Get Out July 2008: Two Decades of Sub Pop, One Historic Party to Celebrate

In a few seasons, Seattle indie stalwart Sub Pop will shed its adolescent husk and turn 20. Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman, the dudes who put Soundgarden and Nirvana in bins before major label reps stormed Seattle, will, according to this bio, celebrate "as conspicuously as they can manage."

As well they should. They were the fuse to said bands’ (and others’) genre-birthing TNT, after all. And though maybe not as globally revered since the early 90s, they’ve maintained an impressive stable of acts both local and far-flung.

Why the full-pregnancy-term notice? Because "conspicuous" may be an understatement. This celebration should not be missed.

It’s already been confirmed that the summer b-day bash will include at least one ultramega performance: Green River, whose Dry as a Bone EP was Sub Pop’s first non-compilation release, will reunite for a live set.

Asking Green who? (For shame.) Maybe you’ll recognize some of the pre-"grunge"-label band’s members: Mark Arm, Alex Vincent, Jeff Ament, Stone Gossard and Bruce Fairweather (who replaced Steve Turner early on). Following River’s demise, Arm and Turner formed Mudhoney and Ament, Gossard and Fairweather provided three-fifths of Mother Love Bone. Green River, good students, is one of the two or three seeds from which our city’s flannel-rock heyday sprouted.

And that band’s just the tip of the Sub Pop grunge-berg. There’s also Shawn Smith (Pigeonhed), Mark Lanegan (solo, upcoming Gutter Twins), and Steve Fisk (producer extraordinaire, solo), to name a few individuals. As for bands—L7, Tad, and Sleater-Kinney are all notable.

You Gen-Y kids might recognize more recent acts The Postal Service, Band of Horses, and The Shins.

Conspicuous enough? Not quite yet. We’re guessing Green River won’t be the only defunct band that reunites for this show. Soundgarden and Sleater-Kinney are promising, possible candidates. We might not bet a paycheck on it just yet, but we think the lineup will be stacked with both mothballed and metro acts come blue skies and long days.

So block out July 2008, people. And stay tuned. Graduation is overrated. Anniversaries can be postponed. When Sub Pop cranks it to 11 and parties like it’s 1988, you’ll want to be there.

And hey, mark this November 16th as you’re flipping through the calendar; Mudhoney’s playing El Corazon. Tickets $10, 21+, doors at 8.