Dig (band)

Dig is an American alternative rock band from Los Angeles, California.

Dig
OriginLos Angeles, California, U.S.
GenresAlternative rock, grunge, shoegazing
Years active1991–1999, 2006–2012, 2016–present
LabelsRadioactive, Uptown
Associated actsThe Weirdos, Thelonious Monster, The Barons

History

Dig formed in 1991 in Los Angeles; vocalist Scott Hackwith had previously produced for The Ramones.[1] The other founding members were Jon Morris on guitar, Johnny Cornwell on guitar, Phil Friedmann on bass, and Anthony Smedile on drums. After releasing a demo EP in 1992 titled Runt, they signed with Radioactive Records and issued their first full-length in 1993 (the self-titled dig), produced by Dave Jerden, whom was well known for producing '90s albums by bands such as Alice in Chains and Anthrax. The album would peak at #153 on the Billboard 200 and at #6 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart. The single "Believe" was played regularly on MTV's Buzz Bin[1] and was their lone charting hit, reaching #19 on the Billboard Modern Rock chart[2] and #34 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart.[3] Although "Believe" was the band's hit song, the record label did an unlikely move, and issued 5 other singles from the same album, although they all failed to chart.[4] In 1994, the band's song "Curious George Blues" was exclusively recorded for the soundtrack to the movie Airheads. The following year, their cover of the "Theme from Fat Albert" was included on the compilation Saturday Morning: Cartoons' Greatest Hits. They also recorded another exclusive song, "Hu Hu Hu", for the soundtrack of the movie Virtuosity.

From the beginning of 1995 until the middle of 1996, the band did not go on any tours; however, in 1996, they released their second album, Defenders of the Universe. The album was almost entirely mixed by Tom Lord-Alge, a mixer with hundreds of credits to his name.[5] This album and its touring cycle had guitarist Cornwell replaced by Dix Denney, and drummer Smedile replaced by Matt Tecu. Unlike the previous album, none of the songs charted, and the album itself did not chart either. In 1998, the band released their third album, titled Life Like. Sylvia Massy took over mixing duties for the entirety. The album was recorded as a 4-piece, since guitarist Denney left the band and both Hackwith and Morris handled guitar duties. Other changes in the lineup included original bassist Friedmann replaced by Jay Nicholas, and drummer Tecu replaced by Gene Trautmann. For the touring cycle, bassist Nicholas was replaced by Rob Redick, and guitarist Joel Graves was added into the band, to round out the 5 members; however, with a lack of support from the band's record label and only sporadic shows being played, the band was dropped from Radioactive in July 1999. At this point, new bassist Redick joined Candlebox and new drummer Trautmann joined Queens of the Stone Age, and original guitarist Morris had stepped away as well. This signified the end of the band.

In 2004, the band reappeared, and played sporadic one-off shows. The lineup included frontman Hackwith, original guitarists Morris and Cornwell, second drummer Tecu, and new bassist Jamie Carter; however, when 2007 rolled around, Tecu was replaced by Dave Stedronsky and Carter was replaced by prominent Rocket From the Crypt member Pete Reichert. This lineup recorded the first new dig song in years, titled "No One's There" and it appeared on a Poison Tree Records: Road to Nowhere compilation, alongside bands such as Fu Manchu and The Dwarves. From this revival, the band played their last show in 2006 and released their last song in 2007. From that timespan until 2012, various sessions of recording commenced; although, nothing surfaced.

In 2016, the band was revived yet again to play a singular show in West Hollywood. Along with Hackwith, Morris, and Cornwell, new bassist Marcus Blake and new drummer Charlie George had joined the lineup. After another period of only random updates, in early 2020, the band launched their own independent merch store[6] and had started recording yet again, giving updates via their official Facebook page.

Members
  • Scott Hackwith – vocals, guitars (1991 to 1999, 2004 to 2012, 2016 to present)
  • Jon Morris – guitar (1991 to 1999, 2004 to 2012, 2016 to present)
  • Johnny Cornwell – guitar (1991 to 1995, 2004 to 2012, 2016 to present)
  • Phil Friedmann – bass (1991 to 1997)
  • Anthony Smedile – drums (1991 to 1995)
  • Dix Denney – guitar (1995 to 1997)
  • Matt Tecu – drums (1995 to 1997, 2004 to 2006)
  • Jay Nicholas – bass (1997 to 1998)
  • Gene Trautmann – drums (1997 to 1999)
  • Joel Graves – guitar (1998 to 1999)
  • Rob Redick – bass (1998 to 1999)
  • Jamie Carter – bass (2004 to 2006)
  • Pete Reichert – bass (2006 to 2012)
  • Dave Stedronsky – drums (2006 to 2012)
  • Marcus Blake – bass (2016 to present)
  • Charlie George – drums (2016 to present)

Discography
Studio albums
  • Dig (1993, Radioactive / MCA)
  • Defenders of the Universe (1996, Radioactive / MCA)
  • Life Like (1999, Uptown / Universal)
EPs and singles
  • Runt EP (1992, Wasteland)
  • "Feet Don't Touch the Ground" (promo) (1993, Wasteland)
  • "Fuck You" (1993, Radioactive)
  • "Believe" (1993, Radioactive)
  • "I'll Stay High" (1993, Radioactive)
  • "Unlucky Friend" (1994, Radioactive)
  • "Soft Pretzel" (promo) (1994, Radioactive)
  • "Whose Side You On?" (1996, Radioactive)
  • "Live in Sound" (1998, Universal)
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gollark: The message thing. Not the policy, which does not need fixing.
gollark: I fixed that ages ago.
gollark: No.
gollark: I mean, I can, but it isn't programmed for that and it's more effort then I'm willing to do to patch it in on my phone.

References
  1. John Bush, Dig at Allmusic
  2. Chart, Billboard.com
  3. Chart, Billboard.com
  4. Discogs Entry, discogs.com
  5. Tribune Interview, defgav.com/dig
  6. Official Dig Merch
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