Alice N' Chains

Last updated

Alice N' Chains
Alice N' Chains 1987 photo.jpg
1987 promo photo, from left: Nick Pollock, James Bergstrom, Layne Staley, Johnny Bacolas
Background information
Origin Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Genres Glam metal [1]
Years active1986–1987
Spinoffs Alice in Chains
Spinoff of Sleze
Past members

Alice N' Chains was an American glam metal band from Seattle, Washington, formed in 1986 by former members of Sleze. Toward the end of their run as Sleze, discussions arose about changing their name to Alice in Chains. [2] However, due to concerns over the reference to female bondage, the group ultimately chose to spell it as Alice N' Chains. [2] They performed under this moniker over about a 12-month period and recorded two demos before breaking up on friendly terms in 1987. [3] One of its members, Layne Staley, ultimately took the name that he and his former bandmates had initially flirted with when he joined a different group a few months later that became known as Alice in Chains.

Contents

History

(Clockwise from top left) Nick Pollock, Johnny Bacolas, Layne Staley, James Bergstrom Alice N' Chains.jpg
(Clockwise from top left)
Nick Pollock, Johnny Bacolas,
Layne Staley, James Bergstrom

Vocalist Layne Staley, guitarist Nick Pollock, bassist Johnny Bacolas, and drummer James Bergstrom began performing in what would become the last lineup of Sleze in 1986, when founding member Bacolas rejoined after a brief stint in another band called Ascendant and took up the bass slot for the first time; originally he played guitar. After his return, Bacolas says the band began to discuss changing their name to Alice in Chains due to a conversation he had with Russ Klatt, singer from Slaughterhouse Five:

[W]e were talking about different concepts for backstage passes. It would say, like, 'Sleze: The Welcome to Wonderland Tour.' That ended up turning into a discussion - we were talking about changing the band name. And we were saying, 'Alice in Wonderland? How about this, how about that? Maybe...Alice in Chains? We could put her in bondage stuff!' I liked the ring [of] 'Alice in Chains' - I remember I came back to the next band rehearsal and I told the guys. The issue was the reference to bondage, which our parents would not go for. Layne's mom was very hardcore Christian. So we ended up changing it to Alice 'N Chains, which made it more like Alice and Chains. [2]

However, Staley's mother Nancy McCallum has said she still did not approve of this at first:

I had a sense of humor about the name Sleze. But when [Layne] came home and said they were changing the name to Alice 'N Chains, I was not happy. I said, 'Honey, that is female bondage. You don't want to choose a name like that - it's going to push your female audience away. I really feel strong about this.' He was adamant and I was adamant. For the first time in my life, I didn't have much of a conversation with him for about two weeks, because I was concerned, and also offended. How could my child possibly choose a name like 'Alice N' Chains? [2]

Johnny Bacolas stated that the decision to use the apostrophe-N combination in their name had nothing to do with the Los Angeles band Guns N' Roses. The name change happened in 1986, a year before Guns N' Roses became a household name with their first album Appetite for Destruction , which was released in July 1987. [4]

According to Staley, the reason they chose this name was because they wanted to dress in drag and play heavy metal as a joke. [5] [6] [7]

The band performed around the Seattle area playing Slayer and Armored Saint covers.[ citation needed ]

Discography

Alice N' Chains recorded two demos known primarily as "Demo No. 1" and "Demo No. 2"; both from 1987. Physical copies of the cassettes are extremely rare as only 100 of "Demo No. 1" were made, although bootleg copies can be found online on filesharing programs and YouTube. [8] [9]

Pre-production for "Demo No. 1" began whilst the band were still calling themselves Sleze and with a different bass player named Mike Mitchell, who appears on the tracks "Fat Girls" and "Over the Edge" according to producer Tim Branom. [10] Recording for these two tracks took place at London Bridge Studio with the help of its founding engineer brother Rick and Raj Parashar. [10] A few months later, Mitchell left the band and Bacolas rejoined as their bass player. They added one more song called "Lip Lock Rock" to the demo before changing their name to Alice N' Chains.[ citation needed ]

Demo No. 1 track listing

  1. "Lip Lock Rock" – 4:24
  2. "Fat Girls" – 3:39
  3. "Over the Edge" – 2:44

Demo No. 2 track listing

  1. "Sealed with a Kiss" – 2:49
  2. "Ya Yeah Ya" – 3:11
  3. "Glamorous Girls" – 2:48
  4. "Don't Be Satisfied" – 3:27
  5. "Hush, Hush" – 2:29
  6. "Football" – 2:01

Post-Alice N' Chains

Shortly after Alice N' Chains broke up, Staley joined a different group of musicians led by guitarist Jerry Cantrell that eventually took up the name Alice in Chains. This band rose to international fame as part of the grunge movement of the early 1990s, along with other Seattle bands such as Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden. Staley also formed the supergroup Mad Season along with Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready, Screaming Trees drummer Barrett Martin and bassist John Baker Saunders.

