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DUFF MCKAGAN On The 'Seattle Sound'

April 9, 2011

Duff McKagan (VELVET REVOLVER, DUFF MCKAGAN'S LOADED, GUNS N' ROSES) has penned the latest installment of his column, which appears on Reverb at SeattleWeekly.com. An excerpt follows below.

"I'm not quite sure just why NIRVANA has become arguably the most beloved band from this era that made the 'Seattle sound' famous. ALICE IN CHAINS were among the first of that era, and have withstood the test of time (and . . . death). SOUNDGARDEN pushed the edges of musicianship to the edges of genius, and are seemingly back. PEARL JAM have been the clarion-steady thing — always selling out arenas everywhere they go (no matter if there is a current "radio song" or not). The MELVINS? MUDHONEY?

"This [new] LOADED [album 'The Taking'] can also be associated with the Seattle sound and some of the aforementioned bands in that it was produced by a fella by the name of Terry Date. Terry produced or recorded a whole slew of these early demos and records, and he produced our new LOADED record. The studio is the same, too (Studio X nee Bad Animals). The way he mikes up drums and guitar cabinets is the same. The way he pushes a vocal through on his mixes is the same. Dry and hard and tough, and without bluster or shine. Just brutal. In other words: the same old Terry Date. He sorta rules.

"So what does the 'Seattle sound' mean today? If you are over, say, 35 years old, well then you probably equate it to these bands above. But one of the great things that happens up here is a change of identity, a constant evolution. Today the 'Seattle sound' is being defined by alt-folks, the likes of FLEET FOXES and THE HEAD AND THE HEART. And what about bands like DEATH CAB? They sort of scrubbed the 'old guard' rock out of this town. Not in a bad way either. [DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE] are fuckin' genius!"

Read McKagan's entire column at SeattleWeekly.com.

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