Nirvana's Stage-Mates

It’s the late 1980s and the music scene in Seattle, Washington is going through a transformation. The birth of grunge. Soundgarden has been around since 1984. Alice in Chains gets started in 1987. And at the dawn of the 1990s, Pearl Jam comes onto the scene. But no band from this era, this location, and of this new genre had quite the effect that’s still felt today as Nirvana. Yet, Nirvana still had to start like every other band trying to make it in the industry – by playing lots of small shows at lots of different venues in lots of different towns, and on the same bill with lots of different bands. While the light of history has continued to shine bright upon Kurt Cobain and his cohorts, let’s take the time to remember some of the other bands that appeared with Nirvana when they were all on the same footing.

One band that played frequently alongside Nirvana also shared band member DNA at one time – Melvins. Melvins hailed from Montesano, Washington and were formed by Buzz Osborne with some friends he went to high school with. Not long after, Dale Crover joined the band as their permanent drummer. In 1988, Crover also sometimes played drums with a band known as Ted Ed Fred and even recorded a ten-song demo with them that year. That band would later be renamed Nirvana. Nirvana credited the Melvins sound as inspiration for their debut album Bleach (Sub Pop, 1989).

Another band that Nirvana spent a lot of time performing with was Tad. Considered as one of the first pure Seattle grunge bands of this time, Nirvana and Tad were hooked up by both being signed by Sub Pop Records. This led to both bands appearing frequently together, including on a 1989 European tour that spanned two months, with stops in Germany, England, Italy, and other locations. This tour was to help promote both bands’ debut albums – Bleach for Nirvana and God’s Balls (Sub Pop, 1989) for Tad.

On the last date of the Tad / Nirvana 1989 European tour, they were joined by Mudhoney – another Sub Pop signed band from Seattle. Mudhoney had broken through with their punk / grunge track, “Touch Me I’m Sick,” and their sound also was credited as a big influence on Nirvana when they made Bleach. Mudhoney also was the band that other grunge bands around at the time were often compared to, including Nirvana. When famed music journalist Push (aka Christopher Dawes) reviewed Bleach for Melody Maker he called Nirvana, “...the only Sub Pop act to date whose songs consistently equal the standard set by their mates Mudhoney.”

Even after achieving worldwide success, Nirvana would continue to appear alongside bands of all levels of fame, including Red Hot Chili Peppers, Butthole Surfers, Urge Overkill, The Breeders, Beat Happening, Shonen Knife, The Boredoms, The Auteurs, and Meat Puppets – just to name a few. They even played shows alongside their Seattle brethren Pearl Jam. Even though Nirvana would go on to eclipse these other bands in terms of notoriety and cultural impact, the story of their journey could not be told without these other musicians and groups that influenced them along the way. And while they might not be as well-known as Nirvana, these bands still get the rare glory of having their names listed alongside Nirvana’s on concert posters and flyers from back in the day that are now valuable collec tor’s items. If only you could get your hands on one of them...

This November, Julien’s Auctions will be offering a large assortment of original Nirvana concert posters, flyers, and ephemera from the glorious grunge movement. Register online now to bid!