Hammerbox

Hammerbox was one of the few Seattle grunge bands fronted by a woman in the early '90s. Led by fiery vocalist Carrie Akre, Hammerbox equaled the untrammeled rage of their Emerald City peers but also inserted new wave energy in their typical Seattle blend of heavy metal and punk. Akre's voice combined Pat Benatar's shatterproof toughness with Kristen Hersh's ominous roar. Also featuring guitarist Harris Thurmond, bassist James Atkin, and drummer Dave Bosch, Hammerbox recorded its self-titled debut LP for indie label C/Z Records in 1991. Eventually signed to A&M Records, Hammerbox had the sound and songs to capitalize on the success of Nirvana and Pearl Jam. In 1993, the group released Numb. The band also performed at Endfest in Bremerton, WA, in front of more than 14,000 fans to help promote the album; however, A&M Records didn't provide Numb with the support it needed, and it bombed. Hammerbox was then dropped by the label. When negative feelings between bandmembers started to corrode the group's working environment; Akre quit and formed Goodness in 1994. After recording two commercially unsuccessful Goodness albums for large record companies, Akre founded her own label, Good-Ink Records. Akre released her solo debut, Home, in 2000. Thurmond joined former That Petrol Emotion lead singer Steve Mack in Marfa Lights, originally called Anodyne.