The Musician In Me Holds Tender Roots to the 90s Grunge/Punk/Metal Scene
Today I am about to take you on a long ride through the journey that I took very early on in life. To speed you up past the fact I held my first guitar at the age of 5 or the fact I found a love for piano at the age of 9, I will bring you to those coming of age years of my high school years and the person molded by the amazing sounds so many bands brought forth to my young ears.
Like any teenager, I had a few awkward moments in the early days of high school. Trying to find my place in the world and with my peer group. I was that strange kid you would see tooting around his guitar, long hair in the wind and a bit of a loner unless I ran with my small inner circle. Back then I had dreams of forming a band as I listened to bands like Pearl Jam and Nirvana, but more heavier due to my love also for Sepultura and Pantera.
I filled my room constantly with as many CDs as I could get my hands on. Unlike most listeners, I was picking apart the guitar tracks and thumbing along on my guitar to find the right chords to match. I was born with a talent for playing music by ear and in my early youth I was putting that to good test daily.
To embarace myself, this was me in 1993
Very early on I formed my first band, this was around 1991 when I was about 13. We called ourselves "Frizzy Lizzard" which to this day I cringe when I think about letting our singer call ourselves that but what they hell, long as good music was created then what does a name matter. Recently I found an old tape of this first band of mine, and honesty it was acutally pretty good for a first outing, good mix of alternative with heavier punk undertones, way before Punk came back on the scene again.
As with anything my first band was together for a couple years but as we got more deep into high school we all kind of drifted off to different scenes and cliques. Looking back though I am very fond of those memories during that time in my life, that was the stage I found my sound and voice in the music creation department, because as it turned out I was the songwriter of the group and through numerous bands in the future that was always the position I was placed in.
Gainesville, Florida 1994 was Seattle 2.0
After the break up of my first band during high school, I found myself more a listener and learner for most of my continued high school career. As I grew and got my license I would travel to Gainesville, Florida routinely every other night to catch live bands in the area. Gainesville back in the 90s was a great place to catch some amazing acts, a second Seattle to many in the area and luckily only 20 minutes from my home town.
During many adventures to old GVILLE as we call it down here, I would pop by a new friends work place called Knuckleheads back then that is no more now a days. Knuckleheads was a head shop, smoke shop if you might but they had that vibe in there for the kids to chill and gather before a lot of local shows. One of my good friends there was a guy named Roger, who happened to be the bassist for LESS THAN JAKE for those with a knowledge of the Ska Punk band.
Myself with Friends at Harvest Fest in Gainesville, FL around 1994-95.
Roger was to me just a good friend, little older than me but always kind of took me under his wing whenever I came in town to kind of keep me out of trouble. I would sit in on their jam sessions a lot and jammed with the whole of LESS THAN JAKE a few times. Hard to believe now how famous they got but in the early days I don't even think they expected that.
Gainesville would host a music festival every year called Harvest Fest, which I attended religiously. George Clinton aka PFUNK would be the headliner usually. Just a great 3 day weekend festival and most of the bands were locals that ended up becoming huge for our area. I remember so many great times at these festivals, and looking back I seriously feel lucky to have had such great music around me growing up.
Some Change When They Grow Up, Some Of Keep That Inner Kid Core With Us
The rest of my youth was spent diving in and out of bands, some had great local success, others fizzled out before even the first note was played. In the end though I will say if it wasn't for the music locally and on the radio in the 90s I wouldn't have gotten on any stage and lived the dreams that I did.
Today while out running errands we were listening to XM Radio on a Grunge station and all the memories of my youth came flooding over me. That is what inspired me to share little snippets of my past with you today and its so funny how powerful music can be where it takes you back to that kid you once were.
The music scene has vastly changed since my youth. In some ways that was bound to happen but that rebellious spirit of the 90s generation seems to be a silenced voice in the history of time. Maybe I am just getting older and I don't relate to the new stuff as much but it does make me feel sad for the youth that missed out on such a great era in music and may never understand its messages. I will say this though, I am proud I still keep that 90s kid within myself, that I know where my roots come from...I may grow older but I will always retain that youthful boy looking for that band to make me a rockstar. Just now I don't chase that dream because in my own way I found my place on the stage of life with my family and kids, that is stardom enough for this ex-Flannel wearing grunge kid.
