Sponge
With their versatile blend of classic hard rock and punchy alt-pop with a thin metal veneer, Motor City rockers Sponge caught fire during the post-grunge boom of the mid-'90s with modern rock radio hits like "Plowed" and "Molly (Sixteen Candles)." Despite being wrapped in the fuzzy guitars and brooding intensity that typified grunge music, the band had a knack for jangly riffs and catchy, anthemic hard rock hooks. Sponge hit their commercial peak in 1996 with the release of their sophomore effort, Wax Ecstatic which, like their 1994 debut Rotting Pinata, went gold. While the band's popularity waned as tastes changed, they continued to forge ahead with hard-hitting efforts like Galore Galore (2007), Stop the Bleeding (2013), and Lavatorium (2021). Their sonic attack remained largely uniform, but founder and frontman Vinnie Dombrowski would serve as Sponge's sole constant member throughout their tenure.
Sponge grew out of a Detroit-based hard rock act called Loudhouse, which released an album on the Virgin label in 1988 before losing its record contract and disbanding shortly thereafter. Drummer-turned-vocalist Vinnie Dombrowski (born Mark Dombrowski) and guitarists Mike Cross and Joey Mazzola regrouped as Sponge in 1992, adding Mike's brother Tim Cross on bass and Jimmy Paluzzi on drums. Adapting their '70s hard rock influences to fit the grunge zeitgeist, the bandmates earned a major-label deal with Columbia and released their debut album, Rotting Pinata, in late 1994.
Initially, critics compared Sponge to Stone Temple Pilots, but alternative radio embraced the band's first two singles: the driving rocker "Plowed" and the jangly, introspective "Molly (Sixteen Candles)." A third single, "Rainin'," also earned airplay, and Rotting Pinata went gold; meanwhile, Sponge went on tour as Live's opening act. With new drummer Charlie Grover in tow, their 1996 follow-up album, Wax Ecstatic, was a more diverse affair, rediscovering some of the band's roots in arena rock, British glam, and jangle pop. Even though singles like "Wax Ecstatic (To Sell Angelina)," "I Am Anastasia," and "Have You Seen Mary" enjoyed radio airplay, Columbia was dissatisfied with the sales figures and dropped Sponge once the album left the charts.
Undaunted, Sponge signed a new deal with the Beyond label, which released the more classicist New Pop Sunday in 1999. It attracted little commercial attention, and more personnel shifts ensued. Tired of touring, the Cross brothers both left and were replaced by guitarist Kurt Marschke and bassist Tim Krukowski; Billy Adams also came on board as the new drummer. After several years of recharging -- during which time Dombrowski played in several Detroit-area side projects -- Sponge returned with For All the Drugs in the World in 2003 and The Man in 2005. Dombrowski reworked the lineup once again, this time adding guitarists Kyle Neely and Andy Patalan, before returning again to the studio in 2007 to record Galore Galore for Bellum Records.
Two years later, there was another lineup shift -- Tim Patalan became the group's bassist -- and they released an EP called Destroy the Boy. A full-length called Stop the Bleeding arrived four years later on Three One Three Records; the LP contained all of the 2009 EP plus new songs, including a twisted cover of Jim Croce's "Time in a Bottle." In 2017, the band partnered with Michigan Brewers and PledgeMusic for their eighth full-length outing, The Beer Sessions, which Dombrowski called "a celebration of independent music and incredible Michigan beer." In 2021 the band issued their ninth full-length effort, Lavatorium, which included the fiery single "Stitch," the well-timed ballad "Socially Distant," and an all-new recording of their signature hit "Plowed." Original guitarist Mike Cross died on March 6, 2022 at the age of 57.
© Steve Huey /TiVo
Similar artists
-
-
-
New Pop Sunday
Alternative & Indie - Released by UNIDISC MUSIC INC. on Jan 1, 1999
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Beer Sessions
Rock - Released by THREE ONE THREE RECORDS on Jul 19, 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Fight Your Way Outta the Room
Rock - Released by THREE ONE THREE RECORDS on Jan 26, 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Impossible
Rock - Released by THREE ONE THREE RECORDS on Jul 16, 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Imaginary Marriage '94
Rock - Released by Sponge Music on Dec 1, 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Love & Sandwiches
Rock - Released by Sponge Music on Dec 1, 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Alive in Detroit
Rock - Released by THREE ONE THREE RECORDS on Mar 15, 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Plowed (Re-Recorded - Sped Up)
Alternative & Indie - Released by Cleopatra Records on Mar 10, 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Lavatorium
Alternative & Indie - Released by Cleopatra Records on Aug 6, 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
Stop The Bleeding
Alternative & Indie - Released by The End Records on May 29, 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Molly (16 Candles Down the Drain)
Rock - Released by Columbia - Legacy on Aug 2, 1995
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Drugs Music
Electronic - Released by Electro Dance Music on Aug 6, 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Planet Girls
Alternative & Indie - Released by Sound City Records on Apr 20, 2024
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Demoed In Detroit 1997-98
Alternative & Indie - Released by Cleopatra Records on Jan 25, 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Hits
Rock - Released by THREE ONE THREE RECORDS on Nov 7, 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Uber and a Fifth (feat. Telle Smith)
Alternative & Indie - Released by Cleopatra Records on Oct 15, 2019
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Plowed (Re-Recorded)
Punk / New Wave - Released by Cleopatra Records on Dec 14, 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Warrior 2
Ashton Russell, General Levy, Sponge
Dance - Released by Direction Recordingz 2024 on Mar 21, 2024
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo