The band I was in at the time was kind of a goofy nerd-rock thing. We had songs with titles like "Cajun Chipmunk Head Mush." There was an unbelievable explosion in the NW starting around 88/89 or so, but it had been simmering for a few years before that. People only remember the "grunge" kings like Nirvana or Pearl Jam (Mookie Blaylock is how they are remembered here) but you could go to a show any night of the week and see 3,4,5 bands that had completely different styles. Everybody knew and supported each other. I also mixed FOH at a couple of places in town which was a great way to see acts from all over the place. I got stuck doing Wednesday "New Band Night" at Belmont's Inn for a few months. One of the bands that played almost every Wednesday was Everclear. They went on to slightly bigger things. Being in the community plus being a "sound guy" had the advantage of almost NEVER having to pay for shows. I saw all of the NW acts plus Belly, Alanis Morissette (in a medium-sized club maybe 2 or 3 weeks after her album was released), Fishbone a few times, Green Day (in the smaller upstairs "living room" section of LaLuna just before their album was released), Lenny Kravitz, Weezer, and just a whole bunch more for free. It was a great time. Funny thing is the band that had the most buzz locally never really made it. That was Mudhoney. One note: The term "Grunge" was ALWAYS said with a derisive sneer in the NW. The term "Alternative" reached that status eventually as well. By the time Nordstom's started stocking Doc Martens and pre-ripped jeans the whole thing had already become a joke.
