This evening of rock is presented in collusion with the Crystal Ballroom’s annual Sabertooth Festival, taking place Saturday May 4 and featuring the Melvins and eight more bands on two stages, beer tasting, vendors, dancing and much more! 

Website:

http://www.sabertoothpdx.com

The Melvins formed in Aberdeen/Montesano, WA in 1983 the founding members were Buzz, Mike Dillard (drums), and ex-Mudhoney bassist Matt Lukin. Buzz, Mike, and Matt all went to high school in Montesano. The name Melvins came from a grocery clerk at the Thriftway in Montesano where King Buzzo served as clerk and vandal. Melvin was the most hated fellow employee and they felt it to be an appropriately ridiculous name.

When Mike couldn't cut it, as rumor has it because the songs were getting too mathematically complex, Dale was recruited out of the Iron Maiden cover band he played in at the age of 15. Matt was replaced by Lori Black (Lorax) (Shirley Temple's daughter) when they left Aberdeen for San Francisco.

The Melvins have had quite a few bass player changes during their tenure. Check out the Melvins Bassist Morgue to learn more. The Melvins live in Hollywood, CA right now.

The Melvins Discography is an exhaustive resource of their many releases. They were on a major label Atlantic Records for three albums, although most would agree they're not the type of band that would appeal to a major label. They are often quoted as knowing this while they were on the label and just took advantage of the drunken blitz the record companies were on in signing any band connected to a supposed Seattle "grunge" sound. Melvins have also released music on Ipecac Recordings, Boner Records, Alchemy Records, Amphetamine Reptile Records, Alternative Tentacles Records, and numerous others in the manner of 7"s and whatnot.

Buzz has a side project called Fantômas with Mike Patton (Faith No More/Mr. Bungle) who is also owner of Ipecac Recordings the label the melvins are currently releasing material through. He also played guitar in the hardcore/grind "supergroup" Venomous Concept, featuring members/former members of Napalm Death and Brutal Truth (also released through Ipecac).

Dale filled in for Nirvana when they were between drummers, he appears on Incesticide and Bleach as a result of those sessions. Dale has two major side projects one called Altamont in which he sings and plays guitar. The other he drums in and is known as PORN (The Men Of) or just PORN.

Melvins have toured with KISS, White Zombie, NIN, L7, Primus, Tool, and Rush, among others and were also on the Ozzfest tour in 98. They toured with a second guitarist at one point David Scott Stone (a great noisician). Former bassist Kevin Rutmanis (1998 - early 2005) used to be in the band Cows, he was also in another Mike Patton project along with Duane Denison of the Jesus Lizard called Tomahawk. If you ever get the chance to see them live be sure to give them gifts, they prefer Cracker Barrel gift certificates.

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/melvinsarmy/

Website:

http://www.themelvins.net/

Every music nerd has gotten roped into the desert island conversation. You know-what's the one record you would bring with you to some remote location to provide solace for the rest of your days? Or better yet, what's the one band whose catalog would always remain fresh to your ears, even after years and years of isolation? Of course, the ideal candidate would be a band who has a significant body of work, a band who's songs span a variety of temperaments and timbres, and, obviously, a band that just plain rules. With their fourth album, Stillicide, Helms Alee prove that they might be the only group you would need for the rest of your life. Hyperbole? Perhaps. But the Washington state trio of Ben Verellen (guitar, vocals), Dana James (bass, vocals), and Hozoji Margullis (drums, vocals) delivers the kind of expertly crafted, dynamic, nuanced, and diverse songwriting that is both instantly engaging and-as evidenced by their previous albums Night Terror (2008), Weatherhead (2011), and Sleepwalking Sailors (2014)-increasingly gratifying after years of repeated listens.

