Dig Me Out - The 90's Rock Podcast

By 1999, the musical landscape had seen the rise and fall of a variety of genres touted as the next big thing. The electronic sounds of The Chemical Brothers and The Prodigy offered varying takes on electronica, which bands would incorporate elements of over the years that followed. In the case of Skunk Anansie and their 1999 album Post Orgasmic Chill, it means adding layers to an already layered sound. Guitars are buzzsaw aggressive on one track, followed by a pop ballad approach on the next. Feedback is replaced by orchestrated strings. Booming drums by breakbeats. And making it all work is the dynamic Skin, who vocally covers all the ground with thought-provoking lyrics and near-unparalleled range.   Songs In This Episode:   Intro - Charlie Big Potato 17:00 - The Skank Heads 21:32 - Good Things Don't Always Come To You Outro - We Don't Need Who You Think You Are   Support the podcast, join the DMO UNION at Patreon. Listen to the episode archive at DigMeOutPodcast.com.  

Our look back at Season Nine of the podcast really highlighted how much growth we've experienced and how much more we have ahead of us. We turned over the selection of our roundtable episodes to our Steering Committee and Board of Director level Patreon patrons, and the results did not disappoint. Our poll selected episodes were as interesting and diverse as ever, and our patrons selected reviews also provided us with a chance to revisit some familiar names (Nirvana, The Verve Pipe, etc.) as well as expand the sounds and genres to include rock en español, symphonic metal, avant-garde noise pop, and much more.   Songs In This Episode: Intro/Outro - Dig Me Out by Sleater-Kinney   Support the podcast, join the DMO UNION at Patreon. Listen to the episode archive at DigMeOutPodcast.com.

For our final roundtable of 2019, we invited several of our Patreon patrons to discuss the new albums released this year from artists connected to the 1990s. Turns out, 2019 had dozens of albums that qualified, over a hundred in reality. We talked about new releases from bands like UK shoegazers Swervedriver and Ride, the long-awaited return of Tool, a stellar new release from The Sheila Divine, plus names you know like Bob Mould, Fastball, UNKLE, Beck, Sleater-Kinney, etc., as well as lesser-known releases like Giants Chair and New Rising Sons.   Songs In This Episode:   Intro - Saw Lighting by Beck from Hyperspace 10:07 - White Collar by Fastball from The Help Machine 18:42 - Russian Racehorse by Giants Chair from Prefabylon 31:34 - Future Love by Ride from This Is Not A Safe Place 40:25 - Age Is Just A Number by The Sheila Divine from Beginning Of The End Is Where We'll Start Again 1:06:07 - Can I Go On by Sleater-Kinney from The Center Won't Hold 1:15:07 - Miracle Pill by Goo Goo Dolls from Mira

Bands like Animal Bag were dime a dozen in the early 1990s. Getting signed, putting out a record, the musical landscape shifts, and suddenly your sound is outdated and the record label is in flux. Their 1992 self-titled debut has reverb-filled production that pins it to the start of the decade, and taking cues from fellow Californians like Faith No More, Jane's Addiction, and Red Hot Chili Peppers. But their funk and weirdness only shows up in short bursts, as this band could easily be lumped in with the jeans and t-shirt alternative metal and grunge bands like Raging Slab, Mind Funk, and label mates Mother Love Bone. Though they lack Andy Wood's penchant for an epic ballad, there is no doubt Animal Bag had their sights set on Seattle rather than the Sunset Strip. Does it all come together in a timeless way? Depends on the listener.   Songs In This Episode:   Intro - Another Hat 21:24 - Personal Demons 35:55 - Mirrored Shades 42:11 - Everybody Outro - Moonsong   Support the podcast, join the DMO UNI

Where is the line between rock and metal? What about stoner or desert? And what is doom besides a video game and bad movie? All questions worthy of discussion as we revisit the 1992 album Sleep's Holy Mountain by Sleep. Baked into the sound of Sleep is the ever-present influence of 70s Black Sabbath, but with an occasional pummeling dirge closer to The Melvins, while trafficking in the same sun-soaked low-end riffage of Kyuss. It's dark, heavy, psychedelic, drone-filled head-nodding rock that works best when the rhythm section gets to swing.   Songs In This Episode:   Intro - The Druid 17:00 - Evil Gypsy/Solomon's Theme 25:20 - Holy Mountain 30:31 - Inside The Sun Outro - Dragonaut   Support the podcast, join the DMO UNION at Patreon. Listen to the episode archive at DigMeOutPodcast.com.  

