Van Conner (bass)
Gary Lee Conner (guitar)
Mark Lanegen (vocals)
Barrett Martin (drums/percussion 1992-1996)
Mark Pickerel (drums 1985-1992)
Influences
the Stooges, the MC5, the Velvet Underground, the Beatles, the Doors, Love, the 13th Floor Elevators, Black Flag, Husker Du, the Meat Puppets, X , the Ramones, Rain Parade, the Leaving Trains (Well Down Blue Highway, especially), Plasticland, The Long Ryders, Green on Red, Dream Syndicate (first album), Neil Young , the Small Faces, Humble Pie, the Wipers, Mudhoney, Nirvana, the Fluid, Beat Happening , the Few, You Am I, Guided By Voices, the Jayhawks, Gram Parsons, Jimi Hendrix, the Who, King Crimson, Blue Cheer, Bob Dylan, Syd Barrett (and early Pink Floyd), Cheap Trick, the Seeds, 60's garage punk (especially, Pebbles comps), any English 60's psych (Rubbles comps on Bam Caruso label.) the Byrds, Television, the Dammed, the Jam, Love Battery, Jefferson Airplane, Spacemen 3, the Red Crayola(first album), David Bowie, XTC, Nick Drake, the Flaming Lips, Captain Beefheart, Jethro Tull (first 3 albums), Rolling Stones, Cream, Devo, Gravel, Roxy Music, the Cult (esp. Love), the Nazz, the Pretty Things (SF Sorrow, Parachute), the Groundhogs a million other too numerous to mention
Where many of their Seattle-based contemporaries dealt in reconstructed Black Sabbath and Stooges riffs, Screaming Trees fused '60s psychedelia and garage rock with '70s hard rock and '80s punk. Over the course of their career, their more abrasive punk roots eventually gave way to a hard-edged, rootsy psychedelia that drew from rock and folk equally. After releasing several albums on indie labels like SST and Sub Pop, Screaming Trees moved to Epic Records in 1989. Though they were one of the first Seattle bands to sign with a major label, the group never attained the popularity of fellow Northwestern bands (and friends) like Nirvana and Soundgarden, largely due to their erratic work schedule. Throughout their career, the Trees were notorious for drinking and fighting, which caused them to break up briefly at several points in their career. Nevertheless, the band managed to cultivate a dedicated following, which included not only fans, but also fellow musicians. Brothers Van Conner (bass) and Gary Lee Conner (guitar) formed Screaming Trees with Mark Lanegan (vocals) in the mid-'80s. Lanegan and the Conners grew up in Ellensburg, WA, a small college-town some 90 miles from Seattle. The trio were the only people in their high school who listened to punk, garage rock, and independent music, so they eventually gravitated toward each other. After falling out with the Conners before either completed school, Lanegan contacted Van Conner several years later. By that point, Van had a band with a singer named Mark Pickerel; the pair had recently kicked Lee Conner out of the band, so they invited Lanegan to sit in on drums. Eventually, Lee re-joined the group and they settled on a lineup that featured Lee on guitar, Van on bass, Lanegan on vocals, and Pickerel on drums."
