album, and first for a major label, Uncle Anesthesia.
After the release of Uncle Anesthesia Van Conner went on hiatus from the band, choosing to tour as bass player for Dinosaur Jr. instead, with Donna Dresch filling in for him during Screaming Trees performances. Late in 1991, Nirvana's Nevermind became an unexpected commercial success, opening the gates for the rest of the Seattle scene. Where many of their peers were able to capitalize on that success, Screaming Trees had more difficulty gaining mainstream notice.
Barrett Martin replaced previous drummer Pickerel and the new line up recorded Sweet Oblivion in 1992.
The band supported Sweet Oblivion with a year-long tour, during which tension developed among the members. After the tour was finished, the group took an extended hiatus. During that time, Lanegan recorded his second solo album, Whiskey for the Holy Ghost, which was released in 1994. The following year, Martin was featured as a guest star in the Layne Staley and Mike McCready side project Mad Season. Lanegan co-wrote sang on two songs. Mad Season would only release one album because of Staley's deteriorating health issues.
In early 1995, Screaming Trees toured Australia for the only time as part of the Big Day Out festival, before beginning work on their follow-up to Sweet Oblivion. Following one stillborn attempt at the album, the band hired producer George Drakoulias, who had previously worked with the Black Crowes and the Jayhawks. The resulting album, Dust, was released in 1996, nearly four years after its predecessor. Dust spawned the singles "All I Know", and "Dying Days". The album peaked at # 134 on the Billboard 200, # 32 in Britain and # 39 on the Canadian album chart, making it the first Screaming Trees album to chart outside the United States. Despite favorable reviews, the album did not match the sales of Sweet Oblivion. After the release of the album, Josh Homme, formerly from Kyuss, was hired briefly as rhythm guitarist.
Following the Dust tour in the United States, Screaming Trees took another hiatus for Lanegan to begin his work on his third solo album, Scraps At Midnight, which was released in 1998.
Post-Screaming TreesMark Lanegan released a solo album in May 2001 entitled Field Songs. Also in that year, he became a member of the hard rock group Queens of the Stone Age with Josh Homme. Lanegan recorded two albums as one of the group's three vocalists before leaving the group in late 2005. His sixth solo album Bubblegum was released in 2004 and became his best-selling album and his first solo album to chart.Citation needed
Gary Lee Conner started the bands The Purple Outside and Amanita Caterpillar in which he is the vocalist. Lee Conner has also done much session work with other musicians. In 1999 he released the EP ''Grasshopper's Daydream/Behind The Smile, which featured Josh Homme. Van Conner initially turned his efforts to his side-projects Solomon Grundy, Gardener, and later VALIS. He also contributed to the Mark Lanegan album Field Songs in 2001. He was also a touring member of Dinosaur Jr. for some time.
Barrett Martin has been a touring member for many noteworthy bands after the breakup of Screaming Trees. He has worked with Stone Temple Pilots and R.E.M., and has released two solo albums with limited success. He later contributed to Lanegan's solo album ''I'll Take Care of You and the album Rated R by Queens of the Stone Age. He is currently the drummer in Tuatara and drummer/vocalist in The Minus 5. He also studies different music cultures, mostly from Africa. In 2000, Martin was ordained as a Zen priest in the Soto tradition, through the Detroit Street Zen Center in Los Angeles. As of 2005, he is pursuing a doctorate in anthropology and music at the University of New Mexico.
Band members- Mark Lanegan - vocals, guitar
- Gary Lee Conner - guitar, backing vocals
- Van Conner - bass, backing vocals
- Barrett Martin - drums, backing vocals (1991-2000)
Former members- Mark Pickerel - drums (1985-1991)
- Josh Homme - rhythm guitar (1996-1998)
Touring members- Donna Dresch - bass (1988, 1991)
- Sean Hollister - drums (1991)
- Dan Peters - drums (1991)
DiscographyStudio albums
Copyright Citations
This article is licensed under the GNU License
Click here for original article: Screaming Trees
|
|
|
