Rock Road Trips: Seattle
Seattle is our final stop on our rock road trip series. Named after Native American tribal leader Chief Sealth, Seattle is ground zero for grunge, birthplace of Jimi Hendrix, and early home to R&B greats Quincy Jones and Ray Charles (the two were Seattle roommates for a time). It's also got that crazy Space Needle.
Plan your Seattle trip for Labor Day weekend. That's when you can catch Bumbershoot - the annual music and arts festival held on the site of the 1962 World's Fair (by the way, the Space Needle was built for the same fair). Make time to sneak away from the concert grounds and see these other musical landmarks.
GALLERY: View all the stops on your Seattle Rock Road Trip
EXPERIENCE MUSIC PROJECT - 325 5th Avenue
Where else can you get music and science fiction under one roof? Microsoft co-founder and rock junkie Paul Allen opened the EMP in 2000. Four years later, he tacked on the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame to get the Comic-Con geeks' money as well. The Frank Gehry designed building is worth the visit alone but the "Northwest Passage" doesn't suck either. The permanent exhibit traces the history of Pacific Northwest musicians from Bing Crosby to Queensryche.
SUB POP RECORDS - 1932 1st Avenue
The Motown of Seattle was originally a fanzine started by Bruce Pavitt. After nine issues, Sub Pop was transformed into a record label and quickly started a flannel revolution. They released debut singles from grunge forefathers Mudhoney, Soundgarden , and Nirvana. All of them left Sub Pop for greener, major label pastures but Sub Pop's place in music history was secured. Plus, they're now home to Flight of the Conchords. It's a long way from down under to Seattle.
KURT COBAIN'S LAST HOME - 171 Lake Washington Boulevard
This is sure to be the most sober stop on your rock road trip. Located in the upscale Denny-Blaine section of Seattle (Starbucks chairman Howard Schultz used to live there), Kurt Cobain took his life in this 4-bedroom, 7000-square-foot home in April 1994. Viretta Park next door has become an unofficial memorial spot. Add your name to the carvings on the park benches.
GARFIELD HIGH SCHOOL - 400 23rd Avenue
This magnet high school (founded in 1920) is proof that music education works. Among Garfield's alumni are Jimi Hendrix and Quincy Jones. Actually, Hendrix was kicked out of Garfield but was awarded an honorary diploma later. A bust of the guitarist sits in the school library. What about moving it to the music department?
JIMI HENDRIX GRAVE - Greenwood Memorial Park, 350 Monroe Avenue NE, Renton, Washington
Seattle is filled with Hendrix memorials but his gravesite is the must-see attraction. Hendrix was buried in this Seattle suburb immediately after his death. By the '90s, so many fans were coming to pay their respects, the neighboring graves were getting damaged. It was like a graveyard concert stampede. A memorial was finished two months before the death of Hendrix' father, Al in 2002. Now Hendrix fans can gather in safety and the other residents can rest in peace. Oh‚and don't pay attention to the Fender Stratocaster engraved on the headstone. It's right side up. Lefty Jimi, played it upside down.
THE MOORE THEATRE - 1932 2nd Avenue
Originally a segregated theater built in 1907 for tourists coming to Seattle for a world's fair, the Moore is the site of two famous grunge video documents: Alice in Chains' '91 "Live Facelift" and Pearl Jam's 1992 "Even Flow." It still hosts some of the best shows in the area. And everyone can mosh together in interracial harmony.
PIKE PLACE MARKET -1st Avenue and Pike Street
Pike Place Market has been one of the oldest farmers markets in the U.S. since its 1907 opening. The market also serves as a Pacific Northwest subway stop, providing a stage for buskers. Artis the Spoonman is probably the most famous busker from Pike Place Market. He's also the inspiration for the 1994 Soundgarden song "Spoonman." The band also put Artis in the video boosting him to national spoon prominence. His rates have gone up since.
BLACK DOG FORGE - 2316 2nd Avenue
What better place to practice than the basement of a blacksmithing studio? This was Pearl Jam and Soundgarden's musical clubhouse in their formative years. Pearl Jam even used the work of some of the Black Dog artisans (pictured) in their later stage designs. Check out what rock 'n' roll and ironworks look like together.
CROCODILE CAFE - 2200 2nd Avenue
This hole in the wall club launched the career of virtually every grunge and alternative act in Seattle. Local favorites like The Presidents of the United States of America and The Posies (who played the club's first show) were booked along with national acts like Cheap Trick and Beastie Boys. R.E.M.'s Peter Buck not only played there, he married the owner, Stephanie Dorgan (they divorced in 2006). The club shut down in 2007 but reopened two years later under the new name The Crocodile. No R.E.M. gigs planned.
