TAD
Let me tell you about TAD, a grunge band formed in Seattle in 1988. TAD was formed by Thomas Andrew Doyle (Tad Doyle) and Kurt Danielson in Seattle after their previous bands (H-Hour and Bundle of Hiss, respectively) broke up. They were one of the first bands to sign on to Sub Pop records, and were part of the early days of grunge music. Later, after TAD broke up, Tad Doyle formed Brothers of the Sonic Cloth, less of a grunge band and more of a band with a heavy metal influence.
TAD wasn’t the most popular grunge band, and they didn’t put Seattle on the map like Soundgarden or Nirvana did. But what they lacked in worldwide fame, they made up for in heaviness. You only have to listen to their 1991 album 8-Way Santa to see what I mean. The bass-and-fuzz heavy “Jinx” has Tad Doyle screaming in a husky and slurring voice, and a distorted guitar chugging alongside.
TAD was un-apologetically Seattle, as well. Their song “Jack” tells the story of two friends in the Washington wilderness experience a near-death tragedy due to an overindulgence in whiskey and cola and a truck doing donuts on a frozen lake. Their music video for “Wood Goblins” is typical concert footage interspersed with reckless and beer-fueled vignettes of a dark camping trip in the Pacific Northwest.
Brothers of the Sonic Cloth
After TAD broke up in 1999, Tad Doyle formed Brothers of the Sonic Cloth with his wife Peggy, and Dave French. This band separated the punk from the heavy metal that characterized many grunge bands and added a doomier, more psychedelic sound. Brothers of the Sonic Cloth, sadly, only released a single, self-titled, album in 2015 before going on indefinite hiatus.
Since then, Tad Doyle has been behind the scenes in the music industry managing Witch Ape Studios. He has been offering his services as a sound engineer, while also releasing a solo album that departs greatly from his previous work. His current work is a collection of soundtrack-like avant-garde music released under his own name.
Tad’s music can be found on most streaming services such as Apple Music, while Brothers of the Sonic Cloth and Tad Doyle’s solo work can be found on Bandcamp. Tad Doyle operates Witch Ape Studio out of Seattle, Washington.
The Seattle Sound 