Meanwhile, Pollock formed the band My Sister's Machine, taking up mostly vocal duties as their primary lyricist. [11] He later sang in the band Soulbender, which also featured Queensrÿche guitarist Michael Wilton. [12]

Bergstrom became a founding member of the band Second Coming and was later joined by Bacolas, who replaced Ron "Junkeye" Holt on bass.[ citation needed ] Staley made a guest appearance on their debut album L.O.V.Evil . [13] This band signed to Capitol Records in May 1998 and recorded two more studio albums and one extended play before breaking up in 2008. [14] Since then, Bacolas has recorded and released music with the bands The Crying Spell and Lotus Crush.[ citation needed ]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alice in Chains</span> American rock band

Alice in Chains is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1987. Since 2006, the band's lineup has comprised vocalist/guitarists Jerry Cantrell and William DuVall, bassist Mike Inez and drummer Sean Kinney. Vocalist Layne Staley and bassist Mike Starr are former members of the band, having died in 2002 and 2011, respectively. The band took its name from Staley's previous group, Alice N' Chains. Often associated with grunge music, Alice in Chains' sound and style is deeply rooted in heavy metal music. The band is known for its distinctive vocal style, which often included the harmonized vocals between Staley and Cantrell, making Alice in Chains a two-vocal band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grunge</span> Genre of rock music

Grunge is an alternative rock genre and subculture which emerged during the mid-1980s in the U.S. state of Washington, particularly in Seattle and nearby towns. Grunge fuses elements of punk rock and heavy metal. The genre featured the distorted electric guitar sound used in both genres, although some bands performed with more emphasis on one or the other. Like these genres, grunge typically uses electric guitar, bass guitar, drums and vocals. Grunge also incorporates influences from indie rock bands such as Sonic Youth. Lyrics are typically angst-filled and introspective, often addressing themes such as social alienation, self-doubt, abuse, neglect, betrayal, social and emotional isolation, addiction, psychological trauma and a desire for freedom.

<i>Dirt</i> (Alice in Chains album) 1992 studio album by Alice in Chains

Dirt is the second studio album by American rock band Alice in Chains, released on September 29, 1992 by Columbia Records. Peaking at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 chart, the album received critical acclaim. It has since been certified quintuple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), making Dirt the band's highest selling album to date. It was the band's last album recorded with all four original members, as bassist Mike Starr was fired in January 1993 during the tour to support the album. The album spawned five singles: "Would?", "Them Bones", "Angry Chair", "Rooster", and "Down in a Hole", all with accompanying music videos. Dirt was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance. The music video for "Would?" was nominated for an MTV Video Music Award for Best Video from a Film, as the song was featured on the soundtrack to Cameron Crowe's 1992 film Singles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Layne Staley</span> American rock musician (1967–2002)

Layne Thomas Staley was an American singer and songwriter who was the original lead vocalist of Alice in Chains, which rose to international fame in the early 1990s as part of Seattle's grunge movement. He was known for his distinctive vocal style as well as his harmonizing with bandmate Jerry Cantrell. Prior to his success with Alice in Chains, Staley was also a member of the glam metal bands Sleze and Alice N' Chains. He was also a part of the supergroups Mad Season and Class of '99.

<i>Facelift</i> (album) 1990 studio album by Alice in Chains

Facelift is the debut studio album by the American rock band Alice in Chains, released by Columbia Records on August 21, 1990. The tracks "We Die Young", and "Man in the Box" were released as singles. "Man in the Box" was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance with Vocal in 1992. Facelift became the first grunge album to be certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), achieving this feat on September 11, 1991. The album peaked at No. 42 on the Billboard 200 chart, and has been certified triple-platinum by the RIAA for shipments of three million copies in the United States.

