The Sounds of Seattle 1986 – 1995 A Gendered Perspective “It was like one big, loud, unoiled machine that was about to explode.” (Kurt Danielson, Loser, p. 138)

The new Seattle sound was officially christened on April 1, 1986, when the Deep Six compilation was released on the small Seattle label C/Z. (Mudhoney, p. 419)

“We don’t really have a Seattle sound. We think of it as primal rock. If the cavemen were playing rock ‘n roll, this is what it would sound like.” (Geoff Robinson, Loser, p. 125)

“ Fuck what everybody else thinks, we’re going to do what we want…we’re paying homage to all the music we loved as kids, and we haven’t denied the punk- rock energy that inspired us as teenagers.” (Kurt Cobain, Loser, p. 110)

Sub pop “If we play our cards right and get the records out on time it’s going to be an invasion of unheard- of proportions. Seriously.” (Bruce Pavitt, Loser, p. 125)

MUDHONEY

“When we say ‘World Domination,’ we’re saying, ‘Fuck you, we’re from Seattle, and we don’t care if the media machines are in L.A., we’re going to create our own’”. (Bruce Pavitt, Mudhoney, p. 437)

Screaming Trees

“The new thing: the big thing: the God thing: a mighty multinational entertainment conglomerate based in the Pacific Northwest.” (Sub Pop 100, Mudhoney, p. 420)

Sub Plop…what part of ‘we have no money’ don’t you understand? (Mudhoney, p. 449) Jonathan poneman & bruce pavitt, co-founders of sub pop

Soundgarden

Pearl Jam

“Emotionally, a lot of the music was very menacing and intense, very physically expressive. The way they moved…they fell down on the floor and who cares if you miss a few guitar chords – the looseness of it was really pretty revolutionary. It really projected a ‘fuck it’ attitude.” (Bruce Pavitt, Mudhoney, p )

Nirvana

Riot Grrrl – the name refers to the movement-at- large – has forged salient connections between musical subculture and explicitly feminist politics; these qualities in turn transform or revise previous paradigms of rock production and consumption. (Gottlieb and Wald, Smells Like Teen Spirit, p. 253)

Bikini Kill

“Moshing is not a feminine activity but a chance for a man to reach into himself, grab all of the anger and hatred that has built up and bash everybody around over the head with it. Women have their own ways of dealing with stress…” ( Fan letter to Rolling Stone Magazine, Gottlieb and Wald, Smells Like Teen Spirit, p. 257)

7 Year Bitch

“Some people say little girls should be seen and not heard. But I say…OH BONDAGE, UP YOURS!” (Poly Styrene, Smells Like Teen Spirit, p. 261)

L7

“It was an exercise in self-destruction. We were born to destroy ourselves and we did. It was really fun. What I learned was uh – uh – nothing.” (Danny Bland, Loser, p. 130)

“Say goodbye to your friends and family/Welcome to the menageries/ Funny how they forget to tell you/ this is all you will ever be.” (From The Posies’ “Definite Door”, Loser, p. 145)

References: &start=40&sa=N Humphrey, Clark. (1995). Loser; The Real Seattle Music Story. Seattle, MISCmedia. Gottlieb, Joanne and Gayle Wald. "Smells Like Teen Spirit: Riot Grrrls, Revolution and Women in Independent Rock" pp Azerrad, Michael. "Mudhoney: Loud Ballads of Love and Dirt..." Our Band Could be your Life. Boston: Little, Brown,