San Diego may be known for beaches and year-round mild weather, but the second-largest city in California is also home to a vibrant if isolated music scene dating back to the 1960s with Gary Puckett & The Union Gap and Iron Butterfly. As per our "Digging Your Scene" episodes, we're interested in sounds of the 1990s - where those bands played, bought and sold records, recorded their music, read and listened to other bands, and all the other interesting and unique elements that help define a scene. What we discovered is a deep and vast collection of guitar rock heading off in multiple directions - from punk to post-punk, hard rock to nu-metal, industrial to experimental. To help us discover it all, we're joined by members of No Knife, Jejune and aMiniature to talk bands, venues, record stores, labels and more.   Songs In This Episode   Intro Medley (Academy Flight Song by No Knife / Peddler's Talk by aMiniature / Hileah by JeJune 28:16 - Does Not Compute by Drive Like Jehu 53:33 - Flexiclocks by The A

Greta was and is definitely not a household name when discussions of 90s bands come up. But like so many, major labels still found them and on occasion put out stellar releases that have gone forgotten, which is sort of the entire point of this podcast. Their second and final album, 1995's This Is Greta! may not fall into the stellar and must-have category, but it's got a lot going for it. Tight alt-rock songs with tinges of Beatle and Cheap Trick pop on a few tunes, hard-driving rockers with big guitars, all backed by a solid rhythm section has more than it's share of standout performances. They keep the songs tight, but perhaps a little too reliant on the well-worn verse/chorus/verse formula, that keeps everything familiar but also stale after a listen or two.   Songs In This Episode:   Intro - About You 9:08 - Some People 11:35 - Charade 18:03 - Rocking Chair 23:47 - Nothing At All Outro - Stained   Support the podcast, join the DMO UNION at Patreon. Listen to the episode archive at DigMeOutPod

By 1994, shoegaze was no longer the hip, underground music scene the UK press was enamored with just a few years prior. The Britpop of Blur, Oasis, Elastica, and Pulp had taken over, My Bloody Valentine had collapsed, and blissing out on feedback and layers of guitar was no longer novel. Smartly, the singing/songwriting/guitar-slinging tandem of Miki Berenyi and Emma Anderson of Lush evolved, and on 1994's Split, the band toe the line between the underground dream pop and shoegaze sounds that got them started, while mixing in some less noisy and more melodic tunes. It sounds both remarkably stamped to 1994 in its tones and production, but with the resurgence of dream pop and shoegaze in the 2010s, that doesn't mean it out of place.   Songs In This Episode:   Intro - Blackout 14:19 - Hypocrite 18:31 - Never-Never 23:49 - Undertow Outro - Light From A Dead Star   Support the podcast, join the DMO UNION at Patreon. Listen to the episode archive at DigMeOutPodcast.com.  

A lot of ink has been spilled on the biggest band of the 90s. Whether it was reviews, interviews or in-depth cover stories, or modern retrospective or anniversary pieces, it's not hard to find a "your favorite band's album ranked" clickbait article on nearly every "grunge" platinum seller. What is there anything left to say about these bands? When Nirvana's 1993 album In Utero enter into our review queue, it timed nicely with our recent Producers Of The 90s roundtable, because it's hard not to discuss In Utero without the sonic contributions of Steve Albini. For as slick and radio-friendly their sophomore album Nevermind sounded, Albini and the band take a utilitarian approach to In Utero. Effects are minimal, overdubs are minor, reverb is hardly noticeable, Cobain growls and howls with abandon. It's the sound of a band making a fast and deliberate record for themselves, with an undeniable ear for hooks and melodies that manages to stand the test of time.   Songs In This Episode:   Intro - Heart-Shaped Bo

Twenty years ago, emo wasn't a Hot Topic brand or a nostalgic DJ night. It was the sound of teenagers and twenty-somethings taking the urgency of punk, combining it with emotional and confessional (re: not sad) lyrics, and playing to a generation of kids too young for the early 90s grunge wave. If you were apart of that scene, hitting all-ages venues or DIY punk houses at the end of the 20th century, there's a chance you caught Saves The Day on one of those nights, perhaps after the release of their 1999 album Through Being Cool. Joining us to discuss the 20th anniversary of the record is lead singer, guitarist and songwriter Chris Conley, sharing thoughts on making and revisiting the album for its re-release, the emo label, touring then and now, being a rock 'n' roll parent, and much more.   Songs In This Episode:   Intro - Shoulder To The Wheel 23:15 - Third Engine Outro - All-Star Me   Support the podcast, join the DMO UNION at Patreon. Listen to the episode archive at DigMeOutPodcast.com.  

