The guitarist in Alice in Chains, Jerry Cantrell, has mentioned that he tried to get Staley to help many times, but it always seemed like his efforts were futile. He was addicted to heroin for nearly the entirety of his adult life. Staley’s personal life has been filled with drug addiction. But because of Staley’s drug addiction, the band couldn’t do much to tour or support the sales of Dirt. It became an even bigger success than their previous album selling over 6 million copies in the US. The band’s second album came out in 1992 and it was called Dirt. Things really started to happen for them in 1989, with huge amounts of record labels interested in signing them.Īfter eventually signing with Columbia Records, they released Facelift which was a huge hit, and got nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance for the song "Would?" Two weeks after they began to work together, Alice N’Cahins morphed as Staley joined Cantrell and they rebranded their project to Alice in Chains. Cantrell was just starting out as a songwriter, but Staley saw his potential and the two became friends quickly. Cantrell was homeless at the time, so Staley invited him to spend the night. In 1987, Staley met Jerry Cantrell at a party. In 1984, he joined a group of high school students in a band called Sleze, which made a cameo appearance in a low-budget public access documentary called "Father Rock." A glam band is basically a rock band that imitates the flamboyant stage persona of David Bowie, Slade, and other rock bands that wore makeup. He also played in several "glam bands" during this time. He started singing with a rhythm band and was playing drums by the time he was twelve. According to several biographies, he knew by the time he was nine years old that he wanted to be a signer. Staley was a product of a broken home and never completed his high school education, but music became an outlet for him to express himself and channel his emotions through melodies. There were even rumors that Alice in Chains got signed with Columbia Records after Nirvana’s Nevermind album became a big hit. He also has a knack for writing lyrics that were dark and emotional and his songwriting and singing complemented each other and gave Alice in Chains its own special sound.Īlthough he wasn’t as famous as Cobain, he was still a major figure in the Seattle grunge scene. His distinct and grimy vocals brought life to their music. In AIC, Staley’s voice was the one that everyone heard. Staley was known for his harmonizing style and tenor singing. Staley might’ve lived a longer life than his counterpart but there are many who feel that he was also the better vocalist. He’s known as the grunge version of Kurt Cobain. He was part of one of the most influential bands to come out of Seattle during the early 90s, Alice in Chains.ĪIC was grunge personified and its frontman, Staley, is also famous. The must-have inclusion of Sap favorite “Got Me Wrong” later in the set and the first-ever unveiling of “Killer Is Me,” round out the proceedings.No one can talk about the grunge movement without mentioning the name of Layne Staley. Filled with classics from throughout their career (although noticeably missing anything from their 1990 debut, Facelift), Alice In Chains masterfully put together a performance that would appeal to casual fans while satisfying the die-hards. The show begins with a nod to the acoustic EPs, opening with "Nutshell" from the multi-platinum Jar of Flies EP, then transition into the Eastern eeriness of Sap's opening track “Brother,” before jumping back to Flies for the hit single “No Excuses.” From there, the band dig in to the “reinvention” portion of the performance, leaning heavily on acoustic versions of favorites from 1992’s Dirt and their self-titled 1995 album that take staples like “Rooster,” “Down In A Hole,” “Heaven Beside You” and “Would?” to more sublime and nuanced levels than previously heard on their original versions. The final piece of the puzzle, however, was the doozy of a set list.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |