EARLY
1987
Alice
in Chains forms in Seattle.
APRIL
1989
After
being pursued by several record companies, Alice signs with Columbia, after
learning Mitch Miller was no longer head of A&R.
JUNE
1990
Columbia
releases the band’s first EP, We Die Young.
AUGUST
1990
Alice
in Chains’ debut album, Facelift, is released. “We Die Young” becomes Top
5 metal track.
SEPTEMBER
1990
First
U.S. tour date at Marquee Club in Westminster, CA. An overflow crowd of
20 elbows its way in.
OCTOBER
1990
Band
sells out New York’s Cat Club for Halloween.
NOVEMBER
1990
Alice
tours with Iggy Pop, introduces songs “Dirt” and “Rooster” to audiences,
who don’t give a flying f**k.
DECEMBER
1990
Band
sells out Moore Theater in Seattle. Concert filmed by acclaimed director
Josh Taft, and later becomes Live Facelift, the band’s home video release.
JANUARY
1991
Band
nominated for American Music Award for Favorite Heavy Metal Artist. They
lose.
Alice
films movie debut, playing part of sleazy bar band in Cameron Crowe’s film,
Singles. They perform the song “Would?” Oscar buzz begins on the set. “Man
In The Box” is released, and makes an interminable 26- week climb into
the Top 20. Video plays on MTV for 16 weeks.
FEBRUARY
1991
Band
tours Europe with Megadeth. They’re nominated for a Grammy for Best Heavy
Metal Performance. They lose again.
MAY
1991
“Clash
Of The Titans” Tour with Slayer, Anthrax, and Megadeth commences. Band
debuts the song “Would?” at Starplex in Dallas -- the crowd responds by
tearing up the Grassy Knoll. The famed “Combo-pack,” pairing the
Facelift album with the Live Facelift home video, is released. The album
charts for the first time, nine months after its release.
AUGUST
1991 through JANUARY 1992
Band
tours with Van Halen. Eddie thinks the band needs some wardrobe tips and
buys everyone new Doc Martens and plaid shirts (including some for himself).
AUGUST
1991
Alice
makes national network television debut on ABC-TV’s “In Concert” Show.
They rock.
SEPTEMBER
1991
Jerry
Cantrell blows his chance for rock immortality when, while skydiving with
Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine, his parachute opens, and he lands safely. Facelift
certified gold.
NOVEMBER
1991
Alice
in Chains records SAP, their second EP. Album title comes from a dream
Sean Kinney has in which, at a press conference, he announces the band’s
new album is titled “Sap.” Band decides not to mess with fate.
DECEMBER
1991
Hunting
in the woods with his brother, Jerry Cantrell believes November has 31
days - he misses December 1st concert with Van Halen. Columbia buys him
a pocket calculator for Christmas. Alice in Chains voted Best New
Band in readers’ polls in RIP Magazine and Guitar For the Practicing Musician.
MARCH
1992
Alice
plays congenial hosts to the nation as they take “Entertainment Tonight”
on a visual tour of the Seattle music scene - pool halls, rock clubs, and
other revered dens of decadence.
APRIL
1992
Recording
begins on the new album Dirt, with Dave Jerden and the band co-producing.
They record through June.
JUNE
1992
Sean
Kinney redecorates his apartment by throwing his coffee table out the window.
AUGUST
1992
“Would?”
becomes Alice In Chains’ biggest AOR hit to-date, setting the stage for
Dirt.
SEPTEMBER
1992
Dirt
is released. Written entirely by the band, Dirt paves a grim descent into
a fine and private hell. Clearly, Alice in Chains is on a collision course
with some dark destiny.
Layne
runs over himself while popping a wheelie with his 4-wheel ATV - breaks
his foot but not his spirit. Undaunted, he completes Ozzy Osbourne tour
in wheelchair and on crutches, never missing a date.
