Mudhoney
Arguably the most durable and consistent of the Seattle bands that rose to fame during the early '90s grunge explosion, Mudhoney helped put Sub Pop and the fledgling Northwestern scene on the map when the label unleashed the sleazy punk grind" of the band's seminal "Sweet Young Thing Ain't Sweet No More/Touch Me I'm Sick" single in 1988.
Principles Mark Arm (born Mark McLaughlin) and Steve Turner first started playing in bands together with the less than serious group Limp Richerds before forming Green River in the mid-1980s with future Mother Love Bone and Pearl Jam members Jeff Ament and Stone Gossard. Hailed by some as a proto grunge act for their mix of '70s hard rock and '80s punk sounds, the group toured nationally and released several records before disintegrating.
Founded only weeks after Green River dissolved with former Melvins bassist Matt Lukin and drummer Dan Peters rounding out the quartet, Mudhoney was equally indebted to classic hardcore, Funhouse-era Stooges, the proto-metal biker anthems of Blue Cheer, and the Northwest's deep garage-rock heritage (particularly the Sonics and the Wailers). The outfit created a feral racket that had an immediate impact with the release of its first aforementioned single and subsequent EP Superfuzz Bigmuff (named after the vintage Univox Super-Fuzz and the Electro-Harmonix Big Muff effect pedals that were a cornerstone to their sound).
While they didn't rise to the platinum success of Seattle contemporaries Nirvana, Soundgarden and Alice in Chains, the band would make the jump from Sub Pop to a major-label contract when they signed to Warner/Reprise to release Piece of Cake in 1992. Mudhoney managed to consistently churn out one raucous yet tuneful effort after another through the decade even as the other Seattle bands fell apart amid tragedy and acrimony.
Nearly three decades later, Arm and Turner are still swapping careening, fuzz-drenched leads over drummer Dan Peters' explosive rhythms with relative newcomer Guy Maddison (the group's bassist since 2001). Even if the band hasn't put out a new album since Vanishing Point in 2013, Mudhoney's always visceral live shows remain a great reason to get covered with beer and other people's sweat .
Last weekend, Mudhoney played across the greater Bay Area with shows in Sacramento, Sonoma, SF and Oakland featuring support from a who's who of regional garage-rock luminaries. For this final local concert in San Jose, the band is joined by Jonny Manak and the Depressives and Happy Fangs.
Mudhoney
Sunday, Oct. 25, 8 p.m. $18-$20
Rockbar Theater