Malfunkshun is an American rock band formed in 1980 by brothers Andrew and Kevin Wood. Combining glam influences with distortion, they were one of the earliest grunge bands, forming alongside the U-Men and Melvins. Their definitive lineup consists of the brothers and drummer Regan Hagar. After interactions with fellow grunge act Green River, Andrew would become the frontman for successor Mother Love Bone. Malfunkshun dissolved without having released much material, although they recorded demos and appeared in the landmark grunge compilation Deep Six.
Andrew struggled with drug dependence for several years, eventually dying from a heroin overdose in 1990. Mother Love Bone disbanded as a result and was succeeded by Pearl Jam. Malfunkshun's demos with Andrew were later compiled and released as Return to Olympus on Loosegroove Records, which was founded by Hagar and fellow Mother Love Bone member Stone Gossard. Malfunkshun reformed in 2005 and is currently touring and recording new material.
History
1980s: Andrew Wood era
Bainbridge Island, Washington brothers Andrew and Kevin Wood, decided to skip an Easter dinner at their grandmother's house and stayed at home instead - and recorded their first demo, titled "Malfunkshun". A bit later they found drummer David Hunt (1964–2009) and bassist Dave Rees, and became a four-piece. Hunt and Rees played with Malfunkshun for only one show; after they left, Andrew took over bass and drummer Regan Hagar was recruited from the band Maggot Brains, establishing the band's definitive power trio lineup.
During performances, each band member had an alter ego. Andrew's was L'Andrew the Love Child, Kevin was Kevinstein and Regan became Thundarr. Kevin's stage persona wasn't as carved-in-stone as Andrew's or Regan's, referred to sometimes as "the Axe-Handler" and even an early Malfunkshun poster[4] hand-drawn by Andrew names him "LedSpringsteen". Using makeup and flashy glam-style clothing in a nod to KISS, and other favorite bands, Malfunkshun was known for their dynamic live shows. Andrew was unpredictable and would wander the crowd during shows with his wireless bass, and even stop shows to eat cereal, and throw the rest out to the crowd. Andrew became increasingly involved with drugs and in 1985 he checked into drug rehab, during which time Malfunkshun was put on hold.
When Andrew returned from rehab, the band started up again and contributed "With Yo' Heart (Not Yo' Hands)" and "Stars-n-You" to the Deep Six compilation by C/Z Records. Notwithstanding their densely distorted sound, Sub Pop never took much interest in the band. Although they were beginning to gain popularity they rarely headlined their own shows.
A grouping of Malfunkshun demos and recordings from 1986 to 1987 were released on Stone Gossard and Regan Hagar's Loosegroove label in 1995, as Return to Olympus, which was the largest major label release of the band's material.
On October 24, 2006, surviving members Kevin Wood and Regan Hagar, with vocalist Shawn Smith and bassist Cory Kane, began writing new music using lyrics written by Andrew before his death, for the release of a new album, after which they planned to go on tour. The band had originally intended to use the name Malfunkshun, soon changing it to Subfunkshun or the Subfunkshun Project, and eventually settling on From the North (Von Nord).[6]
On February 19, 2011, Malfunkshun announced on their website that Jeff Loftis would be taking over vocals for both Malfunkshun and From the North. On March 14, 2011, Kevin and Jeff recorded the song "Jezebel Woman" and on March 19, 2011, recorded "Until the Ocean". They have posted both songs on YouTube under the name "Malfunkshun 2011". On May 15, 2011, Malfunkshun posted on their website, that Regan officially stepped down as the drummer, and on May 24, 2011, Malfunkshun posted on their website naming Mike Stone as Regan's replacement on drums, however Miles Freeborn substituted for Stone in March 2012 and has remained the band's drummer ever since. On May 9, 2012, Malfunkshun announced on their website that Rob Day had joined the band in place of Guy McIntosh, who had briefly replaced Cory Kane on bass for the band's autumn/winter tour dates.[7][8]
^"Malfunkshun flyer". Two Feet Thick: Pearl Jam for the impassioned fan. Archived from the original on March 3, 2006.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)