The Melvins and Mudhoney to perform at Turner Hall Ballroom

It always happens — weirdo musical sub-genre slang terms get coined, and the debate soon begins regarding what is “real” and what is not. It happened with “emo,” (“No dude, Sunny Day Real Estate are ’emo’, not Taking Back Sunday”) “indie,” and just about every other variant of rock ‘n’ roll from the last 30 years, including the ’90s phenomenon known as “grunge.”

Way before the term was used to describe everyone from Stone Temple Pilots to Bush, it almost exclusively applied to artists from the Pacific Northwest (primarily Seattle), who created something new by fusing the hardcore-punk aggression of Black Flag with the dark riffs of Black Sabbath. While Nirvana, no doubt, took it to the next level with their landmark album, Nevermind, in 1991, leader Kurt Cobain continuously cited other Seattle bands as major inspirations, most notably Mudhoney and the Melvins. Nearly three decades later, both of those two bands continue to release solid work, and, in celebration of their 30th anniversary, The Melvins will take the Turner Hall stage this Sunday, bringing their partners-in-fuzz, Mudhoney, along with them.

Since their 1980s inception, the Melvins and Mudhoney have seen quite a bit. After the unexpected success of Nirvana, Seattle soon became the epicenter of a full-fledged musical movement, and both bands were quickly offered major label recording contracts. This trend proved to be short-lived. After Cobain’s untimely death in 1994, the focus started to move away from Seattle, with A&R reps looking to other cities in hopes of finding “the next Nirvana.” While their less-than-memorable contemporaries called it a day soon after (a little Hammerbox, anyone?), Mudhoney and the Melvins carried on.

The Melvins’ legend status started to grow with the rise of “stoner rock” in the mid-to-late-90s, and, after being dropped from Atlantic Records, the band found a new home on indie label Ipecac Records, who continue to release their music today. The band has gone through personnel changes, adding second drummer Coady Willis and bassist Jared Warren to the lineup. They even managed to release a series of split EPs in 2012, one of which featured Milwaukee’s own Die Kreuzen, an early influence to the Melvins.

As for Mudhoney, the band returned to Sub Pop Records in the early 2000s, releasing a new record every few years. In addition to Mudhoney, singer and guitarist Mark Arm has collaborated with a wide variety of artists, most notably as guest vocalist with legendary 60s rockers, the MC5. Mudhoney’s latest album on Sub Pop, Vanishing Point, is their first release in five years.

The two legendary Seattle acts will take the stage this Sunday at Turner Hall Ballroom. This is the only time on this tour that the bands will be performing together. Don’t miss out!

The Melvins and Mudhoney will perform at Turner Hall Ballroom on Sunday, July 21. Tickets are still available and can be purchased here.