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~sflaherty
In Tribute To All The Great Bands That Touched Me During The 90's....Thank You: Less Than Jake, Bloom, For Squirrels, The Pixies, Fugazi, Sublime, Sepultura, Tool, Deftones, Stabbing Westward, Marilyn Manson, Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Nine Inch Nails, Pearl Jam, Tad, Alice In Chains, Janes Addiction, NOFX, Green Day, The Offspring, Collective Soul, Counting Crows, Dig, Korn, Marcy Playground, Stone Temple Pilots, Bush, Butthole Surfers, Green Jello, Gwar, Megadeth, Slayer, Metallica, Soul Asylum, Hole, Pantera, Misery Loves Co., Soundgarden, Ministry, Psychic TV, Skinny Puppy, The Breeders, Fear Factory, Beck, The Cranberries, K's Choice, The Melvins, Primus, and the ongoing list of many more bands that worked hard to make my youth filled with song and joy!
Thanks for sharing. I should have been a musician but I wasn't. Instead, I wasted 30 years of my life in a conservative church. I might tell the story someday.
I always say, nothing is a waste if you learned something from the experience. Personally I wasted a lot of my talents on too much bad decisions in my past, I touched a little of the dream but fall backwards a lot due to the lame party side to that dream. Luckily I grew up and got away from it so honestly unsure how cracked up it was at being a full time musician, some parts are great memories, other parts I just cringe I put myself in those positions lol. Definitely got me curious to know your story, was this a horrible experience or just something you feel you put too long of time into?
It was good and bad. It was a mind control cult, but I learned a lot from it. It both ruined my life and benefited it. Someday I should tell the story here. But I'm just too much into thinking for myself for it to last forever. I fell into a new age type cult for a year, but recognized it and got out of there. There seems to be something in my personality that does this. I think you kind of understand because you were into the party scene and got out of that. That's a hard one I had in college.
You really should share your story, if to just benefit showing the signs of these things so others don't slip into situations like you did. Its sad but a lot of these cult like factions are forming all over the world again. Odd I been watching a series on cults on Netflix a lot lately. They are so dangerous if they go too far. I get it though, the manipulation by leaders in those are so hard to discern away by people involved. Its sad, if they put their efforts as leaders to better use they could gather a great crowd to do good by the world but it always turns out that power corrupts. Luckily you found the light and got out of the situation, a story I seriously think should not feel shame but empower you to share so others can be aware of what is out there. Its like me, I don't feel shame for my mistakes in life, I learned from them and grew as a person luckily...we just happen to fall in traps now and then to get life lessons.
I guess I should. The first one was a very big cult. At it's height in the '80's they brought in about a million dollars per day! When the State of California intervened in 1979 the founder was in Tuscon and was in his 80's. But he was not a senile old man. He fired back with weekly full page ads in The Wall Street Journal and eventually beat the state. The other cult was a small new age type thing but I eventually began to wounder when he displayed some of the same behavior as the other one. However, the new age guy is far more dangerous because some of his claims are not bullshit. He can be very dangerous and his mind control is very strong. Some of it is done through hypnosis. The other guy used hypnotic techniques too but was not aware of what he was doing. Maybe people could learn something from all of this.....
I forgot to add that I found his "satan," whom he called "evil Richard." He had a lot of amazing stories to tell because he was there from the beginning. Anyway, some of the cult followers tracked Richard down, spied on him, and issued death threats. I was kicked out for daring to talk to Richard. It's all very creepy.
Such a great bands there. Manson, NIN, Metallica, Tool, Pumpkins. Woah list goes on! Keep on Rockin n Steemin!
