Come is an American

alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...

band, formed in Boston by Thalia Zedek (vocals, guitar),

Chris Brokaw Chris Brokaw (born August 1, 1964) is an American musician, best known for his work with the bands Come (American band), Come and Codeine (band), Codeine. Life and career While studying at Oberlin College, Brokaw met many people who became figu ...

(guitar, vocals), Arthur Johnson (drums), and Sean O'Brien (bass).

Band history and reception

Come came into being after a mutual acquaintance invited Brokaw, O'Brien, and Johnson to play with him. Brokaw was playing drums with

Codeine Codeine is an opiate and prodrug of morphine mainly used to treat pain, coughing, and diarrhea. It is also commonly used as a recreational drug. It is found naturally in the sap of the opium poppy, ''Papaver somniferum''. It is typically use ...

, Johnson had previously drummed for

Athens, Georgia Athens is a consolidated city-county in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. Downtown Athens lies about northeast of downtown Atlanta. The University of Georgia, the state's flagship public university and an Research I university, ...

, band Bar-B-Q Killers, and O'Brien had played with two other 1980s Athens bands, Kilkenny Cats and Fashion Battery. After playing one show together, Brokaw, O'Brien, and Johnson decided to split off into their own project and invited Thalia Zedek to join them. Zedek had played in the bands Uzi and Dangerous Birds and had met and befriended Brokaw in the mid-1980s. Her most recent band at the time, the post-no wave

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

band

Live Skull Live Skull is a post-punk/experimental rock band from New York City, formed in 1982. In an overview of their abrasive no wave-influenced music, ''Trouser Press'' said, "As part of the same New York avant-noisy scene that spawned Sonic Youth, Ly ...

, had disbanded in 1990 and Brokaw and Zedek had been talking about playing together. In 1991, Come released the 12-inch single "Car", a seven-minute epic in the post-punk, blues-noir style of The Birthday Party,

These Immortal Souls These Immortal Souls were an Australian post-punk band formed in London in 1987 by Harry Howard on bass guitar, his older brother Rowland S. Howard on guitar and vocals, Epic Soundtracks (a.k.a. Kevin Godfrey) on drums (all three ex- Crime & ...

, and

The Gun Club The Gun Club were an American post-punk band from Los Angeles that existed from 1979 to 1996. Created and led by singer-songwriter and guitarist Jeffrey Lee Pierce, they were notable as one of the first bands in the punk rock subculture to i ...

, on

Sub Pop Sub Pop is an independent record label founded in 1986 by Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman. Sub Pop achieved fame in the early 1990s for signing Seattle bands such as Nirvana (band), Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Mudhoney, central players in the gru ...

. ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spin (physics) or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles * Spin quantum number, a number which defines the value of a particle's spin * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thr ...

'' wrote that it "delivers all the satisfaction of... the definitive Hendrix box set." The release encapsulated what was to become Come's trademark style: thematically dark, emotionally intense, and lengthy songs marked by Zedek's distressed vocals, abrupt rhythms, and the tension-filled guitar interplay between Zedek and Brokaw. Even before the release of its first album, the band received critical praise. ''Spin'' called the band "ferocious, bending a head-on adrenaline rush into a staggering blues crawl, churning noise-damage into aching melody, and letting it fall apart", adding that Come was "poised on the brink of the big time." In 1992, Come released its debut album, '' 11:11'', on

Matador Records Matador Records is an independent record label, with a roster of mainly indie rock, but also punk rock, experimental rock, alternative rock, and electronic acts. History Matador was created in 1989 by Chris Lombardi in his New York City ap ...

. ''11:11'' received acclaim from both the independent and established media, with David Browne from ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...

'' characterizing it as "enthralling, like watching someone howl into a rainstorm." After the release of ''11:11,'' Brokaw left Codeine, devoting himself full-time to Come. Come received praise from Dinosaur Jr.'s lead singer

J. Mascis Joseph Donald Mascis Jr. (born December 10, 1965), better known as J Mascis, is an American musician who is the singer, guitarist and main songwriter for the alternative rock band Dinosaur Jr. He has also released several albums as a solo artist ...

Hüsker Dü Hüsker Dü () was an American punk rock band formed in Saint Paul, Minnesota in 1979. The band's continuous members were guitarist/vocalist Bob Mould, bassist Greg Norton, and drummer/vocalist Grant Hart. They first gained notability as a hardc ...

Bob Mould Robert Arthur Mould (born October 16, 1960) is an American musician, principally known for his work as guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter for alternative rock bands Hüsker Dü in the 1980s and Sugar (American band), Sugar in the 1990s. Early ...