Taking their name from a guitar distortion pedal, Screaming Trees recorded their first demo tape in 1985, just a few months after their formation. Their producer, Steve Fisk, was able to convince the head of Velvetone Studios to release an album by the band, The result, Clairvoyance, appeared on Velvetone Records in 1986. With Clairvoyance in hand, Fisk was able to secure Screaming Trees a contract with Greg Ginn's SST Records, who had already been releasing albums by Fisk. The band's first SST album, Even If and Especially When, was released in 1987 and the Trees began working the dying American indie circuit, playing shows across the country. The following year, SST reissued the band's demo tape under the title Other Worlds as well as their third album, Invisible Lantern. Following the release of Buzz Factory in 1989, the group's contract with SST expired and they made the Change Has Come EP for Sub Pop early the following year. By that time, tensions in the band had grown somewhat, and the group spent most of 1990 working on side projects. Mark Lanegan recorded a solo album, The Winding Sheet, which featured support from Nirvana's Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic; the album appeared on Sub Pop. Both of the Conners formed new bands and released albums on the SST subsidiary New Alliance. Van's band was called Solomon Grundy; Lee's was Purple Outside. By the end of 1990, the band had signed a major-label contract with Epic Records. Screaming Trees reconvened to record their Epic debut, Uncle Anesthesia, with Chris Cornell of Soundgarden and Terry Date as producers. Uncle Anesthesia appeared in early 1991 and, although it sold better than their previous efforts, the band remained a cult act. For much of the year, in fact, Van Conner was on hiatus from the band, choosing to tour as bassist with Dinosaur Jr. instead. Late in 1991, Nirvana's Nevermind became an unexpected commercial success, opening the gates for the rest of the Seattle scene. Where many of their peers were able to capitalize on that success, Screaming Trees suffered more setbacks than the rest. Before they began work on their follow-up to Uncle Anesthesia, Pickerel left the group and was replaced by Barrett Martin. Once Martin joined, the band finished "Nearly Lost You," their contribution to the Singles soundtrack, and their 1992 album Sweet Oblivion. "Nearly Lost You" became a MTV and alternative radio hit in the fall of 1992, thanks to the momentum of the Singles soundtrack. The single carried Sweet Oblivion -- which had received more press attention than any previous Screaming Trees album -- to the group's strongest sales, peaking at over 300,000 copies. The band supported Sweet Oblivion with a year-long tour, during which they fought frequently. After the tour was finished, the group decided to take an extended hiatus. During that time, Lanegan recorded his second solo album, Whiskey for the Holy Ghost, which was released in 1994.
That same year, Martin drummed in the Layne Staley (Alice in Chains) and Mike McCready (Pearl Jam) side project Mad Season, which released its only album in the spring of 1995. In early 1995, Screaming Trees regrouped to begin work on their follow-up to Sweet Oblivion. Following one still-born attempt at the album, the band hired George Drakoulias, who had previously worked with the Black Crowes and the Jayhawks, as producer. The resulting album, Dust, was released in the summer of 1996, nearly four years after its predecessor. Dust was greeted with positive reviews, and its first single, "All I Know," became a moderate hit on modern rock radio. Still, the album didn't sell particularly well, even though the band supported the record by touring with 1996's Lollapalooza. Following the Dust tour, Screaming Trees took another hiatus, with Lanegan beginning work on his third solo album, Scraps at Midnight, which was released in 1998. When Lanegan completed another solo project the following year (I'll Take Care of You), it seemed to confirm that the Trees' strained relationships would make it impossible for the band to continue. Following a June 25, 2000, concert to celebrate the opening Seattle's Experience Music Project, the group unsurprisingly announced their official breakup. ~ Stephen T Erlewine
Hey whats up? How r ya? So, Santa is getting ready for his big night ... We hope you aren't on the naughty list.. Well if so, we have an early gift for you, that you can be sure your getting!!!!! We are releasing our brand new ep "Red Giant" this week and we just posted 2 brand new tracks to our myspace page.... Thats right, now you can hear 2 brand new songs from the album on our myspace ... Its our first release in almost a year ... and it was worth the wait... This is our heaviest material ever!!!!
if you our into bands like:
The Devil Wears Prada Underoath As I Lay Dieing Silverstein Senses Fail Norma Jean and We Came As Romans
then you will like our new material for sure!!!!! be sure to check it out and add us to your friends list. If you like the music then drop us a comment and let us know what you think!!!!! much love B2F
ARTS Publications created this MySpace site to keep Layne Staley's fans updated on the making of the Get Born Again movie. Respect and Love for Layne Staley are our top priorities. We have found the right people to work with.
The Cinedicate, Los Angeles, California
Rockwell Sheraton, Producer
Elizabeth Draisey, Producer
Bjorn Hoglund, Producer
John Brandon, Director/Contributing Writer
Adriana Rubio, Screenwriter
Thank you all for your support. LONG LIVE LAYNE STALEY!
GET BORN AGAIN PRESS TEAM ARTS Publications www.artspublicationsbooks.com
Hey Screaming Trees, I'm stopping by your page to say "High!!" & if you want to hear another track that's up, "Attack Of The Mushroom People," you can stop by my page & check anytime you're feelin' it! blessings to you! Pablo