I agree, the list is never ending, such a great decade for music, we need more like it to come out in the future
Great article! The Dood spent the 90's hanging out at grunge and goth bars, and after hours rave parties. The 90's absolutely rocked. Great music, great energy, great times. God I miss the 90's.I really enjoyed this, brought back a lot of memories for me too. Oh.... Adding your links to the directory as soon as I get off steemit tonight. So backed up. Shared to my G+ steemit collection
Raver here too lol...I just didn't put that in there yet lol, figure that world is best for its own article lol. We lived parallels like a lot of us 90s kids. The movie was THE CROW, the soundtrack of my life was Smells Like Teen Spirit, and boy did I try too many drugs back then lol. Thankfully I sobered my arse up but I was a little bouncy to this and that in the 90s lol. Wouldn't change it for the world though, it was a blast, an experience and for the few select few that got to live it while young, a huge blessing...great era...one I miss
Totally agree. LMAO "The movie was THE CROW, the soundtrack of my life was Smells Like Teen Spirit, and boy did I try too many drugs back then lol." That quotes sums it up.
So you have to be a fan of Florida breaks? Icey, Sharaz, Huda Hudia, Friction & Spice, Baby Anne. Would of loved to of been in Florida for all that. I DJ'd for awhile and those were some of my favorite producers.
Thanks for the trip down memory lane. Just added @steemitbc to the slack directory. Have a happy and safe 4th.
Old Icey lol. Also hung with DJ Keoki back in the day at Club Simons in GVILLE, that dude was off his rocker but fun to be around. Florida was the spot in the 90s, you had Tampa for heavy bands, a more Seattle vibe in Gainseville and a mix of the two and good rap acts in Jacksonville, I ran around everywhere back then lol.
We are honored to have you with us on the slack by the way, feel free to pop in and share your writings with the crowd and I will grow this thing so hopefully they will slam you with great upvotes. You have a happy and safe 4th my friend, always good to hear from you and the trip down memory lane was a nice break from the crypto madness lol.
Keoki's a trip. We met a couple times. Wild ass dude! He spun upstate NY parties often. Thanks for the warm welcome. Enjoy your holiday.
He is, still is to this day from the few videos I seen of him lol...how he is still alive is beyond me lol
I hear he's pretty sober these days, but yeah, still producing great music :)
Yea I seen that on a documentary about that Party Monster guy, KeoKi was on there due to knowing the guy and he seemed very cleaned up.
Wow. Flashback. That's awesome that you had that stage in your life, got to be a real rock & roll dude. I saw Nirvana in NYC shortly before Cobain's death. Marcy Playground is one of my favorite bands that nobody knows.
Thanks for the memories.
I actually met the Marcy Playground in Gainesville before they hit it bigger but yea they are unknown lol....they were handing out their demo on the street lol. Peddling their cd to college kids. I never got to see Nirvana live sadly, I wanted to so bad back then but never had the grace to go. I actually did some touring a lot in my late 20s, met a lot of famous bands out there due to it but I was kind of always just that local act guy who opened up for others but it was a blast. I think that was close enough for me, the free drinks came too much and dangerously wild woman that I wish I never set eyes on lol. But memories and I think just enough to satisfy that dream I had as a kid.
I took just enough guitar lessons to still muster out a piss pour version of "good loving"
lol...I have had no lessons, I was born with that musical ear curse. Honestly you can give me an instrument I never touched and give me an hour and I will play you Enter Sandman one way or another lol. Its very odd to be born with that, makes you wonder where it comes from or why you have that. You should try again though if you have that love for music, playing an instrument really is amazing after you get past that initial learning curve
I don't know that I was ever meant to master anything. With the guitar I got to the point where I ripped off a solid solo while I was jamming with my teacher, and essentially did a mike drop, walked off stage.
And thus ended @wakeupsheeps life long career lol. Mike drops are so dramatic and awesome lol...used to have a singer that would slap that mic stand at the crowd, then a bar owner reminded us not to do that so no one sues him, whats my singer do...he throws it across the room at a bar stool near the bar owner, needless to say we were never welcomed back lol. Good times hanging with crazy people lol
I mostly definitely feel as though the music just sin't the same anymore. Like, I don't even know anything about new hard rock/metal coming out at all because there are now no more "new" rock stations in Oregon! I really miss the radio. That's where I got all my new music. I don't even know where or how people pick up music nowadays. Ha. The radio cant even be listened to, too many commercials! And Pandora just isn't the same as the radio. It's a sad day for music. That's why I keep listening to classic rock, I guess.
