Founding Screaming Trees bassist Van Conner has died. He was just 55. No cause of death has been revealed. The news of his passing was announced in a Facebook post by Van’s brother, Screaming Trees guitarist Gary Lee Conner. You can see Gary Lee’s post below. Screaming Trees was the second band from the Connor brothers, who started as punks and lovers of Psychedelic Rock in the early 1980s, before co-founding Screaming Trees with singer Mark Lanegan and drummer Mark Pickerel. Lanegan died last February at age 57. The band would later become a breakout band from Seattle, in the “Grunge” explosion, along with Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains, Soundgarden, Mudhoney, Melvins, and more. Screaming Trees album Sweet Oblivion catapulted the band with three hit singles, including “Nearly Lost You” – which was also on the Singles soundtrack, and led to the band touring the world and performing on Lollapalooza. RIP.
Tag Archives: Mudhoney
CLASSIC ALBUMS REVISITED: Metallica’s Controversial Album “Load” Turns 25 Years-Old
There is almost no band in history that had a success akin to “The Black Album.” Metallica exploded the band of the same name from the underground and made Rock, Heavy Metal, and yes, even Thrash as mainstream as it was ever going to get for a hot minute. From 1991-1995 Metallica was everywhere on tour, pop radio, MTV, Antarctica, Woodstock 1994 as the headliner, and much more. They were unstoppable. They sold tons of albums when it was only CDs and cassettes. They transformed the culture of underground heavy music and themselves in the process, and you can still feel the ripples in the industry from it. Like it or not, they changed everything.
Mantar to Release Covers Album, Shares Video for Mazzy Star Cover
Germany’s two-piece blackened crust band Mantar has announced that they are releasing a mini-covers album focusing on the 1990s, Grungetown Hooligans II, June 26th on LP/Digital via Brutal Panda Records and can be pre-ordered at the link below. Also, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Mazzy Star’s release of their seminal debut album, Mantar have shared a music video for their cover of ‘Ghost Highway’, which you can see below.


