Mark Pickerel

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Mark Pickerel
Mark Pickerel 02 (cropped).jpg
Pickerel performing with Mark Pickerel and His Praying Hands in Seattle, 2008.
Background information
Origin Ellensburg, Washington, U.S.
Genres Grunge, alternative rock
Occupation(s)Musician, songwriter
Instrument(s)Drums, vocals, guitar
Years active1985–present
Labels SST, K, Homestead, Sub Pop, Epic, Thick, Up, Bloodshot
Website markpickerel.com

Mark Pickerel is an American musician best known as the original drummer for the alternative rock band Screaming Trees. [1] [2] He is also an active session musician and has released several solo albums as a singer/guitarist. [3]

Contents

Biography

Originally from Ellensburg, Washington, Pickerel was a high school acquaintance of Van Conner and Gary Lee Conner, and the three formed the band Explosive Generation with Pickerel on drums and vocals. Several years after graduation, the trio formed Screaming Trees with singer Mark Lanegan in 1985 (by this time Pickerel no longer performed lead vocals). [4] The band soon moved to Seattle to join that city's burgeoning grunge scene. [5] During this period, Pickerel participated in recording sessions with several bands in the Seattle scene; some of these later appeared on Lanegan's solo album The Winding Sheet [6] and on the Nirvana rarities compilation With the Lights Out . [7]

Pickerel played on five studio albums with Screaming Trees, but quit the band in 1991 just before they began recording their breakthrough album Sweet Oblivion . He was replaced by Barrett Martin. [4] Pickerel then formed the band Truly with former Soundgarden bassist Hiro Yamamoto and singer/guitarist Robert Roth. [8] Truly released two studio albums before splitting in 1997. [9]

Pickerel next switched to guitar and vocals and formed the band The Dark Fantastic in 1997; this band released two albums before splitting in 2001. [10] During this period he was also an active session musician, appearing on records by Lanegan, Neko Case, Steve Fisk, Jim Carroll, and Pigeonhed. [3] In 2004 Pickerel formed a singer-songwriter project called Mark Pickerel and His Praying Hands. [3] The 2006 album Snake in the Radio under this name received positive reviews for its eclectic mix of indie rock and Americana elements. [11] [12] The latest album by Mark Pickerel and His Praying Hands, Rebel in the Rearview, was released in 2021. [13]

Pickerel has also owned and operated various record shops, and currently runs RoadTrip Records in Ellensburg. [14]

Discography

Solo
Brandi Carlile
Screaming Trees
Truly
The Tripwires
The Dark Fantastic
Mark Lanegan
Nirvana
Carrie Akre

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Screaming Trees</span> American rock band

Screaming Trees were an American rock band formed in Ellensburg, Washington, in 1984 by vocalist Mark Lanegan, guitarist Gary Lee Conner, bassist Van Conner, and drummer Mark Pickerel. Pickerel was replaced by Barrett Martin in 1991. Screaming Trees became known as one of the pioneers of grunge along with Melvins, Mudhoney, U-Men, Skin Yard, Soundgarden, Green River, and Malfunkshun, among others. Although widely associated with grunge, the band's sound incorporated hard rock and psychedelic elements.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Lanegan</span> American singer (1964–2022)

Mark William Lanegan was an American singer, songwriter, and poet. First becoming prominent as the lead singer for the early grunge band Screaming Trees, he was also known as a member of Queens of the Stone Age and The Gutter Twins. He released 12 solo studio albums, as well as three collaboration albums with Isobel Campbell and two with Duke Garwood. He was known for his baritone voice, which was described as being "as scratchy as a three-day beard yet as supple and pliable as moccasin leather" and has been compared to Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen, and Nick Cave.

<i>Clairvoyance</i> (album) 1986 studio album by Screaming Trees

Clairvoyance is the 1986 debut studio album by the alternative rock band Screaming Trees, produced by Steve Fisk. Released on Velvetone Records, the album helped the band earn a contract with SST Records. While it is very much a combination of psychedelic and garage rock, it bears many similarities to early grunge. It was original limited to a pressing of 2,500 copies, which included full size, double sided inserts. In January 2005, it was re-issued on CD by Hall of Records.

<i>Sweet Oblivion</i> 1992 studio album by Screaming Trees

Sweet Oblivion is the sixth studio album by Screaming Trees, released on September 8, 1992. It quickly became the band's best-selling record, and was the closest they ever came to achieving mainstream success. Sweet Oblivion sold in excess of 300,000 copies on the strength of the band's biggest hit, "Nearly Lost You". The song benefited from an appearance on Singles: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, a Top Ten, platinum-selling hit album which featured many other popular Seattle-based music acts from the period.

<i>Uncle Anesthesia</i> 1991 studio album by Screaming Trees

Uncle Anesthesia is the fifth studio album by the American band Screaming Trees. It was released in 1991 via Epic Records. It includes three of the four tracks from the band's previous Epic release, Something About Today.

<i>Dust</i> (Screaming Trees album) 1996 studio album by Screaming Trees

Dust is the seventh studio album by Screaming Trees, released on June 25, 1996.

<i>Other Worlds</i> (Screaming Trees album) 1986 EP by Screaming Trees

Other Worlds is Screaming Trees' 1986 debut EP. It was produced by Steve Fisk and recorded in 1985 at his studio in Ellensburg, WA. It was released on Velvetone Records the following year as a cassette only release, and distributed by K Records. The album was later re-released on CD and 12" black vinyl by SST Records in 1988.

