As useful as they are at times, assumptions can lead one astray when divining the nature of any creative art, particularly that of an underground rock band.
A sick sense of humor, disregard for convention and love of brutally loud guitar notes would seem to imply a gleeful anarchist bent, right?
Wrong.
“The anarchists are the ones with the most rules, generally,” said Buzz Osborne, singer-guitarist for the Melvins. “Real anarchy is me sticking a gun to your head. Are there rules then? I don’t think so.”
Osborne’s band, a fixture of the underground scene since the group began releasing records 20 years ago, creates crushing sludge-metal epics with titles like “Blood Witch” and “The Bloated Pope.” It features not one but two drummers, resides on Mike Patton’s experimental Ipecac label, and is a defining influence on both grunge (Kurt Cobain was a friend and huge fan) and doom metal.
But Osborne’s songs – which will blanket the Front Range tonight in Fort Collins, Saturday at the Gothic Theatre and Sunday in Colorado Springs – fall far from the unfocused, blunt-noise squall one would associate with a seminal avant-metal act.
Much like those of other two-drummer groups (the Warlocks, the Boredoms), Melvins songs are so considered and tight they may as well have been plotted on graph paper.
“We can concentrate on songs that sound a little more elaborate now,” Osborne said of the band’s live shows, of which it averages about 100 per year.
The percussion duo of longtime member Dale Crover and Coady Willis (Big Business) allowed Osborne to reach a bit further on the Melvins’ latest disc, “(A) Senile Animal,” released last year.
“I’m mostly just attracted to the idea that it’s something we’ve never done before,” he said. “Sonically we’ve just barely scratched the surface.”
Despite that seeming creative renaissance, the Melvins still suffer from the frustrating group-think of others when it comes to appreciating the band’s catalog. With numerous lineup changes and sundry labels, the band has evolved beyond the Black Sabbath-inspired tag (which first gained it attention, helping inspire legions of budding indie rockers) to more complex, challenging compositions.
Osborne blames music critics, a group for whom he has particular, bilious disdain.
“They act like we only do one thing musically, but if you listen to a third of what we do and think it’s one thing, you’re a … idiot,” he said. “We have songs on our new album that are totally hyper-arranged and nobody’s said a word about it.
“If you look at glossy magazines like Rolling Stone and think they’re anything other than total nonsense, hurting as opposed to helping music, then you’re on another planet.”
Of course, when you’ve been around for as long as Osborne, and seen all sides of the industry – from the post-Nirvana signing frenzy to the resurgence of hardcore and metal in the last half-dozen years – it’s tempting to generalize.
These days the Melvins seem right at home on Ipecac, a label guided by its lack of boundaries and emphasis on harder genres. The union makes sense: The Melvins previously toured with Mr. Bungle, led by former Faith No More singer (and label founder) Mike Patton. Osborne also logs time in the supergroup Fantomas, which features Patton, Dave Lombardo (Slayer), Terry Bozzio (Frank Zappa) and others.
“They haven’t painted themselves in a corner, fortunately,” Osborne said, his voice oozing respect.
Osborne also balances his wicked sense of humor (issuing Melvins “collectibles” like a fetus in a jar, or Melvins-brand canned meat) with a hard-line political stance that one wouldn’t necessarily gather from the music.
Assumptions? Useless.
It’s fashionable to hate hippies, for example, but Osborne deeply despises what he sees as the mandated, handout-driven aspects of our society.
“Socialism and liberalism equal fascism,” he said. “Unfortunately people don’t understand the word ‘fascism.’ It’s somebody telling you what you can and can’t do.”
Staff writer John Wenzel can be reached at 303-954-1642 or jwenzel@denverpost.com.
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Melvins
HARD/EXPERIMENTAL ROCK|Gothic Theatre, 3263 S. Broadway; 8 p.m., Saturday, with Big Business|$15|
303-830-8497 or
