Willard was an American

metal A metal () is a material that, when polished or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electrical resistivity and conductivity, electricity and thermal conductivity, heat relatively well. These properties are all associated wit ...

band from

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

, formed around 1989. They were a part of the

grunge Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock Music genre, genre and subculture that emerged during the in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington, particularly in Seattle and Music of Olympia, Washington, O ...

music scene of the late 1980s and early 1990s.

History

Mark Spiders, Otis P. Otis, and Darren Peters were in a band named Sunshine alongside vocalist Faye West and drummer

Patty Schemel Patricia Theresa Schemel (born April 24, 1967) is an American drummer and musician who rose to prominence as the drummer of alternative rock band Hole from 1992 until 1998. Born in Los Angeles, Schemel was raised in rural Marysville, Washington, ...

. They self-released one EP in 1989, ''Spread the Love'', followed by a disbandment. Schemel would later go on to join the band

Hole A hole is an opening in or through a particular medium, usually a solid Body (physics), body. Holes occur through natural and artificial processes, and may be useful for various purposes, or may represent a problem needing to be addressed in m ...

while Spiders, Otis, and Peters formed Willard. The lineup was expanded with Johnny Clint on vocals and Steve Wied, who departed from the band Tad shortly after joining Willard, on drums. Otis was also an early member of Napalm Beach while Clint and Peters played in H-Hour. Willard initially released a self-titled EP on Green Gel Records in 1991. Jeff Gilbert, and Tad Doyle were then instrumental in Willard's record deal with

Roadrunner Records Roadrunner Records is a Dutch–American record label focused on Heavy metal music, heavy metal and hard rock music. Founded in the Netherlands in 1980, it is now a division of Warner Music Group and is based in New York City. Formerly seen as ...

, which resulted in the ''

Steel Mill A steel mill or steelworks is an industrial plant for the manufacture of steel. It may be an integrated steel works carrying out all steps of steelmaking from smelting iron ore to rolled product, but may also be a plant where steel semi-fini ...

'' album in 1992, produced by

Jack Endino Jack Endino (born Michael M. Giacondino; 1964) is an American producer and musician based in Seattle, Washington. Long associated with Seattle label Sub Pop and the grunge movement, Endino worked on seminal albums from bands including Mudhoney, ...

. Gilbert called Willard the "drunkest band in Seattle" in his ''

Rocket A rocket (from , and so named for its shape) is a vehicle that uses jet propulsion to accelerate without using any surrounding air. A rocket engine produces thrust by reaction to exhaust expelled at high speed. Rocket engines work entirely ...

'' article.Brenda Herrmann, "''Willard: Steel Mill''", ''

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'', December 17, 1992, Sec. Tempo, p. 7 They toured alongside bands such as White Zombie,

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, and the

Melvins Melvins (sometimes the Melvins) are an American rock band formed in 1983 in Montesano, Washington. Their early work was key to the development of both grunge and sludge metal. Primarily a trio, they have also performed as a quartet, with eith ...

(another band which drew comparisons to Willard). After performing an outdoor show for the "Pain in the Grass" Festival at the

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, Willard was banned from further performances by the Seattle Police Department and the City of Seattle, resulting in band shirts displaying "Banned by the SPD". Willard recorded eleven songs in November 1993, followed by the departure of Peters. He was replaced on bass by Tyson Garcia. The band drastically reduced their activity, and the recorded tracks were not released. They eventually disbanded in 1995. The songs from November 1993 were eventually transferred from 2" tape to digital by Stuart Hallerman at Avast!. Guitarist Spiders and Aaron Skok mixed the songs, and Black Guitar Records published the album, ''Underground'', in 2018. Otis and Spiders currently play guitars in Smoke It And See with two members of Green Apple Quick Step, MariAnn Braeden - vocals and bass, and Geoff Reading - drums.

Band members

* Johnny Clint – vocals (1989–1995) * Mark Spiders – guitars (1989–1995) * Otis P. Otis – guitars (1989–1995) * Steve Wied – drums (1989–1995) * Darren Peters – bass (1989–1994) * Tyson Garcia – bass (1994–1995)

Discography

Full releases * ''Willard EP'' (Green Gel Records, 1991) *''

'' (

, 1992) * ''Underground'' (Black Guitar Records, 2018) Appearances *''Roadrunner Records Promo PR063'' features "Sweet Kali" (Roadrunner Records, 1992) * ''Metal Detector CD Metal Monsters'' features "Stain" (FMBQ, 1992) *''Best of Grunge Rock'' features "Fifteen" (

Priority Records Priority Records is an American distribution company and record label known for artists including N.W.A, Ice Cube, MC Ren, Eazy-E, Master P, Snoop Dogg, Mos Def, Silkk the Shocker, Jay-Z, Paris, Mack 10, 504 Boyz, Brotha Lynch Hung, ...

, 1993) * ''Seattle Music Scene Volume 2'' features demo version of "Larry" from ''ABV Sessions'' (Insight Records, 1994)

References

{{Authority control American grunge groups Musical groups from Seattle Musical groups established in 1989 Musical groups disestablished in 1992 1989 establishments in Washington (state)