We still have a rock station but its a weird mix of that weird new alternative with the old, they just don't match lol. There is still good new bands out there but you have to dig for them, the mainstream stuff is just not really saying anything to me in lyrics nor music. The days of just playing and forming a band is now a thing of the past, its all over produced cookie cutter for money stuff in the mainstream. I tend to go for underground music for the last decade or listen like you to the older music. Seems the day I cut my long hair off was around the time the music industry took a nose dive lol...my bad jk
Pffffffft short hair is way more metal.
lol...I know lol. Know what got me to cut it off? My daughter, when she was a baby she had this thing to tug on my hair and it got so painful I said hell with that noise lol...never grown it back since lol
Good cause it's not a good look for you. ;) (is very against long hair on guys - why I married a military man hhahaha).
lol...I think my girl is for it lol...she wanted me to grow it back but I kind of got used to it this way so I can't bring myself back to that style. Where it was normal for me with long hair then, just a little growth now makes me feel not myself. We change I guess but still the same person on the inside, all metal, all punk and rock to this day.
If you do grow it back, please no man bun.
lol I was never into the man bun thing lol. Probably won't grow it back, just got so used to it short, but I should grow it out some, the constant shaving it down look is growing old on me lol
Great post! I'm a nineties kid too. As far as some stuff you may like, may I make some recommendations? Okay, great, you said "sure thing!", so I shall. I have to give @cellardoorzero credit for turning me on to some of these: Deadboy and the Elephant Men, Pissed Jeans, Cocksparrer (far from new but super good English punk with a message), BRMC, The Prosaics, The Spits, The Network, Sons and Daughters, Murder City Devils, The Ravonettes, Giant Sand, and The Thermals. Okay, none of these are exceptionally new, but check some of them out sometime. Cellardoorzero, also has a new post up where you could hit him up for recs. He was into some of the same stuff as you in the nineties and worked in a record store for ten years. Cheers!
Sweet comment, I have to check into all of those because most of them are new to me lol...never heard of them. I will be sure to check out cellardoorzero too, always awesome to meet fellow music lover
Start with "Tonight"by the Spits.
I will do, probably tomorrow due to just about to hop off here and call it a night but I will remember that one. How can I not with the title THE SPITS lol. Thanks for that, I am always hunting for good new music
I grew up in the 90's also, I mainly listened to rock from the 60's and 70's, but I love a few from the 90's, Sublime, Metallica (That long wait between the black album and Load are some of the worst years of my life), Nirvana, Pearl Jam and TooL are always on my playlist.
Oh I have a deep love for the 60s and 70s music, even some 80s like Tears For Fears. Damn I forgot to put Sublime in my list at the bottom, that must be corrected lol...how I forget that was beyond me because it was a Sublime song that got me thinking about the old days lol. Music just isn't like it was back then but then again I might be sounding like my parents did when I was younger lol
I honestly can't name one band on the radio today. Its all the same souless tune to me...Yea, our age may be showing haha. It wasn't all great though, kids nowadays complain about Bieber and I laugh and tell them to listen to mmm bop, I feel bad for a second, but its a life lesson.
Hanson omg thank you for reminding me on the next list of bands I hated in the 90s to put Hanson at the very top lol. Brother we are getting older because that mindless nonsense they make now a days and slap on the radio erks me too lol. Same beat over and over and not even rap lyrics anymore, they go for a line and repeat it over and over till I want to rip my stereo out of my car lol. But maybe I am just clueless as to what is cool anymore. Glad you were there in the 90s like I was, least we get that side to life and music lol
Just being thorough! Now someone from our era will read the comments and subconsciously start humming the tune...Yep, lots of hate coming my way.
hehehehehehe, no worries they need to learn to rehate that song lol. I hummed it actually in my head. I will give it to them, they did make a catchy annoying song that will never be forgotten lol. Shit, THE CRANBERRIES, forgot them...adding it. Oh and K's Choice lol
Yes, they do! Don't go down that road, you'll never return.
lol...I will run with that great advice
You monster!
