A complete guide to the formation of Nirvana
Few bands have had an impact on music similar to that of Nirvana, whose short-lived tenure was fearsome, ferocious and spawned a catalogue that will remain etched in folklore forever. The band helped to bring alternative rock to the mainstream at a time when sub-genres of rock dominated popular guitar music, working their way up from humble beginnings. From Kurt Cobain’s lyrical expressions of isolation and alienation to the band’s heavy blend of hardcore, punk and noise rock, Nirvana spoke to an entire generation of disaffected youth.
Cobain was born in Aberdeen, Washington, on February 20th, 1967, and developed an interest in music from a young age. At the age of four, he began playing the piano and would often sing along to songs such as ‘Hey Jude’ by The Beatles. Cobain’s childhood was one of uneasiness, and he responded to this by rebelling against those in powerful positions. However, he found comfort in punk music, which was introduced to him by The Melvins’ Buzz Osborne after they met at high school.
Watching The Melvins play live significantly impacted Cobain, and he continued to hang out in the Pacific Northwest punk scene, which offered him a sense of escapism. After dropping out of high school, Cobain began jamming with Melvins members Greg Hokanson and Dale Crover in 1985 under the delightful name Fecal Matter. Although the project was short-lived, it paved the way towards the formation of Nirvana.
Krist Novoselic’s younger brother, Robert, was a school friend of Cobain’s and proved to be a crucial link in what was to come. However, it soon became apparent that Cobain had far more in common with the older Novoselic. The pair began hanging out, frequenting the Melvins’ practice space as often as they could. Cobain gave Novoselic, a keen music fan, a Fecal Matter demo tape. However, it took the bassist a long time to actually getting around to listening to the tape, but once he did, Novoselic suggested that the pair form their own band. Strangely enough, the duo’s first band together was The Sellouts, a Credence Clearwater Revival tribute outfit. Inspired by the knowledge that the Melvins earned $80 a show, Cobain took to the drums, Novoselic played the guitar and sang, and Steve Newman played bass. According to Nirvana biographer Michael Azerrad, The Sellouts disbanded shortly after Newman attacked Cobain with a vacuum cleaner, with the incident bringing a sucky end to the band.
Undeterred by the failure, Cobain and Novoselic attempted another project in 1986, but that also failed to get off the ground. However, in early 1987, the duo recruited drummer Aaron Burckhard, and the newly-formed band performed under a series of awful names such as Pen Cap Chew, Skid Row, and Ted Ed Fred. After a series of trial and error, they eventually settled on Nirvana, with Cobain once stating: “I wanted a name that was kind of beautiful or nice and pretty instead of a mean, raunchy punk name like the Angry Samoans”. By January 1988, the band had recorded their first demos and played their first shows a few months later. Multiple different drummers, such as Dale Crover from the Melvins and Dave Foster, played with Cobain and Novoselic until the pair finally found Chad Channing after being introduced through a mutual friend.
In November 1988, Nirvana shared their debut single, which was a scuzzy cover of Shocking Blue’s ‘Love Buzz’ on the independent Seattle label Sub Pop. A few months later, the band began working on their debut album, Bleach, with the help of producer Jack Endino. The trio were inspired by the local punk and hardcore scene, citing bands such as Mudhoney and, of course, The Melvins as significant influences. Additionally, each member also admired rock legends, including Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath.
Although the album wasn’t a commercial success, it was received well by critics, and Nirvana began to attract national attention. Musicians such as Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore praised the album, referring to it as both “punk” and “completely melodious”.
However, the formation of Nirvana would not be complete without the mention of Dave Grohl, who replaced Channing as the band’s drummer in 1990. Nirvana had begun working on their next album, Nevermind, with producer Butch Vig, yet felt disillusioned by Channing’s drumming style. Simultaneously, the drummer felt he was not adequately involved in the songwriting process, leading him to quit the band. Stalling for time, the band played with Crover and Mudhoney’s Dan Peters until they found a replacement drummer.
At the same time, Grohl was the drummer of the hardcore punk band Scream, which disbanded in 1990. Luckily, Osborne from The Melvins suggested that Grohl become the new drummer for Nirvana. He put the musicians in contact with each other, and, according to Novoselic, they instantly knew they’d found their man. Grohl told Q: “I remember being in the same room with them and thinking, ‘What? That‘s Nirvana? Are you kidding?’ Because on their record cover, they looked like psycho lumberjacks… I was like, ‘What, that little dude and that big motherfucker? You’re kidding me.'”
With Grohl and his incredible drumming talents firmly part of the band, Nirvana signed to DGC Records in 1990 at the recommendation of Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon. The trio left an indelible mark on music, releasing two more studio albums, Nevermind and In Utero, before Cobain sadly died in 1994. Little did they expect when starting out that Nirvana would sell over 75 million records worldwide, with Nevermind shifting over 30 million copies alone. It’s impossible to imagine the current musical landscape if Cobain, Novoselic and Grohl had never met.
