Jane's Addiction

Jane's Addiction was an American rock band featuring Perry Farrell (vocalist), Dave Navarro (guitarist), Eric Avery (bassist), and Stephen Perkins (percussionist). The band formed in Los Angeles in the mid- 1980s and dissolved in 1991. They briefly toured in 1997 and then returned in the early 2000s before breaking up again.

Jane's Addiction emerged on the Los Angeles music scene during the 1980s with a style influenced by punk, heavy metal, funk, gothic rock, progressive rock and psychedelic styles; singer Perry Farrell once described the band as a cross between Duke Ellington and Bad Brains. The band was one of the first of the burgeoning alternative rock movement to gain mainstream media attention and commercial success in the United States. Their initial farewell tour launched the first Lollapalooza festival, an annual touring alternative rock showcase, and its success helped popularize the genre. As a result, Jane's Addiction became icons of what Farrell dubbed the "Alternative Nation" during the 1990s.^[1]

Ranked #35 in VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock [1]

History

Jane's Addiction formed out of the ashes of frontman Perry Farrell's previous band, Psi-com. In the summer of 1985, Farrell was searching for a new bass player for the faltering Psi-com when he was introduced to Eric Avery. Farrell and Avery bonded over a mutual appreciation for Joy Division and The Velvet Underground and began to practice together, even though Avery never did become a full-fledged member of Farrell's disintegrating group.^[2] Later, Eric's sister introduced the duo to Stephen Perkins, whom she was dating at the time.^[3] Perkins in turn suggested that his friend (and Dizastre bandmate) Dave Navarro might be a suitable guitar player for the new band, dubbed "Jane's Addiction" in honor of Farrell's heroin-shooting housemate, Jane Bainter.^[4]

The band became a sensation on the Los Angeles club scene, primarily headlining at Scream. They soon gained interest from a variety of record labels. While they had decided to sign with Warner Bros. Records, the band insisted on releasing their debut on an independent record label first. The first record, Jane's Addiction, was a live recording released on Triple X Records. Their major label debut Nothing's Shocking was released in 1988. The album was certified Gold and the band was nominated for the inaugural Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance Vocal or Instrumental the following year.

The band's full breakthrough came with the release of Ritual de lo Habitual in 1990. The singles "Stop!" and "Been Caught Stealing" topped the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and the video for the latter song won the first MTV Video Music Award for Best Alternative Video. Also that year Perry Farrell organized the first Lollapalooza festival, featuring Jane's Addiction as the headliners with Butthole Surfers, Nine Inch Nails, Siouxsie & the Banshees, Rollins Band, Living Colour, and Ice-T. However, tensions had emerged in the band and soon it became clear that Lollapalooza was to be the band's farewell tour.

Though the band had only released two studio albums (Nothing's Shocking and Ritual de lo Habitual) and one live album (Jane's Addiction), its effect on the rock and alternative music scenes was enormous (similar to how the Sex Pistols and Nirvana's brief careers achieved the same effect). It became the poster child for a new wave of artful and thoughtful rockers who were eschewing the confinements of commercial rock music and stretching to express themselves both musically and theatrically. In its heyday, Farrell created Lollapalooza, the alternative rock festival that revolutionized the North American concert promotion world by bringing together an eclectic mix of musicians, exhibitors, and attractions for a high-energy weekend of music and alternative lifestyles.

The "Ripple" single that the band produced for the Grateful Dead tribute album Deadicated was the final studio track for this incarnation of the band. Internal strife, especially between Farrell and Avery, and rampant drug usage led the band to break up in 1991 after playing two nights at Hawaii's Aloha Tower (an event which included Perkins and Farrell performing part of the final show completely naked).

A greatest hits album titled Up From the Catacombs - The Best of Jane's Addiction was released on 19 September 2006, and contained no rare or previously unreleased material. In addition to this, lead singer Perry Farrell has recently stated that Warner Bros. catalog arm Rhino is working on a Jane's Addiction box set. Currently its contents are unknown, but it is assumed to be made up of B-sides, live material and other unreleased material as well as a DVD of some kind. Track 7 entitled "Superhero" is the featured theme song of HBO's hit series "Entourage."

Separate Paths

The band members pursued other projects in the 1990s. Farrell and Perkins formed another band, Porno for Pyros, who had some success with their two albums, Porno For Pyros (1993) and Good God's Urge (1996); meanwhile, Avery and Navarro formed Deconstruction and put out a self-titled one-off album in 1994. Since then, Dave Navarro has been seen in a host of different bands and cameos, including Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill, Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson, and most notably the Red Hot Chili Peppers. In 1995 Perkins had started a band named Banyan, with core members Nes Cline, Mike Watt, and Willie Waldman (with revolving studio guests), and released a self-titled CD on Cyber Octave. The second CD was released in 1998 for Cyber Octave called Any Time at All, and in 2004 the third CD was released called Live At Perkins Place on Sanctuary Records.

