The Belly Up Aspen

Emerging from Seattle’s influential rock scene, Candlebox quickly became one of the city’s breakout bands of the early 1990s. Led by founder, vocalist, and songwriter Kevin Martin, Candlebox exploded onto the national stage in 1993 with the release of their quadruple-platinum self-titled debut album, which has sold more than four million copies worldwide. The band’s rise included a main-stage performance at Woodstock ‘94 and tours alongside Metallica, Rush, and Aerosmith. Following a hiatus from 2000–2006, Candlebox returned with a string of acclaimed albums, including Into the Sun (2008), Love Stories & Other Musings (2012), Disappearing in Airports (2016), and Wolves (2021). In 2023, the band celebrated the 30th anniversary of its debut with The Long Goodbye, followed by The Longer Goodbye (Tour Edition) in 2024. More than thirty years after their debut, Candlebox continues to deliver the powerful songs and unforgettable live performances that have defined their legacy.

Sponge is an American alternative rock band formed in Detroit, Michigan in 1992 by vocalist Vinnie Dombroski, guitarists Mike Cross and Joey Mazzola, bassist Tim Cross, and drummer Jimmy Paluzzi. After shopping demos as the newly formed quintet, the song “Neenah Menasha”

caught the ears of A&R person Pablo Mathiason and the band signed with The Work Group (a Columbia Records subsidiary) in the fall of 1993. The following year, Sponge released the now iconic, Platinum-selling debut album, “Rotting Piñata,” to global, critical and commercial success.

After two top 10 hit singles, several tours and live television performances, including the John Stewart Show and Late Night with David Letterman, Sponge followed up their debut with 1996’s “Wax Ecstatic.” This sophomore effort garnered a “Song Of The Year” nod from Rolling Stone Magazine for title track “Wax Ecstatic.” The album also yielded two additional top 10 hit singles and featured a guest vocal appearance from Richard Butler of the Psychedelic Furs on the song “I Am Anastasia.”

Since then, Sponge continues to release new music and keeps a near-constant tour schedule to the pleasure of their legion of loyal followers. Though continually led by Vinnie Dombroski, Sponge’s lead singer and chief songwriter, the band has seen a few line-up changes over the course of its 30+ year career. Sponge currently features: Andy Patalan (guitar, vocals) and his brother Tim Patalan (bass).

The Patalan brothers were a natural addition to the band, having previously engineered and produced the first three Sponge records at their studio, The Loft, in Saline, Michigan The Brothers Patalan are joined by Kyle Neely (guitar) and recent addition, former Taproot drummer Dave Coughlin. Sponge’s discography includes nine studio albums, four live albums, and seven charting singles; 4 of which have made Billboard Magazines top 10. The band has also been featured on several compilations and movie soundtracks over their decades long career. 

They are best known for their prominent 1994 hit single “Plowed” (#5 on Billboard Alt Rock) as well as the 1995 hit “Molly (16 Candles)” (#3 on Billboard Alt Rock), the 1996 hit “Wax Ecstatic” (#10 on Billboard Mainstream Rock) and 1997’s hit “Have You Seen Mary” (#7 on Billboard Mainstream Rock) respectively. Sponge is busy supporting their latest release and shows no sign of stopping for the foreseeable future. Proudly representing the city of Detroit, Sponge takes their well earned place as a part of Rock-N-Roll’s lengthy musical history.