Mudhoney is a grunge band, formed in Seattle in 1988. The band is named after a Russ Meyer movie, Mudhoney.
The very beginnings of Mudhoney start out in Bellevue, Washington, a suburb of Seattle. While at Bellevue Christian High School, Mark McLaughlin (later Mark Arm) started a band with his friends named Mr. Epp and the Calculations, after a math teacher of his. The band was more a joke band than a real band; their first "show" was in class singing Marvin Gaye's "Got to Give it Up" and using rolled up maps as guitars because they couldn't play real instruments. Mr. Epp finally played their first show 3 years after they formed in 1981. Around this time Mark Arm and a friend of his, Steve Turner formed a more serious yet still humorous band, Limp Richerds. Mr. Epp appeared on KZAM-AM radio and were introduced being called "the worst band in the world". They played their last show on February 3, 1984 with Malfunkshun at the Metropolis. In 1996 Lou Reed had asked the members of Mr. Epp to back him up at the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame show. They declined and the part went to Soul Asylum.
Main article: Green River (band)
The band was formed when Mark Arm left Green River, and joined up with former Green River bandmate Steve Turner. Alex Vincent, who had previously played with Turner in Spluii Numa, had teamed up with Arm and Turner. Looking for a bass player the band asked Jeff Ament to join their band. Ament had recently arrived in Seattle with his band Derranged Diction who had come out of Montana. Another one of Turner's former bandmates, Stone Gossard, also decided to play with them. Steve Turner left the band after the recording of Come on Down due to his distaste in the heavy metal leanings of the band. He was replaced by another Derranged Diction member, Bruce Fairweather. After recordings two EPs the band decided to call it quits in 1988. Gossard, Ament, and Fairweather went on to join Mother Love Bone. Following lead singer, Andrew Wood's death, Gossard and Ament went on to join Pearl Jam and Fairweather joined Love Battery.