Jane's Addiction briefly reformed after the release of Good God's Urge, with both Dave Navarro and the Red Hot Chili Peppers's Flea guesting. Porno for Pyros recorded "Hard Charger" in 1997 for Howard Stern's movie, "Private Parts" soundtrack, even performing live in New York with Howard introducing them to play "Hard Charger" and "Mountain Song."

Navarro, Perkins, and Chaney have since formed a new band, The Panic Channel, with singer Steve Isaacs. They released their debut album, (ONe), on August 15, 2006. Perry Farrell has also moved onto a new project entitled The Satellite Party, with former Extreme guitarist Nuno Bettencourt and No Doubt bassist Tony Kanal. The Satellite Party unveiled new material at Lollapalooza 2005. The band, who signed with Columbia Records, will release their debut album in May 2007

Relapse and New Life

The Jane's Relapse tour followed, with Flea replacing Avery as bassist between the sheets, after he declined an invitation to rejoin the band. Four years later, Jane's Addiction rose from the ashes again for a full-blown tour. The Jubilee Tour featured all the old Jane's Addiction songs, while showcasing the recent solo release from Navarro, Trust No One. Fans were told to expect a "Sexual Psycho Circus, I am not sure if you will want to quote me on that, but fans will see half-naked, penny rafters, guitar solos, and tribal drums..." This was exactly what the fans got. During renditions of Classic Girl, illuminated, scantily clad stage dancers filled the arenas. For the tour, again Avery declined any involvement. With Flea busy with the Chili Peppers, Porno for Pyros bassist Martyn LeNoble was brought in to fill the gap. Following the success of this tour, the band decided to record a follow-up album to 1990s Ritual De Lo Habitual and tapped Chris Chaney to replace LeNoble on bass. They entered the studio with legendary producer Bob Ezrin in 2001, recording as a band for the first time in over ten years. The result was the group's final album, Strays.

Lollapalooza Returns

The band spent 2003 on an extensive worldwide touring in support of Strays, including, in a homecoming of sorts, a summer headliner slot in a reincarnated Lollapalooza U.S. tour. Following the 2003 tour Jane's Addiction broke up once again, as Perry Farrell refused to record or tour in order to focus his attention on the 2004 incarnation of the Lollapalooza Festival (which was later cancelled due to dismal ticket sales). Although exact details surrounding the band's demise are sparse, Navarro claimed on his website [2], in June 2004, that the reasons for the breakup were essentially the same as they were in 1991. {See below to read the full announcement}

Announcement of the 2004 break-up

The following was posted on Navarro's site in June 2004:

Members

Core Members

• Perry Farrell - vocals(1985–2004)
• Dave Navarro - guitar (1986–2004)
• Eric Avery - bass (1985–1991)
• Stephen Perkins - drums (1986–2004)

Other Members

• Chris Brinkman - guitar (1985-1986)
• Matt Chaikin - drums (1985-1986)
• Ed (last name unknown) - guitar (1986)
• Flea - bass (1997)
• Martyn LeNoble - bass (2000–2002)
• Chris Chaney - bass (2002–2004)

Guests Appearances

• Flea - trumpet (Nothing's Shocking, 1988)
• Christopher Dowd - trombone (Nothing's Shocking, 1988)
• Angelo Moore - saxophone (Nothing's Shocking, 1988)
• Charlie Bisharat violin (Ritual de lo Habitual, 1990)
• Ronnie S. Champagne bass (Ritual de lo Habitual, 1990)
• John Phillip Shenale strings (Ritual de lo Habitual, 1990)
• Geoff Stadling piano (Ritual de lo Habitual, 1990)
• Morgan Fichter - violin (Ritual de lo Habitual Tour, 1990)

Abbreviated Discography

Live albums

Jane's Addiction (September 20, 1987) XXX Gold

Studio albums

Nothing's Shocking (August 23, 1988) Warner Bros. 2x Platinum

Ritual de lo Habitual (August 21, 1990) Warner Bros. 2x Platinum

Strays(July 22, 2003)Capitol Gold

Compilations

Live and Rare (December, 1991) Warner Bros.

Kettle Whistle (November 4, 1997) Warner Bros. Gold

Up From the Catacombs - The Best of Jane's Addiction (September 19, 2006) Rhino

Singles

The band also released a video entitled Soul Kiss, which consisted of band interviews, Farrell's home movies, and Jane's Addiction music videos banned by MTV. In addition, Farrell led a movie effort entitled Gift, a modern gothic tragedy.

A comprehensive discography is available here: http://janesaddiction.org/discographies/disc_list.phtml?artistID=1

References

• di Perna, Alan. "Birth of a Nation." Guitar World. March 1996.
• Mullen, Brendan. Whores: An Oral Biography of Perry Farrell and Jane's Addiction. Cambridge: Da Capo, 2005. ISBN 0-306-81347-5
• Ruhlmann, William & Prato, Greg. "Jane's Addiction." All Music Guide. Retrieved June 13, 2005.
• [3] Ain't No Right interview with Perry Farrell, 2001".

Notes

Wikipedia information about Jane's Addiction This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Jane's Addiction". It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer). Help contribute to Americola and edit this article.