The Production Side

This past Saturday, April 5, marked a sorrow day for many folks.

If some of you don’t recall, it was the day that Kurt Cobain (in 1994) and Layne Staley (in 2002) left this world.

I always wonder what Kurt would have done following Nirvana; cause it seemed like the band was going to break up at some point (Dave was working on future Foo material for example). I’ve read that Kurt was going to lean towards a solo acoustic career, which have been amazing, if you don’t believe me then recall the band’s Unplugged performance.

Although some people say that Nirvana was overrated, I think it would be naive of them to deny their influence and impact. I always see Nirvana as the catapult for the 90’s alternative scene. Yes, I am well aware that many bands were around before them, but their mainstream success opened up the musical horizon for a lot of people.

Layne Staley, unfortunately, seemed doomed for years. After the death of his girlfriend, he was apparently just waiting for death. From what I’ve read, he was a recluse that didn’t mind being left alone doing whatever he did. If you check out his final interviews you can picture how grim things were for him.

His work with Alice in Chains was phenomenal. AIC was just an amazingly talented, and at times underrated, band. Their music was dark and heavy, and Staley’s unique vocals made their music that much more intense.

On a brighter note, April 5 also just happens to be the birthday of one Mike McCready, who was Staley’s bandmate in Mad Season (which I think is a bit weird).

Anyways, happy birthday Mike!

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