Editor’s note: This article was originally published on Jan. 14, 2020.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame will announce its Class of 2020 on Jan. 15 and this year’s ballot is a stacked one filled with several artists more than deserving of enshrinement in Cleveland.
Seattle resident Dave Matthews and his band received the most votes on the fan ballot, which doesn’t hold a lot of weight with the outcome since the fan vote only amounts to one vote out of roughly 1,000 ballots cast. However, no artist that has won the fan vote has not made into the Rock Hall the same year it won the fan ballot, so there’s a good chance first-time nominee DMB will make it to the HOF.
A case can be made for Soundgarden being a first-ballot inductee this year as well. But with such a strong class of nominees and the tendency for voters to overlook artists that made their impacts in the 80s and 90s, there’s a good possibility Soundgarden may have to wait a few years.
Of course, Seattle already has its share of representation in the Rock Hall with Heart, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Quincy Jones and some guy name Jimi already inducted, but there are still many more Seattle artists that merit inclusion in the exclusive and quite subjective Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. As a fun exercise, I decided to take a look at some of those artists, list the pros and cons of their possible nominations and weigh in on the likelihood of whether they’d ever become hall of famers.
The Sonics
The case for: If there’s any iconic pre-grunge band that should be recognized it’s The Sonics. They put the Northwest on the map back when sock hops and Buddy Holly were all the rage. From their iconic takes on cuts like “Louie, Louie” and “Have Love, Will Travel” to originals like “The Witch” and “Strychnine” these local legends are Northwest rock royalty and influenced everyone from Pearl Jam to Springsteen.
The case against: Despite their influence and impressive credentials, especially with the Boomer crowd that makes up a majority of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame voters, the Sonics have never been nominated for induction and they’ve been eligible since 1990. And there are plenty of bands already inducted that carry the same rock torch as The Sonics, which doesn’t bode well for them even being considered for induction.
The verdict: If they haven’t been nominated yet they likely never will, which means The Sonics will forever keep their local legend status.
Mudhoney
The case for: If The Clash are the only band that matters, then Mudhoney may very well be the only Seattle band that matters. One of the few groups that can claim they invented a genre, Mudhoney is the quintessential Seattle rock band. “Touch Me I’m Sick” is practically a Northwest anthem. Add the strength of their discograhy (it’s impossible to name a bad Mudhoney album) and their often raucous live shows and they’re more than qualified to be inductees.
The case against: Unless your name is The Clash, The Ramones, Sex Pistols or, um, Green Day, there isn’t a whole lot of room for punk rock in the RNRHOF. Punk is a genre that gets overlooked by voters and while Mudhoney isn’t pure punk rock they’re close enough to it to get dismissed. Plus they’ve never had much commercial success and moving units is part of the popularity game Rock & Roll Hall of Fame voters play.
The verdict: Unfortunately, despite their influence and importance to the story of what happened in Seattle during the 90s, Mudhoney has too many strikes against them to be considered. This makes it very unlikely they will ever receive any sort of recognition by the Rock Hall.
Queensryche
The case for: “Operation: Mindcrime” is a highly underrated classic concept album. “Silent Lucidity” is a beautiful power ballad and “Empire” is one helluva rock record. Additionally, the band has sold more than 20 million albums worldwide. They’ve had radio hits (“Silent Lucidity” hit No. 1 on the Billboard charts in 1991) and achieved commercial success.
The case against: Along with punk, the other major rock genre that’s heavily underrepresented is metal. And although Queensryche sold plenty of albums, they never came close to being as big as some of the other metal bands of the era that made music that sounded similar to what Geoff Tate and Co. were creating.
The verdict: Another swing and a miss by a worthy Seattle band. If bands like Judas Priest, Anthrax, Slayer and Iron Maiden aren’t in the RNRHOF there’s little chance a metal band like Queensryche makes it.
Soundgarden
The case for: It’s strange to be arguing for Soundgarden‘s induction to the RNRHOF because they’re one of many bands that should have already been inducted. They were one of the cornerstones of rock music in the 90s, helped define a genre, had one of the most powerful and talented voices in rock & roll history and they sold millions of albums. Soundgarden checks off all the boxes for automatic induction. It’s not a matter of if, but when they get inducted.
