Dig Me Out - The 90's Rock Podcast

The line between rock and metal is a thin one, often based on the listener and their personal preferences. Numerous bands in the 1990s blurred the line, injecting heavy riffs and guitar tones into their sound that pushed bands like Alice in Chains and Soundgarden onto Headbanger's Ball alongside Metallica and Slayer. But other bands like Spot took their inspiration and applied it differently, like on their self-titled debut from 1995. Opening with "Drop Down," the rhythm section gallops like Iron Maiden, while the riffs on Hole draw from 80s thrash, all while the vocals shift from the boozy "L'America" to harmonized power-pop without a hitch. It's a weird, singular sound that works when it works, but limps when it doesn't.   Songs In This Episode Intro - Ground 22:57 - Moon June Spoon 28:02 - Drop Down 33:12 - L'America 39:11 - Hole Outro - Absalom   Support the podcast, join the DMO UNION at Patreon. Listen to the episode archive at DigMeOutPodcast.com.

The story of Glide is one of potential cut short with the death of lead singer William Arthur before the end of the decade. Commanding a voice with equal parts sneer and croon, the appropriately titled debut Open Up & Croon from 1995 manages to fuse a variety of sounds into a coherent vision. Jangly acoustic guitars accompany fuzzed electrics and a potent rhythm section across the twelve tracks that range from the uptempo title track opener to a wide array of moods, from the Westerbergian "Why You Asking?" to the more dramatic twists in turns on the back-half of the album like "Caterwaul" and closer "Picking At Your Paws."   Songs In This Episode Intro - He Sees A Way 14:30 - Caterwaul 18:21 - Line 21:59 - Why You Asking? 27:43 - Spin Doctor 31:36 - Open Up and Croon Outro - Something   Support the podcast, join the DMO UNION at Patreon. Listen to the episode archive at DigMeOutPodcast.com.

From the cover art for Ritual de lo Habitual by Jane's Addiction to the music videos for Jeremy by Pearl Jam or Closer by Nine Inch Nails, the 1990s were full of controversial and provocative artists and music. Whether it was rapper Ice-T fronting hardcore thrash band Body Count and their single "Cop Killer" to Marilyn Manson pushing boundaries musically and visually, there was no shortage of outrage and hysteria aimed at Gen-X musicians and their fandom. Bands and artists as varied as Tool, Soundgarden, Nirvana, Madonna, Green Day, Megadeth, NOFX, Tin Machine, Ministry, Sublime The Prodigy, Suede, Van Halen, Manic Street Preachers, Slayer and many more faced backlashes for lyrics, album artwork, videos, or just existing.   Songs In This Episode Intro - Closer by Nine Inch Nails 25:55 - Jesus Christ Pose by Soundgarden 32:55 - Smack My Bitch Up by The Prodigy 40:52 - Cop Killer by Body Count 55:24 - Love Is a Good Thing by Sheryl Crow Outro - Jeremy by Pearl Jam   Support the podcast, join the DMO UNION at Pa

After her 1996 self-released EP was picked-up and re-released by MCA, Holly McNarland set out to make her debut album Stuff. In the wake of the success of fellow Canadian singer/songwriters Alanis Morissette and Sarah McLachlan, the table was set for McNarland to make similar waves even if the alternative rock field was getting more crowded by the day. While there is no "You Oughta Know" or "Building a Mystery" on Stuff, there is McNarland's voice, which finds the balance between on edgy angst rockers one moment and soaring pop balladry the next. Backed by a solid band, including then ex-Pixies guitarist Joey Santiago in the studio, the songs are elevated beyond straightforward singer-songwriter material to deeper depths thanks to occasional cello and synths popping in and out of tracks. But while the first half is full of knock-out material, the back half left us divided on experiments with trip-hop and Seattle grunge.   Songs In This Episode Intro - Elmo 11:27 - The Box 17:34 - Mystery Song 23:46 - Water 31

The back half of the 1990s was deluged with more post-grunge bands that we can count, and cutting through the noise wasn't always easy. For bands like Black Lab, who aimed for both radio and something more interesting, that meant not reaching the chart-topping highs of bands like Our Lady Peace, Semisonic, or Live. Their 1997 debut You Body Above Me for Geffen is a prime example of making the most of the back-half album tracks, as vocalist Paul Durham takes some inventive detours with his vocals, bouncing between the emotive lead single "Wash It Away" and the more expressive attack of "All the Money in the World" or Bring It On." A cursory pass may leave the listener wondering what the fuss is about, but slap on the headphones and you'll hear some impressive choices from each instrument, playing off of and pushing each other for something more with a clear and full sound that impresses even today.   Songs In This Episode Intro - Wash It Away 18:23 - Can't Keep the Rain 23:30 - All the Money in the World 29:15

