|
01-18 Van Conner dead at 55
» Edit Band Information
» Edit Albums
» Add a Review
» Add an Album
» Add News | Screaming Trees
Where many of their Seattle-based contemporaries dealt in reconstructed Black Sabbath and Stooges riffs,
ScreamingTreesfused '60s psychedelia and garage rock with '70s hard rock and '80s punk. Over the course of their career,
theirmoreabrasive punk roots eventually gave way to a hard-edged, rootsy psychedelia that drew from rock and folk
equally.Afterreleasing several albums on indie labels like SST and Sub Pop, Screaming Trees moved to Epic Records in 1989.
Thoughtheywere one of the first Seattle bands to sign with a major label, the group never attained the popularity of
fellowNort ...read more
Where many of their Seattle-based contemporaries dealt in reconstructed Black Sabbath and Stooges riffs,
ScreamingTreesfused '60s psychedelia and garage rock with '70s hard rock and '80s punk. Over the course of their career,
theirmoreabrasive punk roots eventually gave way to a hard-edged, rootsy psychedelia that drew from rock and folk
equally.Afterreleasing several albums on indie labels like SST and Sub Pop, Screaming Trees moved to Epic Records in 1989.
Thoughtheywere one of the first Seattle bands to sign with a major label, the group never attained the popularity of
fellowNorthwesternbands (and friends) like Nirvana and Soundgarden, largely due to their erratic work schedule. Throughout
theircareer, theTrees were notorious for drinking and fighting, which caused them to break up briefly at several points in
theircareer.Nevertheless, the band managed to cultivate a dedicated following, which included not only fans, but also
fellowmusicians.Brothers Van Conner (bass) and Gary Lee Conner (guitar) formed Screaming Trees with Mark Lanegan (vocals)
inthe mid-'80s. Lanegan and the Conners grew up in Ellensburg, WA, a small college-town some 90 miles from Seattle. The
triowere theonly people in their high school who listened to punk, garage rock, and independent music, so they
eventuallygravitatedtoward each other. After falling out with the Conners before either completed school, Lanegan contacted
VanConner severalyears later. By that point, Van had a band with a singer named Mark Pickerel; the pair had recently kicked
LeeConner out ofthe band, so they invited Lanegan to sit in on drums. Eventually, Lee re-joined the group and they settled
on alineup thatfeatured Lee on guitar, Van on bass, Lanegan on vocals, and Pickerel on drums.
Taking their name from a guitar distortion pedal, Screaming Trees recorded their first demo tape in 1985, just a
fewmonthsafter their formation. Their producer, Steve Fisk, was able to convince the head of Velvetone Studios to release
analbum bythe band, The result, Clairvoyance, appeared on Velvetone Records in 1986. With Clairvoyance in hand, Fisk
wasable tosecure Screaming Trees a contract with Greg Ginn's SST Records, who had already been releasing albums by Fisk.
Theband'sfirst SST album, Even If and Especially When, was released in 1987 and the Trees began working the dying
Americanindiecircuit, playing shows across the country. The following year, SST reissued the band's demo tape under the
titleOtherWorlds as well as their third album, Invisible Lantern.
Following the release of Buzz Factory in 1989, the group's contract with SST expired and they made the Change Has
ComeEPfor Sub Pop early the following year. By that time, tensions in the band had grown somewhat, and the group spent
mostof1990 working on side projects. Mark Lanegan recorded a solo album, The Winding Sheet, which featured
supportfromNirvana's Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic; the album appeared on Sub Pop. Both of the Conners formed new
bandsandreleased albums on the SST subsidiary New Alliance. Van's band was called Solomon Grundy; Lee's was Purple
Outside. Bytheend of 1990, the band had signed a major-label contract with Epic Records.
Screaming Trees reconvened to record their Epic debut, Uncle Anesthesia, with Chris Cornell of Soundgarden and TerryDateas
producers. Uncle Anesthesia appeared in early 1991 and, although it sold better than their previous efforts, thebandremained
a cult act. For much of the year, in fact, Van Conner was on hiatus from the band, choosing to tour as bassistwithDinosaur
Jr. instead. Late in 1991, Nirvana's Nevermind became an unexpected commercial success, opening the gates fortherest of
the Seattle scene. Where many of their peers were able to capitalize on that success, Screaming Trees
sufferedmoresetbacks than the rest. Before they began work on their follow-up to Uncle Anesthesia, Pickerel left the group
andwasreplaced by Barrett Martin.
Once Martin joined, the band finished "Nearly Lost You," their contribution to the Singles soundtrack, and their
1992albumSweet Oblivion. "Nearly Lost You" became a MTV and alternative radio hit in the fall of 1992, thanks to the
momentumof theSingles soundtrack. The single carried Sweet Oblivion -- which had received more press attention than
anypreviousScreaming Trees album -- to the group's strongest sales, peaking at over 300,000 copies. The band supported
SweetOblivionwith a year-long tour, during which they fought frequently. After the tour was finished, the group decided to
takeanextended hiatus. During that time, Lanegan recorded his second solo album, Whiskey for the Holy Ghost, which
wasreleasedin 1994. That same year, Martin drummed in the Layne Staley (Alice in Chains) and Mike McCready (Pearl Jam)
sideprojectMad Season, which released its only album in the spring of 1995.
In early 1995, Screaming Trees regrouped to begin work on their follow-up to Sweet Oblivion. Following one still-
bornattemptat the album, the band hired George Drakoulias, who had previously worked with the Black Crowes and the
Jayhawks,asproducer. The resulting album, Dust, was released in the summer of 1996, nearly four years after its predecessor.
Dustwasgreeted with positive reviews, and its first single, "All I Know," became a moderate hit on modern rock radio. Still,
thealbumdidn't sell particularly well, even though the band supported the record by touring with 1996's Lollapalooza.
Followingthe Dusttour, Screaming Trees took another hiatus, with Lanegan beginning work on his third solo album, Scraps at
Midnight,whichwas released in 1998. When Lanegan completed another solo project the following year (I'll Take Care of You),
itseemed toconfirm that the Trees' strained relationships would make it impossible for the band to continue. Following a
June25, 2000,concert to celebrate the opening Seattle's Experience Music Project, the group unsurprisingly announced
theirofficialbreakup. 2005's Ocean of Confusion: Songs of Screaming Trees 1989-1996 gathered highlights from the band's
Epicyears,and included two previously unreleased tracks. « hide |
Similar Bands: Mark Lanegan, The Afghan Whigs, Valis, Truly, Love Battery Contributors: discovolante, Mad., rockandmetaljunkie, Weesnaw, EpsilonJSTC, Draven65, Disconnected, doqtor, apriL, DylanDoorsfan, lovebuzz, Alex101, Med57, NordicMindset, danielcardoso, BMDrummer, Draven65, Deviant., Metalstyles, Disconnected, Iai,
|
