“Those records sum up a lot of different aspects of the band,’’ said Hydra Head Records founder Aaron Turner, whose former group Isis was heavily influenced by the Melvins and eventually became tourmates with the band. “ ‘Eggnog’ is some of the most unhinged music the band has made. ‘Houdini’ is the Melvins at their rocking best.’’
The Melvins are setting up two-night stands in six cities across the country, with each locale getting the same dose of music (though results are sure to vary). The idea was born in January when the Melvins performed every Friday at Spaceland in Los Angeles. Those shows featured a set of new songs followed by an older album played in its entirety. The Melvins modified that concept to take on the road. (Weird fact: The Melvins don’t like to tour the US in the winter because of bad weather, yet managed to be in Australia and Japan during both those countries’ recent earthquakes and missed the last Mexico City temblor by a day) .
Neither Osborne nor longtime Melvins drummer Dale Crover could say exactly why these particular records were chosen for the tour. But both conceded that the idea intrigued them, and should prove especially exciting to their fans.
“It’s something different,’’ Crover said. “Some of these songs haven’t been played live in 20 years. Some of the stuff on ‘Stoner Witch’ has never been played live at all. We’ve done a lot of US tours over the last 10 years, and we thought about taking a break. But the January residency was pretty popular.’’
In addition to mixing up the song sequences within each album set, the shows will feature second drummer Coady Willis and bassist Jared Warren, neither of whom performed on the original recordings and are expected to bring their own interpretations to the tunes.