, Chavez's guitarist

Matt Sweeney Matt Sweeney (born July 2, 1969) is an American musician and record producer best known as a guitarist of Skunk, Chavez, and supergroup Zwan. Early life and education Sweeney was born in New Jersey. His father was John D. Sweeney, a profess ...

, and

Nirvana Nirvana, in the Indian religions (Jainism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism), is the concept of an individual's passions being extinguished as the ultimate state of salvation, release, or liberation from suffering ('' duḥkha'') and from the ...

's frontman

Kurt Cobain Kurt Donald Cobain (February 20, 1967 – ) was an American musician. He was the lead vocalist, guitarist, primary songwriter, and a founding member of the grunge band Nirvana (band), Nirvana. Through his angsty songwriting and anti-establis ...

, among many others, with Indigo Girls'

Amy Ray Amy Elizabeth Ray (born April 12, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter and member of the contemporary folk duo Indigo Girls with Emily Saliers. She also pursues a solo career, releasing ten albums under her own name, and founded the independent ...

lauding Zedek's voice, describing it as an "old

Marlene Dietrich Marie Magdalene "Marlene" DietrichBorn as Maria Magdalena, not Marie Magdalene, according to Dietrich's biography by her daughter, Maria Riva ; however, Dietrich's biography by Charlotte Chandler cites "Marie Magdalene" as her birth name . (, ; ...

film"

Cell Cell most often refers to: * Cell (biology), the functional basic unit of life * Cellphone, a phone connected to a cellular network * Clandestine cell, a penetration-resistant form of a secret or outlawed organization * Electrochemical cell, a de ...

guitarist Jerry DiRienzo praised their ability to "

ridge A ridge is a long, narrow, elevated geomorphologic landform, structural feature, or a combination of both separated from the surrounding terrain by steep sides. The sides of a ridge slope away from a narrow top, the crest or ridgecrest, wi ...

the masculine and feminine." Come at Club W71 13

Come's second album, ''

Don't Ask, Don't Tell "Don't ask, don't tell" (DADT) was the official United States policy on Sexual orientation in the United States military, military service of homosexual people. Instituted during the Presidency of Bill Clinton, Clinton administration, the pol ...

'', was released in 1994. It was calmer than its predecessor but still grave. Among the highlights of the album were the two dark ballads, "Let's Get Lost" and "Arrive," each closing a side of the vinyl edition. Johnson and O'Brien left the band after ''

'' to pursue other careers. The next album, the short '' Near-Life Experience'', was recorded with a number of different musicians, including drummer

Mac McNeilly Carey Folk McNeilly Jr (born March 12, 1960), better known as Mac McNeilly, is an American musician, best known as the drummer for The Jesus Lizard. He also played drums in bands P.W. Long's Reelfoot, 86, Mouse, Come, Nadja, and played bass i ...

the Jesus Lizard The Jesus Lizard is an American Rock music, rock band formed in 1987 in Austin, Texas by vocalist David Yow, guitarist Duane Denison and bassist David Wm. Sims. They relocated to Chicago, Illinois, in 1989, where they found kindred spirits in ...

and Bundy K. Brown of

Tortoise Tortoises ( ) are reptiles of the family Testudinidae of the order Testudines (Latin for "tortoise"). Like other turtles, tortoises have a shell to protect from predation and other threats. The shell in tortoises is generally hard, and like o ...

. In 1998, Come released the 66-minute ''

Gently, Down The Stream ''Gently, Down The Stream'' is the fourth and final album by Boston indie rock band Come. History Recorded and mixed by Paul Q. Kolderie at Fort Apache in 1997 during the month of June and released in early February 1998, ''Gently, Down the S ...

'', which mirrored the energy of ''Near Life Experience'' but featured a more fluent integrated soundscape and included the stand-out track "Saints Around My Neck." Zedek and Brokaw took a break after ''Gently, Down the Stream'' and each went on to release multiple solo albums. They performed together on a few occasions to play some Come songs live but never reconvened to create a new album. Since the start of its unofficial break, Come has performed several reunion gigs. On November 11, 2007, Brokaw and Zedek came together for a two-song set, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Middle East Club in Cambridge, which had been the site of Come's last performance. A year later, in November 2008, a full band reunion occurred when the ''Gently, Down the Stream'' line-up of the band came together for a one-off performance in Castellón, Spain, as part of that year's Tanned Tin Festival. They performed songs from their entire discography. In 2010 and 2011, the original line-up of Come sporadically re-united to play a number of shows, including a set at the TraniWreck festival in

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is a suburb in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, located directly across the Charles River from Boston. The city's population as of the 2020 United States census, ...

