Melvins at Headliners

9/28/2006

Grunge groups like Nirvana and Mudhoney didn't just appear out of thin air, they were inspired by the oceanic sludge-rock produced by their predecessors - most notably, the Melvins, who will be in concert Sunday at Headliners.

The Melvins were formed in 1984 in the Washington State lumberjack towns of Aberdeen and Montesano, led by guitarist Buzz Osborne, who remains the band's driving force. Drummer Dale Crover played with Nirvana on their abums "Incesticide" and "Bleach," and bassist Kevin Rutamanis joined the band in 1998.

The monolithic and nonmelodic sound of the Melvins led some pundits to call the band members "noisicians," and their followers took the relentless heavy-metal sound and put it in a more accessible song format to create the grunge movement that took the country by storm in the early 1990s.

The popularity of grunge led the Melvins to sign a major-label deal with Atlantic Records in 1993, which lasted for just three albums.

For the rest of their 22-year career, the band has been touring and recording for independent labels such as Amphetamine Reptile and Mike Patton's Ipecac Records.

Among the Melvins' albums are "Gluey Porch Treatments" (1987); "The Maggot" (1999); "Electroretard" (2001), and "A Senile Animal" (2006), while their singles include "Creepy Smell," "Heaviness of the Load," and "Youth of America."

The Melvins will be in concert at 10:20 p.m. Sunday at Headliners, 4500 North Detroit Ave., with Ghostigital opening at 8:30 and Big Business at 9:20. Tickets are $10 in advance or $12 at the door. Information: 419-693-5300.