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Tad (band)

From Alfawiki
Tad
Company typeRock band
IndustryMusic
Founded1988 in Seattle, Washington, U.S.
FounderTad Doyle
Headquarters
Seattle
,
United States
ProductsMusic albums, singles, live performances

Tad (commonly presented as TAD) was a rock group originating from Seattle, Washington, established in 1988 by Tad Doyle. They hold the distinction of being among the earliest grunge acts.[1]

Formation and Sub Pop era (1988–1991)

Initially launched as a solo endeavor by Tad Doyle in early 1988, Tad featured Doyle performing every instrument on a three-track demo.[2] After signing with the independent label Sub Pop Records, Doyle released the "Daisy/Ritual Device" single, produced by Jack Endino.[3] He soon expanded the lineup by adding bassist Kurt Danielson (formerly of Bundle of Hiss), drummer Steve Wied (ex-Skin Yard), and guitarist Gary Thorstensen.[3]

Their first album, God's Balls, produced by Endino, arrived in early 1989.[3] In March 1990, they followed with Salt Lick, recorded by Steve Albini. Originally issued as a six-track vinyl EP, it was later extended to nine songs on CD and included "Wood Goblins," which became the subject of their inaugural music video. After touring Europe alongside Nirvana, Tad recorded their third album, 8-Way Santa (1991), under producer Butch Vig. This release featured a more accessible sound with singles such as "Jinx" and "Jack Pepsi".

The single "Jack Pepsi" prompted legal action from Pepsi due to its cover art that incorporated a modified Pepsi logo featuring the band's name.[4] Additionally, another lawsuit emerged over the original cover for 8-Way Santa, which depicted a found photograph showing a man touching a woman's breast; this led Sub Pop to replace it with an image of the band.[3]

Major label period, challenges, and dissolution (1992–1999)

Following their appearance in the film Singles, Tad secured a contract with major label Giant Records, part of the Warner Music Group. Around this time, drummer Wied departed to join Willard and subsequently Foil. Drumming duties were briefly handled by Rey Washam in 1991 before Josh Sinder, previously with The Accüsed, took over. Sinder made his debut on Tad's last Sub Pop release, the "Salem"/"Leper" single. Their major label debut album, Inhaler, earned favorable critical reception but did not achieve commercial success despite opening for Soundgarden during their 1994 Superunknown tour. Giant Records dropped the band after controversy erupted over an Inhaler poster featuring Bill Clinton smoking marijuana accompanied by the phrase "It's heavy shit".

In 1995, Tad issued Live Alien Broadcasts through Futurist Records, a compilation of live studio recordings. Guitarist Thorstensen exited the group, but Tad signed another major label contract with East West/Elektra Records, also under Warner. That year saw the release of their final album, Infrared Riding Hood, with Doyle and producer Endino performing all guitar parts following Thorstensen’s departure. Shortly after its release, the band’s A&R representative was dismissed, resulting in Tad being dropped and their albums withdrawn from circulation. The group continued touring for some time until Sinder left to form Hot Rod Lunatics; Mike Mongrain from Foil replaced him on drums. Tad’s last single, "Oppenheimer's Pretty Nightmare"/"Accident on the Way to Church", was released in 1998 on Up Records. The band ultimately disbanded in 1999.

Post-breakup period (2000–2012)

Following the dissolution of Tad, Doyle established Hog Molly in 2001 alongside Ty Garcia, bassist for Willard, and guitarist Martin Chandler. That same year, they released the album Kung-Fu Cocktail Grip. Hog Molly eventually ceased activity, with Chandler joining The Supersuckers in 2009.

Doyle also initiated the band Hoof and performed with Brothers of the Sonic Cloth at various Seattle venues. Kurt Danielson formed Valis, which included members from Screaming Trees and Mudhoney, and later created The Quaranteens before relocating to France. He returned to Seattle in 2008, focusing on writing while playing with local groups such as Misericords, which featured former Tad drummer Mongrain. Meanwhile, Sinder contributed his drumming talents to The Insurgence and Hellbound for Glory.

In February 2008, the documentary Busted Circuits and Ringing Ears was released. The following year, Brothers of the Sonic Cloth issued a split 10" vinyl with Seattle sludge metal band Mico de Noche, limited to 500 copies. This release garnered favorable reviews and was included in Seattle Weekly's compilation of best local albums for that year.

