Dig Me Out: 90s Rock – Details, episodes & analysis

Emerging from the same mid-90s Chicago scene that saw bands like Veruca Salt, Loud Lucy, Menthol, Triple Fast Action, and Local H get signed to major labels, Fig Dish delivered alternative guitar rock that paid homage to the legends of Mt. Rockmore - Zander, Mascis, Mould, and Westerberg - under the Polygram Records (and subsidiaries) banner. Their discovery is the stuff of legend: the band sent demo cassettes to various major labels with a handwritten note from “Steve,” claiming to have found a band worth checking out, banking on the idea that everyone knows a Steve and the label would think it was a genuine tip.

Despite their immediately catchy songs that could easily fit into any alternative rock radio playlist, the band (Blake Smith - vocals/guitar, Rick Ness - vocals/guitar, Mike Willison - bass, Andy Hamilton - drums) struggled to grasp the elusive brass ring. Their single “Seeds” was released with a video but saw limited play on MTV’s 120 Minutes. Touring across the country, they opened for acts like Juliana Hatfield, Veruca Salt, Ned’s Atomic Dustbin, Owsley, and Walt Mink. However, their 1995 album, That’s What Love Songs Often Do, produced by Lou Giordano, failed to make a significant impact. Their 1997 follow-up, When Shove Goes Back to Push, recorded under challenging circumstances, also ended up in used CD bins despite featuring some of the catchiest rock tunes of the year. In a last-ditch effort, the band filmed a video for “When Shirts Get Tight” featuring adult film stars in humorous, over-the-top scenarios. The video, too risqué for MTV, became more myth than reality.

By 1998, Fig Dish’s tenure with Polygram ended unceremoniously. They recorded new songs at Andy Gerber’s Million Yen studio in Chicago, hoping for a second chance that never materialized. Smith and Willison went on to form Caviar (known for “Tangerine Speedo”), while Ness and Bill Swartz (who played drums on Shove) formed Ness.

Recently, Forge Again Records from Chicago reached out to the band to release their two albums on vinyl for the first time. While the band agreed, navigating the bureaucratic red tape with record labels has been time-consuming. In the meantime, Forge Again asked if Fig Dish had any unreleased material, leading to the release of their 1998 demos as Feels Like the Very Second Time on vinyl.

In this interview, Smith and Ness reveal there was no dramatic story behind the band’s breakup; the members remain friends and stay in touch. While they won’t be quitting their day jobs to relive their (less than) glory days, there’s a strong possibility that Fig Dish will release new material in the near future.

Songs In This Episode

Intro - Burn Bright For Now

13:54 - Pretty Never Hurts

Outro - When Shirts Get Tight

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Is Nü Metal the most divisive music subgenre of the 1990s? It sure seems to generate a lot of hate, but is also beloved by millions of fans. Eschewing the traditions of classic NWOBHM bands (guitar solos, leather, fist-pumping athems), Nü Metal rose from the same underground that embraced both hip-hop and mosh pits, with its own style (baggy pants, tracksuits, baseball caps) more reminiscent of Run D.M.C. than Judas Priest. In the same way that punk was a response to the bloated stylings of 70s corporate and progressive rock, Nü Metal stripped away the overindulgence of previous metal incarnations and focused on rhythm and catharsis. Bands like Korn, Papa Roach, and Linkin Park wrote about the dark underbelly of suburban home life, with varying musical approaches, while others like Slipknot, Mudvayne, and Static-X added a layer of theatrical presentation in their looks. We revisit not just the Nü Metal period, but also what came before it, bands like Anthrax and Public Enemy teaming up, the alternative approaches of Primus, Faith No More, and Rage Against The Machine, and explore the looks, the sounds and legacy of Nü Metal.

Songs In This Episode

Intro - Blind by Korn (from Korn)

17:11 - Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck by Prong (from Cleansing)

26:20 - We Care A Lot by Faith No More (from Introduce Yourself)

37:04 - Denial by Sevendust (from Home)

49:32 - Last Resort by Papa Roach (from Infest)

50:27 - Rock That Doesn't Roll / Dope Nostalgia podcast promos

58:21 - A.D.I.D.A.S. by Korn (from Life Is Peachy)

1:11:24 - 10 Seconds Down by Sugar Ray (from Lemonade and Brownies)

1:24:35 - Boom by P.O.D. (from Satellite)

Outro - Rollin' (Air Raid Vehicle) by Limp Bizkit (from Chocolate Starfish And The Hot Dog Flavored Water)

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No one would have faulted the surviving members of For Squirrels for moving on from music after the horrific accident that claimed the life of their singer, bassist, and road manager. It took years for guitarist/singer Travis Tooke and drummer Jack Griego to regroup with new bassist Andy Jim Lord under the new moniker Subrosa and land a new record deal, the end result being their 1997 lone release Never Bet The Devil Your Head. While For Squirrels drew comparisons to the college rock of R.E.M., Subrosa dials up rock, dabbling in a post-hardocre riffage while Tooke switches between a lower register singing voice and a fiery growl. Passionate but uneven, the record doesn't shy away from the past for the Tooke and Griego, who channel their catharsis in equal parts volume and melancholy.