, featuring songs exclusively from its first two albums and the "Car" EP. In early 2013, it was announced that there would be a small international tour with the original band line-up to commemorate the 20th anniversary of '' 11:11''. The tour took place in May and June 2013, in support of the re-issue of Come's debut album. Throughout its career, Come has supported and toured with

Sonic Youth Sonic Youth were an American rock band formed in New York City in 1981. Founding members Kim Gordon (bass, vocals, guitar), Thurston Moore (lead guitar, vocals) and Lee Ranaldo (rhythm guitar, vocals) remained together for the entire history of ...

Sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecul ...

, Dinosaur Jr. and many other seminal 1990s rock bands.

Members

* Thalia Zedek – lead vocals, rhythm guitar (1990–2001, 2013–present) *

– lead guitar, backing vocals (1990–2001, 2013–present) *Sean O'Brien – bass (1990–1995, 2013–present) *Arthur Johnson – drums (1990–1995, 2013–present)

Former members

ImageSize = width:800 height:auto barincrement:30 PlotArea = left:100 bottom:60 top:0 right:50 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1990 till:10/07/2022 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Colors = id:Vocals value:red legend:Lead_vocals,_rhythm_guitar id:Guitars value:green legend:Lead_guitar,_backing_vocals id:Bass value:blue legend:Bass id:Drums value: orange legend:Drums id:Lines value:black legend:Studio album id:bars value:gray(0.85) Legend = orientation:horizontal position:bottom BackgroundColors = bars:bars ScaleMajor = increment:3 start:1990 ScaleMinor = unit:year increment:1 start:1990 LineData = at:12/01/1992 color:black layer:back at:10/01/1994 color:black layer:back at:05/21/1996 color:black layer:back at:02/10/1998 color:black layer:back at:05/21/2013 color:black layer:back BarData = bar:Zedek text:"Thalia Zedek" bar:Brokaw text:"Chris Brokaw" bar:O'Brien text:"Sean O'Brien" bar:Bramen text:"Winston Bramen" bar:Johnson text:"Arthur Johnson" bar:Coughlin text:"Daniel Coughlin" PlotData= width:10 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4) bar:Zedek from:01/01/1990 till:01/01/2001 color:Vocals bar:Zedek from:01/01/2013 till:10/07/2022 color:Vocals bar:Brokaw from:01/01/1990 till:01/01/2001 color:Guitars bar:Brokaw from:01/01/2013 till:10/07/2022 color:Guitars bar:O'Brien from:01/01/1990 till:01/01/1995 color:Bass bar:O'Brien from:01/01/2013 till:10/07/2022 color:Bass bar:Bramen from:01/01/1997 till:01/01/2001 color:Bass bar:Johnson from:01/01/1990 till:01/01/1995 color:Drums bar:Johnson from:01/01/2013 till:10/07/2022 color:Drums bar:Coughlin from:01/01/1997 till:01/01/2001 color:Drums

Discography

Albums

*'' 11:11'' (

/Placebo, 1992; Reissue: Matador Records, 2013) *''

'' (Matador Records/

Beggars Banquet Records Beggars Banquet Records is a British independent record label. Beggars Banquet started as a chain of record shops owned by Martin Mills and Nick Austin and is part of the Beggars Group of labels. History In 1977, spurred by the prevailing D ...

, 1994; Reissue:

Fire Records Fire Records was an American independent record label, set up in 1959 by Bobby Robinson. Amongst others, it released records by Lightnin' Hopkins, Elmore James, Buster Brown and Arthur Crudup. At one point it was thought Fire had issued the l ...

, 2021) *'' Near-Life Experience'' (Matador Records/ Domino Records, 1996) *''

Gently, Down the Stream ''Gently, Down The Stream'' is the fourth and final album by Boston indie rock band Come. History Recorded and mixed by Paul Q. Kolderie at Fort Apache in 1997 during the month of June and released in early February 1998, ''Gently, Down the S ...

'' (Matador Records/Domino Records, 1998) *''

Peel Sessions John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), better known as John Peel, was an English radio presenter and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original disc jockeys on BBC Radio 1, broadcasting regularly from ...

