Thank you Melvins

[DavidDamage]

I'm new here (to the message board) I'm a 23 (going on 24 soon) year old male from the midwest here in the states. I've played guitar for about 6 or 7 years now, and The Melvins (Buzz) has been a big influence on me as a guitar player along with a few other players from the late 80's and early to mid 90's. I wish I was hip enough to have found The Melvins on my own or perhaps clam that I heard them before Kurt Cobain raved about them, but like most people I heard about them through him. I bought there record because him (kurt) and Dave Grohl wouldnt stop talking about them (the Melvins) after I heard it I knew why. I just wanted to take a few seconds here and I guess share how I "found" the band and all that jazz.

[AlmightyRetard]

Welcome to the board.

This is probably the most common way (among young people in particular) to find out about The Melvins.

I started listening to Nirvana when I was 11. 1 year later I started to discover many other WA/CA bands such as Melvins, L7, Mudhoney, Green River, Alice In Chains and so on...

[Dr Geek]

I found a whole ton of bands through Nirvana, my favourites being the Pixies and the Melvins, and then through the Melvins I was introduced to all of Mike Patton's music.

[lord of heaviness]

wlecome to the board!

i usually feel like one of the only dudes who did not find the melvins through nirvana sometimes. i found them at a record shop and thought as dorky as they sound, they must kick imense ass. thankfully i was right!

[Joe Deutrom]

A while back, I posted this here. It was from Entertainment Weekly of all places. This article is what initially got me curious about the Melvins. I liked Nirvana and still do. So this Houdini album seemed interesting so I bought it on cassette tape at the time and the sickness continues to this day 12 years later. Anyway here is the article:

THE MELVINS' MAGIC ACT
NIRVANA'S FAVORITE BAND

Ask Kurt Cobain about Nirvana and he'll tell you about Melvins. About how this punk-metal trio from his hometown of Aberdeen, Wash., influenced the younger Cobain and fellow Northwestern noisemakers like Mudhoney, Soundgarden, and Pearl Jam. Ask Melvins about Melvins and they'll mention how Nirvana's frequent plugs helped these godfathers of grunge-together since 1984-make the leap from five albums and countless singles on a slew of indie labels to the protective custody of Atlantic Records. Coincidence or not, so inextricably bound are the fates of these two bands that Houdini, Melvins' major-label debut, hit stores the same day as Nirvana's In Utero. But don't cue up Houdini expecting to hear Nirvana clones -- - even though Cobain coproduced six of the album's 13 tracks. Where Nirvana offers catchy pop hooks beneath a wall of distortion, Melvins trade in pure power: mega- decibels, fuzzed-out bass, and primal drums jackhammering at half-speed. The antithesis of hardcore, Melvins are slow-core, lag-metal, or an even sludgier grunge. Slunge? Though such influences as Black Sabbath and the ever-popular Kiss are more audible than those of the Sex Pistols and the Clash, Melvins share punk rock's disdain for the excesses of heavy metal. Their first video, ''Honey Bucket,'' is perfect fodder for MTV's ''Headbangers Ball,'' although it pokes fun at the genre by parodying its cliches. ''We wanted some sort of deep, meaningful video for our heavy-metal song, so we did it in a barn playing to sheep,'' deadpans drummer/singer Dale Crover, 26. ''There are a few goats here and there as bouncers, wearing security jackets, and then us having a big barbecue at the end.'' Unlike some of their alternative brethren, Melvins-who start a month-long tour with Primus on Oct. 1-have no fear of either selling out or succeeding. should Houdini reach the heavenly peaks of Nirvana's Nevermind. Says Crover: ''If we make a pisspot full of money, I'm ready to buy a Cadillac and eat caviar.''

(Posted:09/24/93)

I think you are right on that the majority of people who listen and are fans of the Melvins heard about them from Kurt talking about them in the press. I am sure Buzz and Dale knew this was going to be an added benefit to signing with Atlantic and letting Kurt even help produce parts of Houdini. It was a good business decision that most bands would not have survived. I am glad that the Melvins did not compromise on their music. But from what I understood about that time was that they gave the Melvins complete creative control to put out anything they wanted or I think they would not have signed. That was due in part to Nirvana's clout being such a money maker that Atlantic signed them sight unseen. They thought they were going to cash in on the "hot" grunge music wave already two years strong  . Anyway welcome to the forum.

[Vcavallo]

that really is a fantastic article, especially for Entertainment Weekly.  

haha... SLUNGE?

[dontyoutellme]

i first heard the melvins on the b-side of a tape given to me when i was a fourth grader. i didnt understand the significance of it......i've got it down pat pretty much over a decade later. took me a while.
i figure that if it hadnt happened that way it most certainly would have happened through nirvana..... i was/am? a huge fan of them as well.

[Huey P. Newton]

Welcome to the broad.

No one ever stays, they make a few introduction sentences and you never hear from them again.

[KURDTLUVUR!]

Huey, I loved your album 'Sports!', and the song 'I wanna a new drug' really kicks ass!!!        

[Huey P. Newton]

You faggot, I am the leader of the Black Panther Party.

[MrJunkie]

Downloaded half of "Stoner Witch" because I heard it was "real heavy". Shelved it and came back to it two years later. I've been fucking hooked since.

[stonerwitch]

THANY U ---Melvins for invading my ears in 84'and getting me through all these difficult time.And letting me know who my enemies are.

[Vcavallo]

And letting me know who my enemies are.

AMEN!  They are good for that, aren't they....

[nickoctane]

I discovered the Melvins on Beavis and Butthead, Clutch also!!

[mumu]

I discovered the Melvins on Beavis and Butthead, Clutch also!!

Oh yeah, the video with the sheep running around..I remember that they rarely played that live at the time, it seemed.
As soon as I can find that MTV clip of a model saying 'When she wants something heavy to listen to, she'll put on the Melvins <she lifts up a cd copy of a painting of a scary looking boy..damnit, what's that single called?> ..as soon as I can find that, I'll send it to Beto.