JANUARY
1993
Band
performs at two massive festivals in South America. Mike Starr reaches
the top of the mountain, then retires. Bassist Mike Inez joins, causing
music world to engage in “Bewitched”-style debate: who was the better Darren?
FEBRUARY
1993
European
headline club tour gets underway. Several European countries dissolve into
civil war.
APRIL
1993
Alice
returns to U.S. to record songs “A Little Bitter” and “What The Hell Have
I” for soundtrack to Last Action Hero. Band predicts film will be top box
office champ of all time.
JUNE
through AUGUST 1993
Alice
heads out on “Lollapalooza ‘93,” the tour of the year. Joining them are
Fishbone, Primus, Tool, Rage Against the Machine, Dinosaur Jr., Arrested
Development, and Babes in Toyland. Reportedly, Winger was squeezed
out of the line-up.
SEPTEMBER
1993
At
the end of Lollapalooza, band members evicted from residence. Layne
thought Jerry was gonna pay the rent. Jerry thought Sean would. Sean thought
Mike would... Band moves to London Bridge Studio in Seattle - lonely, depressed,
bored. While in studio, over a seven-day period Alice writes, produces
and records new 7-song EP inspired by previous effort, SAP. Songs include
“Rotten Apple,” “Nutshell,” “I Stay Away,” “No Excuses,” “Whale and Wasp,”
“Don’t Follow,” and “Swing On This.” Band rushes to release EP before Stone
Temple Pilots can get their own rumored acoustic EP out.
Band
names EP Jar Of Flies, after Jerry’s famous high school science lab experiment:
two jars of flies, one with food, the other without. The flies without
food ate each other (Jerry’s lifelong career indecision between music and
entomology is settled on the spot).
DECEMBER
1993
Power
fails at Jerry’s house. He is trapped in home for two days because automatic
garage door fails to open. Guitarist nearly starves to death because electric
can opener also not working. He writes 20 more songs. Cantrell later rescued
by ski patrol. Dirt certified double-platinum.
JANUARY
1994
SAP
certified gold. Jar Of Flies unscrewed.
FEBRUARY
1994
Jar
Of Flies debuts at #1 on Billboard album chart, the first and only EP ever
to reach #1.
MARCH
1994
The
E.P.’s first single, “No Excuses,” reaches #1 on all key album radio airplay
charts, setting the record for most spins in one week.
APRIL
1994
The
second single, “I Stay Away,” is released. The video of the song features
not Alice In Chains but an amazing Claymation simulation.
OCTOBER
1994
Mike
Inez plays on Slash’s Snake Pit 5:00 A.M. Somewhere. Finds pace with Slash
too slow; returns to warm bosom of Alice in Chains.
NOVEMBER
1994
Layne
Staley begins work with Mike McCready, Barrett Martin, and Mysterious Baker
on a band initially known as Gacy Gang, but soon becomes Mad Season. Album
released in March of 1995. Single “River of Deceit” becomes a Top 5 Alternative
hit. Album certified gold in May 1995.
MARCH
1995
Jerry
Cantrell records “I’ve Seen All This World I Care To See” for the Willie
Nelson tribute album Twisted Willie.
APRIL
1995
Layne,
Jerry, Mike and Sean descend into Bad Animals studio to begin sessions
for what will become ALICE IN CHAINS. Toby Wright (Corrosion of Conformity,
Slayer) produces.
JULY
1995
Sean
Kinney plays with Johnny Cash on “Time of the Preacher” for the Willie
Nelson album. For some reason, Cash keeps calling Sean “Sue.”
OCTOBER
1995
“Grind,”
the first track from ALICE IN CHAINS, leaks to radio prematurely, causing
feeding frenzy of radio programmers nationwide.
OCTOBER
6, 1995
“Grind”
delivered to radio via satellite uplink to stem excessive spread of taped
copies of song.
OCTOBER
31, 1995
To
celebrate Halloween properly, the band releases ALICE IN CHAINS in vinyl
edition.
