| Mike Dillard | |
|---|---|
 Dillard (Center) with the Melvins 1983 lineup. | |
| Background information | |
| Birth Name | Mike Dillard |
| Born | 1965 |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Genres | Hardcore Punk, Sludge Metal, Grunge, Experimental Rock |
| Instrument(s) | Drums, Vocals |
| Years active | 1983 - 1984, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2019 - Present |
| Labels | Alternative Tentacles, Ipecac, Amphetamine Reptile Records |
| Associated acts | Melvins, Fecal Matter |
Mike Dillard is a drummer from Montesano, Washington and notably one of the founding members of The Melvins. Along with the Melvins he performed briefly in Kurt Cobain's pre-Nirvana band Fecal Matter. His tenure with the original band would be relatively short lived, only recording demos intended for an album at the time. Dillard would return to the band in 2008 and perform with the band on sporadic occasions, along with contributing to three full-length albums since his return.
Biography[]
Mike Dillard joined the Melvins with founding members Buzz Osborne and Matt Lukin in 1983, performing a handful of shows and recording a demo (The only recordings of the original lineup) to send to labels for interest but no label was interested in the Melvins until roughly 1986. He would leave the band in 1984 and was replaced by Dale Crover. In 1986 he briefly played in Kurt Cobain's first band, Fecal Matter, before they disbanded. After his short tenure in Fecal Matter he'd remain in Washington state to raise a family.
Matt-Alec - Melvins
Melvins - Mangled Demos from 1983 - 17 - Bibulous Confabulation During Rehearsal
The demo recordings of Osborne/Lukin/Dillard have been bootlegged and a couple tracks appeared on compilations such as Singles 1-12 and Neither Here Nor There. In 2005, Alternative Tentacles and Ipecac would release a collection of all of the recordings of the original lineup in the form of Mangled Demos From 1983.
Melvins @ GAMH 6-17-08 "Matt-Alec" and "Snake Appeal"
Melvins "Matt-Alec" Boston, Ma 5-16-09 in HD
The Melvins - "Walter" w. Mike Dillard (Live @ Spaceland 1-14-11)
Melvins 8.17.13 Neumos Seattle. Mike Dillard. Hula Hoop.
In 2008, Dillard returned to play songs from Mangled Demos live with Buzz Osborne and Dale Crover (on bass) under the name "Melvins 1983", his first performances with the band in 25 years. They collectively played a few shows, including two shows to celebrate Jello Biafra's 50th birthday and an appearance at the ATP "Nightmare Before Christmas" festival later that year. The Melvins 1983 lineup also performed for the first of three sets on the bands 25th Anniversary tour in 2009 and on one of the Spaceland Residency sets at the Spaceland venue in Los Angeles in 2011. Notably, Dillard also performed in 2013 with the band on sporadic dates on the Pop-O-Pie's cover of "Fascists Eat Donuts".
In 2012, The Melvins would release the 1983 EP featuring Dillard on drums, his first recordings with the band in nearly thirty years. A single entitled Gaylord would follow the next year along with the full-length album Tres Cabrones in November 2013.
In September 2015, the Melvins 1983 released the Beer Hippy EP on AmRep. All four tracks will appear on the 2016 album Basses Loaded on Ipecac Recordings. Dillard also appears in the Melvins documentary The Colossus of Destiny: A Melvins Tale. He would contribute new recordings to a 2020 EP entitled Mullet, which would later be part of a new full-length in 2021's Working With God.
Personal Life[]
Mike Dillard still lives in Washington state with his family and according to Buzz, has a union job which is the main reason his appearances at shows are sporadic.
Bands[]
- Melvins - Drums (1983-1984, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2020) (As part of Melvins 1983)
- Fecal Matter - Drums (1986)
Discography[]
With Melvins[]
- It's Shoved / Forgotten Principles (1996, Amphetamine Reptile Records) (Recorded 1983)
- Singles 1-12 (Track 10; Disc 1) (1997, Ammphetamine Reptile Records)
- Neither Here Nor There (Track 13) (2004, Ipecac)
- Mangled Demos From 1983 (2005, Alternative Tentacles) (Recorded 1983)
- 1983 (2012, Amphetamine Reptile Records)
- Gaylord (2013, Amphetamine Reptile Records)
- 2013 Invasion (Split with Helmet) (2013, Amphetamine Reptile Records)
- Tres Cabrones (2013, Ipecac Recordings)
- I Told You I Was Crazy / Tie My Pecker To A Tree (2013, Amphetamine Reptile Records)
- Sugar Daddy Split Vol. 11 (2014, Amphetamine Reptile Records)
- Beer Hippy (2015, Amphetamine Reptile Records)
- Basses Loaded (Tracks 3, 7, 11, 12) (2016, Ipecac Recordings)
- The Colossus of Destiny: A Melvins Tale (2017)
- Mullet (2020, Amphetamine Reptile Records)
- Working With God (2021, Ipecac Recordings)