Hole Bio
Throughout Hole's
career, vocalist/guitarist Courtney
Love's notorious public image has overshadowed her band's music. In
their original incarnation, Hole was one of the noisiest, most
abrasive alternative bands performing in the early '90s. By the time of
their second album, 1994's Live Through This, the band had smoothed out
many of their rougher edges, also adding more melodies and hooks to
their songwriting. Through both versions of Hole, Love's
combative, assaultive persona permeated the group's music and lyrics,
giving the band a tense, unpredictable edge even at their quietest
moments. Love formed Hole in Los Angeles in 1989, recruiting
guitarist Eric Erlandson through a newspaper ad. Love had played with
numerous bands before Hole, including early versions of both
Babes in Toyland and Faith No More. Erlandson and Love eventually
drafted bassist Jill Emery and drummer Caroline Rue into the band,
recording their first album with producer Kim Gordon, the bassist for
Sonic Youth. The violent and uncompromising Pretty on the Inside, Hole's
debut record, was released on Caroline Records in 1991 to numerous
positive reviews, especially in the British weekly music press. |
Hole Biography |
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Hole Pictures

Hole Bio |
In early 1992, Courtney
Love married Kurt
Cobain, the lead singer/songwriter of Nirvana. For a couple of
months, the couple was the king and queen of the new rock world; soon,
that world came crashing in. Cobain became addicted to heroin and the
couple fought to keep custody of their baby after a piece in Vanity Fair
accused Love of shooting heroin while pregnant, charges which she
vehemently denied at the time; she would later admit that she had taken
small quantities of the drug. By 1993, their private world had settled
down somewhat, with Cobain and Love recording new albums with their
respective bands.
Halfway through 1993, Love reassembled
Hole with Erlandson, adding bassist Kristen M. Pfaff and drummer Patty
Schemel. Hole was set to release their first major-label album, the more
pop-oriented Live Through This, on DGC Records in April of 1994. Advance
word on the album was overwhelmingly positive, with many critics calling
it one of the best records of the year. Four days before the album was
released, Kurt Cobain's body was discovered in the couple's Seattle
home; he had died of a self-inflicted shotgun wound three days before.
Two months after Cobain's death, Kristen
M. Pfaff was found dead of a heroin overdose in a Seattle apartment,
with rumors swirling that Love (understandably distraught over the
recent tragedies) was abusing the drug as well. Two months later, Hole
began touring again, with bassist Melissa Auf Der Maur taking Pfaff's
place. "Doll Parts" was released as a single late in 1994,
climbing into the Top 60 by the beginning of 1995. Live Through This
topped many critics' polls at the end of the year, including Rolling
Stone and the Village Voice. Shortly thereafter, Hole toured with the
fifth Lollapalooza tour, staying on the road for the remainder of the
year.
Despite all the hardships, the album
became the group's commercial breakthrough, spawning several MTV/radio
hits and being certified platinum early the following year. The band
went on an extended hiatus afterwards, during which time many assumed
the band had broken up when it appeared that Love was focusing more on
her burgeoning acting career (Feeling Minnesota, The People vs. Larry
Flynt) than music. To satisfy their fans' demand for new music, two
rarities collections were issued -- the 1995 EP Ask for It and the 1997
import My Body, the Hand Grenade.
After numerous delays, the band finally
regrouped to work on a follow-up to Live Through This, with longtime
friend Billy Corgan signed on to be a musical consultant. The album was
finally issued in September of 1998 to favorable reviews, but Schemel
left the band (for reasons unknown) around the same time. Former drummer
for New York City alt-rockers Shift, Samantha Maloney, filled the vacant
slot as the group embarked on their first substantial tour in two years.
By the tour's completion, Auf Der Maur had left to join the Smashing
Pumpkins, while Maloney eventually served as a stand-in drummer for Mötley
Crüe. Even though Skin was certified platinum shortly after its
release, Love was unhappy with the way the album was handled by her
record company and felt stifled by her contract, eventually bringing a
lawsuit against the Universal Music Group trying to terminate her
contract (she still owes five more albums under her current agreement),
so she can release music via the Internet.
The future of Hole became even
more uncertain in early 2001, when Love announced plans to launch a new
outfit, called Bastard. Signing with Epitaph, the band consisted of
Love, former Veruca Salt guitarist Louise Post, former Rockit Girl
bassist Gina Crosley, and to the delight of longtime Hole fans, Schemel
is back on drums. In typical Love style, this lineup eventually
dissolved into only her and Schemel and the group essentially broke up
before it even began. Despite the lack of any substancial project, Love
finally announced the end of Hole in May of 2002. Unlike her
often bitter press situations, she claimed that the situation was
friendly and she would still remain friends with the previous members of
the band. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine & Greg Prato, All Music Guide
Bio From: VH1 |