Catherine Wheel's 1992 debut Ferment is a bonafide shoegaze classic, full of swirling guitars and ethereal vocals. For their 1993 follow-up Chrome, the band brought in Gil Norton, who had a resume boasting bands like the Pixies, Throwing Muses, Pale Saints, Echo & the Bunnymen, and more. With Norton on board, the band dialed down the waves of distortion and used it more sparingly, and a more crafted sound emerged. Harder guitar riffs, paired with Rob Dickinson's chameleon-like voice that could deliver throaty shouts and crooning coos, edged the band towards a more refined sound without leaving their shoegaze roots completely behind. The end result is a exceptional transitional album before the band would fully embrace a harder edge on their third album Happy Days.   Songs In This Episode Intro - Crank 26:22 - Chrome 34:22 - Ursa Major Space Station 47:57 - Fripp Outro - Show Me Mary   Support the podcast, join the DMO UNION at Patreon. Listen to the episode archive at DigMeOutPodcast.com.

Dave Smalley’s been a punk rock fixture since the early ‘80s when he fronted DYS. Stints as the lead singer in Dag Nasty and ALL followed before the touring life caused him to reconsider what it meant to be in a band. In 1991, Smalley formed Down By Law, signed with Epitaph Records, and released six full length albums before the decade was done and another four in the 2000’s with the most recent being 2021’s Lonely Town. In addition to Down By Law, Smalley currently lists Dave Smalley & The Bandoleros and Don’t Sleep on his punk rock resume, the latter of which is releasing their fourth album, See Change, on June 2.   Songs in this Episode: Intro - Promise Made by Don't Sleep 9:41 - Still Waiting by Dag Nasty Outro - Denim and Leather by Down By Law   Support the podcast, join the DMO UNION at Patreon. Listen to the episode archive at DigMeOutPodcast.com.  

Many, many years ago, we checked out the 1997 debut album Elsewhere For Eight Minutes by the Melbourne, Australian trio Something For Kate. Thanks to a Patreon patron we checked out their 1999 sophomore follow-up Beautiful Sharks to hear the evolution of the band. Whereas the debut offered some catchy alt-rock, Beautiful Sharks is a more subdued yet intricate album, putting new bassist Stephanie Ashworth on display as the guitars back-off to allow more space for lead singer/guitarist Paul Dempsey to weave intricate vocal and musical melodies. The result uniquely combines alt-rock that forgoes volume for dynamics and speed for tension.   Songs In This Episode Intro - Beautiful Sharks 10:51 - Before Butterfly's Wings 16:41 - Big Screen Television 23:55 - Electricity Outro - Easy   Support the podcast, join the DMO UNION at Patreon. Listen to the episode archive at DigMeOutPodcast.com.

We're as shocked as anyone to be talking about a Kylie Minogue album, but here we are thanks to a Patron. If you're a 90s grunge and alternative fan, chances are your exposure to Kylie is limited to her late 80s cover of "The Loco-Motion" or her earworm early 00s hit "Can't Get You Out Of My Head." But after growing tired of the musical restrictions of her pop success, Minogue explored collaborations with artists like Nick Cave and the Manic Street Preachers in the mid-90s. The end result is her 1997 album Impossible Princess, still full of dance and pop singles, but with very deliberate attempts to stretch into new sounds. Trip-hop, electronica, trance, Britpop and more are explored, making for a diverse if sometimes uneven album.   Songs In This Episode Intro - Too Far 15:09 - Dreams 21:05 - Some Kind Of Bliss 28:02 - Cowboy Style 32:37 - Drunk Outro - I Don't Need Anyone   Support the podcast, join the DMO UNION at Patreon. Listen to the episode archive at DigMeOutPodcast.com.

