Eight Gigs: Mudhoney

Before the name “grunge” got stuck to every heavy rock band coming out of the Pacific Northwest, the band everyone in that scene flagged as “the next big thing” was Mudhoney. Its mixture of heavy sludge, garage rock and a ton of volume was intoxicating, and the band was actually pretty big in the late '80s indie rock scene. Its first couple of records sound just as vibrant and fresh today. Mudhoney benefited to some degree from all the attention directed at Seattle in the '90s, but mostly the members have been workhorses, building up a solid fan base the old fashioned way with excellent tunes and visceral live shows. 2708 J Street, http://mudhoneyonline.com.