'' (Fire Records, 2022)

Singles

* "Car" - 7" (

, 1991) featuring "Car"* and "Last Mistake"* (August installment of Sub Pop's Singles Club) * "Car" - 12"/CD (

, 1991) featuring "Car,"* "Last Mistake,"* and "Submerge"* (original pre-album version) * "Fast Piss Blues" - 7" (

/Placebo, 1992) featuring "Fast Piss Blues" and "I Got the Blues" * "Fast Piss Blues" - 10"/CD (

/Placebo, 1992) featuring "Fast Piss Blues," "I Got the Blues," and "Brand New Vein" * "Wrong Side" - 7"/CD (

, 1994) featuring "Wrong Side," "Loin of the Surf"* (cover of

Swell Maps Swell Maps was an English experimental DIY, early punk and post-punk rock group from Birmingham, England active in various forms between 1972 and 1980. Influenced by bands such as T. Rex and German krautrock groups such as Can and Faust, ...

), and "SVK"* (note: SVK is short for "Sharon Vs Karen" ) * "In/Out" - 7" (

, 1994) featuring "In/Out" and "Yr Reign" (limited edition promo vinyl) * "String" - 10" (

, 1995) featuring "String," "Who Jumped In My Grave,"* "German Song,"* and "Angelhead"* * "String" - CD (

, 1995) featuring "String," "German Song,"* "Fast Piss Blues," and "City Of Fun (Peel Session)"* (BBC radio session cover of

The Only Ones The Only Ones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1976, whose original band members are Peter Perrett, Alan Mair, John Perry (musician), John Perry and Mike Kellie, they first disbanded in 1982. They were associated with pu ...

) * "Secret Number" - 10"/CD (

/ Domino Records, 1996) featuring "Secret Number," "Prize,"* and "Hurricane II"* (piano version of Near-Life Experience's opening track) * "Preaching the Blues B/W Sex Beat" - (

Chunklet In computer science, constrained clustering is a class of semi-supervised learning algorithms. Typically, constrained clustering incorporates either a set of must-link constraints, cannot-link constraints, or both, with a data clustering Cluste ...

, 2021) attributed to "Come (AKA the Come Club)," an homage to

, who originally recorded both songs (* indicates track unavailable on any Come album)

Contributions to compilations

* "Car" on ''Afternoon Delight!: Love Songs From Sub Pop'' (

, 1992) * "Orbit" on ''Altered States Of America'' (Lime Lizard, 1993) * "Fast Piss Blues" on ''Independent ²⁰ Volume 16'' (Beechwood Music, 1993) * "Fast Piss Blues" on ''The Beggars Banquet Collection'' (

, 1993) * "City of Fun" (BBC radio Peel session cover of

) on ''Volume Eight Compilation'' (Volume, England, 1993) * "Submerge" on ''The Day We Killed Grunge'' (

Caroline Records Caroline Records is a record label that was founded in 1973. Founded in the United Kingdom to showcase British progressive rock groups, the label ceased releasing titles in 1976 and then re-emerged in the United States in 1986. The label rel ...

, 1994) * "In/Out" on ''Cortex Sampler'' (Cortex, 1994) * "Wrong Side" on ''Play It! Vol. 3'' (PIAS Benelux, 1994) * "Wrong Side" on ''Rough Trade: Music For The 90's, Vol. 6'' (

Rough Trade Rough Trade may refer to: *Rough Trade (shops), London record stores *Rough Trade Records, a record label from the stores *Rough Trade Books, a publishing house from the label *Rough Trade (band), a Canadian new wave rock band * "Rough Trade" (''Am ...

, 1994) * "String" on ''The Day We Exhumed Disco'' (Caroline Records, 1994) * "String" on ''Menú'' (Everlasting Records, 1995) * "Off to One Side" on '' This Is Fort Apache'' ( MCA, 1995) * "Cimarron"* (recorded Jul-1995) on ''Ain't Nuthin' But a She Thing'' (

London Records London Recordings (or London Records and London Music Stream) is a British record label that marketed records in the United States, Canada, and Latin America for Decca Records from 1947 to 1980 before becoming semi-independent. The London nam ...

, 1995) * "Weak as the Moon" on ''Audio Compilation'' (Audio Magazine

reece Reece derives from the Welsh name Rhys. It may refer to: * Reece (name), people with the given name or surname * Reece, Kansas, United States, an unincorporated community * Mount Reece, Antarctic Peninsula * Reece Valley, Queen Maud Land, Antartic ...

