Peaches — Presidents of the United States of America
But while they were in grunge geography, they didn’t see themselves as part of the grunge scene. They were a pop band who just happened to live there.…
Cherub Rock — The Smashing Pumpkins
I put the disc awkwardly into the player—like a first encounter with alien technology. I pressed play. WOW. I had only listened to cassettes up until that point. I didn’t need to know the technical details. I felt them. It was truly a Wizard of Oz moment: going from black-and-white to color.…
Black Hole Sun — Soundgarden
Imagine you’re the frontman of a Seattle grunge band in 1993—you’ve finished three studio albums and you’re deep in a fourth. Your producer challenges you to write with more integrity instead of courting what you think fans want. On the drive home, a song starts to assemble in your head, and a stray line from the radio becomes “Black Hole Sun.”…
Tomorrow — Silverchair
In 1994, three teenagers in Australia, between the ages of 14 and 15, submitted their demo tape with two songs to a demo contest held nationally. One was called Tomorrow; the band was still Innocent Criminals. Tomorrow won, Triple J and a record deal followed, Silverchair finished Frogstomp—and when the single hit the US charts in 1995, that was when Tomorrow found me.…