NOVEMBER
7, 1995
ALICE
IN CHAINS is released on CD and cassette. A new era of hard pleasures begins.
NOVEMBER
25, 1995
ALICE
IN CHAINS debuts at #1 on the Billboard Top 200 album chart.
JANUARY
2, 1996
ALICE
IN CHAINS certified gold and platinum by the RIAA.
APRIL
10, 1996
Alice
In Chains tape a performance for “MTV Unplugged” at the Brooklyn Academy
of Music’s Majestic Theater. During the group’s first live appearance since
January 7, 1994, Alice In Chains debuts a new song, “Killer Is Me.”
JUNE
28, 1996
Alice
In Chains warms up the KISS army in Detroit’s Tiger Stadium on opening
night of the KISS reunion tour. Alice goes on to play three more shows
on the KISS tour (Louisville, June 30; St. Louis, July 2; Kansas City,
July 3).
JULY
30, 1996
Unplugged
is released. It turns RIAA platinum a month later.
SEPTEMBER
4, 1996
Alice
In Chains is nominated for Best Hard Rock Video at the MTV Music Video
Awards. They lose.
MARCH
31, 1997
Jerry
Cantrell releases his debut album Boggy Depot. It features Sean Kinney
on drums, as well as Mike Inez and Les Claypool on bass.
OCTOBER
1998
Alice
In Chains record “Died” and “Get Born Again.”
JUNE
29, 1999
Alice
In Chains releases “Nothing Safe - Best Of The Box”
Fan
Biography
Alice
in Chains is a hard rock/alternative grunge band that was formed in 1987
in Seattle, Washington. The line up consisting of Layne Staley (Vocals),
Jerry Cantrell (Guitars), Mike Starr (Bass), Sean Kinney (Drums). I like
to call their music style "heroin rock", because of its gloomy sound and
Layne Stanely's excessive drug use. After being pursued by many labels
because of their popularity in Seattle, and the fact that record companies
were trying to cash in on the popularity of the new grunge scene
started by Nirvana, Alice got signed by Columbia Records. Their first
album 'Facelift' was released. They begin touring with bands such
as Iggy Pop, Megadeth, Slayer, Anthrax, and Van Halen while continuing
to build popularity with their hit single "Man in the Box". which was being
played constantly on MTV. The band then released their second E.P. in 1992
and named it SAP after a dream the drummer had.
The
Band got heavy promotion from radio airplay, MTV, and television at this
time. They were giving interviews and were nominated for several awards.
They begin work on their second release called 'Dirt'. The Album was released
in September of 1992 and debuted on the billboard charts at #6. Many feel
that this album was there best release with such explosive sounds as 'Them
Bones', 'Dam the River', 'Rain When I Die', 'Rooster', 'Would' and 'God
Smack'. While On tour with Ozzy Osbourne to promote their album
Layne broke his foot on a ATV but continued the tour on crutches. Next
in 1993, Alice in Chains went to Rio to join Brazil's Hollywood Festival.
The bass player quit the band because he couldn't handle the band's tour
schedule so Alice in Chains recruited Ozzy's Mike Inez to join the Chains'.
1993's
Lollapooza Tour featured Alice in Chains and after that they toured six
continents on the 'Down In a Hole' tour. They recorded an E.P of
acoustic songs between these two tours. The E.P. 'Jar of Flies' hit
#1 on the Billboard charts on it's release. The band recorded and released
their third Studio self titled album in 1995 with contained the hit songs
'Grind', and Heaven Beside You'. The Album debuted on Billboard at #1.
After doing promo for the album and various T.V. appearances the band opened
for KISS on their KISS n' Makeup tour (1996/1997).
No
one is really sure what the future of Alice in Chains holds. It is known
that Jerry has released his first solo album called 'Boggy Depot'. Rumors
of the bands break up, due to Layne's drug use, have been floating around
but are not confirmed. Their music has progressed to make them one of the
best bands in their league.
Writing by Brian Aguilar
