Mudhoney is the only band from Seattle’s grunge era of the late ‘80s that’s still standing, having soldiered on steadily without a break. And here’s the reason why.

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Mudhoney is the only band from Seattle’s grunge era of the late ‘80s that’s still standing, having soldiered on steadily without a break. After initially recording for Sub Pop they moved on to the majors (Reprise, a Warner Bros. subsidiary) and actually lived to tell the tale; after being dropped in 1999, they simply resigned with Sub Pop, where they remain today.

Now their story’s finally been immortalized in the new DVD documentary I’m Now: The Story of Mudhoney (King of Hearts Productions). They also have a new album under their belts, their ninth: Vanishing Point. They’ll spend May and June touring Europe, headline at Sub Pop’s Silver Jubilee celebrations in Seattle on July 13, then head out on a US tour that runs through October.

Mudhoney rose from the ashes of seminal Seattle grunge act Green River, who broke up at the end of 1987 due to musical differences — really. “I wasn’t super with the way things were going, musically, [in Green River],” Mark Arm, then Green River’s lead singer, agrees, adding that after the split, “I had a feeling like okay, great, what do I do now? There was a show soon after at [Seattle club] the OK Hotel. And Dan Peters was there. I was just totally hammered, and I went up to him and said, ‘Hey, guess what Dan, Green River broke up.’ And then I vomited!”

[pullquote_right]I had a feeling like okay, great, what do I do now?” — Mark Arm, vocalist, on Green River’s breakup[/pullquote_right]

Arm would soon form Mudhoney with Peters on drums, pulling in former Green River guitarist Steve Turner and former Melvins bassist Matt Lukin as well. The name “Mudhoney” was taken from the name of a Russ Meyer film, and as Green River had previously recorded for Sub Pop, Mudhoney was taken up by the label as well. Their first single, “Touch Me I’m Sick,” was released in August 1988, going on to be a touchstone in grunge history.

Mudhoney was the first of the Seattle grunge bands to tour Europe, thus heightening interest in Seattle years before Nirvana’s Nevermind was released. Back then, most indie rock fans in Seattle would’ve picked Mudhoney to go on to bigger things; not huge mainstream success, of course (what Seattle band could achieve that?), but surely they could attain the kind of “critically acclaimed” career enjoyed by a band like Sonic Youth (who also covered “Touch Me I’m Sick”). But while they were later eclipsed by grunge’s “big four” (Nirvana, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains), Mudhoney remains one of Seattle’s most beloved acts, with a devoted fan base that regularly packs their shows.

I’m Now tells the story of the band from their inception to the present day. It’s a bit too fractured at times; you hear interviewees raving over Mudhoney’s live show, but the band is only shown in performance in short snippets. Which is frustrating, as Arm is one of rock’s most entertaining lead singers. Interviews with the band are disappointing as well; the documentary tells the story of what happened, but not why it happened. You’d love to know more about the band’s approach to songwriting, for example, rather than continual footage of journalists explaining Why Mudhoney Is Important.

But the band’s fans will be heartened to know that the film also makes clear that the band has no intentions of stopping. Matt Lukin left the band after they’d parted with Reprise, but after working briefly with bassist Steve Dukich, they signed on permanent bassist Guy Maddison, and they’ve been going ever since. There have been four albums released in the 21st century, and Vanishing Point has no shortage of trademark Mudhoney: Turner’s fluid guitar lines (though a bit cleaner than in the SuperFuzz BigMuff days), Peters’ snappy drumming, and Arm’s distinctive yowl. There are songs about faltering relationships (the opening track, “Slipping Away”), and a hysterical rant about what the band doesn’t like to find on their backstage rider (“Chardonnay”). They take a step into less frenzied territory on “What to Do with the Neutral” and “In This Rubber Tomb,” while the “Douchebags on Parade” brings the album to a pungent close. Fans of Mudhoney’s take on Stooges-influence rock should be well satisfied.

It’s fitting that Mudhoney will take the stage at Sub Pop’s 25 anniversary party on July 13. They’ve been with the label through the good times and the bad. They held off moving to a major until after releasing 1991’s Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge, thus helping the label through some financial difficulties, and Arm still works in the company’s mail order department. Their set will no doubt climax with a singalong rendition of “Touch Me I’m Sick,” a reminder that survival is indeed the best revenge.

 

You can buy the DVD documentary I’m Now: The Story of Mudhoney at www.mudhoneymovie.com. And the new album, Vanishing Point, here.