Sponge (band)

Sponge
Sponge
	Sponge in 2008. From left to right: Kyle Neely, Billy Adams, Vinnie Dombroski, Andy Patalan, and Tim Krukowski.
Background information
Origin	Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Genres	Alternative rock, grunge, post-grunge, hard rock
Years active	1992–2000; 2001–present;
Labels	Work Group; Columbia; Beyond; Idol; Bellum; Three One Three; The End; Cleopatra;
Associated acts	Crud; The Orbitsuns; Spys4Darwin; Loudhouse;
Website	spongetheband.com
Members	Vinnie Dombroski; Billy Adams; Kyle Neely; Andy Patalan; Tim Patalan;
Past members	Tim Krukowski; Kurt Marschke; Charlie Grover; Mike Cross; Tim Cross; Joey Mazzola; Jimmy Paluzzi;

Sponge is an American rock band formed in Detroit, Michigan in 1992 by vocalist Vinnie Dombroski, guitarist Mike Cross, bassist Tim Cross, drummer Jimmy Paluzzi, and guitarist Joey Mazzola. Dombroski and the Cross brothers were founding members of the hard rock band Loudhouse, later joined by Mazzola at the end of the band's tenure. Sponge's discography includes eight studio albums, four live albums, and several charting singles. They are best known for their 1994 hit "Plowed" and their 1995 hit "Molly (16 Candles Down the Drain)".

History

Formation, Rotting Piñata, and Wax Ecstatic (1991–1998)

Vinnie Dombroski, Mike Cross, and Tim Cross were in a hard rock band called Loudhouse, fronted by vocalist Kenny Mugwump. They released one album and had a song appear on the soundtrack to the 1991 film Point Break. The band then recruited Joey Mazzola as a second guitarist. Shortly after, Mugwump decided to pursue a career in acting and directing, so Dombroski switched from drums to vocals and drummer Jimmy Paluzzi was recruited to round out the lineup. The band decided to start fresh and named themselves Sponge. They began working on new music and performed in bars and clubs; recognized for having a dual-guitar sound reminiscent of the MC5. Their debut album, Rotting Piñata, released in 1994 through Columbia Records, received heavy airplay on radio and MTV, and was certified gold by the RIAA. The two biggest singles from that album were "Plowed" and "Molly (16 Candles Down the Drain)". By the end of 1994, Charlie Grover had replaced Paluzzi on drums. Sponge went on tour with the band Live in 1995 as their opening act, and also performed at the music festivals Edgefest, X-Fest, Sunstroke (Ireland), and Pukkelpop (Belgium) that year.

On June 28, 1996, Sponge, along with Alice in Chains, opened for Kiss at Tiger Stadium in Detroit on their reunion tour. It was previously announced that Stone Temple Pilots would open the show, but had to cancel their performance due to vocalist Scott Weiland's issues related to substance abuse. The show was reported as having an attendance of almost 40,000 people. Sponge's second album, Wax Ecstatic, was released shortly after in 1996 and the first single, "Wax Ecstatic (To Sell Angelina)", received significant airplay on radio and MTV. Sponge also performed on the Lollapalooza festival tour that summer. The second single, "Have You Seen Mary", also received significant airplay and was included in the 1997 film Chasing Amy. Columbia was dissatisfied with the sales figures for Wax Ecstatic however, and dropped Sponge from the label once the album left the charts. Undaunted, the band continued making music while in search of a new label.

New Pop Sunday and lineup changes (1999–2002)

Sponge signed a new deal with Beyond Records and released their third album, New Pop Sunday, in 1999. The album was a departure from the grittier sound of their first two albums, featuring songs that were more pop rock in nature. The band also performed again at Edgefest and X-Fest that year. The new album attracted little commercial attention; however, "Live Here Without You" was nominated for the Outstanding National Single award by the Detroit Music Awards Foundation in 2000. Around this time, the Cross brothers had gotten tired of touring and left Sponge.[1] Charlie Grover also left shortly after and the band would take a brief hiatus. The remaining members (Mazzola and Dombroski) recruited Robby Graham on bass along with Paluzzi on drums to form the side project group Crud.[2]

In 2001, Dombroski was invited by Alice in Chains drummer Sean Kinney to jam with him in Seattle, along with bandmate Mike Inez on bass and Queensrÿche guitarist Chris DeGarmo. The supergroup independently recorded and released an EP entitled microfish under the name Spys4Darwin. They performed at Endfest on August 4, 2001[3] and continued working together into the following year. Around this time, Dombroski also began performing and recording music with the side project group The Orbitsuns. Dombroski and Mazzola then created a new solidified lineup of Sponge consisting of drummer Billy Adams, guitarist Kurt Marschke, and bassist Tim Krukowski.

For All the Drugs in the World, more lineup changes, and The Man (2003–2006)

Sponge released their fourth studio album, For All the Drugs in the World, in 2003 through Idol Records. The band toured with Soul Asylum, Gin Blossoms, Spin Doctors, The Verve Pipe, and The Presidents of the United States of America that year. Afterwards, Dombroski created a new lineup once again, this time without other founding member Mazzola, replaced by guitarist Andy Patalan, while Marschke was replaced by guitarist Kyle Neely. At this point, Dombroski became the only remaining original member of Sponge. The band released their fifth studio album, The Man, in 2005 through Idol Records. Both Crud and The Orbitsuns also released albums around this time. Sponge also released a promo album in 2005 entitled Hard to Keep My Cool.

