Dig Me Out - The 90's Rock Podcast

Before the alternative explosion led by Nirvana in 1991, bands like Jane's Addiction, R.E.M., Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Faith No More were already paving the way on MTV and modern rock playlists. Coming off the success of iconic rap-rock tune "Epic" from their sophomore album The Real Thing, Faith No More followed up with 1992's Angel Dust, further exploring the edges of thrash metal, funk, new wave, and more. While the record stretches the boundaries of what could still be called a mainstream, major label release, the end result is full of relentlessly catchy earworms that often defy categorization.   Songs In This Episode: Intro - Smaller And Smaller 16:30 - A Small Victory 21:43 - RV 29:07 - Be Aggressive 40:30 - Midlife Crisis Outro - Everything's Ruined   Support the podcast, join the DMO UNION at Patreon. Listen to the episode archive at DigMeOutPodcast.com.

After their 1994 debut album not only failed to make a commercial dent for Polydor Records, but was also panned by critics and even the band themselves, Powderfinger returned to the studio with veteran Australian producer Tim Whitten (Hoodoo Gurus, The Go-Betweens, Clouds, etc.) for the sophomore album Double Allergic. The pairing paid off as the group put the studio to good use while maintaining a tight band feel that shifts between American alternative and more adventures diversions. The twin guitar work of Ian Haug and Darren Middleton carves out a wide range of sounds and textures that remain tasteful while dropping enough ear candy to make repeated listens pay off, while vocalist Bernard Fanning finds simple yet effective melodies to craft several radio-friendly tunes, all with the backing of a tight and versatile rhythm section.   Songs In This Episode: Intro - Pick You Up 16:25 - Boing Boing 23:08 - Oipic 32:05 - Skinny Jean 40:09 - Come Away (Hidden Track) Outro - Living Type   Support the p

Though most people’s introduction to Stabbing Westward was via their major label debut, Ungod, in 1994, Christopher Hall (vocals) and Walter Flakus (keyboards) had been making music together since their college days nearly a decade earlier. Blending the industrial influences of Nine Inch Nails, Ministry and Skinny Puppy with the goth rock of early Smashing Pumpkins and Depeche Mode, Stabbing Westward found themselves smack dab in the middle of the mid-90s alternative wave and toured with a wide range of acts ranging from KISS to the Sex Pistols to Killing Joke to Placebo. While fans may have appreciated the consistent releases (Ungod in ‘94, Wither Blister Burn & Peel in ‘96, Darkest Days in ‘98), it put a strain on relationships within the band and, after being dropped by Columbia and releasing a self-titled album on Koch Records in ‘01, Stabbing Westward came to end. Hall started The Dreaming, a band very much in the vein of Stabbing Westward’s sound, while Flakus got into the radio business as a progra

A disaffected and laid-back vocal combined with loose playing will always draw a comparison to Pavement when talking 90s rock. And Pure definitely dabble in the slacker rock vibe, albeit with more chill than snark, and on Generation Six-Pack the chill is via a nice layer of fuzzy guitar that is somewhere between early Weezer and space rock Hum. The band uses some standard 90s tropes to good effect, like the quiet/loud dynamic of "Anna," while also integrating slide guitar to add a layer of distortion and countermelody while also integrating some bluesy licks, like on "The Tip" and "Denial." Where the record falters for us it may not for others - the relaxed approach occasionally smoothers what could have been some delicious power-pop-esque gems like on "Lemonade," where a slightly tighter approach would have resulted in a resilient earworm.   Songs In This Episode: Intro - What It Is 12:52 - Nobody Knows I'm New Wave 18:37 - Monster 24:00 -The Tip 31:05 - Lemonade Outro - Anna   Support the podcast,

After her band Clementine, with Reggie Watts (Comedy Bang! Bang!, The Late Late Show with James Corden) and Ryan Link, broke up, Heather Duby joined forces with noted Seattle producer Steve Fisk (Pigeonhed) to write and record what would become her 1999 Sub Pop debut, Post to Wire. A far cry from the punk and grunge acts the label was known for, Duby was released from her contract when Post to Wire failed to make waves. While she continued to make albums for Sonic Boom Records (2003’s Come Across the River, 2006’s Heather Duby), Duby was going through some deeply personal things which put her music career in the back seat. She moved to New York in 2007, was involved in a terrible bike accident in 2011, earned a Law degree in 2017 and recorded a new EP in 2018 with John Agnello (Dinosaur Jr., Sonic Youth, Son Volt) that hit streaming services until 2020.    Songs In This Episode: Intro - Judith 6:16 - Falter Outro - September   Support the podcast, join the DMO UNION at Patreon. Listen to the episode a

