Sponge

alternative rock

With their versatile blend of classic hard rock and punchy alt-pop with a thin metal veneer, Motor City rockers Sponge caught fire during the post-grunge boom of the mid-'90s with modern rock radio hits like Plowed and Molly (Sixteen Candles). Despite being wrapped in the fuzzy guitars and brooding intensity that typified grunge music, the band had a knack for jangly riffs and catchy, anthemic hard rock hooks. Sponge hit their commercial peak in 1996 with the release of their sophomore effort, Wax Ecstatic which, like their 1994 debut Rotting Pinata, went gold. While the band's popularity waned as tastes changed, they continued to forge ahead with hard-hitting efforts like Galore Galore (2007), Stop the Bleeding (2013), and Lavatorium (2021). Their sonic attack remained largely uniform, but founder and frontman Vinnie Dombrowski would serve as Sponge's sole constant member throughout their tenure. Sponge grew out of a Detroit-based hard rock act called Loudhouse, which released an album on the Virgin label in 1988 before losing its record contract and disbanding shortly thereafter. Drummer-turned-vocalist Vinnie Dombrowski (born Mark Dombrowski) and guitarists Mike Cross and Joey Mazzola regrouped as Sponge in 1992, adding Mike's brother Tim Cross on bass and Jimmy Paluzzi on drums. Adapting their '70s hard rock influences to fit the grunge zeitgeist, the bandmates earned a major-label deal with Columbia and released their debut album, Rotting Pinata, in late 1994. Initiall...