Last week I posted about Green River’s reunion show at Sub Pop’s 20th anniversary bash in Seattle, WA. Now Billboard has a full review up for those not lucky enough to attend the event.

“This seemed to be a firm consensus. Some rock’n'roll reunions fall flat when musicians can’t regain the spark of youthful energy and DIY not-quite-incompetence. But Green River’s anthems sounded better with a touch of polish and precision. The 1985 classic “Swallow My Pride” (re-cut by the band in 1988, and also covered by Soundgarden, Fastbacks and Pearl Jam) sounded almost pop.”

Billboard also notes that they heard a fan say “If they were that good back then, they never would have broken up.”

This is a good thing in my opinion, most reunions fall short because the band isn’t as good as they once were, in this case its the opposite.

The article also has coverage of a lot of the other bands playing the Sub Pop anniversary festival.

Source.

Record label Sub Pop, famous for releasing records by everyone from Nirvana to The Postal Service are going to be having a 2-day festival in Seattle, WA to commemorate their 20th anniversary.

Besides playing host to The Vaselines first U.S. performances ever and seeing many older Sub Pop bands re-unite, one of the most anticipated acts to play is Green River. If you don’t know, Green River was one of the first bands to release a record on Sub Pop and featured future members of Mudhoney and Pearl Jam.

Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament spoke to Billboard.com regarding the reunion show…

“Bassist Jeff Ament tells Billboard.com the group re-learned two unreleased songs from its early demo, “Baby, Help Me Forget” and “Leech,” for the occasion, which will mark Green River’s first show in nearly 21 years.

“Green River, which also includes Pearl Jam guitarist Stone Gossard, Mudhoney principals Mark Arm and Steve Turner and drummer Alex Vincent, rehearsed twice in late April but has reconvened three additional times to relearn the material.

“Last night, felt like we were 95% there,” Ament says. “We had a go at 16 or 17 songs and we have 14 right now, but we may need to get that down to 11 or 12 for Sunday. We have a 40-minute slot.”

The band is reportedly having fun playing together and there is talk of a possible Green River reunion tour.

Source.

Being the year of Sub Pop Records 20th anniversary a lot of press is coming out surrounding the label that launched Nirvana, and as a result, Seattle into the international spotlight.

Blender Magazine, (of all places), has put up a pretty cool piece on the label, with quotes from some of the main people involved in the scene, including founders Bruce Pavitt and Jonathon Poneman. They also have a pretty big image gallery with photos of the bands with their Fender Mustangs, beer and flannel, performing live.

Its definitely worth checking out if you’re into Nirvana, Soundgarden, Mudhoney or even newer bands on the label like The Shins and The Postal Service as well.

Sub Pop: Oral History @ Blender.com