After the platinum, multi-hit single success of Cake's sophomore album Fashion Nugget, members Greg Brown (guitar and keyboard) and Victor Damiani (bass) left to form Deathray. It would take three years for their self-titled debut to be released, and while catchy pop-power and new-wave revivalists had brief moments in the spotlight during the 90s (Weezer, Matthew Sweet, The Posies, The Rentals, Imperial Teen), by 2000 their brand of dry, quick, and quirky pop had been kicked off the radio and MTV. As a result, Deathray probably isn't as well known to power-pop and general 90s rock audiences as it should be, with a quick thirty-five minutes and thirteen songs of catchy earworms that deserve a discovery.   Songs In This Episode: Intro - My Lunatic Friend 13:07 - Scott 16:26 - Baby Polygon 22:41 - Zero 34:08 - This Time Outro - Only Lies   Support the podcast, join the DMO UNION at Patreon. Listen to the episode archive at DigMeOutPodcast.com.

Ending the 1980s with the creative one-two punch of Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me and Disintegration, like many of their alternative college rock counterparts, The Cure were poised for global superstardom at the start of the next decade. Filled with compilations, live albums, and contributions to various soundtracks, the band managed two proper albums - 1992's Wish, which featured the now ubiquitous single "Friday, I'm In Love," and the polarizing "Wild Mood Swings," whose title accurately describes the inconsistent sound and musical approach.   Songs In This Episode: Intro - A Letter To Elise (from Wish) 16:48 - Never Enough (from Mixed Up) 26:03 - Friday, I'm In Love (from Wish) 47:19 - The 13th (from Wild Mood Swings) Outro - Maybe Someday (from Bloodflowers)   Support the podcast, join the DMO UNION at Patreon. Listen to the episode archive at DigMeOutPodcast.com.

Ride's debut album Nowhere sits at the crossroad of 1980s and 90s rock. Shoegaze was still an underground curiosity, and Rider were initially lumped in with Slowdive, My Bloody Valentine, and Lush. But as much guitar noise and neo-psychedelia as the band dabbles in, there is an equal amount of 1960s jangle pop and Who-like bombast from the explosive rhythm section to help them stand out from the crowd. Sure, the production is stamped in 1980s reverb and chorus, but Ride were able to craft songs as well as noise to maximum effect.   Songs In This Episode: Intro - Seagull 17:03 - Kaleidoscope 24:43 - Dreams Burn Down 30:21 - Nowhere 40:09 - Vapour Trail Outro - In A Different Place   Support the podcast, join the DMO UNION at Patreon. Listen to the episode archive at DigMeOutPodcast.com.

The Mommyheads are the quintessential artist for Dig Me Out. Formed in the late ‘80s by guys who went to a performing arts high school in New York City (yes, the same one that the movie/TV show Fame was based on) and who enjoyed experimenting with lo-fi recording equipment, The Mommyheads had no interest in aping what they were hearing on FM radio or MTV. Instead, they looked up to the underground bands that were also experimenting with 4-track recording, bands like Fish & Roses, They Might Be Giants, and Flaming Lips. In the early ‘90s, they signed with Simple Machines and released a long out-of-print collection of demos and 4-track recordings titled Swiss Army Knife. Dreams of “making it” led to a relocation to San Francisco where, after a string of indie releases on various labels, Geffen Records came calling. Like so many bands covered on the Dig Me Out podcast, the major label deal was not all it was cracked up to be and shortly after The Mommyheads’ self-titled album came out in ‘97, they were dropp

Making commercially successful funky dance pop music amid Britpop's reign may have only been possible via Shaun Ryder. The then ex-Happy Monday hooked up with producer Danny Saber and a group of new cohorts to produce 1995's debut album by Black Grape, It's Great When You're Straight...Yeah. Mixing the big beats of Big Audio Dynamite with touches of ascendent electronic music like trip-hop, while still dipping a toe in the Madchester scene, there's plenty going as slide guitars and sitars brush up against funk basslines and saxophone solos. It's not entirely successful, but Ryder and Co. manage to push the best material to the limits and create a truly unique sound for the middle of the decade.   Songs In This Episode: Intro - Reverend Black Grape 12:48 - Tramazi Party 20:08 - A Big Day In The North 30:41 - Shake Well Before Opening Outro - Kelly's Heroes   Support the podcast, join the DMO UNION at Patreon. Listen to the episode archive at DigMeOutPodcast.com.

