Melvins at the Raccoon Motel -- September 19.
Friday, September 19, 7 p.m.
Raccoon Motel, 315 East Second Street, Davenport IA
Led by rock legend Buzz Osborne, who has been touring with his band for 42 years, and boasting the sterling musicianship of drummer Dale Grover, bassist Steven Shane McDonald, and drummer Coady Willis, the sludge-metal and hardcore-punk musicians of Melvins return to Davenport's Raccoon Motel on September 19 in support of their April release Thunderball, an album that, according to AllMusic, "confirms they haven't finished challenging themselves or their audience, not by a long shot."
Ranked number two on Metal Injection's list of “10 Heaviest Grunge Bands,” Melvins were formed in early 1983 by guitarist Osborne, bassist Matt Lukin, and drummer Mike Dillard, all of whom attended Montesano Jr. and Sr. High School in Montesano, Washington. Though they initially played covers by the likes of Jimi Hendrix and Cream, original music was recorded for Melvins' 1986 EP debut Six Songs, and in December of that year, the group recorded its first full-length album Gluey Porch Treatments for California's Alchemy Records. By the early 1990s, Melvins had begun to tour internationally in between recording albums such as 1991's Bullhead and 1992's Lysol. And after Nirvana's Nevermind became an unexpectedly massive success, Melvins were among many groups to benefit from that band's support, having been an early inspiration for a young Kurt Cobain. They were consequently signed by Atlnatic Records, and their first major label release, 1993's Houdini, entered the Billboard Heatseekers Chart at number 29.
To date, the Melvins' extraordinary musical legacy and longevity have resulted in 34 studio albums, 12 live albums, 11 compilation albums, and 20 EPs, with the band's 2018 recording Pinkus Abortion Technician inspiring MetalNexus.net to rave that “everything they put out is binge-worthy material,” with the artists themselves described as “the godfathers of sludge as well as grunge.” Released the year prior, A Walk with Love & Death was cited by the River Cities' Reader's Max Allison as an album that “exemplifies the elements that keep fans coming back for more: the capacity to lose oneself in the thrill of their riffs and to head-bang in the pit, juxtaposed against the need to take a step back, scratch your head, and follow along with their strange, nearly illogical decisions to confound and experiment.”
Meanwhile, Melvins are currently touring in support of their 2025 recording Thunderball, which sinpired Sean Millard of Louder Than War to rave, "I think that Thunderball establishes a new bar for Melvins to beat. Far from being in the twilight of their career, this one feels like it might just be their Best shot at a new dawn." Comparing the album to Tarantula Heart, Blabbermouth described it as "cut from the same cloth, but with an even greater dedication to gnarly, doomed-out riffing, and a woozy, psychedelic streak a mile wide." And Ultimate Classic Rock stated, "Thunderball is undoubtedly a Melvins record, as persistent, uncompromising and victorious as anything they've done over the past 40 years."
Melvins play their Davenport engagement on September 19 with an opening set by Redd Kross, admission to the 7 p.m. concert event is $41.23, and more information and tickets are available by visiting TheRaccoonMotel.com.