With Stillicide, Helms Alee continues their sonic tradition of blending heavy riffs, dark guitar pop, and math rock into songs that are at turns brutal, anthemic, and cerebrally engaging. Starting with the syncopated poundage and epic piano line of "More Weight", Helms Alee demonstrates that they've fortified every angle of their attack. You want amp worship? Try to find a more barbaric chug than the riff in the appropriately titled "Galloping Mind Fuk". You want melodies so powerful you break out in goosebumps? Try to quell your follicles during the final crescendo of "Tit to Toe". You want one of those proggy odd-time signature moments where you can flex that you know where the "1" falls while banging your head? Listen to "Bullygoat" and bask in the knotty introductory guitar line that sounds like Duane Denison fucking with Depeche Mode's "Personal Jesus". Relish the brutalage of the title track. Savor the minor-key jangle of "Andromenous". Ride the tumultuous tug-of-war between savagery and serenity in the album closer "Worth Your Wild".

After nearly a decade of existence, one can only assume that a band is either entering their sunset years or striding with such artistic strength and confidence that they are creating a whole new legacy for themselves. With Helms Alee, it is obviously the latter scenario. The band set a high bar for themselves with their spectacular debut album Night Terror, but every subsequent release has trumped their previous endeavors. Bolstered by the recording and production expertise of Kurt Ballou at God City Studios, Stillicide is not only the group's strongest collection of songs, it is arguably their best sounding release to date. The heavier moments are that much more oppressive; their melodic angles are that much more beguiling, and the juxtaposition between Verellen's patriarchal roar and the siren song vocals of James and Margullis is that much more exhilarating. If there was only one band you could listen to for the rest of your life, Helms Alee would satiate most every emotional yearning. And if you could only pick one of their albums, you'd gravitate towards the best document of their textural range and songwriting chops. You'd gravitate towards Stillicide. - by Brian Cook

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/HelmsAlee

Website:

http://helmsalee.net/

Holy Grove is pushing heavy rock into exciting new realms on II, their second full-length record, and first for Ripple Music. Recording again with "engine-ear" Billy Anderson (Sleep, Swans), the members of Holy Grove continue to blur the lines between classic heavy metal, doom and prog, unafraid to take long, strange trips, peel off hot-shit guitar solos, or scream as if their lives depend on it.
II bridges the gap between Holy Grove's gritty heavy blues past and their darker cosmic present. First single "Solaris" summons the best of Holy Grove-tight riffs, interludes, and a groove that has already proven to induce fist-raising and headbanging. Opener "Blade Born" is a bone-crusher of a rock 'n' roll song (if the chorus doesn't hook itself into your fleshy pleasure centers, that smoking guitar solo will), and the cowbell kicker on "Aurora" takes you down to a beer-bust in Hades. Once you get to the meticulously constructed "Valley of the Mystics" (a fantastical nod to The Dark Crystal), the unexpected turns will make you feel as if you're floating one second, and being violently hurled through space the next. The aptly titled "Cosmos" is a space rock masterpiece that features ghostly vocals from Vidal and Yob's Mike Scheidt. Listen closely and you can hear the song disintegrating as it re-enters Earth's atmosphere.
This is the work of true believers in the power of rock 'n' roll. The fact we're talking about Holy Grove in 2018 is a testament to that spirit (they came together six years ago as strangers, and have since grown as humans and musicians into a tight-knit family). It took four years to finally release their self-titled debut, which was met with local and national acclaim in the spring of 2016. The band went on to storm stages in the United States and Europe in a mass of swinging hair and raw power (the band has shared the stage with the likes of Yob, Royal Thunder, and Witch Mountain).
Even while searching for a new drummer in late-2016 the band still played the massive Psycho Las Vegas festival. And they never stopped working. Guitarist Trent Jacobs and bassist Gregg Emley continued to write and massage the songs that would become II, and vocalist Andrea Vidal started writing her most personal and mystical lyrics to date. By June of 2017 powerhouse drummer Eben Travis entered the fray, joining Emley to make one of the most formidable rhythms sections in heavy rock. That foundation allows Jacobs to roam freely on guitar. As for Vidal, she delivers her most searing vocal performance to date, one that's equally indebted to Ann Wilson as it is Tina Turner. And that isn't hyperbole-Vidal knocked out all her vocals on the first take (!). Billy Anderson's assured but gentle touch allows all the pieces to breathe and sweat like a bombastic Holy Grove live set.
II is a culmination of the trials of life. But mostly it's the result of the love and dedication (and, perhaps, the killer record collections) of the four individuals involved. This is album number two, but it feels like this is only the beginning for Holy Grove.