Little did anyone know that a two-piece garage rock band from Detroit would kick off a sonic revolution in 1999. The White Stripes debut of minimalist blues paired down to just vocals, guitar, and drums wasn't completely without precedent in the underground music scene with bands like the Flat Duo Jets and Bassholes preceding them. And while it would be a few years and a few albums before the mainstream caught on, the core elements of The White Stripes sound were there from the start.   Songs In This Episode: Intro - Jimmy the Exploder 20:07 - The Big Three Killed My Baby 26:53 - Sugar Never Tasted So Good 35:26 - Astro 40:56 - Slicker Drips Outro - Cannon   Support the podcast, join the DMO UNION at Patreon. Listen to the episode archive at DigMeOutPodcast.com.

With the success of acts like Rage Against the Machine, Limp Bizkit, 311, and Korn in the mid-90s, by the end of the decade, labels were jumping on the bandwagon and signing bands that incorporated rap and hip-hop into rock, metal, and punk. Zebrahead, from the pop-punk hotbed Orange County, were one of the bands to benefit from this trend and released their debut, Waste of Mind, on Columbia Records in 1998 featuring the singles “Get Back” and “The Real Me.” Though the music industry would shift to boy bands and teen starlets by the early 2000s, Zebrahead soldiered on, finding success in Europe and Japan. As two of the founding, and original members, of Zebrahead, Ben Osmundson and Ali Tabatabaee join us to discuss the band’s longevity, why their sound clicked with listeners, and how they’ve managed to stay together for 25 years while continuously releasing new music.   Songs In This Episode: Intro - Check from Waste Of Mind 6:30 - Playmate of the Year from Playmate of the Year Outro - Falling Apart from

California thrashers Suicidal Tendencies had already been called "sell outs" when they released the video for the iconic single "Institutionalized." Mike Muir, never one to buck to expectations, took ST in the directions he wanted through the 80s and early 90s, and their 1992 album The Art of Rebellion might be the creative apex for the band. Yes, they thrash. Yes, the rock. But the band was already evolving, and TAOR shows a level of arrangement and playing craftsmanship that doesn't come easy. From the charted MTV single "Nobody Hears" to the shape-shifting opener "Can't Stop," Muir is the most surprising discovery in our revisit, taking his voice and lyrics into a variety of sounds and ideas that still resonate. Of course, having an already established line-up of killer musicians backed by the lone appearance of drumming monster Josh Freese helps to further flesh out all the ideas and sounds into a truly unique record for the time period.   Songs In This Episode: Intro - Accept My Sacrifice 19:06 - Can

While 1991 is regarded as the true launch of the 1990s alternative explosion into the mainstream, the sheer volume and diversity of music that followed in 1992 might lay claim to the crown as the most interesting year of the decade. The mainstays of 80s college rock were alive and well, with albums by R.E.M., Bob Mould's new band Sugar, Faith No More, The Cure, The Lemonheads, Sonic Youth, Soul Asylum, and many more. The ubiquitous "grunge" sound was fully ensconced in radio and MTV with Stone Temple Pilots, Alice In Chains, and Screaming Trees added to playlists, while more aggressive sounds emerged from the likes of Rage Against the Machine, Helmet, Pantera, and White Zombie. Underground scenes cracked the mainstream as well, as industrial and electronic acts such as Ministry, Nine Inch Nails, The Orb, Curve, Aphex Twin, and others made significant noise, and the growing UK shoegaze scene produced records from Lush, Catherine Wheel, Ride, Moose, etc. And this barely scratches the surface, as hip-hop saw the

Of late, Terry Ilous is probably best known as Jack Russell’s replacement in Great White (“Once Bitten, Twice Shy”), a position he held from 2010 until his surprising dismissal in 2018, but from the mid-80s until the mid-90s, Ilous fronted the Sunset Strip band XYZ (“Inside Out”, “What Keeps Me Loving You”, “Face Down in the Gutter”). In this revealing conversation, Ilous shares how XYZ bassist Pat Fontaine tricked him into moving to the U.S. from France with promises of sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll, the unlikely way XYZ landed a record deal with Enigma Records, working with Don Dokken on the band’s 1989 debut, touring with the likes of Foreigner, Ozzy Osbourne, and Ted Nugent, the arrival of grunge and the devastating effects it had on Ilous’s career for the rest of the ‘90s and how he left the music business for a number of years before being lured back in through the unlikeliest of ways (voiceover work for cartoons). Ilous has reformed XYZ and still plays shows under that band name while also releasing sol