<i>Sap</i> (EP) 1992 EP by Alice in Chains

Sap is the second studio EP by the American rock band Alice in Chains, released on February 4, 1992, through Columbia Records. Sap is mostly acoustic and marks the first time that guitarist Jerry Cantrell sings lead vocals in an Alice in Chains release, with the song "Brother". The EP was produced by Alice in Chains and Rick Parashar and features guest vocals by Ann Wilson of the band Heart, Chris Cornell of Soundgarden and Mark Arm of Mudhoney. The track "Got Me Wrong" became a hit two years later after being featured on the soundtrack to the 1994 film Clerks. On January 14, 1994, Sap was certified gold by the RIAA for the sale of more than 500,000 copies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jerry Cantrell</span> American guitarist, singer and songwriter

Jerry Fulton Cantrell Jr. is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is best known as the founder, lead guitarist, co-lead vocalist, and main songwriter of the rock band Alice in Chains. The band rose to international fame in the early 1990s during Seattle's grunge movement and is known for its distinctive vocal style and the harmonized vocals between Cantrell and Layne Staley. Cantrell started to sing lead vocals on Alice in Chains' 1992 EP Sap. After Staley's death in 2002, Cantrell took the role of Alice in Chains' lead singer on most of the songs from the band's post-Staley albums, Black Gives Way to Blue (2009), The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here (2013), and Rainier Fog (2018), with DuVall harmonizing with him in the new songs and singing Staley's vocals in the old songs in live concerts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mad Season (band)</span> American rock supergroup

Mad Season was an American rock supergroup formed in 1994 as a side project of members of other bands in the Seattle grunge scene. The band's principal members included guitarist Mike McCready of Pearl Jam, lead singer Layne Staley of Alice in Chains, drummer Barrett Martin of Screaming Trees, and bassist John Baker Saunders. Mad Season released only one album, Above, in March 1995. Its first single, "River of Deceit", was a radio success, and Above was certified a gold record by the RIAA in June.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sean Kinney</span> American drummer

Sean Howard Kinney is an American musician, best known as the drummer and co-founder of the rock band Alice in Chains. Kinney also founded the short-lived supergroup Spys4Darwin, and has collaborated with other artists such as Johnny Cash and Metallica. He played drums for his Alice in Chains bandmate, Jerry Cantrell's first solo album, Boggy Depot (1998). Since 2009, Kinney has been co-owner of The Crocodile club in Seattle. He was a guest drummer on NBC's Late Night with Seth Meyers in September 2018. Kinney has earned nine Grammy Award nominations as a member of Alice in Chains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Starr (musician)</span> American bassist (1966–2011)

Michael Christopher Starr was an American musician best known as the original bassist for the rock band Alice in Chains, with which he played from the band's formation in 1987 until January 1993. He was also a member of Sato, Gypsy Rose, Sun Red Sun, and Days of the New.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">My Sister's Machine</span> American rock band

My Sister's Machine was an American rock band from Seattle, Washington, formed in 1989. Its members were Nick Pollock, Owen Wright (guitar), Chris Ivanovich, and Chris Gohde (drums).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Second Coming (band)</span> American rock band

Second Coming was an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1990. They relocated to Seattle, Washington, around 1992 and released their debut album L.O.V.Evil in 1994. This band underwent several lineup changes throughout its existence with drummer James Bergstrom and bassist Johnny Bacolas ostensibly being the nucleus of the band, as they were the only members who appeared on every album. The two of them have been friends since childhood and they had also formed the rhythm section in an early incarnation of Alice in Chains that also consisted of vocalist Layne Staley and guitarist Nick Pollock; they called themselves Alice N' Chains.

Nicholas Pollock is a Seattle-based singer, guitarist, and songwriter best known for his work with the grunge band My Sister's Machine. He has also played in various bands with other notable musicians, including Alice in Chains singer Layne Staley and Queensrÿche guitarist Michael Wilton. He graduated from Lindbergh High School in 1986.

Johnny Bacolas is an American musician, composer and producer. He is best known for his work with the post-grunge band Second Coming, where he played bass guitar. He was also a founding member of the band Sleze, which was later renamed Alice N' Chains, The Crying Spell, Lotus Crush, and The Rumba Kings.