1996) * "Brand New Vein (radio session)"* (recorded 17-Sept-1991) on ''Pipeline! Live Boston Rock on WMBR'' (Kimchee, 1996) * "In/Out" and "Strike"* (recorded Nov-1995) on ''What's Up Matador'' (

, 1997) * "Madroad Driving..."* (with

Johnny Depp John Christopher Depp II (born June 9, 1963) is an American actor and musician. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Johnny Depp, multiple accolades, including a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for ...

) on '' Kerouac: Kicks Joy Darkness'' (

Rykodisc Rykodisc is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, operating as a unit of WMG's Independent Label Group and distributed through Alternative Distribution Alliance. History Claiming to be the first CD-only independent record label ...

, 1997) * "Hurricane II" on ''Hits Hurt'' (Domino, 1997) * "Recidivist" on ''The Sell Texas To Mexico Fund-Raising CD'' (Matador, 1997) * "String" on ''Twenty-one Years Of Beggars Banquet Records'' ( PIAS/Beggars Banquet, 1998) * "Hurricane (acoustic radio session)"* (recorded Mar-1998) on ''Drinking From Puddles: A Radio History Compilation'' (

Kill Rock Stars Kill Rock Stars is an independent record label founded in February 1991 by Slim Moon and Tinuviel Sampson, and based in both Olympia, Washington, and Portland, Oregon. The label has released a variety of work in different genres, but it was orig ...

, 1999) * "Do You Love Me?"* (recorded Oct-1999) on ''Knitting On The Roof - Songs from 'Fiddler On The Roof'' (

Knitting Factory The Knitting Factory is a nightclub in New York City that features eclectic music and entertainment and is co-owned and co-operated by Knitting Factory Entertainment. After opening in 1987, various other locations were opened in the United Stat ...

, 1999) (Voice & Clarinet: Thalia Zedek, Voice & Guitar – Chris Brokaw) * " I Got The Blues" on ''Gimme Shelter Vol. 1'' (

Uncut Magazine ''Uncut'' is a monthly magazine based in London. It is available across the English-speaking world, and focuses on music, but also includes film and books sections. A DVD magazine under the ''Uncut'' brand was published quarterly from 2005 to 2006 ...

, 2002) * "Fast Piss Blues," "String," and "New Coat (live)"* (recorded 1999) on the ''Matador At 21'' box-set (Matador, 2010) (* indicates track unavailable on any Come album or single)

Non-album tracks

* "Car" * "Last Mistake" * "Submerge" (original pre-album version) * "Brand New Vein" (radio session) * "SVK" * "Loin of the Surf" (

cover) * "City Of Fun" eel Session(

cover) * "Who Jumped In My Grave" * "Angelhead" * "Cimarron" * "Strike" * "Prize" * "Hurricane II" (piano version) * "Hurricane" (acoustic radio session) * "Madroad Driving..." (with

) * "Do You Love Me?" * "New Coat" (live) * "Clockface" (live)

Music videos

* "Car" (1991) Directed by Julie Hardin * "Submerge" (1992) Directed by

Jesse Peretz Jesse Peretz (born May 19, 1968) is an American film and television director, TV producer and former musician. He first rose to prominence as a bass guitarist and founding member of The Lemonheads, a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based band that form ...

* "String" (1994) Directed by

Sadie Benning Sadie T. Benning (born April 11, 1973) is an American artist, who has worked primarily in video, painting, drawing, sculpture, photography and sound. Benning creates experimental films and explores a variety of themes including surveillance, ge ...

* "In/Out" (1994) Co-directed by Julie Hardin and Amanda P. Cole * "German Song" (1995) Directed by

* "Cimarron" (1995) Directed by

Sophie Muller Sophie Luise Elisabeth Muller (born 31 January 1962) is an English music video director who has directed over 300 music videos. She won a Grammy Award for Annie Lennox's 1992 ''Diva'' video album, and an MTV Video Music Award for Lennox's song " ...

References

External links

Come biography on Matador's website

Come 2013 band interview on Quietus looking back at the band's history
* Come entry on Allmusic website
Come entry on TrouserPress website

Video of Come's first public performance

Thalia Zedek page on Matador's website

Chris Brokaw's official website

Thalia Zedek fan site
*
Come at MySpace.com

Listings of Come's two BBC Radio Peel Sessions
{{DEFAULTSORT:Come Alternative rock groups from Massachusetts American blues rock musical groups American musical quintets Indie rock musical groups from Massachusetts Musical groups from Boston Musical groups established in 1990 Musical groups disestablished in 2001 Musical groups reestablished in 2008 Musical groups reestablished in 2010 Musical groups disestablished in 2011 Musical groups reestablished in 2013