Galore Galore and Stop the Bleeding (2007–2014)

Sponge released their first official live album, Alive in Detroit, in 2007. It was also announced in November 2007 that the band would release their sixth studio album, Galore Galore, through their new label, Bellum Records. It contains songs from the promo Hard to Keep My Cool plus new tracks and was released on December 4, 2007. In 2009, former Sponge producer Tim Patalan replaced Krukowski on bass. The band then released the promo album entitled Destroy the Boy. In 2010, the video game Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock was released, featuring a re-recorded version of "Plowed" as a downloadable song.[4] On February 21, 2012, Sponge opened for Guns N' Roses at The Fillmore Detroit during their tour that year.[5] Sponge's seventh studio album, Stop the Bleeding, was released in 2013 and includes songs from Destroy the Boy plus new tracks. Sponge also performed on the Summerland festival tour that summer.

The Beer Sessions and original lineup reunion (2015–present)

Sponge continued recording new music and performed on the Summerland festival tour again in 2016. The band's eighth studio album, The Beer Sessions, was released on October 8, 2016 through Three One Three Records. In May 2018 at the annual Detroit Music Awards, the original lineup of Vinnie Dombroski, Mike Cross, Tim Cross, Jimmy Paluzzi, and Joey Mazzola reunited for one night only. This was the first time in 24 years that all of the original members performed on stage together.[6][7]

Sponge's original lineup in 2018. From left to right: Joey Mazzola, Tim Cross, Vinnie Dombroski, Jimmy Paluzzi, and Mike Cross.

The current lineup of Sponge toured with the band The Nixons in 2019. Sponge also announced tour dates in North America during the spring and summer of 2020. However, the shows were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the aim to reschedule them for a later date.

Band members

Current members

Vinnie Dombroski – vocals (1992–2000, 2001-present)
Kyle Neely – guitar (2004–present)
Andy Patalan – guitar, backing vocals (2004–present)
Tim Patalan – bass (2009–present)
Billy Adams – drums (2001–present)

Former members

Joey Mazzola – guitar, backing vocals (1992–2000, 2001-2004)
Mike Cross – guitar (1992–2000)
Tim Cross – bass (1992–2000)
Jimmy Paluzzi – drums, backing vocals (1992–1994)
Charlie Grover – drums (1994–2000)
Kurt Marschke – guitar (2001–2004)
Tim Krukowski – bass (2001–2009)

Touring members

Jeff Hayes – bass (2013–present)

Timeline

Discography

Studio albums


Title	Album details	Peak chart positions		Certification
Title	Album details	US [8]	US Heat [9]	Certification
Rotting Piñata	Released: August 2, 1994 Label: Work Group, Columbia Formats: CD, LP, CS, DL	58	4	RIAA: Gold
Wax Ecstatic	Released: July 2, 1996 Label: Columbia Formats: CD, CS, DL	60	—
New Pop Sunday	Released: April 13, 1999 Label: Beyond Formats: CD, CS, DL	—	—
For All the Drugs in the World	Released: September 2, 2003 Label: Idol Formats: CD, DL	—	—
The Man	Released: October 4, 2005 Label: Idol Formats: CD, DL	—	—
Galore Galore	Released: December 4, 2007 Label: Bellum Formats: CD, DL	—	—
Stop the Bleeding	Released: May 29, 2013 Label: Three One Three, The End Formats: CD, DL	—	—
The Beer Sessions	Released: October 8, 2016 Label: Three One Three Formats: CD, DL	—	—
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Singles

List of singles, with selected chart positions, showing year released and album name
Title	Year	Peak chart positions			Album
Title	Year	US [10]	US Alt. [11]	US Main. Rock [12]	Album
"Neenah Menasha"	1994	—	—	—	Rotting Piñata
"Plowed"	1994	41	5	9
"Molly (16 Candles Down the Drain)"	1995	55	3	11
"Rainin'"	1995	—	34	18
"Wax Ecstatic (To Sell Angelina)"	1996	64	15	11	Wax Ecstatic
"Have You Seen Mary"	1996	—	—	7	Wax Ecstatic
"Live Here Without You"	1999	—	—	—	New Pop Sunday
"Pollyanna"	1999	—	—	—	New Pop Sunday
"Treat Me Wrong"	2003	—	—	—	For All the Drugs in the World
"Leave This World"	2003	—	—	—	For All the Drugs in the World
"Unlucky"	2005	—	—	—	The Man
"Feels Like Love"	2005	—	—	—	The Man
"Wasted"	2007	—	—	—	Galore Galore
"Hard to Keep My Cool"	2007	—	—	—	Galore Galore
"Come in from the Rain"	2013	—	—	—	Stop the Bleeding
"Destroy the Boy"	2013	—	—	—	Stop the Bleeding
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Live and compilation albums

Year	Title	Label
1996	In Concert	Westwood One radio
1996	Live from the Pit	Global Satellite Network radio
1997	All Access: Sponge	MediaAmerica Radio
1999	The Exclusive Sponge Sessions (live acoustic)	Beyond
2000	Molly	Sony Music
2007	Alive in Detroit	Three One Three
2009	Hits & B Sides, Volume 1	Three One Three
2011	Hits & B Sides, Volume 2	Three One Three
2014	Deep Cuts Live	Three One Three
2014	Rotting Alive	Three One Three
2014	Playlist: The Very Best of Sponge	Sony Music
2017	Wax Ecstatic Live	Three One Three
2019	Demoed in Detroit 1997-98	Cleopatra

Soundtracks and other releases

Year	Song	Release
1995	"Seventeen"	Mallrats soundtrack
	"Isolation"	Working Class Hero: A Tribute to John Lennon
	"Go Speed Racer Go"	Saturday Morning: Cartoons' Greatest Hits
1996	"All This and Nothing"	The Craft soundtrack
1996	"Christmas Day"	O Come All Ye Faithful: Rock 4 Choice
1999	"Chameleon"	The Musician's Choice, Volume 1
2012	"Plowed"	Chasing Mavericks soundtrack

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