This page is Point of Interest page 3 of the Alternative Rock, Grunge and Seattle Tour,

click here to access the main tour page and introduction.

Sub Pop Records (original location)

The 11 Story, terra cotta and brick Terminal Sales Building at 1932 1st Avenue, was the original headquarters of the Sub Pop record label, the label that is famously associated with grunge. Early on, Sub Pop cheekily referred to their modest office suite as their "World Headquarters" – which it eventually became as the grunge phenomenon swept the world. Pause for a moment in front of this iconic building and I will tell you the story of the label and its founders. I'll be talking for about 8 minutes. If you would prefer to sit while you listen, cross 1 st Avenue, there is seating at the café across from the Terminal Sales Building.

The story of Sub Pop Records is central to the narrative of grunge, since the label helped to develop and establish a sound identity for Seattle rock music that eventually transcended regional and national boundaries, to become a true global phenomenon. In 1986, the release of the compilation album Deep Six by C/Z records signaled a new, original, but as-yet unnamed Seattle alternative rock sound. Sub Pop Records was paying attention, and began to promote this unique sound and associate it with their label. With careful branding and some clever business moves, Sub Pop helped create a buzz around the Seattle music community which ultimately led to the worldwide explosion of "grunge" as an international phenomenon.

Before the Sub Pop record label was founded, co-founder Bruce Pavitt was deeply interested in punk and regional music in America. He hosted a show on a community radio station in Olympia, Washington, which he called Subterranean Pop. For the first issue of the magazine, Pavitt took a risk and sent 200 copies to a distributer that hadn't even ordered any. But his ploy worked, and he ended up getting some good feedback from readers.

In 1983, Pavitt moved to Seattle, and for 5 years he wrote a monthly column called Sub Pop in a local newspaper called The Rocket. In it, he reviewed independent music from around the country. In 1986, he put out a vinyl compilation of underground music called Sub Pop 100. This was the first incarnation of what would become the Sub Pop record label. Sub Pop 100 sold around 5000 copies, which was a huge number for the indie scene. The vinyl recording featured bands like Sonic Youth from New York, The Wipers from Portland, and The U-Men from Seattle.

When Sub Pop 100 was released, Bruce Pavitt went on a radio show called audioasis on KCMU, a publicly funded college-based radio station in Seattle hosted by Jonathon Poneman. Pavitt also had a show at KCMU called Sub Pop, in which he took a broader approach to regional music around America, whereas Poneman focused more on local music. Poneman and Pavitt knew each other, but Pavitts' appearance on Ponemans' radio show was the first time they had an extended conversation together. Pavitt became more and more interested with what was happening in Seattle, and in the spring of 1987, he put out an EP by the band Green River called Dry as a Bone. He promoted the EP as "ultra-loose grunge that destroyed the morals of a generation". After this, Pavitt was convinced that there was something really interesting happening in Seattle.

Kim Thayil of Soundgarden suggested to both Poneman and Pavitt that they should work together. Pavitt was struggling financially, but Poneman, intrigued by Soundgarden and the broader music community, provided over $15 000 in funding for Sub Pop to release the first Soundgarden single, " Hunted Down" backed with "Nothing to Say" in June 1987. Soundgarden's first EP, Screaming Life, was also backed by Poneman, and was released later that year. These investments turned Sub Pop into a fully-fledged record label. Pavitt and Poneman became partners, and by early 1988, they quit their day jobs and focused their full attention on the happening music scene in Seattle.

Sub Pop Records opened up their offices here at the Terminal Sales Building in 1988. The label released the first Mudhoney single, "Touch Me I'm Sick" with "Sweet Young Thing Ain't Sweet No More" in the summer of 1988. This garnered a huge response. In the fall of 1988, Mudhoney released their debut EP Superfuzz BigMuff, and in November, Nirvana's Love Buzz single was released. Love Buzz was very popular, but in 1989, Mudhoney was Sub Pop's most popular band.