Steve Albini. Nigel Godrich. Butch Vig. Bob Rock. Jack Endino. Michael Beinhorn. J Robbins. Sean Slade. Paul Kolderie. Youth. Ric Ocasek. Dave Fridmann. Ken Andrews. Brendan O'Brien. Brad Wood. Rick Rubin. Ted Niceley. Stephen Street. Flood. Terry Date. Dave Jerden. Alan Moulder. Dave Ogilvie. Chances are, if you purchased a CD in the 1990s and read through the liner notes, whether it was a major label release or a regional indie label, there is a possibility their name, or someone else you may recognize, is listed as the producer. But what does a producer do, and how do they influence the sound of a record? We often talk about liking or not liking some aspect of the production, and on this roundtable, we dig into what exactly that means, who does what in the studio, and some traits, commonalities, and differences of producers who worked in the 1990s.   Songs In This Episode:   Intro - Stuck On You by Failure (Ken Andrews) 8:04 - Rusty Cage by Johnny Cash (Rick Rubin) 17:36 - Pull The Cup by Shellac (St

When our listeners bring us an obscure 90s album to check out, it's usually something along the lines of a rock band on an indie label that managed one or two releases before fading into obscurity. On the flip side, we have Café Tacuba - a massively successful band around the world, including the United States. Unless you are tuned into the rock en español bands, you've probably never heard them or of them. While rock en español goes back decades, the 90s saw the incorporation of a variety of sounds, including ska, industrial and alternative rock. On their 1994 sophomore album Re, the band explores all that and more alongside norteño, huapango de mariachi, and bolero. With twenty tracks, it's easy to be overwhelmed, but that approach means whether your interested in more traditional sounds or newer flavors, there really is something for everyone.   Songs In This Episode:   Intro - El Tlatoani del barrio 14:08 - El borrego 16:52 - Madrugal 21:51 - El metro 26:52 - Verde Outro - La pinta   Support th

If there is a new episode of Dig Me Out in your feed on a Thursday, that can only mean one thing - we are sharing with you a preview of our latest Dig Me Out '80s episodes. With the help of our Patreon Board of Directors and Steering Committee tiers, we're revisiting another album from the 1980s based on suggestions and votes of our patrons. This month we're checking out the 1982 album Junkyard by The Birthday Party. Join the DMO Union for as little as $2 a month and get access to bonus content like this episode, vote in our album review polls, get exclusive merchandise and more! Support the podcast, join the DMO UNION at Patreon. Listen to the episode archive at DigMeOutPodcast.com.

Though best known for their string of pleasant if repetitive mid-to-late 90s alt-rock radio hits, Everclear started out as a scrappy, rough-around-the-edges early 90s trio with as much fire in their sound as their lyrical content. On their 1993 indie-label debut World Of Noise, singer/guitarist/songwriter Art Alexakis was able to channel the trendy soft/loud verse/chorus format made commercially successful by Nirvana without devolving into a Nirvana clone. The reported $400 recording sounds immediate and visceral, pairing well with his matured voice and lyrical content, and left us wondering what would have happened if the band had kept some of their raggedness going forward to keep from becoming too slick and sterile in comparison.   Songs In This Episode:   Intro - Your Genius Hands 14:10 - Nervous And Weird 18:31 - Fire Maple Song Outro - Malevolent   Support the podcast, join the DMO UNION at Patreon. Listen to the episode archive at DigMeOutPodcast.com.  

The 1993 debut Exile In Guyville by Liz Phair was declared a landmark album that helped define the 1990s almost as soon as it was released. To be a decade-defining artist can be a stifling burden, but Phair managed to release a worthy follow-up in 1994 with Whip-Smart, sticking with mostly the same group of players and studio folks for both. On her third album whitechocolatespaceegg from 1998, all the lo-fi was stripped away as 3/4's of R.E.M. and a bevy of other musicians and studio pros joined the team on Phair's quest to reinvigorate and reorient her sound. From touches of trippy psychedelia on the opening title track to the swinging sixties Baby Got Going, Phair isn't afraid to explore and expand. Layers of guitars and synths pair well with her songwriting, which switches between character-driven story songs and personal sketches of aging, motherhood, and marriage. But at sixteen tracks and over fifty minutes, the precise production can get fatiguing on the ears, and we wondered if some editing and rearra

