RIP Grant Hart

[slinkp]

I know this was already brought up in the pix-of-brothers thread, but thought it merits its own thread.

Husker Du was a hugely important band to me starting 30 years ago.  I think the first song of theirs I ever heard was one of Grant's best, and best remembered, songs, which latched on to me from the moment it aired late at night on MTV:



That showcases several things - Grant's great ear for melodic hooks, his voice that was could be both screamy and tuneful, his knack for writing poppy punk-ish songs that are both catchy and incredibly sad, and his utterly distinctive drumming which didn't sound or feel like any other "hardcore" drummer. He barely touched the hi-hat or toms, preferring to drive the groove from pinging steady 8ths on the ride cymbal and kick/snare backbeat that I can't quite describe the feel of. Both driving and a bit loose or floppy-sounding.

I think it's fair to say that without Husker Du there would have been no Nirvana as we knew them, and without Grant Hart there would have been no Husker Du. Any number of Grant Hart songs would not have sounded out of place on a Nirvana album; it's easy to imagine Grant singing something like "On a Plain".
Bob Mould gets more attention, and I don't want to detract from him, but Grant was hugely important and will be missed.  I'm sad I never saw him play.

[Dave W]

I don't see the Nirvana connection but there's no doubt that Hüsker Dü wouldn't have existed without Grant. His songs stand on their own as far as I'm concerned.

He started hanging out at the Turf Club in St. Paul regularly around 1997. He was easy to talk to yet he did seem to be uneasy with the hero worship.