The case against: Voters typically don’t like heavy bands (see the argument against Queensryche) and voters seem to really dislike acknowledging music that was made before 1979.
The verdict: Get on the snake people and scream loud love because Soundgarden will make it into the Rock Hall. It may not happen this year, but the fact Soundgarden made the ballot means they are on the minds of voters and the strength of their resume will eventually get them enshrined.
Modest Mouse (eligible in 2021)
The case for: They technically probably belong to Portland , but Isaac Brock formed Modest Mouse in Issaquah and for a lot of its career Modest Mouse was considered a Seattle act so they qualify for this discussion. The success of “Good New For People Who Love Bad” news put them on the map and their influence in the indie rock world during the late 90s and early aughts is undeniable.
The case against: As great as songs like “Doing the Cockroach” and “Drammamine” are they likely don’t resonate with the crowd that makes up the majority of voters. And their big successes happened when bands like The Strokes, White Stripe and other big hitters were near their peaks which means they’ll probably be relegated to one-hit wonder status and be overlooked by the nominating committee.
The verdict: Even though Modest Mouse has seen more than modest success, the Rock Hall is going to go ahead and float on and probably will never consider adding the band to the ballot.
Sleater-Kinney (eligible in 2020)
The case for: They were one of the most influential bands to come out of the Riot Grrrl movement. And like Mudhoney there isn’t a single bad album in their discograpahy, and yes I’m including “The Center Won’t Hold” in that statement. Plus, they’re about as rock & roll as Johnny Cash flipping the bird at San Quentin. And yeah you can call them a Portland band now, but they’re named after a street in Olympia so the Modest Mouse rule applies here.
The case against: There’s a lot of sexism in rock & roll and women are grossly underrepresented in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Additionally, Sleater-Kinney never achieved commercial success which is something that matters less now than it did a decade ago, but it still one of the few marks against them.
The verdict: All hands on the bad one folks because Sleater-Kinney will get inducted into the Rock Hall. Maybe this me wanting a reunion tour with Janet Weiss talking here, but I think their influence is too big to be denied and their catalog too great to be dismissed. Sleater-Kinney will eventually make it onto the ballot and get enshrined, and if there’s any justice in the world of rock their plaque will be somewhere near Joey Ramone.
Death Cab For Cutie (eligible in 2023)
The case for: Death Cab flew under the radar for several years and while doing so they managed to sell a whole lot of records (their Barsuk catalog has sold more than 1 million albums combined) and amass a very loyal fanbase. They broke into the mainstream thanks to that fanbase and TV exposure (remember “The OC”?) and the breakthrough resulted in a generation of rock kids who relate deeply to heart-on-your sleeve songwriting and who will indeed follow you into the dark (but not in a scary stalker way).
The case against: An indie favorite turned major label success isn’t a wholly unique story and the music of Death Cab doesn’t necessarily exude the essence of rock & roll. Those two things combined with DCFC not being the most influential band of its time don’t scream Hall of Fame worthiness.
The verdict: Despite what DMB accomplished, a loyal fanbase alone isn’t enough to get on voters’ radars (see: Phish) and despite the prevalence of DCFC throughout most of the aughts and early 2010s they won’t make it to the Hall of Fame.
Alice In Chains
The case for: Alice in Chains has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide. They’ve had multiple musical evolutions, going from glam-ish 80s rockers to dark and sometimes sludgy grunge to creating soft and beautiful acoustic music. “Jar of Flies” is one of the best-selling EPs off all time and was the first EP to debut at the top of the Billboard charts. They are a hugely influential hard rock band that’s endured tragedy and created several excellent albums with two different lead vocalists, one of which was undeniably one of the most unique voices in rock .
The case against: Here’s where the tired old argument of HOF voters not acknowledging a lot of bands from the 90s and also not acknowledging hard rock comes along. It’s really the only reason for AIC not getting nominated considering they’ve been eligible since 2015.
The verdict: It’s a yes for Alice in Chains. Even though voters dismiss heavy music, Alice in Chains were so influential and vital to 90s rock that they cannot be ignored. Once Soundgarden is inducted don’t be surprised to see Alice in Chains as the next big Seattle band to make the ballot.
