During the late 80s, in the underground clubs and bars of Seattle, a new genre of rock and roll was born. With angsty lyrics and distorted guitars, grunge slowly took over the Pacific Northwest’s alternative music scene. In 1991, the release of Nirvana’s Nevermind catapulted grunge to the mainstream, and music videos such as “Smells Like Teen Spirit” became staples on MTV. In the second half of the 1990s, grunge slowly died out, first transforming into the subgenre post-grunge (Bush/Candlebox) and shortly afterwards disappearing all together.

With her senior recital, Ultramega or Unknown: A History of Grunge, Emily Weiss ’11 brought the dirt and power of the grunge movement back to Crowell Concert Hall. She led a band of five musicians sporting flannel and faded jeans through a set-list that presented a history of grunge in chronological order. With Weiss on lead vocals, Jack Glenn ’11 on drums, Sam Backer ’11 on rhythm guitar and vocals, Jared Paul ’11 on lead guitar and vocals, and Tom Kuntz ’12 on bass, the five-some took the audience through a journey that started and ended with Soundgarden, beginning with 1987’s “Hunted Down” and ending with 1996’s “Burden in My Hand.”

Grinding guitars, heavy drums, and fervent vocals filled the hall throughout the performance. One highlight of the night was “Say Hello to Heaven” by Temple of the Dog, a tribute to Mother Love Bone’s deceased lead singer Andrew Wood. The only ballad of the night, “Say Hello to Heaven” exhibited Weiss’s vast vocal range and showed how grunge was able to lend its power to more emotions than simply frustration and anger. Another highlight, “Spoonman” by Soundgarden, showcased solos by Glenn and Kuntz and featured Paul’s spot-on backup vocals.

When asked about the intentions of her show, Weiss stated that she wished to show appreciation for the intricate details of the music, something she sees as “overlooked because of grunge’s presence in pop culture.” As evident from the setlist, Weiss especially has a soft spot for Soundgarden. Also the subject of her written thesis, Weiss believes that Soundgarden’s music in particular holds some of this overlooked complexity. According to Weiss, the depth of grunge is what keeps her coming back to the music and inspired her recital.

“Every time I listen to it, I discover new things,” she said. “It never gets old.”

Another goal of Ultramega or Unknown was to simply perform a powerful live show, something Weiss sees as undervalued in today’s music scene.

“We just wanted to have the loudest show possible in the nicest acoustic space on campus,” Weiss stated. “I think we pulled it off.”