Tad

Among the leading Seattle grunge acts, Tad ranked as arguably the heaviest, forging a thunderous, plodding grind rooted far more in 1970s metal than in punk and laced with noise-rock textures. Their sound proved less melodic and radio-friendly than that of the scene’s biggest names, instead flattening everything before it and helping explain why they became the final locally formed group on Sub Pop’s grunge roster to land a major-label contract. Although the entire lineup adopted the look of Northwestern lumberjacks, the redneck persona centered on 300-pound singer-guitarist Tad Doyle; press materials routinely highlighted his earlier work as a butcher, and his lyrics frequently lampooned regional white-trash mores, even though he and the band’s original members all held college degrees. Over time the group’s approach incorporated varying degrees of melody, yet the music remained consistently loud, punishing, and heavy, so that the waning of grunge ultimately dragged the band down as well.

Tad formed in Seattle in 1988 when vocalist-guitarist Tad Doyle, born Thomas A. Doyle in Boise, Idaho, and bassist Kurt Danielson, both veterans of Bundle of Hiss, recruited guitarist Gary Thorstensen, formerly of Treeclimbers, and ex-Skin Yard drummer Steve Wied. Doyle had already cut the solo single “Daisy” b/w “Ritual Device,” playing every instrument and singing every part; Sub Pop issued the 7-inch and promptly signed the new quartet. Their debut album, the ferocious God’s Balls, appeared in 1989 under the guidance of producer Jack Endino, who had previously collaborated with Wied in Skin Yard. Tracks such as “Satan’s Chainsaw,” “Pork Chop,” and “Nipple Belt” crystallized the band’s collective identity, and Tad backed Nirvana on the Bleach tour. The 1990 EP Salt Lick was tracked in three days in Chicago with Steve Albini at the controls.

After extensive roadwork, including European jaunts alongside labelmates Nirvana and Mudhoney, the band had stockpiled enough songs for a third release. Switching producers once more, they delivered their most tuneful Sub Pop effort, 8-Way Santa, under Butch Vig’s supervision in 1991; the album yielded the wry single “Jack Pepsi.” The original sleeve, however, soon embroiled both Tad and Sub Pop in litigation: a thrift-store photograph of a hippie man fondling a woman’s breast had been used without permission, prompting the subject to sue and forcing Sub Pop to withdraw and re-cover the record. Around the same period the “Jack Pepsi” single’s parody of the Pepsi-Cola logo drew a lawsuit from the beverage company, further impeding the album’s momentum.

Despite these legal setbacks, Tad cultivated a growing cult audience, aided by Doyle’s brief appearance in Cameron Crowe’s Seattle romantic comedy Singles, in which the band’s song “Jinx” was featured though excluded from the soundtrack album. Warner Bros. subsidiary Giant offered the group a major-label deal, yet Wied departed before sessions for the next record began. After touring briefly with Rey Washam of Scratch Acid on drums, Josh Sinder, formerly of hardcore outfit the Accused, joined full-time for Tad’s Giant debut, Inhaler. Produced by Dinosaur Jr.’s J Mascis and released in 1993, the album failed to elevate the band to wider success even after an opening slot on Soundgarden’s tour. Additional friction arose when Giant objected to a promotional poster depicting Bill Clinton holding a joint beneath the caption “This is heavy sh*t.”

Giant dropped the band, and Thorstensen exited in 1994, leaving a trio. The remaining members cut the live-in-the-studio retrospective Live Alien Broadcasts for MCA-distributed Futurist Records in 1995. A third major-label opportunity arrived via Elektra subsidiary EastWest, which issued Infrared Riding Hood later that year. The A&R executive who had signed them was dismissed midway through recording, however, and the label promptly dropped every act the executive had brought aboard; Tad learned of their dismissal the same week the album reached stores. With scant promotion the record vanished quickly.

Unsigned once more, the band issued two independent singles and continued performing for several years. Sinder left in 1997 to join Willard and was replaced by ex-Foil drummer Mike Mongrain. Tad finally disbanded in 1998. Danielson subsequently played with the Screaming Trees/Mudhoney side project Valis, while Doyle formed Hog Molly, whose album Kung-Fu Cocktail Grip appeared in 2001. Hog Molly dissolved soon afterward, and Doyle briefly fronted the short-lived group Hoof. In 2008 he launched Brothers of the Sonic Cloth, which became a steady presence on the Seattle rock scene. At a 2013 Seattle festival marking Sub Pop’s 25th anniversary, Brothers of the Sonic Cloth brought Thorstensen onstage for a selection of Tad’s best-known songs. In 2016 Sub Pop released expanded, Jack Endino-remastered editions of God’s Balls, Salt Lick, and 8-Way Santa.