James Bergstrom is an American musician best known as the drummer for the band Second Coming. Before that, he played drums for the band Sleze, which also featured future Alice in Chains vocalist Layne Staley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soulbender</span>

Soulbender is an American-Canadian hard rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 2002. The band independently released their album Soulbender in 2004, which they reissued with four additional tracks through Rat Pak Records under the title Soulbender II in 2014. Though the band underwent multiple lineup changes in that ten-year timespan, both releases featured the original five-piece incarnation of two Americans and three Canadians who previously played in several different bands respectively from Seattle and Vancouver: Nick Pollock, formerly of Alice N' Chains and My Sister's Machine; Michael Wilton (guitar) from Queensrÿche; Dave Groves (guitar), formerly of Tin Pan and Fallen Angel; Wes Hallam (drums), formerly of Assault and Fallen Angel; and Marten Van Keith.

Travis Bracht is a Seattle-based singer and guitarist best known for his work with the post-grunge band Second Coming.

Sleze were a short-lived American glam metal band from Seattle, Washington, formed in 1984. Although Sleze were mostly a cover band and went through several lineup changes before changing their name to Alice N' Chains in 1986 and breaking up a year later, its former members later formed other bands, most notably the influential grunge band Alice in Chains.

"Rainier Fog" is a song by the American rock band Alice in Chains. It is the fourth single and the title track to the band's sixth studio album, Rainier Fog (2018). Written by guitarist and vocalist Jerry Cantrell, the song is a tribute to the Seattle music scene and the band's former members, Layne Staley and Mike Starr, and the title was inspired by Mount Rainier, a volcano that overlooks Seattle. The single peaked at No. 20 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart. Excerpts from the lyrics are featured upside down on the album cover. The full lyrics to "Rainier Fog" are inscribed on the bottom plate of Jerry Cantrell's signature Dunlop Cry Baby Wah pedal, released in April 2019.

Susan Jean Silver is an American music manager and businesswoman, best known for managing Seattle rock bands such as Soundgarden, Alice in Chains and Screaming Trees. Silver also owns the company Susan Silver Management, and co-owns the club The Crocodile in Seattle. Silver was named "the most powerful figure in local rock management" by The Seattle Times in 1991.

References

  1. ↑ Ramirez, Carlos (January 2010). "Top 10 Musicians with Hair Metal Pasts". Noisecreep . Retrieved October 9, 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Greg Prato (2009). "Dark, black, and blue: Soundgarden, Alice in Chains"". Grunge is Dead:The Oral History of Seattle Rock Music. ECW Press. pp. 215–216. ISBN   978-1-55022-877-9.
  3. ↑ Boehm, Mike (May 15, 1992). "MSM: Newest Vein of Gold in Seattle's Hard-Rock Quarry". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved December 5, 2011.
  4. ↑ de Sola, David (August 4, 2015). Alice in Chains: The Untold Story. Thomas Dunne Books. p. 46. ISBN   978-1250048073.
  5. ↑ Music Bank (Media notes). Alice in Chainz. Columbia Records. 1999. 69580.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  6. ↑ "Alice in Chains: Through the Looking Glass". Rolling Stone. November 26, 1992. Retrieved July 16, 2017.
  7. ↑ "Alice in Chains - "Nothing Safe" Rockline Interview, Jul 19. 1999". YouTuve. Archived from the original on December 12, 2021. Retrieved November 22, 2017.
  8. ↑ Alice N´ Chains Demos #1 (Alice In Chains), archived from the original on December 12, 2021, retrieved July 16, 2021
  9. ↑ ALICE N CHAINS "FOOTBALL". 1987 DEMO TAPE#2 (FORMERLY SLEZE, archived from the original on December 12, 2021, retrieved July 16, 2021
  10. 1 2 "AlternativeNation.Net - The Origins Of Alice In Chains: A Retrospective". Alternativenation.net. November 25, 2014. Archived from the original on February 23, 2016. Retrieved November 25, 2014.
  11. ↑ MSM: Newest Vein of Gold in Seattle's Hard-Rock Quarry, "Los Angeles Times" May 15, 1992. Retrieved on April 28, 2011.
  12. ↑ "Soulbender Guitarist Happily Does Double Duty". Straight.com. August 12, 2004. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
  13. ↑ "Layne Staley Songs in 'Grassroots' Film Have Previously Surfaced". loudwire.com. Retrieved December 11, 2011.
  14. ↑ Prato, Greg. "Second Coming Allmusic". Allmusic.com. Retrieved December 11, 2011.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.