Sponge

Biography

Sponge was one of the most underrated groups within the post-grunge growth from the mid-’90s. If they were together with their video game — as evidenced from the strikes “Plowed” and “Molly (Sixteen Candles)” — the band’s tunes experienced a knack for jangly riffs and catchy, anthemic hard rock and roll hooks, despite becoming wrapped within the fuzzy guitars and brooding seriousness that typified grunge music. Sponge grew from a Detroit-based hard rock and roll act known as Loudhouse, which released an recording around the Virgin label in 1988 before dropping its record agreement and disbanding soon thereafter. Drummer-turned-vocalist Vinnie Dombrowski (given birth to Tag Dombrowski) and guitarists Mike Mix and Joey Mazzola regrouped as Sponge in 1992, adding Mike’s sibling Tim Mix on bass and Jimmy Paluzzi on drums. Adapting their ’70s hard rock and roll influences to match the grunge zeitgeist, the bandmates gained a major-label cope with Columbia and released their debut recording, Rotting Pinata, in past due 1994. In the beginning, critics likened Sponge unfavorably to Rock Temple Pilots, but substitute radio embraced the band’s initial two singles: the generating rocker “Plowed” as well as the jangly, introspective “Molly (Sixteen Candles).” Another one, “Rainin’,” also gained airplay, and Rotting Pinata went yellow metal; meanwhile, Sponge continued tour as Live’s starting act. With brand-new drummer Charlie Grover in tow, their 1996 follow-up record, Polish Ecstatic, was a far more diverse affair, rediscovering a number of the band’s root base in arena rock and roll, Uk glam, and jangle pop. Despite the fact that singles like “Polish Ecstatic (TO MARKET Angelina),” “I Am Anastasia,” and “PERHAPS YOU HAVE Seen Mary” liked some extent of radio airplay, Columbia was dissatisfied using the product sales figures and slipped Sponge after the record left the graphs. Undaunted, Sponge agreed upon a new cope with the Beyond label, which released the greater classicist New Pop Weekend in 1999. It enticed little commercial interest, and more employees shifts ensued. Sick and tired of touring, the Combination brothers both still left and were changed by guitarist Kurt Marschke and bassist Tim Krukowski; Billy Adams also emerged on board because the brand-new drummer. After many years of recharging — where time Dombrowski performed in a number of Detroit-area side tasks — Sponge came back with For all your Drugs on earth in 2003 and Guy in 2005. Dombrowski reworked the lineup once more, this time around adding guitarists Kyle Neely and Andy Patalan, before coming back again towards the studio room in 2007 to record Galore Galore for Bellum Information. Two year afterwards, there is another lineup change — Tim Patalan became the group’s bassist — plus they released an EP known as Destroy the Boy. A full-length known as Stop the Blood loss came four years afterwards; the LP included every one of the 2009 EP plus brand-new songs.

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