Malfunkshun was an American punk/LOVE-rock/proto-grunge band formed in 1980 by brothers Andrew (aka LANDREW) and Kevin Wood with drummer Regan Hagar. Combining glam influences with distortion, they were one of the earliest grunge bands from Seattle forming alongside the U-Men and Melvins.. After interactions with fellow grunge act Green River, Andrew would become the frontman for successor Mother Love Bone. Malfunkshun dissolved without having released much material, although they recorded demos and appeared in the landmark grunge compilation Deep Six.
Andrew struggled with drug dependence for several years, eventually dying from a heroin overdose in 1990. Mother Love Bone disbanded as a result and was succeeded by Pearl Jam. Circa 1995 a collection of Malfunkshun demos and recordings from 1986 to 1987 were released on Stone Gossard and Regan Hagar’s Loosegroove label in 1995, as Return to Olympus,
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Deeper History
Formation:
Bainbridge Island, Washington brothers Andrew and Kevin Wood, decided to skip an Easter dinner at their grandmother’s house and stayed at home instead – and recorded their first demo, titled “Malfunkshun“. A bit later they found drummer David Hunt (1964–2009) and bassist Dave Rees, and became a four-piece. Hunt and Rees played with Malfunkshun for only one show; after they left, Andrew took over bass and drummer Regan Hagar was recruited from the band Maggot Brains, establishing the band’s definitive power trio lineup.
During performances, each band member had an alter ego. Andrew’s was L’Andrew the Love Child, Kevin was Kevinstein and Regan became Thundarr. Kevin’s stage persona wasn’t as carved-in-stone as Andrew’s or Regan’s, referred to sometimes as “the Axe-Handler” and even an early Malfunkshun poster[4] hand-drawn by Andrew names him “Led Springsteen”. Using makeup and flashy glam-style clothing in a nod to KISS, and other favorite bands, Malfunkshun was known for their dynamic live shows. Andrew was unpredictable and would wander the crowd during shows with his wireless bass, and even stop shows to eat cereal, and throw the rest out to the crowd. Andrew became increasingly involved with drugs and in 1985 he checked into drug rehab, during which time Malfunkshun was put on hold.
When Andrew returned from rehab, the band started up again and contributed “With Yo’ Heart (Not Yo’ Hands)” and “Stars-n-You” to the Deep Six compilation. Dissolving, but never formally disbanding, Malfunkshun took a back seat to the jam sessions Andrew and Hagar had begun with Green River members Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament. These sessions were the beginnings of Lords of the Wasteland, which would become Mother Love Bone after the addition of Greg Gilmore and Bruce Fairweather. Kevin formed Fire Ants in 1992 with his brother Brian, bassist Dan McDonald, and former Nirvana drummer Chad Channing. Later Brian joined Ben Shepherd of Soundgarden, to form Hater. The brothers later formed Devilhead. Hagar moved on, playing in Satchel, with Shawn Smith, and in Brad, also with Shawn Smith and with Stone Gossard.
A grouping of Malfunkshun demos and recordings from 1986 to 1987 were released on Stone Gossard and Regan Hagar’s Loosegroove label in 1995, as Return to Olympus, which was the largest major label release of the band’s material.
Southern Lord in collaboration with surviving members: Kevin Wood and Regan Hagar are unleashing “Olympus Awaits” an essential compilation of exclusively curated Malfunkshun recordings. It includes material from their Return to Olympus album (here on vinyl for the first time ever), compilation appearances and very rare demo recordings which exemplify their dark-punk hardcore aesthetic. This is thee ultimate LOVE ROCK archival release of MFUNK!
Malfunkshun is an American punk/LOVE-rock/proto-grunge band formed in 1980 by brothers Andrew (aka LANDREW) and Kevin Wood with drummer Regan Hagar. Combining glam influences with distortion, they were one of the earliest grunge bands from Seattle. Andrew would become the frontman for Mother Love Bone. Southern Lord in collaboration with surviving members: Kevin Wood and Regan Hagar are unleashing “Olympus Awaits” an essential compilation of exclusively curated Malfunkshun recordings. It includes material from their Return to Olympus album (here on vinyl for the first time ever), compilation appearances and very rare demo recordings which exemplify their dark-punk hardcore aesthetic. This is thee ultimate LOVE ROCK archival release of MFUNK!
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