Hazel was 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 based in

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

. The band was a quartet, consisting of

Jody Bleyle Team Dresch is an American punk rock band originally formed in 1993 in Olympia, Washington. History In 1993, Donna Dresch formed Team Dresch with herself playing guitar and bass, Jody Bleyle on guitar and vocals, Kaia Wilson on guitar and v ...

(drums and vocals), Pete Krebs (guitar and vocals), Brady Smith (bass), and Fred Nemo (dancer). It lasted from 1992 to 1997.

History

Formation, style

The group was formed on February 14, 1992. Although based in the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (PNW; ) is a geographic region in Western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though no official boundary exists, the most common ...

and active during 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 ...

movement in rock music, Hazel's music was different from most grunge in that it featured both male and female vocals as well as a more melodic sound that could be described as

noise pop Noise pop is a subgenre of alternative and indie rock that developed in the mid-1980s in the United Kingdom and United States. It is defined by its mixture of dissonant noise or feedback with the songcraft more often found in pop music. Shoegaz ...

. Hazel's music was not particularly intricate musically, relying on a few chords, sheer energy (many songs being played at breakneck speed), and vocal intensity. Rather than singing together in harmony, Krebs and Bleyle often sang completely different parts that answered or intertwined with one another. The majority of lyrics dealt with problems regarding relationships, including the regret and resentment following a breakup ("Everybody's Best Friend") or the anxiety felt while attempting to begin a relationship ("Day-Glo"). The group was also notable for featuring the dancer Fred Nemo as a full member. Often dressed in fanciful costumes, Nemo, a tall, bearded man, cavorted crazily about the stage, climbing atop speaker cabinets and swinging heavy objects through the air.

Albums

Cavity Search Records Cavity Search Records is a record label in Portland, Oregon, which was formed in 1992 by Christopher Cooper and Denny Swofford. Pete Krebs' debut solo record "Brigadier" released on CSR in 1995. Elliott Smith's debut record "Roman Candle" releas ...

was founded as a small, independent

record label "Big Three" music labels A record label or record company is a brand or trademark of Sound recording and reproduction, music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a Music publisher, ...

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

. Later in 1992, Hazel's "J. Hell" b/w "Day-Glo"/"Joe Louis Punchout" was the first single the label released. The group released two full-length albums, ''Toreador of Love'' and '' Are You Going to Eat That'' on the

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 ...

label. A five-song EP on Candy-Ass/Caroline, '' Airiana'', was their last release in 1997. Intermittently plagued by personality conflicts, Hazel formally broke up on February 13, 1997, following their last show in their hometown of Portland, Oregon, though they generally have played a couple of shows a year since then.

Post-dissolution

As of 2005, Nemo performs with

Tara Jane O'Neil Tara Jane O'Neil (born November 22, 1972) (surname sometimes written as "ONeil"; sometimes credited as TJO) is an American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, audio recording engineer, and visual artist based out of Los Angeles, California, Unite ...

and works as a bicycle activist in Portland. Krebs, also living in Portland, teaches guitar and performs with a wide assortment of ensembles. Bleyle, now based in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, continues to perform around the United States, including reunion shows with punk band

Team Dresch Team Dresch is an American punk rock band originally formed in 1993 in Olympia, Washington. History In 1993, Donna Dresch formed Team Dresch with herself playing guitar and bass, Jody Bleyle on guitar and vocals, Kaia Wilson on guitar and voc ...

; Family Outing, a duo with her brother Allen; touring with

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 ...

of the

Indigo Girls Indigo Girls are an American folk rock music duet (music), duo from Atlanta, Georgia, United States, consisting of Amy Ray and Emily Saliers. The two met in Primary school, elementary school and began performing together as Secondary school, hig ...

; and singing jazz standards in L.A. dives. Smith was the founding principal of Validus Preparatory Academy, a public high school in

The Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. He was the principal of Beacon High School in New York City from 2020 until 2023.

Members

(drums and vocals) * Pete Krebs (guitar and vocals) *Brady Smith (bass) *Fred Nemo (dancer)

Discography

Studio albums

*'' Toreador of Love'' (

, 1993) *'' Are You Going to Eat That'' (Sub Pop, 1995)

Other albums

*''Lucky Dog'' (Sub Pop, 1993) (Promo album, commercially released as ''Toreador of Love'') *''Live in Portland'' ( Voodoo Doughnut Recordings/

, 2016) (Live album of two concerts recorded in 1993)

Singles and EPs

*"Heida" b/w "Pop Uncle" ( Candy-Ass Records, 1992) *"J. Hell" b/w "Day-Glo"/"Joe Louis Punchout" (Cavity Search Records, 1992) *"Day-Glo" b/w "Constipation" (Sub Pop, 1993) (Promo single) *"Jilted" b/w "Truly" (Sub Pop, 1993) (also released as a 12" single by Sub Pop in 1993 in Germany, with "Jilted"/"Truly" on the A side and "Gilly's Legs"/"Constipation" on the B side) *"Blank Florida" b/w "Motor Sport Daredevils" ( Pacific Wonderland Records, 1994) *"Wintogreen" b/w "King Twist" (Cavity Search Records, 1994) *''Airiana'' EP (Candy-Ass Records, 1997) *"Romeo" b/w "Incendiary" (Candy-Ass Records, 1997) (Split single with Ovarian Trolley)

References

External links

Hazel page from Sub Pop sitemonkeychicken
(includes Hazel archive; maintained by Fred Nemo)
"Dayglo" music video (from "Toreador of Love")
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hazel 1992 establishments in Oregon 1997 disestablishments in Oregon Rock music groups from Oregon Cavity Search Records artists American grunge groups Indie rock musical groups from Oregon Musical groups established in 1992 Musical groups disestablished in 1997 Musical groups from Portland, Oregon Musical quartets from Oregon Sub Pop artists