Songs In This Episode

Intro - Never The Best

13:42 - World's Greatest Lover

23:01 - The Life Inside Me Killed This Song

28:38 - Antigen Fiend

32:33 - Dope Nostalgia Promo

34:27 - Damn The Youth

Outro - Rollercoaster

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The twin guitar attack by Adam Franklin and Jimmy Hartridge on Swervedriver's 1991 debut Raise is unlike anything else under the shoegaze umbrella. While 80s dream pop was a touchstone for many of their contemporaries, the band from Oxford, England took some American influences like Dinosaur Jr., The Stooges, Sonic Youth, and Hüsker Dü into consideration. Their sound is more aggressive, more visceral, and often more exciting, leaning into the guitar's ability to shift tones quickly without relying on a wall of noise and feedback.

Songs In This Episode:

Intro - Raise

12:10 - Sci-Flyer

17:29 - Son of Mustang Ford

25:15 - Feel So Real

Outro - Deep Seat

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It's our third year of getting the patrons together and giving thanks for the new music that gave us happiness and good vibes in 2022. There's a wide array of bands and artists, new and old, that helped make 2022 a great year for music. New albums from 1980s and 90s artists like The Afghan Whigs, Suede, Archers of Loaf, The Cult, Rammstein, The Crystal Method, The Hellacopters, and many more all released great late career records, while newer bands like The Glad Machine, Noiseheads, The Bishop's Daredevil Stunt Club, Goodbye June, and a number of others landed on our radar.

Songs In This Episode:

Intro - I'll Make You See God by The Afghan Whigs (How Do You Burn?)

11:43 - Nervous by Noise Unit (Cheeba City Blues)

26:23 - Times Like These by Soulside (A Brief Moment In The Sun)

32:44 - Magical Thinking by Sloan (Steady)

41:40 - Feed The Wound by Pig (The Merciless Light)

53:00 - October's Song by Skid Row (The Gang's All Here)

1:10:39 - Reality Spiral by Greg Puciato (Mirrorcell)

Outro - Personality Disorder by Suede (Autofiction)

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Scotland's Gun didn't make much of a dent stateside in the 80s or 90s, slightly out of tune with what was happening in mainstream. Their third album, Swagger, is aptly named, as the band is fully in control of their 80s AOR meets 90s hard rock approach. While 1994 was ground zero for grunge and alternative on US radio and MTV, Gun injected their sound with Bon Jovi big rock, Billy Idol energy, and even some Red Hot Chili Peppers funk on the questionable cover of "Word Up" by Cameo.

Songs In This Episode:

Intro - Don't Say It's Over

13:43 - Find My Way

21:59 - Something Worthwhile

31:52 - Word Up

Outro - Vicious Heart

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Formed in 1994 out of punk rock roots, Pohgoh’s poppier sounds earned the Florida band comparisons to acts like Velocity Girl and Superchunk. A split single with Braid was released in 1996 and by the time Pohgoh was ready to record a full length, singer Kobi Finley had been replaced by Susie Richardson. What should have been the start of a great relationship with the newly created label Deep Elm Records wound up dissolving quickly after drummer Keith Ulrey unceremoniously quit the band after the full length, In Memory of Bab, had been recorded but shortly before a record deal was signed. Ulrey’s departure led the band to break up in 1997 though Ulrey and Richardson’s relationship developed and the former bandmates wound up getting married in 2000. In 2016, Pohgoh reunited and two years later released Secret Club on Ulrey’s New Granada Records. An opening slot on a Jawbreaker reunion tour happened in 2019 which led to the band recording another new album, Du Und Ich, which came out in October 2022.

Songs In This Episode:

Intro - Friend X (from The Emo Diaries Chapter One: What's Mine Is Yours)

6:03 - Tell Me Truly (from In Memory of Bab)

Outro - Try Harder (from Secret Club)

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Although Chris Cornell had written solo tracks for soundtracks during the Soundgarden era, it wasn't until the band had broken up that he released his proper solo debut. 1999's Euphoria Morning is both expected and unexpected, as some songs aren't far off from "Blow Up The Outside World" or "Fell on Black Days," minus the band bombast, while others showcase his phenomenal vocal talent over folk, blues, and psychedelic turns.

Songs In This Episode:

Intro - Can't Change Me

17:15 - Moonchild

21:50 - Wave Goodbye

27:13 - Preaching The End Of The World

33:38 - Disappearing One

Outro - When I'm Down

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Lead by brothers Jag (guitarist) and Chris (drummer) Tanna, I Mother Earth made layered Latin percussion, alternative rock bombast, and hints of progressive and psychedelic rock a part of the formula from the get go. But the band comes into their own on the 1996 sophomore release Scenery and Fish, opening with Afro-Cuban-influenced percussion that weaves throughout the record. Where some bands might trim out extended jams or unexpected divergences mid-song to attract a more commercial audience, the band plants the flag with full-throated bravado that no musical stone will be left unturned.

Songs In This Episode:

Intro - One More Astronaut

12:50 - Songburst And Delirium

16:22 - Raspberry

24:41 - Pisser

29:37 - Another Sunday

Outro - Hello Dave

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On their third and final studio album, Bedhead, lead by brothers Matt and Bubba Kadane, craft an intimate record built on space and restraint. But 1998's Transaction de Novo isn't entirely a down-tempo affair, as the band pushes the sonic envelope on noisier tracks like "Extramundane" and "Psychosomatica" with mixed results. The sweet spot lies in the slowcore creep of opener "Exhume," which remains instrumental for most of its four plus minute running time, or expansive closer "The Present," which builds like an Explosions in the Sky song. The band finds new and interesting ways to stay true to their sound while tweaking it along the way.

Songs In This Episode:

Intro - Lepidoptera

10:25 - Exhume

13:48 - More Than Ever

21:54 - Extramundane

26:09 - The Present

Outro - Half-Thought

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