In the fall of 1993, if you heard the name Meat Puppets attached to the newest single Backwater blasting from your local alternative radio station or on MTV, you would be forgiven for thinking this was a new band from Seattle riding the grunge wave. In truth, this was the band's eighth release, and they hailed from the much sunnier climate of Phoenix, Arizona. As veterans of the indie rock scene who had spent the 80s on famed SST Records, Too High To Die was their second major-label release, and the band was as much an influence on the current wave of alternative acts breaking through as a contemporary, as evidenced by Nirvana's choice to cover three of the band's songs on their MTV Unplugged performance and have the Kirkwood brothers join them onstage. With Too High To Die, the band shows off all of their skills, crafting finger-picked bluegrass tracks alongside ripping Soundgarden-esque tunes.   Songs In This Episode: Intro - Backwater 20:27 - Shine 24:19 - Things 29:17 - Severed Goddess Hand 37:48 -

While 2020 seemed like it lasted several terrifying years, 2021 flew by with somehow the same number of days, and for us, episodes. As with our previous year-in-review episodes, we take a look back at our favorite new album discoveries, most brought to us by our Patreon community, as well as our most enjoyable round table experiences, and our favorite 80s album discoveries, episodes which are exclusive to our patrons. And we've got news to share about 2022!   Songs In This Episode: Intro - Dig Me Out by Sleater-Kinney Outro - Dig Me Out by Sleater-Kinney   Support the podcast, join the DMO UNION at Patreon. Listen to the episode archive at DigMeOutPodcast.com.

While Nirvana famously helped give the college and underground rock scene one final push into the mainstream, the late 80s and early 90s were full of US and UK bands already making noise that connected with more than just the hip in-crowd. In Australia, the quick bursts of the Pixies and twin vocals of Throwing Muses and The Breeders are paralleled by the dual-songwriters fronting Clouds, whose 1991 debut Penny Century is full of two and three minute catchy harmonized indie pop.   Songs In This Episode: Intro - Immorta 11:29 - Hieronymus 18:33 - Pocket 23:43 - Visionary 27:30 - Souleater Outro - Foxes Wedding   Support the podcast, join the DMO UNION at Patreon. Listen to the episode archive at DigMeOutPodcast.com.

Throughout his career, David Coverdale has been dogged with comparisons to Robert Plant's Led Zeppelin years thanks to a similar style and range, even if the performances rendered different musical outcomes. By the time the early 90s rolled around, Coverdale put Whitesnake on hiatus and Page was working on Led Zeppelin compact disc remasters when the two met up and began a casual songwriting relationship that eventually led to their (so far) lone record together - the eponymous 1993 release Coverdale * Page. Fans of both bands, of which there was probably plenty of crossover, had much to rejoice about. Page riffing sounds invigorated and Coverdale is his equal, coming up with memorable hooks on several tracks. But while these artists made their names during the vinyl era, the bloat of the compact disc is length is in full display, as tracks better suited for three or four minutes get stretched to six and seven.    Songs In This Episode: Intro - Shake My Tree 25:03 - Pride And Joy 29:28 - Over Now 33:38

Trends came and went in the 90s, some propelling underground subgenres into the mainstream, while others revitalized previously dormant sounds. A few bands, mostly under the radar like Cry Of Love, The Four Horsemen, The Screamin' Cheetah Wheelies, Raging Slab, and Brother Cane, were ignoring the sounds of Seattle for rock rooted in 60s and 70s blues, r&b, southern, country, and hard rock. Leading the pack was Marietta, Georgia's The Black Crowes, who had been kicking around since the 1980s under various names, led by the mercurial Robinson brothers, Chris and Rich. Their debut is full of well-known radio singles, while their follow-up expanded their sound and garnered further accolades. But sessions for their third album, originally titled Tall, became mired in endless and expensive experimentation. After refocusing, the band wrote and rewrote to land on Amorica, displaying a matured and relaxed vibe with the guitar fire that made the band favorites, but without devolving into navel-gazing jams that othe