15 January 2012

THE 90S

-THE ONLY 90S MUSIC NEWSLETTER

Jeff Buckley, Born 1966, November 17. Died 1997, May 29

Jeff Buckley-A Tribute to his life.

By Oliver Maslen

Jeff Buckley was born in Anaheim, California. He was born to a single mother, as his father had left her just before he was born. His biological father was Tim Buckley was a JazzCountry musician, and this was to have an impact on his later life as when Tim Buckley died in 1981, Jeff changed his name from Jeff Scott Moorhead (Moorhead being his Stepfathers name), to Jeff Buckley. During his upbringing he was constantly exposed to music, and there was a lot of music in his family. His mother was a trained pianist and cellist. And his stepfather showed him many of the large rock bands of that era. And at the age of 12 he decided that he wanted to become a musician. So, when he left High-School he went

North to Hollywood to attend a one year course at the Musicians institute. He left for Los Angeles after this and was a number of groups, including reggae and punk bands. Finding that he was going nowhere at the moment he moved to New York in 1990. He didnt have much luck here either and moved back to Los Angeles to meet Herb Cohen, who was his dads former manager. For a long time Jeff had fought off offers from record companies, as he believed it was their fault that his father was dead. Eventually though Cohen and Buckley recorded a demo tape. This was to showcase Jeff s talents and attract record companies. That year Jeff ew to New York again to play at a tribute

concert in Brooklyn. It was a tribute concert to Tim Buckley. Here he sang a number of his fathers songs, and a attracted attention from people who liked his voice and guitar playing. He played also with an experimental guitarist in the band he played with called Gary Lucas. He was later to have a relationship with Lucas in which they wrote Grace and Mojo Pin as well as others. This was Buckleys rst big break into the musical industry. Buckley became a regular at the Sin- club in Manhattan. Here he slowly attracted more and more people, playing both covers and songs he had written himself. Slowly he attracted record labels as well, eager to sign him.

THE 90S 15 January 2012

Jeff Buckley Continued from page 1

Eventually he signed with Columbia Records. When he was recording his rst (and last) studio album Grace, producer Andy Wallace was assigned. Wallace had mixed Nirvanas Nevermind which became a multiplatinum album. So, after a few weeks of rehearsing, Buckley had assembled a band with which he went to Bearsville Studios in Woodstock, New York to record what would become Grace. Buckley later recorded overdubs, slight additions and corrections to the songs in a studio. Such as perfecting the vocals and adding extra instruments. It was slow starting when rst released but went on to become a gold-album in many countries such as the US and France, and also became Platinum. He went touring internationally to promote Grace. He played at several venues including Glastonbury, CBGBs Maxwells, the Bataclan, Metro, Paris Olympia, Mercury Lounge. In 1966 Buckley started to write for a second studio album called My Sweetheart the Drunk, and for this the producer was Tom Verlaine who Buckley had asked to be producer for this album. In mind-1996 they started recording in Manhattan with Verlaine for this album, with a large change of line up to the standard band. There was another recording session at the beginning of 1997 but Buckley and the band were not happy with it and it was not considered nished. Buckley stayed to work on the songs and sent the rest of

I don't write my music for Sony. I write it for the people who are screaming down the road crying to a full-blast stereo.
Leo Praesen

the band away to return later that year on May 29th. On that evening the band ew in to record with Buckley the next day. That same evening Buckley went swimming in Wolf River Harbor, which is a channel of the Mississippi. Buckley had been swimming there before, and while listening to Whole Lotta Love by Led Zeppelin, went swimming fully clothed, and with his boots on. He drowned when sucked down by the wake of a passing tugboat. his body was found on June 4th. When an autopsy was performed, it was found that he was under no inuence of drugs or alcohol and that Jeff was in a completely sound state of mind when he drowned. And so it was said to be a completely accidental, tragic drowning.

Even after his death, a number of records were released posthumously such as the songs from the album that he was to record the following day of his death. This was released as Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk. Since then he has still had success in the charts with his cover of Leonard Cohens Hallelujah, through Awareness of this song being raised by X Factor and American Idol. In this way Buckley nally achieved a Billboard No.1. R.I.P. Jeff Buckley 1966 November 171997 May 29

Alice In Chains' New Album Due In September on Virgin/ EMI

Alice In Chains have signed with Virgin/ EMI and will release their rst album with new singer William DuVall, the Los Angeles Times reports. The still-untitled record is due out in mid-September. The LP will be the great grunge band's rst of new material since 1995's Alice In Chains, which featured singer Layne Staley, who died of a drug overdose in 2002. DuVall, who previously fronted the band Comes With the Fall, became Alice in Chains' new lead singer in 2005.

(The '90s are back! Look at who's reuniting and returning here.) "I can tell you that some amazing songs were written and recorded. From the heaviest riff-dripping gut puncher to the most sadly beautiful song I think this band has ever recorded, I honestly believe that this album will return Alice In Chains to the top of the hard rock heap," a post on the band's ofcial Website reads. Earlier this month Alice in Chains revealed they had completed recording the new album. "Hopefully these new songs will strike a chord and make a similar impact on all of you out there that were moved by this band in the rst place," the post goes on to say.

By Daniel Kreps

The Alice in Chains Band