
The Melvins were formed in Montessano, Washington in 1983 by Buzz Osborne, Matt Lukin and Mike Dillard. Lukin and Dillard left the band and drummer Dale Crover stepped in shortly thereafter. Osborne and Crover have been the Melvins’ mainstays throughout their 30 + year metamorphosis.
To date the band has released 29 original albums, numerous live full-lengths and far too many to count singles and rarities. They’ve partnered with Jello Biafra, Lustmord and Fantomas for individual releases and toured the world many times over. In fact, the band had the misfortune to be in both Christchurch and Tokyo for their 2011 earthquakes.
The Melvins’ are a continually shifting entity, whether in their current incarnation of Osborne, Crover, Steven McDonald (Redd Kross/OFF!) and Jeff Pinkus (Butthole Surfers). Recently they’ve primarily played as a trio with Osborne, Crover and McDonald. Previous line-ups include a four-piece with annexed Big Business band members Jared Warren and Coady Willis, as well as Melvins Lite, which pairs Osborne and Crover with Mr. Bungle alum Trevor Dunn. Sometimes, if you’re extra lucky, one incarnation of the Melvins open for the Melvins.
2016 saw the release of The Colossus of Destiny: A Melvins Tale, the first documentary to explore the band’s history. Both Osborne and Crover have recently released their first solo albums. The band’s latest album is Pinkus Abortion Technician (released in April 2018).
The Melvins return with the new album Pinkus Abortion Technician (April 20, Ipecac Recordings), featuring both ongoing Melvins’ bass player Steven McDonald (Redd Kross, OFF!) and Butthole Surfers’, and occasional Melvins’, bottom ender Jeff Pinkus on bass.
“With our upcoming release, we double your bass player with Steven McDonald AND Jeff Pinkus holding down the bottom,” explains Dale Crover. It’s an experiment in the low end of the aural spectrum where we asked ourselves, ‘would it work?’ ‘could it work??’ ‘should it work???’ The answers were yes, yes and YES!”
“We’ve never had two bass players. We’ve had two drummers and two guitar players so it makes total sense to now have two bass players, adds Buzz Osborne. “We’ll be taking this two-prong bass attack on the road as well which should prove to be interesting. Pinkus Abortion Technician is a radically great record and was a stone groove to record. We drank a lot of coffee and enjoyed each other’s company. I like Steven and Jeff a great deal. I admire their bass playing and singing and both of them can grill a mean steak.”
“Stop Moving To Florida” is a medley of the James Gang’s “Stop” and Butthole Surfers’ “Moving To Florida,” the band also covers the Beatles’ “I Want To Hold Your Hand” and Butthole Surfers’ “Graveyard” on the eight-song release. Pre-orders will be announced soon.
September 27 St. Louis, MO The Ready Room
September 28 Louisville, KY Louder Than Life Festival
September 30 Indianapolis, IN The Vogue
October 1 Grand Rapids, MI Pyramid Scheme
October 2 Cleveland, OH Grog Shop
October 3 Detroit, MI El Club
October 4 Columbus, OH A&R Music Bar
October 5 Pittsburgh, PA Rex Theatre
October 7 Syracuse, NY Wescott Theatre
October 8 Boston, MA Paradise Rock Club
October 9 Hamden, CT Space Ballroom
October 10 Brooklyn, NY Warsaw
October 11 Asbury Park, NJ Stone Pony
October 12 Philadelphia, PA Underground Arts
October 13 Baltimore, MD Otto Bar
October 15 Richmond, VA The Broadberry
October 16 Carrboro, NC Cat’s Cradle
October 17 Charlotte, NC Visulite Theatre
October 18 Athens, GA 40 Watt Club
October 19 Birmingham, AL Saturn
October 21 Orlando, FL The Social
October 22 Ft. Lauderdale, FL Culture Rom
October 23 Tampa, FL The Orpheum
October 25 Pensacola, FL Vinyl Music Hall
October 26 New Orleans, LA One Eyed Jacks
October 27 Baton Rouge, LA Spanish Moon
October 28 Houston, TX Warehouse Live Studio
October 29 San Antonio, TX Paper Tiger
October 30 Austin, TX Mohawk
October 31 Dallas, TX Trees
November 3 Tucson, AZ Club Congress
November 4 Phoenix, AZ Crescent Ballroom
November 5 Las Vegas, NV The Bunkhouse Saloon