Yes, I know. It could always be worse.
You bastard! 😆
88er here
I made a similiar post to yours https://steemit.com/music/@sinned/an-ode-to-the-alternative-of-the-1990s
I love yours I love this era.
Without the 1990s I would probably not exist. I came into the music when it was a staple in our society every band would try to outdo each other. I had a rough catholic upbringing and the era gave me confidence and gave me the will to continue on no matter what happened. Everyone had a heavier style with apathetic overtones. It was the heavy or nsync or britney spears or gangster rap. I consider all alternative anything that had that. I liked the post grunge when it first came out but I also loved nirvana and one of my first girlfriends showed me AIC and to this day I still listen to them. I listened to all grunge bands religiously and my peers thought that was weird. I delved deeper later on but I also like TAD, BABES IN TOYLAND, LOVE BATTERY. i love all of the alternative from the 1990s. It is a mild obsession of mine. Being younger then you my peers accepted nu-metal as their first music of choice. That and INSANE CLOWN POSSE. We listened to SLIPKNOT MUDVAYNE KORN PANTERA MUSHROOMHEAD COALCHAMBER etc etc. That is when it first started. We were waiting for the next big band or the next album. Some of the bands got softer or sold out. We were disheartened. In 2004 the 1990s were still going strong where I was. But every album from every band we enjoyed was a dud.
I personally hated the style they went. I wanted heavier stuff. But I realized that this is ending and when I made that discovery I hated it but emo came around.
Some of them really got into it and ignored all other genres. I delved myself hardcore into it. I liked everything my sister even got me they might be giants and REM and RAP cds. I also liked death metal industrial and thrash.
My first band I listened to that would be considered would be rock at the time was metallica. Metallica at that point was in there bullshit trying to get into hard rock music. Alot of the old fans looked at it funny. I didnt know I was trying to get into music for the first time. One of my best friends from highschool who was considered weird liked original thrash and he inspired me to listen to megadeth oldschool metallica. Even though he was sooooo weird everyone was still getting into slayer. Everyone had a shirt or knew reining blood. I stopped liking metallica but later liked their original stuff and I found Marilyn Mansons first couple albums and KoRns albums. I was thinking of it in a way that I wanted to get heavier and heavier closer to my core of my self.
My peers at a young age were sneaking into bars stealing alcohol from customers drinking it and smoking ciggarettes without anyone batting an eye. They were also watching WWF pay per views with austin being the main attraction. Beavis and butthead was my spongebob square pants. I DO NOT think we will have an era like this EVER AGAIN =(.
Thank you for posting this so I can remember an era that will never go away in myself but has been replaced by society
@sinned
Love comments like this where a person really goes even deeper than the piece I wrote. I just read your article, great stuff, guess we both felt that nostalgia call very recently and in similar ways. You put a bunch of bands in there that I should have included lol....I was racking my brain for bands but I been running on empty lately so missed a ton. But that was the 90s, so much creative souls coming out in one decade you just kind of had a pick and choose of great bands, great music and a great time in itself. So true though, society really did take what we had in the 90s away, they commercialized it, boxed it up and put it in pieces on so many shelves that its been watered down, truly sad. I just hope maybe guys like you and I who truly lived it in the 90s and offer our pieces of joy from those days can kind of pass it down to the youth now in hopes they could kind of rekindle versions of that massive movement and time for their peers. Seems to me the music scene now is with no real voice, the gathering of people is no longer fun like the concerts and festivals you and I had the honor to attend. Just doesn't feel like the youth is enjoying their time other than mischief in a violent way vs just partying and celebrating life.
Its an honor @sinned to know we lived the same era together and have a heart left in us to remain those same kids from back then. No matter what, I am still a Beavis and Butthead, Metallica worshipping and Tool Tshirt wearing kind of guy, just cut the hair but not the 90s soul inside. Great comment, thank you so much for taking the time to write that and really share the feelings I hold as well for those times.
