Melvins facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Melvins
Melvins live at Hellfest in June 2023. Left to right: Dale Crover, Buzz Osborne and Steven Shane McDonald.
Background information
Origin	Montesano, Washington, U.S.
Genres	Sludge metal experimental rock alternative metal grunge hardcore punk (early)
Years active	1983–present
Members	Buzz Osborne Dale Crover Steven Shane McDonald Coady Willis (touring)
Past members	Mike Dillard Matt Lukin Lori Black Joe Preston Mark Deutrom Kevin Rutmanis Jared Warren Trevor Dunn Jeff Pinkus

Melvins is an American rock band that started in 1983 in Montesano, Washington. Their early music was very important for creating new styles like grunge and sludge metal. The band first played as a trio (three members). Later, they sometimes had four members, either with two drummers or two bass players. Since 1984, the main members have been singer and guitarist Buzz Osborne and drummer Dale Crover.

Band History: Melvins' Journey

Melvins began in early 1983. The first members were Buzz Osborne (guitar, vocals), Matt Lukin (bass), and Mike Dillard (drums). They all went to high school together in Montesano, Washington. At first, they played cover songs by bands like Jimi Hendrix and The Who. They also played fast hardcore punk music.

When Mike Dillard left, Dale Crover became the new drummer. The band then practiced in Crover's parents' house in Aberdeen, Washington. Soon after, their music became much slower and "heavier" than most other bands at that time.

In 1985, a record label called C/Z Records was started to show off the music scene in Washington. This label released an album called Deep Six, which included four songs by the Melvins. In 1986, the band released their first EP (a short album) called Six Songs on C/Z Records. This EP was recorded live in Seattle in February 1986.

In October 1986, they recorded their first full-length album, Gluey Porch Treatments.

When Nirvana's album Nevermind became a huge hit, Melvins gained more attention because Nirvana supported them. Melvins then signed with Atlantic Records, a major record label. Their first album with Atlantic, Houdini (released in 1993), even made it onto the Billboard Heatseekers chart.

Melvins released their second album for Atlantic in 1994. Their next full-length album, Honky, came out in 1997.

Buzz Osborne, the band's frontman, performing in 2006.

In the fall of 2006, the band toured the U.S. to support their album, (A) Senile Animal. They also played a short tour in the United Kingdom in December 2006.

In June 2008, Buzz Osborne, original drummer Mike Dillard, and Dale Crover (playing bass) played two special shows in San Francisco. These shows celebrated Jello Biafra's 50th birthday. They played songs from The Mangled Demos, which is a collection of their early music.

In July 2008, a new Melvins album was released. In December 2008, Melvins helped choose the bands for the All Tomorrow's Parties Nightmare Before Christmas festival. They also performed at the festival themselves.

Melvins started 2011 with some special shows in California. On January 14, they played as "Melvins 1983" (with an early lineup) and then performed their album Houdini.

A version of the band called Melvins Lite (with Buzz, Dale, and Trevor Dunn) toured in 2011. This group released an album called Freak P... in June 2012. The main four-piece Melvins band also stayed active and released an EP called The Bulls & the Bees in March 2012.

In 2012, Melvins Lite set a record by performing every night for 51 days straight. They played one show in each of the 50 United States and one in District of Columbia. The tour started in Anchorage, Alaska on September 5 and ended in Honolulu, Hawaii on October 25, 2012.

Everybody Loves Sausages, an album of cover songs with special guest musicians, was released in April 2013.

In 2013, Melvins celebrated 30 years as a band with a big summer tour. Other bands like Mudhoney also joined them for some shows.

In July 2017, the band released a double album called A Walk with Love & Death. One part, Love, was music for a short film. The other part, Death, had regular Melvins songs.

The band released Pinkus A... Technician in April 2018.

Melvins' 24th studio album, Working with God, came out on February 26, 2021. This album brought back the 1983 lineup of Osborne, Crover, and Dillard.

Melvins' Music Style and Influences

Melvins' music has been described as sludge metal, grunge, experimental rock, alternative metal, and doom metal. Over the years, they have explored many different sounds, including noise rock, dark ambient, noise, jazz-rock, and avant-garde music.

They started as a hardcore punk band. Their sound later took ideas from Black Flag (who mixed punk and metal), slow punk bands like Flipper, and industrial music pioneers Throbbing Gristle. They were also influenced by hard rock and metal bands such as Judas Priest, Kiss, and Alice Cooper.

Since the 1990s, the band has sometimes used electronic music, like on their albums Prick (1994) and Colossus of Destiny (1998). Buzz Osborne also mentioned Swans and Venom as early influences.

Even though people often compare the band to Black Sabbath, Buzz Osborne has said that his guitar playing is more influenced by Black Flag.

Melvins' Impact on Music

Melvins' heavy, sludgy sound had a big influence on grunge music. This includes famous bands like Nirvana, Soundgarden, and many other bands from Seattle.

They also influenced artists outside the grunge scene, such as Tool, Mike Patton, and Boris (who even named themselves after a Melvins song). Other bands they influenced include Pig Destroyer, Helmet, Sleep, Sunn O))), Mastodon, and Lamb of God.

AllMusic said that Melvins' ability to mix punk with a strong Black Sabbath influence had a major impact on many music styles, from grunge to alternative metal to doom metal. In 2017, Metal Injection magazine ranked Melvins as the second "Heaviest Grunge Band."

Band Members

• Buzz Osborne – guitars, lead vocals (1983–present)
• Dale Crover – drums, percussion, backing vocals (1984–present); bass (2008–2015)
• Steven Shane McDonald – bass, backing vocals (2015–present)

Former Members

• Mike Dillard – drums (1983–1984; 2008–2015, 2020, with Melvins 1983)
• Matt Lukin – bass, backing vocals (1983–1988)
• Lori "Lorax" Black – bass (1988–1993)
• Joe Preston – bass, backing vocals (Occasionally on and off in 1991–1992)
• Mark Deutrom – bass, guitars (1993–1998)
• Kevin Rutmanis – bass (1998–2005)
• Trevor Dunn – bass (2005, 2007, 2009; touring only); upright bass, backing vocals (2011–2015, with Melvins Lite)
• Jared Warren – bass, backing vocals (2006–2015)
• Coady Willis – drums, backing vocals (2006–2015)
• Jeff Pinkus – bass, backing vocals (2013–2018)

Touring Members

• Tom Flynn – bass (1990)
• Dave Sahijdak – bass (1993)
• Billy Anderson – bass (1993)
• David Scott Stone – guitars (2000–2001), bass (2004–2006)

Member Timeline

Melvins' Albums and EPs

See also

In Spanish: Melvins para niños