<i>Invisible Lantern</i> 1988 studio album by Screaming Trees

Invisible Lantern is the third studio album by alternative rock band Screaming Trees, released in 1988 on SST Records.

<i>The Winding Sheet</i> 1990 studio album by Mark Lanegan

The Winding Sheet is the debut studio album by alternative rock artist Mark Lanegan. It was released on May 1, 1990, on Sub Pop. The album was Lanegan's first solo work, and is notable in its departure from the characteristic sound of Screaming Trees, the band he fronted from 1985 until 2000.

<i>Buzz Factory</i> 1989 studio album by Screaming Trees

Buzz Factory is the fourth studio album by Seattle-based band Screaming Trees, released in the spring of 1989. It was their final record for SST Records before they moved on to their major label debut. The LP was available on translucent purple vinyl. While touring to support the album, SST had informed that band multiple times that their album would shortly be released. However, this failed to materialize until the last day of the tour, after which they elected to leave SST. Their next recording, the Change Has Come EP, was released in December 1989 on Sub Pop.

<i>Change Has Come</i> 1989 EP by Screaming Trees

Change Has Come is the second EP by the Screaming Trees. It was the only recording the band released through Sub Pop. After its 1990 release, the Screaming Trees moved on to a major label, Epic Records, for their next three albums - Uncle Anesthesia, Sweet Oblivion, and Dust, as well as the Something About Today EP. The album's cover art was photographed by Charles Peterson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary Lee Conner</span> American guitarist

Gary Lee Conner is an American rock musician, best known as the guitarist for Screaming Trees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Van Conner</span> American rock musician (1967–2023)

Van Patrick Conner was an American rock musician, best known as the bassist for Screaming Trees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nearly Lost You</span> 1992 single by Screaming Trees

"Nearly Lost You" is a song by the American alternative rock group Screaming Trees. It was the first single released in support of their sixth album, Sweet Oblivion. Perhaps their best-known song, it was a moderate success on modern rock radio, partly because of its appearance on the soundtrack to the 1992 Cameron Crowe film Singles.

<i>Ocean of Confusion: Songs of Screaming Trees 1990–1996</i> 2005 greatest hits album by Screaming Trees

Ocean of Confusion is the third 'best of' album by the Screaming Trees. The album chronicles their career from the time they signed to Epic Records until their final album, Dust. The band's years on SST Records are represented on a separate, earlier-released compilation, Anthology: SST Years 1985-1989. The tracks on Ocean of Confusion were personally chosen by the band's lead vocalist, Mark Lanegan, and all other aspects of the compilation were overseen by Lanegan, as well.

<i>Beat Happening/Screaming Trees</i> 1988 EP by Beat Happening and Screaming Trees

Beat Happening/Screaming Trees is an EP and a one-off collaboration between Beat Happening and Screaming Trees. The 12-inch EP was originally released on Homestead Records in 1988, and it was later reissued as part of Beat Happening's box set Crashing Through in 2002. The journal of Kurt Cobain contains a draft of a letter sent to Mark Lanegan, in which he described "Polly Pereguinn" as his favorite pop song of the 1980s.

<i>Whiskey for the Holy Ghost</i> 1994 studio album by Mark Lanegan

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The Dark Fantastic was an American rock band from Seattle, Washington, formed in 1997. They began as a solo project of Mark Pickerel while he was still a member of Truly. Following the disbanding of Truly, Pickerel turned his project into a band, enlisting guitarist Jesse Roberts and bassist Mike Elkins in 1997. They released their self-titled debut album in 1999 and their second album entitled Goodbye Crooked Scar in 2001, both through Up Records, before disbanding.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dollar Bill (song)</span> 1992 single by Screaming Trees

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References

  1. ↑ "Mark Pickerel: He's got the goods | What's Up! Magazine" . Retrieved July 4, 2020.
  2. ↑ "The Rise And Fall Of Screaming Trees, Through The Eyes Of Gary Lee Conner". Kerrang!. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 "Mark Pickerel Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic. Retrieved November 24, 2021.
  4. 1 2 "Screaming Trees Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic. Retrieved November 24, 2021.
  5. ↑ Wilding, Philip (June 20, 2016). "Screaming Trees: Grunge's Nearly Men". loudersound. Retrieved November 24, 2021.
  6. ↑ The Winding Sheet – Mark Lanegan | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic , retrieved November 24, 2021
  7. ↑ "The Jury: the story of the Cobain/Lanegan collaboration that could have been | Northwest Passage". www.revolutioncomeandgone.com. Retrieved November 24, 2021.
  8. ↑ Everley, Dave (September 6, 2021). "10 obscure but brilliant grunge bands who should've been huge". loudersound. Retrieved November 24, 2021.
  9. ↑ "Truly Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic. Retrieved November 24, 2021.
  10. ↑ "The Dark Fantastic Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic. Retrieved November 24, 2021.
  11. ↑ Keresman, Mark. "Mark Pickerel & His Praying Hands". Riverfront Times.
  12. ↑ "Mark Pickerel and His Praying Hands: Snake in the Radio". PopMatters. May 11, 2006.
  13. ↑ "Rebel in the Rearview, by Mark Pickerel and His Praying Hands". Mark Pickerel and His Praying Hands. Retrieved November 24, 2021.
  14. ↑ Muir, Pat. "Owner of Doug's Records on a musical mission". Yakima Herald-Republic. Retrieved November 24, 2021.
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