LET’S GET SOME LOVE FOR SPONGE IN THE HOUSE
Tuesday, February 26th, 2008 at 2:45pm by Vince Neilstein
Sponge were yet another ’90s rock band unfairly lumped into the “alternative” label who really had so much more to offer than so many other bands on the scene. And they were surprisingly heavy too; sure, their biggest hit was the ballad “Molly (Sixteen Candles),” but “Plowed” was one hell of a rocker, as was this track, “Neenah Menashah,” which I didn’t even know had a video until I found it whilst trawling the bowels of YouTube last night (you’ll have to click the link to watch it, since the ass-hats at SonyBMG still don’t get that embeds actually help them sell records). I mean, that riff is heavy, and Vinnie Dombrowski’s vocals are gritty and dirty in a way that most singers from this era weren’t. Vinnie was (and still is) one of a kind on stage as well, and the performance elements of this video further highlight that Sponge was arena-rock through and through in spirit.
After you check out “Neenah Menasha,” here’s the video for “Wax Ecstatic” from their second album of the same name which failed to live up the commercial success (or heaviness) of their debut Rotting Pinata. But this is still a fucking great song.
[kml_flashembed movie="http://youtube.com/v/duvRtgS3F-0" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]
Sponge continue to tour the U.S. Midwest frequently, though the only remaining original member is Vinnie. They just released a new record on Bellum Records (purchase at Amazon) and have a few streaming tracks on their MySpace page. The first two tracks “I Wanna Lose” and “Come in From The Rain” are both winners, and I hope they get Sponge the recognition they so deserve.
-VN
I remember these guys. I liked the songs Plowed and Wax Ecstatic. But really, there is very little difference between these guys and Candlebox or 7 Mary 3. It’s all generic alt/pop/rock from the 90s.
Sponge just happened to write a bit catchier material.
TJ, you could not be more wrong.
Candlebox?! 7 Mary 3?! You must be joking.
Sponge is the real deal. Don’t believe what MTV tried to tell you about them (by lumping them in with lesser bands.)
They released an album called “The Man” last year (or the year before). Most (not all) of it is pretty good, especially since they’re sporting a few members from the incomparable Solid Frog outta Michigan. There’s some really creative guitar playing on that record.
Paul- I’m just going off what I remember. I was in high school when these guys were popular, and getting played all over the radio.
I remember listening to the CDs, and I dug it. But I don’t really see the difference between this and any of the other countless post-grunge bands that sprung up in the mid to late 90s and had one or two hits a piece, like Live, Marcy Playground, etc.
I’ll have to go back and check it out again and see what I was missing.
That said, I still contend that the main riff to Wax Ecstatic is awesome.
The first two Sponge albums are fantastic, I actually somewhat prefer Wax Ecstatic for its variety of different styles. I still haven’t heard the third album (New Pop Sunday), or any of the post-rebuilding material, which I should get to soon.
Eternal respect for Sponge!
Speaking of Candlebox, i saw sponge open for that horrific act back in the day at Roseland in NY 9before they opened the second floor and the place sounded, well better then it does now). The deal was i’d go to see sponge, my sis would see candlebox and my parents would drive. This was the first and only time i ever got hurt ina pit. yes a pit. At sponge. I was backing out, somebody pushed me forward and my nose hit the back of somebody’s head. My blood stains soaked the floor in the basement and for years there was a huge spot in the rug from me. Oh and candlebox sucked.
Spong was punkier then grungier. That’s what set them apart from the drivel like 7 mary 3 or collective soul
I always found this band – the little I heard on the radio – to be a lighter rock version of Collective Soul, et al. In other words, kind of poppy, alt-rock. Never liked them. Of course, because the songs they released as singles were not to my liking, I never delved deeper into their catalogue. This, of course, was pre-internet so there wasn’t the easy ability we have today to check out more of their work.
Wow. What an out there post. They were a decent band. I loved that ‘Wax Ecstatic’ song when it came out becauase it had a slightly sinister edge to it. They seemed to play every other show when I was in High School in Chicago.
I don’t know if labeling them ‘alternative’ is a total misnomer but it is a bit generic and lumps them in with some bands who are clearly pussier than they ever were. (I’m looking at you Gin Blossoms)