It was 10 years ago (or close to it) that I ventured out to the
Hi-Tone Cafe on a weeknight to catch Nebula’s air-moving lesson on the
fineries of the power trio. Besides my paranoia that the trio’s
blunt-force thud would literally throw my heart off beat (the only
other band that has inspired a similar fear is Torche), I remember two
particular details of the evening: One, only seven other people saw the
show, and two, taped all over the merch table were signs with the words
“Nebula Welcomes Trades for Merch” surrounded by generic clip-art
images of pharmaceuticals.

I remember finding it refreshing that there was no clip art of
burning joints or glass bongs, then thinking that I’d probably be won
over by this clever and direct way to tackle the age-old “Where’s ‘the
guy’?” problem facing touring bands as they enter each new town. I also
concluded that if the band kept playing shows like this one, the signs
would soon disappear. Lastly, I recall really enjoying Nebula, but
bemoaned the fact that their chosen genre was mired by innocuous,
mediocre bands that buried good bands like this in obscurity.

This genre went by the unfortunate name of “stoner metal” or “stoner
rock.” Black Sabbath is the influential ground zero for stoner metal,
like, well, every other style of metal, but from there other
ingredients in the stoner-metal recipe are early-’80s groundbreaking
loners such as Trouble and St. Vitus along with the Melvins (huge
influence) and the heavier or scarier true grunge bands of the late
’80s and early ’90s (Tad, Mudhoney, Green River). Then there’s a few
points of reference that sort of set stoner metal apart from other
metal sub-genres: Black Flag, Meat Puppets, and a few other lost SST
bands from the mid-’80s and the “aggro” rock/noise-rock heyday (Helmet,
Hammerhead, etc). Monster Magnet, Clutch, and Queens of the Stone Age
are generally seen as the three stoner-metal bands that have tasted
success within the past two decades.

The movement might not have had its salad days if not for two record
labels: Man’s Ruin and Meteor City. Owned and operated by artist Frank
Kozik, Man’s Ruin was the better known of the two, but Meteor City is
the one still active. Listeners knew what they were going to get with a
Man’s Ruin or Meteor City product: thick, thick, thick riffs and the
rest of the song used as an excuse to drive these riffs, a wider range
of vocal styles than any other strain of metal, and slow-to-mid-tempo
pacing.

There was but one “scene” when it came to stoner metal, and that was
the Palm Desert scene, a healthy group of constantly related musicians
known by their own tag, “desert rock.” Kyuss was the first and best,
Thin White Rope is maybe the oldest, and Queens of the Stone Age is, of
course, the best-known export. But it was another corner of the Palm
Desert scene that attracted Nebula’s primary songwriter and guitarist
Eddie Glass in the early ’90s. Glass had previously been drumming for
Olivelawn, a punk-rock band with a decent following around Southern
California, when he passed through the gateway into the Palm Desert
scene as a member of Fu Manchu, less a band than a Palm Desert rite of
passage. Fu Manchu is still active as a vehicle for founder and
guitarist Scott Hill to recruit other players likely to depart due to
creative differences. Eddie Glass and drummer Ruben Romano did just
that in 1996 after three years with Fu Manchu, forming Nebula shortly
thereafter.

The musical differences that Glass had with Fu Manchu’s Hill were
clearly based on Glass’ desire to incorporate more psychedelic and prog
elements and to dial-down the Black Flag-meets-Black Sabbath vision
that always has driven Fu Manchu. Nebula didn’t release anything until
1998, but made up for the work-shedding period with three EPs and one
full length by mid-1999 on as many labels (Relapse, Sub Pop, Man’s
Ruin, Meteor City). Nebula’s two full lengths on Sub Pop, 1999’s To
the Center and 2001’s Charged, pull off the ’70s production
trick with success and would appeal just as much to fans of the Melvins
as they would to open-minded Yes or Gentle Giant fans.

Nebula has released a handful of EPs over the past decade, and when
they left Sub Pop, two albums on the Liquor & Poker label followed,
in 2003 and 2006, before the band released a Peel Sessions recording
and the most recent and enjoyably solid Heavy Psych album on Tee
Pee Records, both in 2008.

Fans of every band listed above and even those who just like their
jams to be JAMS are encouraged to join Nebula fans when the band plays
with The Entrance Band (formerly Entrance) at the Hi-Tone this
week.