Tumbleweed

Australia's Tumbleweed fused heavy psychedelic rock with acid-soaked hippie textures and riff-heavy guitar tones rooted in the 1970s. That combination helped the Wollongong-formed group ride the grunge surge, cresting when they opened for Nirvana during the American band's only Australian trek. Originally named Proton Energy Pills after the Roger Ramjet television series, the band landed a deal with independent Waterfront Records, who urged them to replace frontman Dave Curley and adopt a new moniker to mark the shift. Richard Lewis moved from drums to lead vocals, Steve O'Brien joined on drums, Paul Hausmeister stayed on guitar, and Dave's brothers Lenny Curley and Jay Curley continued on guitar and bass.

Waterfront recruited Mudhoney singer Mark Arm—widely credited with coining the term “grunge”—to helm a single and brokered a licensing arrangement with Atlantic Records for U.S. distribution. Atlantic gathered the group’s early recordings into the compilation Weedseed, funded tours of England and America, financed two videos, and covered the sessions for the proper debut. Pressed by the label’s timetable, the musicians later expressed dissatisfaction with 1992’s Tumbleweed, yet the album entered the Australian chart at number 39 and secured the Nirvana support slot. Atlantic remained unconvinced and declined to issue the record abroad.

Following the departure of their first manager after clashes with Hausmeister and O’Brien, Polydor purchased the Waterfront contract. Under the new imprint the band tracked 1995’s Galactaphonic, which improved on its predecessor by debuting at number six. Still unpersuaded, Atlantic withheld overseas release; the group’s subsequent manager flew to New York to persuade the label to terminate the agreement. In 1996 the remaining members dismissed both Hausmeister and O’Brien, installing Dave Achille on guitar and Nik Rieth on drums for Return to Earth. Jay Curley was later asked to depart and replaced by Phil Lally, who appeared on the final release, 2000’s Mumbo Jumbo.