Following the breakup of the mid-90s alt-country band Scud Mountain Boys, lead singer/songwriter Joe Pernice teamed up with his brother to write and record the debut Pernice Brothers album,  Overcome by Happiness, for SubPop Records in 1998. While it was the only Pernice Brothers album released by the legendary Seattle label, Joe’s continued to release music under that moniker through a label, Ashmont Records, that he started with his long-time business partner, Joyce Linehan. Superfan, and New West Records Vice President of Publicity, Brady Brock is responsible for the 25th anniversary, first-time-on-vinyl, reissue of Overcome by Happiness which is available in a deluxe version that includes a comprehensive 52-page hardback book documenting the history of the band, recollections of the recording of the album, lyrics, and a track-by-track walkthrough.   Songs in this Episode: Intro - Overcome By Happiness by Pernice Brothers 11:03 - In A Ditch by the Scud Mountain Boys Outro - Bum Leg by Joe Pernice   Support

By the end of the 1990s, grunge had run its course, seeing two and three waves of followers come and go. Nu-metal was ascendant thanks to the likes of Korn, Limp Bizkit, Deftones and others ruling MTV and radio, along with post-grunge acts like Creed, Chevelle, Drowning Pool and more. For a band like Oleander, their take on Nirvana-tinged grunge meant leaning into the manic energy of Bleach as much as the sculpted songwriting of Nevermind. On their 1999 major label debut February Son, itself a recording of an earlier independent album with a few track changes, the band shoot for radio with solid targeting.   Songs In This Episode Intro - Stupid 22:13 - Never Again 31:22 - Boys Don't Cry 38:00 - I Walk Alone Outro - Why I'm Here   Support the podcast, join the DMO UNION at Patreon. Listen to the episode archive at DigMeOutPodcast.com.

Formed in 1988 and one of the earliest acts to put out music on SubPop, TAD paved the way for bands like Nirvana and Soundgarden with their heavy and sludgy guitar noise. After releasing three albums on the infamous Seattle label, TAD put out two albums on majors, 1993’s Inhaler on Giant/Warner Bros and 1995’s Infrared Riding Hood on East West/Elektra before breaking up by the end of the decade. Lead singer Tad Doyle went on to front Hog Molly and Brothers of the Sonic Cloth before going the solo route and releasing albums that sound like SciFi-Horror soundtracks under his given name, Thomas Andrew Doyle.   Songs in this Episode: Intro - Grease Box (from Inhaler) 8:04 - Clairvoyant Witness (from Aberrant) Outro - Probabilities (from Aberrant)   Support the podcast, join the DMO UNION at Patreon. Listen to the episode archive at DigMeOutPodcast.com.  

After the dissolution of Jawbreaker in 1996, lead singer and guitarist Blake Schwarzenbach spent the next year not playing music, but DJ'ing and writing video game reviews. But the itch to create came back with the help of former Texas Is The Reason drummer Chris Daly and Handsome singer Jeremy Chatelain on bass. Jets To Brazil isn't so much a reinvention as a natural evolution, leaving behind the sometimes rigid restraints of punk and hardcore, and exploring new sounds with keyboards and guitar effects.   Songs In This Episode Intro - Crown of the Valley 20:37 - Starry Configurations 24:24 - Resistance is Futile 30:15 - King Medicine 40:16 - I Typed For Miles Outro - Morning New Disease   Support the podcast, join the DMO UNION at Patreon. Listen to the episode archive at DigMeOutPodcast.com.

By the end of the 1990s, The Afghan Whigs were critical faves without the breakthrough single that propelled some of their contemporaries into the platinum or multi-platinum stratosphere. While 1993's Gentlemen and 1996's Black Love explored the dark, 1998's 1965 turned on the light long enough to find the party and get down to the business of feeling good, as lead singer Greg Dulli sings on the opener "Somethin' Hot." Much about the record is a change-up from previous efforts - guitars are dialed down while horns, pianos, and backing vocalists make their presence known on a record that shows off the band integrating the New Orleans vibe of their surroundings during recording. The result acts as a bridge between what the Whigs were and what Dulli and new collaborators would explore in the 2010s as The Twilight Singers.   Intro - 66 17:53 - Somethin' Hot 35:27- The Slide Song 39:29 - Omerta 45:46 - Uptown Again Outro - John The Baptist   Support the podcast, join the DMO UNION at Patreon. Listen to the episode

By 1991, Moving Targets were already well established in the Boston music scene upon the release of their third full-length, Fall. Lead by Kenny Chambers on vocals and guitar, the band that started out playing Husker Du-esque hardcore evolved like their contemporaries, downshifting the tempos and finding more melody. Tracks like "Answer" and "Away From Me" were primed for college radio alongside The Replacements, Goo Goo Dolls, Dramarama, and other post-punks finding their songwriting footing. The twists and turns, like using an e-bow on a mid-album instrumental track, add a layer of creativity not many other post-hardcore bands would attempt, even if the payoff doesn't always hit.   Songs In This Episode: Intro - Taang! Intro 14:18 - Answer 22:00 - Overated 31:50 - Away From Me Outro - Travel Music   Support the podcast, join the DMO UNION at Patreon. Listen to the episode archive at DigMeOutPodcast.com.

