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Bob Mould

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Bob Mould

Bob Mould (born October 16 1960, in Malone, New York) is an American musician, principally known for his work as guitarist, vocalist and songwriter for influential rock bands Hüsker Dü in the 1980s and Sugar in the 1990s.

Early life

Born in Malone, New York, Mould lived in several places, including Pine City, Minnesota and the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, where he attended Macalester College. There, he formed Hüsker Dü in the late 1970s, with drummer/singer Grant Hart and bass guitarist Greg Norton.

Musical career

Hüsker Dü

Main article: Hüsker Dü

Hüsker Dü first gained notice as a "speed-core" punk rock group, with a series of recordings on the independent label SST Records. Over time, however, Mould and his bandmates evolved musically, adding tuneful melodies to their explosive sound. One of the first 1980s underground bands to sign a contract with a major record label (Warner Brothers), Hüsker Dü found only moderate commercial success, but were later often cited as one of the key influences on 1990s alternative rock.

In the late 1980s, Hüsker Dü broke up acrimoniously amid members' drug abuse and personal problems. Mould and Hart still take occasional jabs at each other in the press, though the two revisited their Hüsker Dü back catalog together at a 2004 benefit concert for an ailing friend.

Solo work

After Hüsker Dü broke up in 1988, Mould sequestered himself in a remote farmhouse, quit drinking and drugs, and wrote the songs that would make up his first solo album. Signing to the newly-formed Virgin Records America label, 1989's Workbook eschewed Mould's trademark wall-of-noise guitar for a stripped-down, atmospheric sound featuring acoustic guitars and cellos. 1991's jagged Black Sheets of Rain put Mould in more familiar territory, recalling Hüsker Dü's loudest, angriest moments.

Mould also started a record label, Singles Only Label, which released singles from up and coming bands such as Grant Lee Buffalo.

Sugar years and afterwards

Mould then formed the group Sugar, a college/alternative radio favorite in the mid-1990s. Along with extensive touring, Sugar released two albums, an EP and a B-sides collection before splitting.

Mould returned to solo recording, releasing a self-titled album in 1996 (which is often referred to as Hubcap because of the cover photo) and 1998's The Last Dog and Pony Show.

During a stint living in New York City in the late-1990s, Mould's tastes took a detour into dance music and electronica. Those influences were clear on his 2002 release Modulate, which featured a strong electronica influence to mixed critical reviews. To pursue this sound, Mould also began recording under the pseudonym LoudBomb (an anagram of his name). He has released one CD so far under this name.

Mould took a brief break from the music world to get involved with another passion of his, professional wrestling, when he joined WCW as a scriptwriter for a brief period. Creative differences with some of the other writers of the league led to Mould leaving the company and returning to music. The liner notes for Modulate thank some of the wrestlers he associated with, most notably Kevin Nash and Kevin Sullivan.

In addition to his solo work, Mould is also a live DJ in collaboration with Washington DC-area dance music artist Richard Morel, under the collective banner Blowoff. A recording under that banner was released in September 2006. Mould has been asked to do remixes for a variety of dance and alternative rock artists. A recent remix of the Interpol song "Length Of Love" has led to more critical acclaim for the veteran artist.

Bob Mould live in 2005.

For much of the 1990s, Mould toured playing solo acoustic renditions of his catalog (occasionally switching to electric guitar midway through his set). In 2005 his solo album Body of Song was cross-announced with his first band tour since 1998. Brendan Canty, best known as the drummer for Fugazi, and Mould's Blowoff collaborator, Morel, played drums and keyboards, respectively, for the 2005 tour.

Mould's new album, District Line, is due out in February 2008.

Personal life

Though his homosexuality was previously something of an open secret, Mould was outed in the early 1990s; he is now openly gay. Though it was often rumored during his Hüsker Dü days that he and bandmate Hart were an item (Hart was also gay, and both acknowledge taking partners on tour), both have flatly denied ever having been romantically involved.

In 2006, Mould contributed the song "If I Can't Change Your Mind" to the album Wed-Rock, an album to promote same-sex marriage.

Pop culture

On September 29, 2005, Mould's song "Circles" was featured on The OC as Marissa Cooper was starting her first day at her public school in Season 3.

Mould's song "Dog on Fire" is the theme song for The Daily Show. They Might Be Giants perform the current version. The song "See a Little Light" has been used more than once in various television applications: It was used in the closing scene of the original un-aired test pilot episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, it became one of the principal theme songs for the HBO series The Mind of the Married Man and was also used in a television commercial for TIAA-CREF (August 2007). Mould also composed the theme for the TLC program, In a Fix.

Mould and director Cameron Crowe are close friends; the character Bob Sugar (played by Jay Mohr) in Crowe's 1996 film Jerry Maguire is named for both Mould and his former band, Sugar.

Mould appeared on an episode of IFC's The Henry Rollins Show on June 15, 2007.

Mould also played lead guitar in the house band for the film of John Cameron Mitchell's Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Mould also participated in a Hedwig tribute album, Wig in a Box, on which he covered the song "Nailed."

In 2000, Mould performed a song on Stephen Merritt's album Hyacinths and Thistles.

Solo Discography

(see also Hüsker Dü and Sugar discographies.)

Main Albums

Compilations

Singles & EPs

  • See A Little Light (Virgin, 1989)
  • Wishing Well + Four Live Tracks (Virgin, 1989)
  • Egøverride (Rykodisc, 1995)

Bootlegs

  • Calm Before the Storm (Kiss The Stone, 1995)

Bands Produced


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