The Seattle Music Scene(1979-1995)

Olga Lizana Esmeralda Valenzuela

Contents1. A little bit of context: Geography

2. What is Seattle famous for?3. Seattle’s 90’s Music Scene: Grunge

4. Grunge 5. Grunge Features: music 6. Grunge features: lyrics

7. Grunge fashion: “non-fashion”8. Riot Grrrls

9. Mia Zapata and The Gits 10. Decline of mainstream popularity

A little bit of context: Geography

● State of Washington ● North West Pacific Coast of the U.S.● 155 km far from Canada● Total surface: 369,2 km²● 670,218 people

What Is Seattle Famous For?

Jimi Hendrix, 1942 - 1970

What Is Seattle Famous For?

● Space Needle (1962, Edward E.Carlson

● William Edward Boeing, 1916

● Seattle, 1971

Seattle’s 90’s Music Scene: Grunge

● The sound of Seattle (grunge): 1979 - 1995

● Influences of Punk, Hardcore Punk and Hard Rock.

● Punk era: 1976 - 1983

● Why in Seattle?

Grunge

● 1979: Bruce Pavitt moves West

● He starts his own photocopied magazine,

Subterranean Pop

● 1981: Pavitt shortens the name to Sub Pop

The Beginning

GrungeThe Beginning

“1. Culture is controlled by large corporations. It is bland. 2. Sub Pop combats this by supporting independent means of expression: cassettes, records, publications, video, public access cable television, whatever. 3. We are very big interested in regional trends, movements, ideas, slang, record labels, what have you. We are very big interested in small communities that aren’t big time like important N.Y. and L.A. 4. A decentralised cultural network is obviously cool. Way cool.”

From Bruce Pavitt’s “Supreme Statement of Purpose” in Sub Pop #8, 1982

Grunge

● 1983: Sub Pop becomes a column in the Rocket

● 1986: Sub Pop becomes a record label

● 1987: release of Dry As A Bone by Green River

● 1988: release of Touch Me, I’m Sick by Mudhoney and

Love Buzz by Nirvana

Grunge features: Music

● “Pure grunge! Pure shit! “ - Mark Arm (Mudhoney)

● A dirty sound

● Catchy melodies

● Halfway through Punk and Heavy Metal

● Garages and bars; Crocodrile Caffee

● They played for themselves

U-men (1981 - 1988) The Melvins (1983)

Pearl Jam (1990)

Nirvana (1991 -1994)Soundgarden (1984 - 1997

• 2010) Mudhoney (1988)

Grunge features: Lyrics

● Themes: social alienation, apathy, entrapment, desire for freedom

● Similarities to punk rock and Generation X

● Disenchantment with the state of society and discomfort at social prejudices

● Dark or fun sense of humor, satirization of glam metal

Grunge fashion: “non-fashion”

● Flannel shirts● Ripped and faded jeans● Black boots● Oversized sweaters

● Low-budget antimaterialist philosophy

● Comfort

● DIY

Riot grrrls

● Early 1990s in Olympia and

Seattle

● Feminist consciousness, punk

aesthetics, politics and style

● Issues such as rape, domestic

abuse, patriarchy and female

empowerment

Riot grrrls

L7 1985 - 200, Los Angeles

Babes in Toyland1987 - 2001, Minneapolis

Bratmobile1991 - 1994, 1999 - 2003, Olympia

Riot grrrls

Bikini Kill1990 - 1997, Olympia

7 Year Bitch 1990, Seattle

The Gits1986 - 1993, Seattle

The Gits and Mia Zapata

● Mia Zapata (1965 - 1993), singer for the band The Gits. She was assassinated.

Decline of mainstream popularity

● Grunge bands opposed to mainstream stardom

● The advent of post-grunge

● Heroin use