Alice in Chains is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1987 by guitarist Jerry Cantrell and vocalist Layne Staley. Although widely associated with grunge music, the band’s sound incorporates heavy metal and acoustic elements. The band is known for its distinct vocal style which often included the harmonized vocals of Staley and Cantrell.
Alice in Chains rose to international fame as part of the grunge movement of the early 1990s, along with bands such as Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden.
Although never officially disbanding, Alice in Chains was plagued by extended inactivity due to Layne Staley’s problems with substance abuse, culminating in his death in 2002. Alice in Chains reunited in 2005 and as of 2009 have finished recording their first studio album in 14 years with new lead vocalist William DuVall. The album, Black Gives Way to Blue, is due for release on September 29, 2009.
Following the demise of his band Sleeze in 1986, vocalist Layne Staley formed Alice N’ Chainz, a band which he said “dressed in drag and played speed metal”. The new band performed around the Seattle area playing Slayer and Armored Saint covers. Staley met guitarist Jerry Cantrell while working at Music Bank rehearsal studios, where the two struggling musicians became roommates, and lived in a rehearsal space they shared. Alice N’ Chainz soon disbanded and Staley joined a funk band who at the time also required a guitarist. Staley asked Cantrell to join as a sideman. Cantrell agreed on condition that Staley join Cantrell’s band Diamond Lie, which at the time included drummer Sean Kinney and bassist Mike Starr. Eventually the funk project broke up and in 1987 Staley joined Cantrell on a full-time basis. Diamond Lie played in clubs around the Pacific Northwest, often stretching 15 minutes of material into a 45-minute set. The band eventually took the name of Alice in Chains.
Local promoter Randy Hauser became aware of the band at a concert, and offered to pay for demo recordings. However, one day before the band was due to record at the Music Bank studio in Washington, police shut down the studio during the biggest marijuana raid in the history of the state. The final demo was named The Treehouse Tapes, and found its way to the music managers Kelly Curtis and Susan Silver, who also managed the Seattle-based band Soundgarden. Curtis and Silver passed on the demo to Columbia Records’ A&R representative Nick Terzo, who set up an appointment with label president Don Ienner. Based on The Treehouse Tapes (a 1988 demo tape sold by the band at shows), Ienner signed Alice in Chains to Columbia in 1989.
Man in the Box
In a recorded interview with Fuse TV, Layne Staley stated that the lyrics are about censorship in the mass media, and “I was really stoned when I wrote it.”
http://djallyn.org/media/alice-in-chains-man-in-the-box.flvI’m the man in the box
Buried in my shit
Won’t you come and save me?
Save meFeed me my eyes (can you sew them shut?)
Jesus Christ (deny your maker)
they who try (will be wasted)
Fear in my eyes (now you’ve sewn them shut)I’m the dog who gets beat
Shove my nose in shit
Won’t you come and save me?
Save meFear in my eyes (can you sew them shut?)
Jesus Christ (deny your maker)
they who try (will be wasted)
Fear in my eyes (now you’ve sewn them shut)Feed my eyes (can you sew them shut?)
Jesus Christ (deny your maker)
they who try (will be wasted)
Fear in my eyes (now you’ve sewn them shut)
- Audio from the 1990 album, Facelift:
Break