Marshall Of Rock

Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready recently told a Kentucky radio station that Mad Season, the supergroup that featured him, late Alice In Chains singer Layne Staley, bassist John Baker Saunders and Screaming Trees drummer Barrett Martin, could be making a semi-return later this year. McCready said that he plans to reissue the group's only album, 'Above' (originally released in 1995), as well as a live record. He also mentioned that there is unreleased material in the vault that he would like to complete and release.

McCready told WFPK, "We were trying to do another record, but it just didn't work, Layne went off and did Alice In Chains and then he died. So, what happened was, I had to change the band name to Disinformation. From the Disinformation sessions there are probably twelve songs, and out of that, probably eight that are pretty great. They need to be edited, but they're all music, so we're trying to find singers that are up to the caliber of Layne to do justice to it."

McCready also added that he hopes to have the singers in place soon and get the material into the hands of fans before the end of the year.

Mad Season officially dissolved in 1999 after the death of bassist John Baker Saunders. Staley died three years later in 2002. Mad Season's sole album, "Above", went gold (500,000 in sales) and produced two Top 20 modern rock singles, 'River Of Deceit' and 'I Don't Know Anything.' The album cover featured an illustration by Staley based on a photograph of him and his girlfriend Demri Parrott.

Layne Staley was born in Kirkland, Washington on August 22nd, 1967. He actually began by playing drums at the age of 12, but soon aspired to be a singer. Staley was reportedly in several glam bands before 1986 when he formed 'Alice N' Chainz'. While 'Alice N' Chainz' was playing speed metal in the Seattle Area, Staley met guitarist Jerry Cantrell. The two became room mates and eventually Staley would join Jerry Cantrell's band 'Diamond Lie', which later changed it's name to 'Alice in Chains'. Although today marks the death of Layne Staley, his body wasn't found until April 20th. Here's the official MTV release on his death from 2002.

The King County Medical Examiner positively identified Staley's body on Saturday (April 20), following an autopsy. Exact time and cause of death are pending, as laboratory results could take several weeks, a spokesperson said. Staley was 34.

Police responded to a call to check on Staley's well-being that was placed by a family member who claimed to have not spoken to Staley for two weeks. They arrived at Staley's address with the family member in Seattle's University District at 5:41 p.m. PT on Friday, according to the police report. Upon discovering his body on the couch surrounded by intravenous drug paraphernalia, according to the Associated Press, officers called investigators from the medical examiner's office, who arrived on the scene at approximately 7:30-8:00 p.m., a spokesperson said. Authorities said he'd been dead for several days, so the body wasn't immediately identifiable as that of Staley, whose longtime battle with drug dependency was a central component of his band's music — a dark and bombastic sound that continues to influence artists some 15 years after the group first formed.


With Staley as their scowling, tortured frontman, Alice in Chains claimed a spot as the darkest and hardest band of the early '90s grunge movement, bringing a healthy dose of metal to the new movement. Born in Kirkland, Washington, in 1967, Staley formed Alice in Chains while still a high school student in the mid-'80s. The singer soon formed a friendship with guitarist Jerry Cantrell, who joined the band in 1987 and provided the other half of the group's creative core. Drummer Sean Kinney and bassist Mike Starr (replaced in 1992 by Mike Inez) soon followed, and the band landed a deal with Columbia Records in 1989.

The band's 1990 debut, Facelift, found a home at both college rock and classic rock radio outlets, chiefly on the strength of the single "Man in the Box." The album soon went gold, and the band followed it with an appearance on the soundtrack to Cameron Crowe's Seattle love letter, "Singles." With anticipation high, the band delivered Dirt in 1992, pushing AIC to triple platinum status with caustic tracks such as "Angry Chair," "Rooster" and "Them Bones." A prime spot on Lollapalooza soon followed, but the trek would be the band's last major tour and Alice in Chains would be hard pressed to maintain their momentum.


Alice in Chains released the EP Jar of Flies in 1994 and a self-titled album in 1995, but they did not tour to support either offering. During this relatively quiet time, Staley provided vocals for the 1995 debut album from Mad Season, which also featured Pearl Jam's Mike McCready and the Screaming Trees' Barrett Martin. While rumors swirled about Staley's declining health and drug dependency, the group surfaced in 1996 to perform on MTV's "Unplugged" series. Save for a series of compilations cobbled together by Columbia, it would be the last music Alice in Chains would release.

Layne's former fiancée, Demri Lara Parrott died on October 29th, 1996 from bacterial endocarditis, allegedly as a result of drug use.

"I know I'm near death, I did crack and heroin for years. I never wanted to end my life this way." - Layne Staley 2002

We miss you Layne