Altamont

Altamont
Background information
Origin	San Francisco, California, USA
Genres	Rock, Alternative Rock, Stoner Rock
Years active	1994 - Present?
Labels	Man's Ruin Records, AntAcidAudio, Valley King Records
Associated acts	Melvins, Acid King, Sawed Off, Porn (The Men Of), Shrinebuilder, Crystal Fairy, OFF!, Nirvana, Fecal Matter, Hew Time, Redd Kross
Website	Archived Home Page

Altamont are a rock band based out of California. They would be founded in 1994 initially as a side project for Melvins drummer Dale Crover and Acid King rhythm section Joey Osbourne and Dan Southwick. However, unlike the Melvins, Dale would play guitar and sing rather than play the drums. Crover has described the band as simply "a rock band" though had noted the band had been labeled as "stoner rock" due to being on Man's Ruin.

Some years after forming the band would release an EP and two studio albums through Man's Ruin Records. A third album would surface in 2005 as the trio would morph into a quartet with Toshi Kasai. The band had enough material for a fourth album recorded in 2010 though it has yet to surface. Altamont largely performed in the West Coast but would tour on occasion, often with their respective associated bands (Acid King, Melvins).

The band's name stems from the infamous Altamont Speedway Free Festival, a counterculture event hosted on 6 December 1969. Cited as "Woodstock West", the event would host a crowd of 300,000 people and end in tragedy, including the stabbing death of Meredith Hunter and three accidental deaths: two caused by a hit-and-run car accident, and one by LSD-induced drowning in an irrigation canal. Scores were injured, numerous cars were stolen and then abandoned, and there was extensive property damage.

History

Altamont would be founded in 1994. According to drummer Joey Osbourne, he would meet Dale Crover through Dan Southwick and Lori S. of Acid King and expressed interest in forming a band together. Notably, Crover would give Osbourne a set of double bass pedals that he would use for both Acid King and Altamont. Some time after forming the trio of Crover, Southwick and Osbourne would record at Big Rehab Studio in San Francisco with Billy Anderson and Aaron Nudelman, Dead or Alive would see release via Man's Ruin Records on 29 May 1997. In the Fall of 1997 the band would tour the West Coast with Acid King.

Recording in 1998 with Billy Anderson and featuring a cover of "Ezy Rider" by Jimi Hendrix, Civil War Fantasy on 9 October 1998, followed by a string of shows with Black Oak Arkansas and Honky. The band also participated in showcases for Man's Ruin and Small Stone Records. The band would contribute a cover of "Make It" by Aerosmith for the Small Stone Records tribute album Right in The Nuts - A Tribute to Aerosmith, released in 2000. Altamont would tour with Acid King and Honky in 1999 and join up with Core and Porn (The Men Of) for a string of Fall shows in 2000.

A second Altamont album, recorded by Tim Green and featuring covers of Mose Allison and Johnny Thunders, Our Darling would see release on 15 May 2001 via Man's Ruin, one of the final releases on the label. The band would play occasional shows in California, along with a 2003 West Coast tour with Melvins.

In 2005 Toshi Kasai would join the band as a second guitarist and record a third album with the band, in what would be the first produced album of The Deaf Nephews, comprised of Kasai and Crover. The Monkee's Uncle would see release on 1 November 2005 via AntAcidAudio to positive reviews of the likes of AllMusic, SF Weekly, LA Weekly, Billboard and AntiMusic among others.

Following a string of shows with Jello Biafra and The Melvins to support The Monkee's Uncle, Altamont would play occasional shows and in 2010, record new material. Altamont would sign with Valley King Records as part of a re-issue campaign. Notably the band would also release a 7" of a new song and a cover of "Transmaniacon AC" by Blue Öyster Cult, notably featuring a guest drummer in Coady Willis (Big Business) and artwork in Alan Forbes. Mrs. Creech would see release on 2 November 2013, with a release party at Bender's Bar in San Francisco with Frehley's Vomit and an art presentation of Alan Forbes and Junko Mizuno.

Valley King Records would release all three albums on picture disc vinyl, along with two split 7" picture discs in 2016. The band's activity is largely unknown, with Crover eventually forming The Dale Crover Band in 2016 along side several solo releases in conjunction with Joyful Noise Records.

Discography

Studio Albums

• Civil War Fantasy (1998, Man's Ruin Records)
• Our Darling (2001, Man's Ruin Records)
• The Monkee's Uncle (2005, AntAcidMusic)

Misc. Releases

• Dead or Alive (EP) (1997, Man's Ruin Records)
• Split with Acid King (1997, Man's Ruin Records)
• Mrs. Creech (7" Single) (2013, Valley King)
• Black Coffee / Black Hole (7" Split with The Phantom Ships) (2016, Valley King)
• Gotards Theme Song / Junkie (7" Split with Honky) (2016, Valley King)

Members

• Dale Crover - Guitar, Vocals (1994 - Present?)
• Joey Osbourne - Drums, Vocals (1994 - Present?)
• Dan Southwick - Bass (1994 - Present?)
• Toshi Kasai - Guitar, Vocals, Keyboards (2005 - Present?)
• Sasha Popovich - Drums (2005)
• Coady Willis - Drums (2010)

List of Known Tours

• Fall 1997 Tour (With Acid King) (1997)
• Fall 1998 Shows (With Honky, Black Oak Arkansas) (1998)
• 1999 North American Tour (With Acid King, Honky) (1999)
• 2000 North American Tour (Select dates with Porn (The Men Of), Core) (2000)
• 2003 West Coast Tour (With Melvins) (2003)
• Fall 2005 North American Tour (With Jello Biafra and The Melvins) (2005)

External Links

• Discogs
• Altamont on themelvins.net
• Altamont Thread on themelvins.net
• Altamont Live 2013
• Altamont Live 2016
• Altamont Live 2016