Seaweed
Words: Scott Harrell
Photos: Tom Seyss

Appearing at The Fest 6
Gainesville

Signed to Seattle's legendary Sub Pop Records during its early '90s post-Nirvana vogue, Seaweed had little in common with either the label's hairy, open-flannels-and-doc-Martens public image or the acts that inspired it. They were younger, more energetic, less arty; they didn't emulate Roky Erickson or the Melvins or obscure British new wave. Sure, they loved the metal, but their attitudes were shaped more by uptempo fare and emerging punk and alternative sounds than by any imagined debt to Black Sabbath.

“We didn't fit in,” recalls Wade Neal, guitarist for the Tacoma, Washington-bred quintet. “We NEVER fit in. We're the best example of the kind of nerdy band that everybody kind of likes, but doesn't really know ... I don't know. It was an interesting time.”

By not looking as far backwards as some of their contemporaries for inspiration, they unwittingly helped lay the groundwork for the style that would eventually precipitate punk's most massive mainstream success to date. Even if you've never heard Seaweed, you've heard countless variations on themes they originally brought to the posthardcore table, in songs by everyone from Sunny Day Real Estate to Fall Out Boy. That they weren't the first band to be called emocore hardly matters; the huge cut-time grooves, dissonant-yet-catchy single-note guitar lines and pop-purloined melodic hooks that characterize so much of Seaweed's material are as familiar to young modern-rock fans today as they were exciting to them nearly a decade and a half ago.

“I've heard a lot of people say that, and I feel like there must be some truth to it,” Neal says. “I'd have to humbly say that we were one of many bands that kind of came from similar influential territory ... maybe that kind of trickled down, but we're just one of many that added to the spirit of the music. It's a compliment, and I appreciate it ... it just makes me feel good that people would say that.”

Despite obvious dissimilarities to the regional success stories, the band's association with Sub Pop pretty much guaranteed they'd be snapped up by a major during The Great Grunge Gold Rush of 1994. And they were; Seaweed's third full-length, Spanaway, came out the next year on Disney-owned Hollywood Records. It was brilliant, but didn't sell a kajillion copies, so the group was dropped after one outing. A fourth album, Actions & Indications, appeared on vaunted indie imprint Merge in '99, but frustrations and itchy musical feet found the band splintering before the end of the millennium.

“We always told ourselves it wasn't really a breakup because we were all still friends,” says Neal. “A lot of it was logistics at the time. The drummer was in New York, the singer was in California, there were only two guys left in Tacoma. We were also going in different directions musically, and we decided that maybe we'd each like to explore something else.

“What we failed to realize at the time,” he adds, “is when you have something that special and unique, it's important to keep it going, even if there are obstacles in your way.”

Seven years after separating, Neal, singer Aaron Stauffer, guitarist Clint Werner and bassist John Atkins decided to regroup on a part-time basis. They recruited drummer Jesse Fox from Neal's current band Leuko, scheduled less than a handful of rehearsals – none of which actually included all five members at once – and did a hometown club show before hitting the stage last month at Bumbershoot, Seattle's massive annual downtown music-and-arts festival. Now, the band is working on new music, as well as staging one-off shows whenever time permits; their upcoming appearance at Fest is one to which Neal has been looking forward especially:

“I'm so glad we get the chance to come back to Florida, it was our second home back in the day,” he says. “We just had the best time there, and we've got people in Gainesville that we met who are lifelong friends. We know we're gonna come back there, and the conversation's just gonna pick right back up where it left off, you know?”

Seaweed is playing The Fest 6 this year!  For more info, please visit: www.thefestfl.com

www.myspace.com/seaweed