By Jake Haselman

Melvins, Big Business unite

The Melvins are an institution. While their influence on modern music isn't always showcased like it should be, the destructive sounds of King Buzzo (Buzz Osborne) and his rotating crew have been melting the minds of music fans for the better part of 20 years now. And with the release of their 15th studio album, "(A) Senile Animal," just around the corner, the band morphs once again to show another side of their multi-dimensional sound.
"(A) Senile Animal" marks a new age for The Melvins. The band has always had a rotating cast, but never before has it swallowed another existing band into itself. But that's the current state. Big Business, a duo consisting of Coady Willis (drums/ex-Murder City Devils) and Jared Warren (bass/ex-Karp), have now joined the band as fulltime members. And while you could probably find a few reviews of Big Business' debut, "Head For the Shallows," that cited The Melvins as a reference point, these two now find themselves trading musical ideas with the godfather of grunge.
On behalf of Cityview I spoke with Osborne before a show in the band's old home state of Washington. The now 40-year-old Osborne sounded as though the energy of the road had transferred him back 20 years to the start of the band. "I'm not even that into music," he says. "I'm just into the stress of touring, that's it."

CV: Is that why you go on the road now? Just for the chance to be stressed out?
KB: Music just gets in the way of that.

CV: Exactly... So you'd rather not play. Just drive from town to town and...
KB: (laughing) Just drive from town to town and check into hotels and freak out.

While being credited in many circles as starting what would later become known as grunge, the Melvins have always remained under the radar. But it was Osborne and the Melvins that would change the face of music for years to come, influencing everyone from Kurt Cobain to modern-day doom masters like Boris and Ocean. Taking the slow metal power of Black Sabbath and imbuing it with a healthy dose of punk energy, the Melvins started a fire that spread all the way up to Seattle and then the rest of the world.

CV: How did you guys come to ask Big Business to join the band?
KB: Well, we weren't really interested in looking for anybody normal to play with us... we wanted to do something different. And these guys are abnormal enough, so it kind of wrote itself.

The guys of Big Business joined the band right before the creation of "(A) Senile Animal," and were involved in the creative process of forming the new album. "It worked out good, I had a lot of material." Now sporting two drummers, the new album thunders along with a cleaner and meaner Melvins, taking their signature sound and reinventing it again.
When they take the stage at House of Bricks on Saturday, there won't be any local openers. Buzz says the band has been demanding that of their promoters for some time now. With a laugh, he says, "We have enough trouble taking care of ourselves, let alone babysitting a bunch of local openers."

CV: Are you still enjoying touring and being out on the road after all these years?
KB: Oh, absolutely. One hundred percent.

CV: Is that what you enjoy most? Is it playing live, or is it recording new material?
KB: It's totally different. But they're both just as vital.

While the band has played over an estimated 1,500 shows, and have been touring for more than 15 years, Osborne and his longtime cohort drummer Dale Crover show no signs of slowing down or caring what you think of them. And with their 15th album sounding as essential as their first, there is really no reason for them to. CV

Jake Haselman is co-editor and founder of indieworkshop.com

Clips

Comment on this story | Return to top