Flake – “Start Without Me” and the sound of America eating it’s young

My favorite band of the 90s was an amazing Seattle outfit called Flake. Here’s how I described their music in a bio at the time:

“If Grunge was the sound of America eating it’s young, then Seattle’s post-grunge trio, Flake, is a fitting digestif: thick and heady, charcoal mellowed and ready for consumption by an unsuspecting public. Don’t be fooled by the seeming sweetness of their gripping melodies, this is a band with a bite. Ravenously sought by legions of fans up and down the west coast, Flake’s bristly danger-pop and raging soul core is catching on. Their always hum-able, usually caustic tunes are burning themselves into audience craniums wherever the lads stop to play a show.

Guitarist Rob Middleton and Bassist Ken Ackerlund, native Seattleites and longtime friends formed Flake from the ashes of Random Song Generator in 1992. For around six years the band played Seattle’s premier clubs such as The Crocodile, Moe’s, the Colour Box, Rckndy, The Lake Union Pub with great pop bands of the day such as Sister Psychic, Pop Sickle, Goodness, Love Battery and many more. The band went through several drummers (some more than once!) including Scott Schickler and Craig Bradford both of Swallow fame. Finally, Rob Cunningham (The Lemons) joined the band and stayed on until the guys decided to take an extended hiatus after releasing their second full length “Wild Cool Anger” in 1997.”

Leave a Reply