By 1989, Jack Endino - who was producing records and singles for Sub Pop - established himself as a producer due to his unique recording techniques. The records he produced for Sub Pop helped give the label's releases a similar sound that was attractive to the bands as well as appealing to listeners. Endino was anti-perfectionistic in his recording style, he thought that records that are too slick or too perfect lose their appeal sooner or later. He tried to capture a rawer sound, believing that the "soul" of a record lays in the little imperfections. Sub Pop continued to release singles as well as full length albums. In 1989 the label released Tad's album God's Balls, followed by Nirvana's Bleach. These releases further established the distinctive Sub Pop sound.

Jack Endino at Reciprocal Recording

Disclaimer: copyright of this image rests with the original copyright holder, no infringement is intended. Image obtained from http://www.revolutioncomeandgone.com/articles/9/th...

Exactly when the g-word - "grunge" - started to be used as a descriptor for the music is up for debate, but the popularizing of grunge was largely a result of the strategic marketing and promotion skills of Sub Pop.

The 1996 documentary "Hype!" is widely regarded as an accurate account of what happened in the grunge era. In the film, Sub Pop employee Meghan Jasper said, "Seattle started getting its own identity and Sub Pop decided to exploit that". Author Justin Henderson wrote that it wasn't just a matter of the promoting or branding of Sub Pop, in that there really was something culturally unique happening in the region - but Sub Pop helped package it, promote it and sell it.

Jonathan Poneman (left) and Bruce Pavitt (right)

Disclaimer: copyright of this image rests with the original copyright holder, no infringement is intended. Image obtained from http://www.dontpaniconline.com/magazine/radar/a-hi...

Apart from the unique production techniques of Sub Pop producer Jack Endino, Sub Pop chose certain bands that fit within the aesthetic they were creating. They were interested in bands that played distorted, guitar driven music, but also who had catchy pop elements. They also promoted the image of their musicians as working class or blue collar people who rocked out wildly in cheap clothing like flannel shirts and worn jeans. According to Pavitt, they were trying to promote them as "more authentically American".

Sub Pop did something unique in the recording industry. Instead of hyping their bands, they hyped their label - which was a very different approach. Jack Endino stated that this label hype "gave their records desirability, perhaps fictional desirability, but nonetheless it made the collectors try and get a hold of these things and made people talk about them". This novel marketing approach got a lot of people talking about Sub Pop and how cool their records were.

Also of significance was the photography of Charles Peterson, who took photos of live Seattle bands for Sub Pop. His carefully composed photographs created the sense that there was a big scene happening, when in reality these early shows were often played for fewer than a dozen people, half of them members of other bands.

Disclaimer: copyright of this image rests with the original copyright holder, no infringement is intended. Image obtained from http://www.huckmagazine.com/art-and-culture/music-...

This was all part of creating an attractive and sellable image. The recording style of Jack Endino, the look of the photos, and the clothes the musicians were wearing all combined to produce a 'grunge aesthetic', which would first be associated with Sub Pop, and eventually with Seattle internationally.

Essentially, Sub Pop was trying to emulate Motown by creating a very specific regional sound identity. They created a hype machine that got fanzines across the country talking about the Seattle scene. This led to the opening of more venues for bands to play at, and increased the audiences at venues which supported the new bands. Eventually, the city of Seattle would become synonymous with Grunge.

Endino, J (interviewee). (2007). The World According to Jack Endino (2) [Interview Transcript]. Retrieved from Electronic Musician web site: http://www.emusician.com/artists/1333/the-world-ac...

empsfm. (2008, July, 18). Bruce Pavitt and Jon Poneman of Sub Pop - Starting a label [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6M_CphF4S1A

Godfrey, P. (2013). Seattle, Washington. In Howells, T (Eds.), Late Century Dream (109-155). London, United Kingdom: Black Dog Publishing Limited

Helvey, S. (Producer). & Pray, D. (Director). (November 8, 1996). Hype! [Motion Picture]. USA: Lions Gate Entertainment

Henderson, J. (2010). Grunge Seattle. California, United States of America: Roaring Forties Press

Yarm, M. (2011). Everybody loves our town. Crown Publishing: New York, USA

This work was created by Kyle Huisman

Contact: Seattlerock@outlook.com