Alternative Rock Nostalgia Buzz

Discography: Slip It Under the Door (Fort Apache/MCA, 1995) Splinter Queen (Catlick Records, 2007) Shatterproof were a Minneapolis based alt rock band that briefly hit the big time in the mid-’90s. Linking up with the hot label of the moment, Fort Apache, the band signed with MCA and released their major label debut in 1995. Their second record, originally due in late 1996 was shelved, the band was dropped and subsequently disbanded. An indie label picked up the tapes and eventually released the disc in 2007 and the band played a one time reunion show at the record release. In 2010 drummer Jeff Jara answered a bunch of questions about the band’s history and I’m happy to finally see the whole piece in print. Pete Crigler: When did you become interested in music? Jeff Jara: I started playing drums when I was seven years old, and picked up the guitar and piano when I was in high school. I’ve never taken formal lessons for any instruments I play.   Pete: When did the band come toge...

Disco graphy:   Churn (5 Spot Records, 1994) American Standard (Mammoth/Atlantic, 1995) RockCrown (Atlantic, 1997) Orange Ave. (Atlantic, 1998) The Economy of Sound (Mammoth/Hollywood, 2001) Dis/Location (DRT, 2004) Day & Nightdriving (Bellum, 2008) Popular Tracks: Cumbersome, Lucky, Water’s Edge, Over Your Shoulder, Wait Seven Mary Three, named after a call on “CHIPs” burst out of Florida in 1995 with “Cumbersome,” one of those so-called ‘alternative rock classics’ that still gets played almost every day somewhere in the country. Forming at William & Mary college in Williamsburg, VA, the band quickly earned fame but couldn’t hold onto it. Having been on hiatus for almost a decade at this point, I ended up reaching out to former guitarist Jason Pollock, who has not been with the band since 1999. This interview was conducted around 2016. Pete Crigler: When did you become interested in playing music? Jason Pollock: 16, or 17. I started practicing s...

Discography: Burn It Black (Island, 2002) The Truth About You  (Slush Fund Recordings, 2017) Injected were a rock band from Atlanta that scored some major success in the early 2000's with their debut album and single "Faithless." Their second record was shelved by the label and the band dissolved around 2005. In 2016, Injected guitarist Jade Lemons died from a drug overdose. Jade was a fun guy and a great guitarist. Around 2011, 2012 or so, I reached out to him via Facebook to ask some questions about Injected, their career on a major label and their at the time unreleased second album. He was more than gracious with his time and his answers pulled no punches. I was saddened and stunned when I learned about his passing as it seemed unexpected. This interview has never seen the light of day until now and is presented unedited. Rest in Peace Jade. Pete Crigler: When did you become interested in music?   Jade Lemons: As far back as I can remember. It happened (according to...

Discography: Huffamoose (7 Records, 1993) We’ve Been Had Again (Interscope, 1997) I Wanna Be Your Pants (Shanachie, 2000) …and that’s when the golf ball hit me in the head (Winding Way Records, 2018) Huffamoose were one of those alt rock bands that broke through at the tail end of the alterna rock boom. Their song "Wait" hit the radio in 1997 and garnered them some modest attention but they became known for the storytelling aspect of their songwriting and that endeared them to a certain ratio of music critics. They had a documentary made about them in the early 2000's that was heralded by Cameron Crowe, they got a song in a JC Penney commercial but they just weren't able to break through in the way their peers had. After releasing a fantastic comeback album in 2018, frontman/guitarist Craig Elkins was cool to chat about their history. Pete Crigler: What got you interested in music? Craig Elkins: The song "Guitar Man" by Bread. Also, my dad us...

Discography: Halo  (RainMaker, 1994) Foma  (MCA, 1995) The Nixons  (MCA, 1997) Latest Thing  (Koch, 2000) Popular Tracks : Sister, The Fall, Happy Song, Baton Rouge Proving that Oklahoma had more to offer besides country and the Flaming Lips, the Nixons quickly scored a deal with MCA and had a smash across the board with “Sister.” The band even opened for Kiss! Though the band fell apart after everyone moved on, frontman Zac Maloy became an in-demand songwriter and drummer John Humphrey became the drummer of Seether. In 2017, the band reunited and in 2021 they released some new music and went back out on the road, still sounding as great as they did back in the day. A few years back, Zac was kind enough to share his memories of the band's time in the spotlight Pete Crigler: When did you become interested in music? Zac Maloy: My grandfather was a country singer, so those old Cash, Merle songs…were the first songs I remember hearing. Then, Zeppelin came throu...

Discography: Aurora Gory Alice (CherryDisc/Giant, 1993) Wholesale Meats and Fish (Giant, 1995) Go! (Revolution, 1997) Back to Nebraska EP (Dot Rat Records, 2016) OK Christmas 12" (Dot Rat Records, 2019)   Popular Tracks: Here & Now, Awake, Cruel to Be Kind, Anchor Letters to Cleo burst out of the Boston scene in 1994 with “Here & Now,” an upbeat little ditty with a lot of guitars. They didn’t have the angst of an L7 but a void was empty and begging to be filled for a band with a girl singer that didn’t play the stereotype of some of the cute bands that were coming out at the time. The band went away at the turn of the millennium but because of Ben Wyatt’s undying love for the band and vocalist Kay Hanley on “Parks and Recreation,” the band had a complete resurgence around 2012 and haven’t stopped since. Guitarist Michael Eisenstein filled me in on the band's career around 2017 and the band are still going strong. Pete Crigler: How did you become inter...

Discography: Baypath Rd. (Self-Released, 1994) Example (Sony 550, 1995) Never Bet the Devil Your Head (Sony 550, 1997) Popular Tracks: Mighty K.C., 8:02 P.M, Buzzard, Superstar When I was about 9 years old, I heard about a band called For Squirrels out of Florida. A month before their major label debut Example was to be released, singer Jack Vigilatura, bassist Bill White and tour manager Tim Bender were killed when their van blew a tire when travelling from New York back home. Drummer Jack Griego and guitarist Travis Tooke were seriously injured. They eventually recovered and hit the road in early '96 when their Cobain-dedicated single "Mighty K.C." ended up getting some major radio play. After changing the band’s name to Subrosa, they released a second record that sold nothing and the band was over by 1999 and everyone seemingly retreated from music. This ended up being one of the most fascinating and exciting interviews I’ve ever done and I think that comes ...