post-grunge

1988
Better Than Ezra circulated a demo cassette tape later in 1988, the

Better Than Ezra circulated a demo cassette tape later in 1988, the Chime Street Demo . While not an official release, this demo is sought after by the band’s fans, and traded by collectors. In 1989, the band recorded their debut album, Surprise , which was released only on cassette…
Read More

1987
Live (band) Live started in the early 1980s under the name First Aid, as a trio

Live started in the early 1980s under the name First Aid, as a trio of Taylor, Dahlheimer, and Gracey. Kowalczyk joined in 1984, when the group lost a talent show. They went through various different names, including Action Front, Paisley Blues, and Club Fungus, before settling on Public Affection in…
Read More

Local H Rude Awakening

Local H formed as a result of a high school band that Scott Lucas and Matt Garcia were in called Rude Awakening, in 1987. That year, while attending high school in Zion, Scott Lucas and Joe Daniels began jamming together, along with Matt Garcia and John Sparkman.

1986
Def Leppard Allen could drum alone

Def Leppard brought in Jeff Rich in August 1986 to play alongside Allen during Def Leppard’s warm-up mini tour of Ireland. When Rich turned up late for a gig, he and the band realised Allen could drum alone.

Manic Street Preachers formed in 1986

Manic Street Preachers formed in 1986 at Oakdale Comprehensive School , Blackwood , South Wales , which all the band members attended. Their first line-up consisted of singer and guitarist James Dean Bradfield , rhythm guitarist Nicky Wire , bassist Miles “Flicker” Woodward, and drummer Sean Moore . Bradfield and…
Read More

Danger Danger was formed in 1986 by former Hotshot members lead

Danger Danger was formed in 1986 by former Hotshot members lead vocalist Mike Pont (joined in 1987), bassist Bruno Ravel, and drummer Steve West (joined in 1987). This lineup also featured then future Savatage and Megadeth guitarist Al Pitrelli and keyboardist Kasey Smith. Mike Pont later left the band and…
Read More

Def Leppard Allen’s comeback was sealed

Allen’s comeback was sealed at the 1986 Monsters of Rock festival in England, with an emotionally charged ovation after his introduction by Joe Elliott.

1985
Stone Temple Pilots Encounter with Robert DeLeo

In 1985, Scott Weiland and his friends in their band Soi-Disant — guitarist Corey Hickok and drummer David Allin — first encountered Robert DeLeo playing live at various gigs, deciding to track him down after witnessing his shows.

1984
Def Leppard car accident

On the afternoon of 31 December 1984, drummer Rick Allen was involved in a car accident on the A57 road in the countryside a few miles west of Sheffield. While trying to pass another car at a high speed, he lost control of his Corvette C4 , which hit a…
Read More

Def Leppard moved to Dublin

Following their breakthrough, the band moved to Dublin in February 1984 for tax purposes to begin writing the follow-up to Pyromania . Mutt Lange initially joined in on the songwriting sessions but then suddenly declined to return as producer due to exhaustion. Jim Steinman of Meat Loaf ‘s Bat Out…
Read More