By – Jackie Lo

I’ve always heard of similarities in the Pacific Northwest and the South. We’re remote and tours sometimes don’t stop here. It feels as if no one is paying attention to the scenes yet we are rich with these little gems that feel untouched and ours. There’s a DIY, pull yourself up by your bootstraps kind of mentality and you must make your own fun because otherwise, there’s no place for the creative minds. I’ve felt that for as long as I can remember. Hell, I’m still doing and living it today. But what happens when people start to take notice? What happens when your peers and friends in bands make it to the highest level possible? What happens if everything you thought was true changes in the snap of a finger? Most of the South may never know this level of insanity when grunge changed Seattle in what seemed overnight but Mudhoney, integral in the creation of the genre, was front and center for the ride.

Mudhoney has remained a faithful companion to me and my playlists for as long as I can remember and being a teenager in the 90s, the grunge movement was the soundtrack of my adolescence. I saw Mudhoney at Saturn back in 2019, a whopping 31 years after they formed, and as I was looking back through the photos from that night I remembered the energy they brought to the stage. They looked like they were having the time of their life, and I absolutely loved everything about it and wanted to know their secret. I needed to know more. So, when I found out about the book Mud Ride written by the guitarist of Mudhoney, Steve Turner, I was intrigued to read a first-hand account of one of my favorite bands during one of my favorite times in music.

Steve takes you on a journey through his life and lets you in on who he is outside and inside his music journey. From schools to skateboarding to his bands Mr. Epp & The Calculations, Green River, The Monkeywrench, The Thrown Ups and, of course, Mudhoney, his honesty is refreshing, and he doesn’t hold back in telling you what he liked and didn’t like even calling himself out when he was being a dick. As a guitarist that loves fuzz pedals, I loved hearing about his gear nerdom and his discovery and collection of the Superfuzz and Big Muff pedals, guitars, amps, and what he used when recording some of my favorite albums.

There are so many friends that make this journey interesting. From Charles Peterson’s photography to The Melvins to Sonic Youth and Soundgarden to the folks at Sub Pop. You’ll travel the world and find out what it was like to tour with Nirvana (especially what it was like right after they hit it big) vs. touring with Pearl Jam. You’ll go to Kurt’s house after his death because Courtney wants you to take a guitar. You’ll get gold records from having songs on the Singles Soundtrack and by working with Sir Mix-a-Lot on a song for the Judgement Night Soundtrack…two of my favorite soundtracks. You’ll lose friends and family along the way and watch your friends struggle with heroin. You’ll start a label and get back to skateboarding. You’ll write solo albums and go back on tour, collect obscure records, rediscover your taste in music, become a parent and work at figuring out life. It’s all there in this book and it’s great.