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Discogs
Artist Biography by Michael Sutton
Fetchin Bones missed the boat. Grungy years before
grunge became an international phenomenon, Fetchin Bones wrote the
blueprint for loud, metal-fueled, and female-led alternative groups like
L7 and Hole to eventually reconstruct and take to the masses. Once
college-radio all-stars, Fetchin Bones became forgotten left-of-the-dial
pioneers, probably because their bluesy, American hard-rock sound
polarized the mostly British tastes of campus programmers in the mid to
late ‘80s. Featuring vocalist Hope Nicholls, guitarist Gary White,
bassist Danna Pentes, and drummer Marc Mueller, Fetchin Bones'
country-fried metallic bombast originated in North Carolina. The band
debuted in 1985 with Cabin Flounder, which merely hinted at the melodic
din the group would eventually create, highlighted by Nicholls'
powerhouse voice, which recalled Janis Joplin in its dirty intensity.
Under the guidance of producer Don Dixon, Fetchin Bones found an
appreciative crowd on college radio. By 1987's Galaxy 500, White and
Mueller were replaced by Errol Stewart and Clay Richardson, also marking
a stylistic shift as Fetchin Bones drifted more towards straightforward
rock with a funky edge; it was certainly accessible enough for FM
radio, but the band would never find such commercial success. The
group's last album, 1989's Monster, was released too early; if it had
come out in 1992, this collection of raw, hook-driven heavy metal with a
punk sensibility would've fit in somewhere between Nirvana and Jane's
Addiction on the big alternative radio stations. The head-banging fury
of "Love Crushing" certainly had as much guitar crunch and sonic boom
than any of the flannel rock in the early ‘90s. Monster solidified their
following on campus stations and had the glossy production and amp
power for a mainstream breakthrough. Instead, the album was a bust, and
the band broke up. Nicholls then formed Sugarsmack with her husband,
guitarist Aaron Pitkin, releasing Top Loader in 1993 on an independent
label before signing with Sire Records. Fetchin Bones' contributions to
the alternative rock scene are largely neglected. They were a truly
underrated group that didn't hit it big when they should've and quickly
slipped from the radar once their best shot for platinum failed to
strike the target.
Tracklist
1 | Love Crushing | 3:13 |
2 | Say The Word | 3:25 |
3 | (I Feel Like An) Astronaut | 4:06 |
4 | Deep Blue | 3:12 |
5 | I Dig You | 3:02 |
6 | Mr. Bad | 3:25 |
7 | You're So Much | 3:41 |
8 | Bonework | 2:22 |
9 | Spot | 3:09 |
10 | Cross | 3:41 |