Written by: Madeline Kraemer
Alice in Chains performing at Jones Beach Theater in August 2019
On August 14th, Alice in Chains will be headlining at Jones Beach Theater sponsored by Northwell Health. Joining them on the tour is Breaking Benjamin and Bush for opening act. Alice in Chains has been established since 1987 during the era of the Seattle grunge scene. Their success took off in the 90s with albums like "Facelift", "Dirt" and "Jar of Flies". By 2006, their style evolved to a mix of heavier metal and grunge.
The entirety of Alice in Chain's discography currently from years 1990-2018.
Angela Kraemer, who is National Accounts at D'Addario Strings, was able to fill in the history of the band and the relevance of their role in music influence. She has studied music history of the metal and alternative music scenes. "Working at the company has been an unforgettable experience. " Kraemer says. "My job is to help manage large online orders of the instruments, strings, drum heads and other music tools needed, including orders from bands who are touring. I have recently worked on an order placed by Alice in Chains." When asked about the average price range spend on equipment and instruments on band tours, the prices given were from $20,000 to $50,000.
The grunge scene began Seattle, Washington is the home of where many alternative rock bands founded in the 1990s. However, it started in the late 1980s. Many small bands were performing at bars, night clubs and other social gatherings to share their performance with the crowd. "Seattle was a city where people were anti-conformist, which was why it took off during the rebelliousness of the time." Kraemer adds. "Small bands like Mudhoney and The Melvins were the influence for Alice in Chains to come into light." Independent record companies helped each grunge band become noticed by bigger music brands like MTV, which lead to grunge lifestyle sweeping the nation. Grunge music has been influential as a music genre. The best way to describe it is as a mix of heavy metal and punk rock with a "sludgy" sound. Later hard rock bands like Deftones and Staind are very much inspired by the sound and capture the feel well in their music. Kraemer says she always gravitated to an alternative scene, which lead her to enjoy grunge music as well. "When I first turned on MTV to see "We Die Young" airing, I was amazed by how they could capture the sludgy sound of Black Sabbath with a faster pace punk."
Alice in Chains in the early 90s (Rolling Stone).
For a long time, the band members were lead vocalist Layne Stayley, guitarist Jerry Cantrell, bassist Mike Starr and drummer Sean Kinney. Unfortunately, Layne Stayley was fighting a severe addiction problem and lost the battle on April 5th, 2002. Mike Starr had the same struggle and passed away March 8th, 2011. Both were difficult to replace due to the emotional attachment the band had to both band members. Fans had grieved for a while and feared the worst for Alice in Chains. It wasn't until 2006 when William DuVall became the new singer of Alice in Chains. They were now able to perform again and record albums. Kraemer said that many fans say he does the band justice and grew to love him over the years. "Despite the loss of Stayley, AiC will always celebrate his legacy through every song they play."
Both Bush and Breaking Benjamin, who are apart of the tour, follow Alice in Chains' direction from how they started out in the 90s to how they play newer music today. Bush was in the grunge scene with AiC in the 90s. Breaking Benjamin, an alternative metal band, represents the modern sound of AiC's heavier, alt-metal direction. Some modern tracks for example are Alice in Chain's "Lab Monkey", "Voices", and "The One You Know."
Alice in Chains last performed around August of 2019 on a collaborated tour with KoRn. This is their first time returning in a post-pandemic world. Bands weren't able to perform after a 2 year period of quarantine, which is a relief that everyone's able to see them perform again.
Kraemer hopes everyone who's attending has an absolute blast and to stay safe when attending the concert. "After years of stagnant performances, now it's their chance to shine."