Hog Molly

by Patrick KennedyNamed after a peculiar fish found in North American waters, Hog Molly emerged from Seattle in 1999 as the musical offspring of human yeti Tad Doyle, whose previous outfit, Tad, had signed to Sub Pop in 1989 and released the watershed albums God's Balls, Salt Lick, and 8-Way Santa. Tad helped spearhead and set the gears in motion -- along with bands like the Melvins and Green River -- for the massive grunge movement and the attendant media onslaught and signing frenzy that ensued. Though Tad did sign to Giant/Warner Brothers in 1993, the band never found the success that others from the area had. Perhaps the band was a bit too gruff, unpolished, and downright mean. Perhaps Tad Doyle -- that behemoth of a man -- was simply too much for the mainstream rock press and radio to deal with. Whatever the case, the band called it quits after a final Amphetamine Reptile Records single in 1997, due primarily to bad business deals. Hog Molly finds Tad striding boldly back into the sumo ring, having boiled his music back to its thunderously loud basics -- brutally loud, assaultive rock guitars, and a pile-driving rhythm section. The band's debut album, Kung-Fu Cocktail Grip, appeared in 2001.