Sugartooth

Following the rise of Soundgarden during the 1990s, multiple acts pursued a comparable heavy sound reminiscent of Black Sabbath. Among them was the three-piece outfit Sugartooth, where Mark Hutner handled vocals and guitar while Josh Blum played bass, supported at different times by drummers Joey Castillo and Dusty Watson throughout their brief existence. The group’s origins trace back to the early 1990s, when Hutner and Blum first connected after leading distinct rock groups in Southern California. Amid a wave of grunge-inspired bands securing record contracts, including Candlebox, Paw, and Seven Mary Three, Sugartooth easily obtained a deal from DGC, which released their self-titled debut album in 1994. This effort yielded a minor MTV success via the song “Sold My Fortune,” and the band supported major performers such as Slayer, Supersuckers, Stone Temple Pilots, and Soundgarden on tour. As work commenced on the follow-up record, Castillo had departed, prompting Hutner and Blum to try a drum machine in place of an immediate replacement. Sugartooth ambitiously chose to build upon their grunge-oriented style by enlisting the unconventional production team known as the Dust Brothers. During these sessions, Hutner and Blum supplied music for a track the Dust Brothers were developing, titled “Tortured Man,” which eventually included vocals from Howard Stern on the soundtrack for his film Private Parts. Nevertheless, the band’s 1997 release The Sounds of Solid did not achieve significant sales, leading to their dissolution soon after.