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Roger "Buzz" Osborne


Member

1983- Melvins - guitars, vocals (as Buzz Osborne)  
1998- Fantômas - guitars  
2004-2007 Venomous Concept - guitar  

Guest musician

2017 Low Flying Hawks - vocals  

Interviews

11.12.2021 Melvins

Personal information

Born on: 25.03.1964

In the early 1980s Osborne founded the Melvins with Matt Lukin and Mike Dillard who all attended Montesano High School (Wheeler Building) in Montesano, Washington, where he graduated in 1983. In the beginning the Melvins played The Who and Jimi Hendrix covers but began playing fast hardcore punk after Osborne was introduced to bands such as Black Flag, Flipper, and Millions of Dead Cops by a friend from out of state. When Dillard left the band in 1984, Dale Crover was recruited out of an Iron Maiden-cover band, and the band's rehearsals moved to a back room of Crover's parents house in Aberdeen, Washington. They began to play slower and "heavier" songs.

In 1986 the band released their Six Songs EP on C/Z Records (later re-released as Eight Songs, 10 Songs and as 26 Songs in 2003 on Ipecac Recordings) that was recorded live to a two track at Ironwood, February 8, 1986. In December 1986 they recorded their first full album, Gluey Porch Treatments, at Studio D in Sausalito, California, which was released in 1987 on Alchemy Records (and later re-released as a bonus on the CD version of their second album Ozma on Boner Records and in 1999 on Ipecac Recordings with some garage demos).

In 1988 Osborne, with Crover, relocated to San Francisco, California where the band recorded their next album, Ozma, in May 1989. It was released later that year.

Osborne, along with the rest of the Melvins, knew the members of Nirvana and in fact introduced drummer Dave Grohl to Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic. The influence of the Melvins can be clearly felt on Nirvana's music, especially their early, Bleach-era work.

In 1997 Osborne appeared in the promo video for The Offspring's video "All I Want," as a masked pianist. Osborne also appears in the 1994 video for the Beck song "Beercan" which samples the Melvins' song "Hogleg."

Buzz joined Tool onstage during their tour for Ænema. The Melvins also opened for Tool on the tour. In 1998, Osborne joined a new band known as Fantômas with Faith No More vocalist Mike Patton, a band which he remains involved with to the present day.