Nah yours is as deep as mine. I have the nostalgia everyday. People keep on telling me to switch over to 2017. The only 2017 in me is the websites I go to a big tv and a few games here and there. I aint leaving it I am keeping my clothing my long hair I do not care if I am the last of the last. I do not really feel molded and a part of this new era. I feel like I was connected deeply with gen-x can I call myself a x-y fuck the y. They definitely had the creativity of the 1960s mixed with metal and punk. So many new genres and new ways to play music. You are right about the new generation. On top of that there is MEME music which is just joking around music. Music making fun of older ways of life but in a internetty way. Not like the 1990s but still has its basic roots in that. Internet snobs that like music and if you do not like it with them they get offended. the 1990s the music was the voice it was everything. Every thing in pop culture based from it. They also are going anti hard with the music on purpose. Just recently a 70 something age person came to me and was like fuck yeah marilyn manson cuz i had a shirt on. I was like you like them. He was like I was at one of their first shows but towards their 3rd album or so he stopped getting into them. He started talking about the antagonistic generation being birthed that needed to come out and be alive. Society restricted them to much he said. Everything was boring. I was surprised that someone at that age would vibe with that.
The pendulum swings back to it being restricted again in our era.
If you actually do anything you might offend peoples different parties.
People want unity not to be divided.
I think the rebellion will come again but it will have to be something totally different.
There is so many bands forgotten but you find em again or never seen em before and I am so obsessed with this era I added like 400-500 music videos to this website http://my90stv.com/
I think our current era is a crisis era like ww2... The closest thing generation wise the 1990s were I think were the 1920s but the restrictions of alcohol/cannabis/ rebellion of the generation/rise of women in politics are reversed. Alcohol was crazily fought against. Cannibas was hush hush just do not let me see it! Dare logos on games etc. Rise of women in politics was not as big as the rebellion. Also think of the internet/ and ford perfecting themselves in the second industrial revolution.
A lot of similarities just different varying degrees of it.
It was a pleasure to see another 1990s head here we should talk about it sometime drop me a line so we can show the world our love for this time!
Gonna have to check out that site, I am always looking for musically created sites lol. I agree, this generation right now is lost and confused on the art form that music should be. No say no voice to provide anything to society in their lyrics or belief system it feels. Just commercial slapped together mess in my opinion. I always joke to my girl when a kid bumps this new girly sounding rap stuff that it feels as if the manly music of our youth is dead and gone. How these guys call this stuff ganster when its guys whining about girls all day long is beyond me lol. Times have changed, hopefully it will change back to a more vocal style of music that actually says something
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social distortion - i was wrong
Love Social Distortion, man this post has brought back so many great bands that I overlooked lol. Great call on SD
yeah bro, your post make feel that awesome decade again... check this online radio
http://tunein.com/radio/AceRadioNet---90s-Alternative-Rock-s130740/
Bookmarked lol....I am in such a nostalgic moment lately, reliving the music and times of the 90s lol. So glad it brought back memories for you and other 90s kids like myself...definitely was a time that was meant for select souls
All of those, also pumpkins.
Great list, takes me back.
LOL another shout out to a great band, how I didn't have Smashing Pumpkins in there is beyond me, about to slap that bad arse band in the list now lol. Love that band
Considered flagging you, but Primus got a mention so you're forgiven.
lol...not the flag, hey at least I didn't put Hanson in there, that my friend I would kick someone out of Steemit over lol. Honestly though, there was so many great bands back then that its so hard to list them up. I am still coming up with more as I sit back after writing this and going...crap I forgot them as well...MINISTRY lol I am adding that one in now lol
I finished High School in 95, so all of this is just spot on.
I am class of '96 lol so pretty much probably could have walked the same halls of high school if it were the same school. Seems honestly like yesterday...time does fly in life.
Drinking Whiskey out the bottle, not thinking about tomorrow, and singing Cemetery Gates all Summer long :)
Great song, I can play Cemetery Gates on the guitar, one of my early covers I learned in my teenage years lol. Hollow by Pantera is also one of my favs