Biography
Malfunkshun, alongside Green River, is routinely acknowledged as one of the originators of the Pacific Northwest grunge wave that surfaced in the early 1990s. Although numerous subsequent Seattle figures pursued mainstream rock success, the group and its magnetic frontman Andrew Wood harbored explicit goals of arena-scale stardom. Their music nevertheless fused heavy metal’s memorable riffs and soaring choruses with punk attitude, shaping many of the era’s eventual grunge headliners.
During the mid-1980s the band attracted notice chiefly through Wood’s flamboyant stage persona, that of a glammed-out rock deity blending Marc Bolan and Jim Morrison. Each member assumed an onstage alter ego: guitarist Kevin Wood, Andrew’s older brother, became Kevinstein; drummer Regan Hagar became Thundarr; and Andrew performed as Landrew the Love Child. By the middle of the decade Andrew leaned heavily on drugs to sustain this fabricated rock-star identity and to offset his natural shyness; he entered rehab in 1985, yet his substance issues continued.
In 1986 Malfunkshun appeared on the C/Z Records compilation Deep Six alongside five other acts. The band’s tracks “With Yo Heart (Not Yo Hands)” and “Stars-n-You” shared the release with material from Green River, the Melvins, Soundgarden, the U-Men, and Skin Yard, an album now regarded as the earliest recorded evidence of grunge. The resulting exposure led to opening slots for local Seattle acts including Soundgarden, the U-Men, and Skin Yard.
Malfunkshun dissolved by late 1987 and early 1988. Andrew remained in Seattle, spending considerable time with former Green River members Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament, who would later form Pearl Jam. Such overlapping memberships typified the tightly interwoven Seattle scene. The trio occasionally performed covers as Lords of the Wasteland while developing original material that would become the basis for Mother Love Bone, the group they formed in 1988. Andrew Wood died of a heroin overdose in March 1990, shortly before Mother Love Bone’s major-label debut Apple was scheduled for release.
Although Malfunkshun never issued a proper studio album, Return to Olympus—a collection of eight-track demos plus Andrew’s four-track recordings—appeared in 1995 on Stone Gossard’s Loosegroove label. Ten years later the documentary Malfunkshun: The Andrew Wood Story began its festival run, premiering at the Seattle International Film Festival; it reached home video in 2011 as part of a Hip-O Select box set of the same name, which also contained the Return to Olympus disc and additional unreleased Andrew Wood recordings. Originally issued in 2006 by Kevin Wood & from the North, the 2017 EMP edition Monument presented new songs written and performed by Kevin Wood, Regan Hagar, bassist Cory Kane, and vocalist Shawn Smith, set to lyrics by the late Andrew Wood.
During the mid-1980s the band attracted notice chiefly through Wood’s flamboyant stage persona, that of a glammed-out rock deity blending Marc Bolan and Jim Morrison. Each member assumed an onstage alter ego: guitarist Kevin Wood, Andrew’s older brother, became Kevinstein; drummer Regan Hagar became Thundarr; and Andrew performed as Landrew the Love Child. By the middle of the decade Andrew leaned heavily on drugs to sustain this fabricated rock-star identity and to offset his natural shyness; he entered rehab in 1985, yet his substance issues continued.
In 1986 Malfunkshun appeared on the C/Z Records compilation Deep Six alongside five other acts. The band’s tracks “With Yo Heart (Not Yo Hands)” and “Stars-n-You” shared the release with material from Green River, the Melvins, Soundgarden, the U-Men, and Skin Yard, an album now regarded as the earliest recorded evidence of grunge. The resulting exposure led to opening slots for local Seattle acts including Soundgarden, the U-Men, and Skin Yard.
Malfunkshun dissolved by late 1987 and early 1988. Andrew remained in Seattle, spending considerable time with former Green River members Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament, who would later form Pearl Jam. Such overlapping memberships typified the tightly interwoven Seattle scene. The trio occasionally performed covers as Lords of the Wasteland while developing original material that would become the basis for Mother Love Bone, the group they formed in 1988. Andrew Wood died of a heroin overdose in March 1990, shortly before Mother Love Bone’s major-label debut Apple was scheduled for release.
Although Malfunkshun never issued a proper studio album, Return to Olympus—a collection of eight-track demos plus Andrew’s four-track recordings—appeared in 1995 on Stone Gossard’s Loosegroove label. Ten years later the documentary Malfunkshun: The Andrew Wood Story began its festival run, premiering at the Seattle International Film Festival; it reached home video in 2011 as part of a Hip-O Select box set of the same name, which also contained the Return to Olympus disc and additional unreleased Andrew Wood recordings. Originally issued in 2006 by Kevin Wood & from the North, the 2017 EMP edition Monument presented new songs written and performed by Kevin Wood, Regan Hagar, bassist Cory Kane, and vocalist Shawn Smith, set to lyrics by the late Andrew Wood.
Albums
Singles