Additionally in 2009, Doyle provided vocals alongside members of Soundgarden and Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine during a Seattle reunion show marking Soundgarden's first performance in over ten years without original frontman Chris Cornell.

Partial reunion and subsequent activities (2013–present)

A partial Tad reunion took place during Sub Pop Records' 25th Anniversary Show on July 13, 2013, in Seattle. Doyle and Thorstensen joined Brothers of the Sonic Cloth to perform tracks from God's Balls, Salt Lick, and 8-Way Santa.

Danielson collaborated with vocalist Ron Nine, guitarist Kevin Whitworth (Love Battery), vocalist Katie Scarberry, and drummer Garret Shavlik (formerly of The Fluid) on the self-produced album Vaporland released in 2014. Later, Danielson and Ron Nine formed Purple Strange with Jared Stroud, Matthew Candenberghe, and Endino, producing another self-produced album also titled Vaporland in 2021.

In April 2018, Tad issued an archival vinyl-only release called Quick and Dirty for Record Store Day. This collection comprised previously unreleased recordings from 1995 to 1999 as well as select live performances.

Legacy

In 2017, the publication Metal Injection placed Tad at number five on its list of "10 Heaviest Grunge Bands," emphasizing their significant impact on the grunge genre.

Band members

  • Tad Doyle – vocals, guitar (1988–1999), bass and drums (1988)
  • Kurt Danielson – bass (1988–1999)
  • Gary Thorstensen – guitar (1988–1994)
  • Steve Wied – drums (1988–1991)
  • Rey Washam – drums (1991)
  • Josh Sinder – drums (1992–1996)
  • Mike Mongrain – drums (1996–1999)

Timeline <timeline> ImageSize = width:800 height:auto barincrement:20 PlotArea = left:95 bottom:60 top:0 right:15 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1988 till:11/01/1999 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Legend = orientation:horizontal position:bottom ScaleMajor = increment:1 start:1988 ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1988

Colors = 

id:vocals   value:red        legend:Vocals
id:bass     value:blue       legend:Bass
id:guitar   value:green      legend:Guitar
id:drums    value:orange     legend:Drums
id:studio   value:black      legend:Studio_album
id:bars     value:gray(0.9)

BackgroundColors = bars:bars

LineData = 

layer:back color:studio
 at:03/01/1989
 at:04/05/1990
 at:02/01/1991
 at:10/19/1993
 at:04/11/1995

BarData = 

bar:Tad   text:"Tad Doyle"
bar:Gary  text:"Gary Thorstensen"
bar:Kurt  text:"Kurt Danielson"
bar:Steve text:"Steve Wied"
bar:Rey   text:"Rey Washam"
bar:Josh  text:"Josh Sinder"
bar:Mike  text:"Mike Mongrain"

PlotData= 

width:13
bar:Tad       from:start       till:end         color:vocals
bar:Tad       from:start       till:end         color:guitar width:3
bar:Tad       from:start       till:08/01/1988  color:bass   width:7
bar:Tad       from:start       till:08/01/1988  color:drums  width:11
bar:Gary      from:08/01/1988  till:05/01/1994  color:guitar
bar:Kurt      from:08/01/1988  till:end         color:bass
bar:Steve     from:08/01/1988  till:05/01/1991  color:drums
bar:Rey       from:05/01/1991  till:12/31/1991  color:drums
bar:Josh      from:01/01/1992  till:04/01/1996  color:drums
bar:Mike      from:04/01/1996  till:end         color:drums

</timeline>

Discography

Template:Col-begin Template:Col-2

Studio albums

Live albums

Compilation albums

EPs and singles

Template:Col-2

Compilation and soundtrack contributions

Guest contributions

  • On Willard's album [The Sound of Fuck]-(1992), released by Steel MillRoadRunner Records, Tad Doyle provided backing vocals on the track "Stain".

Template:Col-end

See also

References

  1. ↑ Tad biography. AllMusic
  2. ↑ Greg Prato, Grunge Is Dead: The Oral History of Seattle Rock Music, ECW Press, 2009
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named LarkinHR
  4. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).

Additional sources

External links

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