Moral Crux At Big Dipper
In 1984, when grunge was still considered something like a film of muck on the bottom of a bathtub, Moses Lake’s Moral Crux was founded.
The band, which plays the Dipper on Wednesday, was one of the earliest punk bands to rise up in Pacific Northwest.
Since its beginning, Moral Crux has remained in its underground confines. This may be fine for punk purists, but lack of exposure has denied Moral Crux its due acclaim.
The closest the band came to gaining regional success was in the late ‘80s. While guitarist Jeff Jenkins was driving a combine somewhere between Ephrata and Ellensburg, he met Screaming Trees singer Mark Lanegan, who also was driving a combine.
The two got to talking and later swapped tapes.
After listening to the Moral Crux demo, Lanegan passed it on to Steve Fisk, a producer who was running an Ellensburg-based independent called Velvetone. Velvetone was the same label that put out the early Screaming Trees releases.
Fisk signed Moral Crux. The band’s selftitled debut album came out on Velvetone in 1987. “The Side Effects of Thinking” followed a year later.
That same year, Fisk became more involved with the Screaming Trees and disbanded Velvetone.
As the Northwest scene began to explode, Moral Crux had no label to support it.
When the band’s 1990 tour fell apart, Moral Crux broke up.
One year later, the band reunited and recorded a new album called “And Nothing But the Truth.” The entire album was recorded in one take in less than a day.
“And Nothing But the Truth” was finally released this year as well as a Moral Crux/Mother Load split EP.
Perhaps the two recordings will garner the band a stronger following.
Ohio’s Gaunt and other guests are also on the Dipper billing. Showtime’s at 9:30 p.m. The cover is $4.
Raggs and Bush Doktor play the Big Dipper tonight. Raggs just released his first single called “Unbelievable.” The song also appears on a forthcoming album.
Show’s at 10 p.m. The cover is $5.
On Thursday, Don’t miss the attack of the killer Bs at the Big Dipper. That is: Bellywipe, Big Comb and Boycott.
Music starts at 9:30 p.m. The cover is $3.