Often side-project bands don't live up to the hype of the artist or band's main gig. But for Stephin Merritt, this isn't the case with several of his non-Magnetic Fields bands. With The 6ths, he's taken on the challenge of writing the songs but handing them over to guest vocalists. On the 1995 debut Wasps' Nests, that means a wide array of contributors, including Lou Barlow from Sebadoh and Dinosaur Jr., Mary Timony of Helium and Ex Hex, Dean Wareham of Galaxie 500 and Luna, Georgia Hubley of Yo La Tengo, Mac McCaughan of Superchunk, Mitch Easter of Let's Active, and more. The musical landscape shifts from song to song, one minute aping the motortik of Stereolab and next the harmony sunshine of Laurel Canyon in the 1970s. But it's all in Stephin Merritt's wheelhouse, utilizing an array of synth and keyboard sounds over minimalist rhythms that reveal layers upon repeated listens.   Songs In This Episode: Intro - Aging Spinsters 15:56 - All Dressed Up in Dreams 20:23 - San Diego Zoo 35:02 - Here in My Heart Out

By 1995, the alternative music revolution was in full swing, dominated MTV and radio across the US and around the world. While some of the original trailblazers, like the Pixies and Jane's Addiction, were no more, others continued and evolved their sound. Juliana Hatfield, who started out in the mid-1980s with the Blake Babies, had already released two acclaimed alternative rock albums before unleashing 1995's Only Everything. For her third release, Hatfield cranked up the guitar distortion, using big, fuzzy tones to give tracks like "What A Life" and "Dumb Fun" more punch while exploring slower, shoegaze vibes on several back half tracks. The end result is the rare combination of catchy, smart songwriting that rocks.   Songs In This Episode: Intro - What A Life 20:53 - Hang Down From Heaven 26:59 - Fleur De Lys 34:15 - Dumb Fun 39:32 - Live On Tomorrow Outro - Universal Heart-Beat   Support the podcast, join the DMO UNION at Patreon. Listen to the episode archive at DigMeOutPodcast.com.

By 1999, fans of the alternative country rock sound had a lot to choose from. At the start of the decade, the mostly underground and regional scenes were known to college radio listeners and other non-mainstream outlets. But by 1999, major labels Geffen and Warner Brothers were putting out albums and developing artists. On Elektra, the Old 97s from Dallas, Texas released their second major label release, and fourth overall. Fight Songs found the band in transition, moving away from the harsher elements of their earlier years, cleaning up the production, and find the hooks for radio.   Songs In This Episode: Intro - Jagged 18:36 - What We Talk About 23:48 - Busted Afternoon 29:15 - Murder (Or A Heart Attack) 39:25 - Oppenheimer Outro - Nineteen   Support the podcast, join the DMO UNION at Patreon. Listen to the episode archive at DigMeOutPodcast.com.

A perfect pick for a Dig Me Out episode, Fretblanket never seemed to get the mainstream attention the way their peers did. Formed in Stourbridge, England when the members were still in high school, the band caught the attention of Polygram Records in ‘93 and signed a deal before singer/guitarist Will Copley had graduated. A year later, Junkfuel was released with the single “Twisted” gaining a modest amount of airplay on U.S. alternative and college rock stations. Guitarist Clive Powell wrote most of the guitar-rich songs which fit in alongside artists like Sugar, The Doughboys, The Wedding Present and Ride while Copley’s grungy vocals earned comparisons to Kurt Cobain. Though they were very much of the time, the biggest touring exposure they had was opening for Oingo Boingo, a sad mismatch that likely didn’t earn the band any new fans. In 1997, they released Home Truths From Abroad which leaned more into the Brit rock side of things than the grungier side and caused a minor MTV buzz with their video for “Into

Few bands have stayed artistically and commercially relevant over forty years into their career, but with the release of their new album Memento Mori in March 2023, Depeche Mode continue to defy the odds. In the 80s the band built a fanbase in Europe over their first few releases before entering the global stage with "People Are People" in 1984. By the end of the decade, they were regularly a top ten album charting band in the UK while making serious inroads in North America. They entered the 90s with an album primed by the infectious single "Personal Jesus" that would launch them into the stratosphere. With Violator and its many singles, like R.E.M. and other alternative acts, mainstream radio and MTV formerly dominated by pop and hair metal were beginning to shift direction before the dam burst in 1991. But lurking beneath the surface was inter-band tensions and various addictions that would threaten to derail the band at the height of their global success.   Songs in this Episode: Intro - Personal Jesus (f