Frist band:|Laundry first formed in 1993, while Primus’ drummer, Tim Alexander, was taking a break from the road. What initially began as a side project, however, quickly evolved into something much more. From their first show in San Francisco, Laundry turned heads with their unique, heavy sound and exotic rhythms. In response to the positive attention they received, the band continued expanding and tightening their material with hopes of soon making their first recording. When Tim’s duties with Primus once again called, Laundry guitarist, Tom Butler, and stick player, Ian Varriale continued crafting new songs, ultimately completing the melodic basis for what would become Laundry’s first recording, Blacktoungue. Tim’s schedule was increasingly busy, and time, unfortunately, was not a luxury Laundry could afford. Upon his return and following a brief period of rehearsals, the entire Blacktoungue was recorded and mixed at Tim’s home studio start to finish in just a few days. This recording included fourth member singer/lyricist Tobias Hawkins. Time constraints aside, Mammoth Records deemed the finished product well worthy of release. Laundry embarked on a tour opening for Tool in order to support Blacktoungue. Playing to thousands of people completely unfamiliar with their music, they consistently won over their listeners night after night. The audience response was strong and enthusiastic toward Laundry’s thunderous drums, nasty bass, and searing electric guitar. Press reviews of Blacktoungue were equally favorable, but after just a few short weeks on the road with Laundry, it was time once again for Tim to rejoin Primus. Ian and Tom continued working together writing new material while Tim was on the road. Although they started several other projects, nothing ever materialized into a full-time band. Then, in `97, Tim and Primus finally parted ways. “I just wasn’t happy playing that kind of music anymore,” said Tim, “It wasn’t moving me. I was a little less interested in songs about made-up characters and the ‘Wynona’s Big Brown Beaver’ kind of stuff. The comic thing was getting a little old. Don’t get me wrong, I love comedy, but in music, I don’t know, you’ve got to feel it, and I just wasn’t feeling it.” Tim once again hooked up with Laundry. He decided to try singing because the original singer, Tobias Hawkins, was no longer in the band. After much soul searching and a lengthy rehearsal/trial period, Laundry realized that not only could Tim handle the vocal duties exceptionally well, but the group seemed to work creatively as a trio far better than they were able to in the past. Laundry hit the road in order to reestablish their name. Along the way, they found that audiences gave a lot of support for the new formation of the band, and being on the road helped them to tighten up their songs. In-between shows, Laundry started tracking their new material, working at Tim’s home studio, “The Log Cabin,” when time would allow, and by mid `98, they finally started recording in earnest. Working with engineer Jaquire King (Tom Waits, Citizen King) at Toast studios in San Francisco, the drums were tracked in a day. The rest of the music was recorded at The Log Cabin. Final mixes were done at Toast over the following six days, and two and a half years after Laundry regrouped Motivator was completed. Frustrated with all the chaos and bureaucracy in the music business and one corporate merger after another, Laundry started their own label, “Rinse-n-Repent Records.” Self-produced and self-released, Motivator has been steadily gaining attention throughout the world with fans and radio alike. Second band:|This Laundry was based in Seattle and produced two albums: The Well (1994) and Momentous (1996). Lead singer was Jerret Cortese who also played the double bass. Reminiscent of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds. “In Tonight” from their second album is one of their better songs. |
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