Having a three-guitar band can often mean the lead singer simply strumming chords on an acoustic while the other two do the heavy lead lifting and riffing. That's not the case with Juno, and their 1999 debut album This Is The Way It Goes And Goes And Goes on DeSoto Records. Like their then label-mates Shiner, Juno unleashes a big, layered guitar sound, but Shiner sound much leaner in comparison, as Juno gets full usage out of their three axe attack. The sound shifts from a hoe-gaze influenced, wall of sound approach that dips its toes in the space and math rock sub-genres, as delayed guitar leads bleed over lush mid-range distortion, to straight-on instrumental jams that would find a nice spot on any Explosions In The Sky album.   Songs In This Episode:   Intro - Rodeo Programmers 11:26 - A Listening Ear 14:55 - The Great Salt Lake/Into the Lavender Crevices of Evening the Otters Have Been Pushed 20:33 - January Arms 27:15 - Leave a Clean Camp and a Dead Fire Outro - All Your Friends Are Comedians  

What if Nick Cave or Mark Lanegan decided to record an album of Bob Marley, ZZ Top, War, and Slim Harpo covers? That's the question posed by the 1993 album The Honeymoon Is Over by The Cruel Sea, an instrumental blues and surf band from Australia that added Beasts of Bourbon frontman Tex Perkins to create a weird and oddly compelling album. Somehow, that combination managers to come together better than we could have ever expected, as the players involved completely buy into the swampy grooves with organ stabs, lurching bass lines and more. It may not be for everyone, and we may not even agree on it completely, but it's definitely worth a spin to reorient your understanding that the 90s weren't just grunge, pop-punk, industrial rock, etc.   Songs In This Episode:   Intro - Delivery Man 5:27 - Black Stick 14:36 - Naked Flame 21:48 - Woman With Soul Outro - Better Than Love   Support the podcast, join the DMO UNION at Patreon. Listen to the episode archive at DigMeOutPodcast.com.  

On their 1994 debut album Rubberneck, the Toadies managed to score a hit single that is still a staple of rock stations spinning 90s alternative hits. But like a lot of people, that one single is our starting point with the band. When we gave the entire album a listen, we discovered a band confident from the get-go in their style and strengths - energetic, concise, no-frills alternative riff-rock with a distinctive lead vocalist. Spending time with the record, the deeper layers revealed themselves - a circular rockabilly-esque riff on I Come From The Water, nods to the blues-based thump Led Zeppelin on Backslider - without being obvious or sounding dated. But the superior single Possum Kingdom also made us wonder what happened to the distinctive and inventive lead guitar driving that tune, and wonder if this material translated better to the live setting.   Songs In This Episode:   Intro - Possum Kingdom 17:59 - I Burn 20:17 - I Come From The Water 22:22 - Backslider Outro - Quitter   Support the po

To paraphrase a rock 'n roll saying, you get a lifetime to make your first record, but six months to make your second. As we've discovered in our Sophomore Slump Revisited series, it is not always the case that limited time causes the dreaded Sophomore Slump. Record label management shake-ups, shifting radio playlists and various other factors have impacted the success or failure of second albums. But what about the opposite? Bands that made okay or solid freshman efforts, but kicked it up a notch on their sophomore album and finally "discovered their sound" or "delivered on their promising debut." Or bands that released massive, chart-topping first albums, only to equal or exceed with their follow-up. There's a lot to cover, and a lot to discuss as we talk about a bunch of bands and albums that reversed the curse of the Sophomore Slump.   Songs In This Episode:   Intro - Sophomore Jinx by Self 9:57 - Cut Your Hair by Pavement 24:34 - Not Too Late by Satchel 37:20 - Pen Pals by Sloan 48:41 - Until You

While we've touched on some alternative country over the years on the podcast, we've never encountered a straight-up folk record. Until now. Thanks to a patron selection, we checked out the 1999 debut album Bareback by Hank Dogs. A family band with lineage to the Sex Pistols, we had no idea what to expect, though the name and album cover tipped us off to something country-ish. The reality is much more traditional, recalling the English folk of The Fairport Convention, Pentangle, Steeleye Span, Richard Thompson, etc. - all well outside our respective wheelhouses. But albums like this help expand our musical horizons, even if they fall victim to the overstuff compact disc era, and foreshadow the 2000s folk and freak-folk revival.   Songs In This Episode:   Intro - Lucky Break 13:06 - 18 Dogs 19:52 - I'm An Angel 25:27 - Take Back My Own Heart Outro - Sun Explodes   Support the podcast, join the DMO UNION at Patreon. Listen to the episode archive at DigMeOutPodcast.com.