A small faction of Grays Harbor residents took in a free tour to learn about Aberdeen’s most famous son Kurt Cobain.
Connie Parson, from Hoquiam, was one of the guests on the tour and she said the Saturday morning tour was “wonderful.” But she did say Nirvana was not on her radar when it was a band.
“I’m 76, so that’s a whole different genre and not my kind of music at all,” Parson said. “But, it was very good history. It was fun listening to a completely different language, so to speak, because they talk in their grunge.”
The Nirvana Talk & Walk & Ride Tours start at 9 a.m., and they end at about noon, on the last Saturday of each month through September. The first one was May 27. The next one is set for July 29, when Angel Phoenix Damasiewicz will play with Christian Svinth. The two musicians are members of “The Akoostiks” band.
Wil Russoul, director of the Downtown Aberdeen Association (DAA) said the Nirvana tours will then change to every Saturday as of Aug. 5. Russoul said he believes DAA, the organization that puts on the tour, will host the Nirvana tour through September. There’s a chance the tour could continue past that.
The gathering place was Nirvana Coffee Company — 205 S. I St. And beyond celebrating Cobain and what he did to put Aberdeen on the map, the guests celebrated another local musician, Ty Wulf, who raspily sang Cobain’s song “Dumb,” from Nirvana’s “In Utero” album, as well as other Nirvana classics. Surrounding Wulf and the guests were many of Darrell Westmoreland’s photographs of Cobain, Nirvana’s bassist Krist Novoselic and drummer Dave Grohl, as well as other music icons, such as Paul McCartney, Keith Richards and Lenny Kravitz.
“Think I’m just happy,” Wulf repeated while he played his dark red acoustic guitar.
Wulf had a cheering section. Someone was filming Wulf as he played and trying to get people to clap as Wulf’s sound filled the cafe.
Phil “Fill” Slep, the guide for the second ever Nirvana Talk & Walk & Ride Tour, was a little anxious because of the smaller group. He was hoping for a bigger showing. But Parson was just fine with the size of the group, which hovered around 10.
“I thought it was a nice turnout,” Parson said. “Sometimes less people is better because you can actually interact a lot better. And I thought that was a really neat thing, listening to people who had personal experiences with Nirvana and that era.”
A few more people showed up before Wulf finished playing his short setlist of covers. Amy Mathews-Smith, owner of Nirvana Coffee, made espresso, coffee and tea drinks at the front of the cafe. To add a visual to the tour, Slep and his assistants Sarah Corey and Chuck Meskimen each wore that classic gray Nirvana T-shirt with the smiley face.
When the tour started, Slep took the guests to Novoselic’s star in front of Aberdeen Auto Spa — 217 E. Heron St.
Slep then continued on to Cobain’s star. Another one of the 89 sidewalk stars positioned throughout downtown Aberdeen, Cobain’s is on the north side of the 200 block of East Wishkah Street. The star lay directly across from Grays Appartments — 209 E. Wishkah St. That name is not a typo. Even the knowledgeable Slep doesn’t know why the sign “Appartments,” is spelled that way.
The location’s important because the star is directly across the street from the old Rosevear’s Music Center. There, Cobain bought his first guitar, a right-handed one he flipped over to play left-handed. There weren’t too many left-handed guitars in those days. Just ask Jimi Hendrix, the legendary left-handed musician also had to flip a right-handed guitar to play it.
As the tour continued, other people helped with the tour as they threw in little factoids they knew, such as the original price of the Kurt Cobain home — $7,900.
The tour took a brief break as the group waited for a Grays Harbor Transit bus ride to the Young Street Bridge. Russoul gave “special thanks” to Tami Dragoo, of Grays Harbor Transit Authority. Dragoo coordinated the bus ride for the tour and has since helped get an advertisment for the tours on the bus ceiling.
That break gave people the time to connect with each other.
The bridge is important because Cobain hung out under the bridge and wrote songs under the bridge. One of the songs in Nirvana’s discography is “Something in the Way,” which is about Young Street Bridge.
During the tour break, people learned more about Cobain, such as how he dropped out of Aberdeen High School just weeks before his graduation. They also learned Cobain’s sweater from Nirvana’s famous “Unplugged” set sold for more than the old Cobain home on East First Street in Aberdeen. In 2018, the home sold for $190,000, according to the Grays Harbor County Assessor’s office. The sweater sold for $334,000, according to Rolling Stone Magazine.
It was facts like the sweater and the home that made the tour one that someone should take if they want to be more knowledgeable about “side one” of Cobain’s life, which took place in Aberdeen.
The tour continued onto the old Cobain home, which is not far from the Kurt Cobain Memorial Park and the Young Street Bridge — otherwise known as “Kurt’s bridge.” Underneath the bridge, you’ll find a sign that says “From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah,” which not only refers to the name of the Wishkah River, but is also the name of a live album Nirvana released in 1996 — two years after Cobain’s death.
During the tour, Darrell Westmoreland told stories about photographing the big bands of the Grunge era — including Nirvana, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains and Pearl Jam.
It’s just that sort of information exchange, not just from Slep, but from the other people on tour that made it such a great experience for Parson and the other guests.
The tour continued downtown to where Slep showed off the Side One Building. The building is home to the Nirvana mural and future projects — The Tribute Gallery and The Green Room — for fans of Nirvana and people who just want to learn more about Cobain and about the city.
That’s the point of the tour, Slep said.
“Our mission is to get more people interested in downtown,” Slep said.
For more information on the Nirvana tours, use www.nirvanatours.info, which is being updated, Russoul said. You can also search on social media, including Facebook: @nirvanatours or Instagram: @nirvanawalkingtours. Or email nirvanawalkingtours@gmail.com.
Music events this weekend
A few of the music events happening this weekend across Grays Harbor County, according to venues, Facebook and people in the know:
Friday, June 30
6 to 8 p.m. — Justin Kautzman — Mount Olympus Brewing — 105 W. Heron St., in Aberdeen
6 to 8 p.m. — Deerswerver — Seabrook Sunset Concert Series – 4275 SR 109, in Pacific Beach
8 p.m. — Never Monday and The Bad & The Ugly — Ashley’s Pub Haus — 710 J St., in Hoquiam
Saturday, July 1
Starting at 1 p.m. — Jacob Weber, Clinton “Dogger” Mullins, Sean the Piano Man, Dogger (band) and Larry Mitchell— behind Miller’s Marijuana — 5675 US-12, in Porter
2 to 5 p.m. — Deerswerver — Oyhut Bay Grill — 404 Salmonberry Lane SW, in Ocean Shores
4 to 7 p.m. — Jacob Wikan — Ocean Pours Taproom — 759 Ocean Shores Blvd NW, in Ocean Shores
4 p.m. and 8 p.m. — SLAINTE and Jokers Wild — Tuggs & Chuggs — 13443 W. Cloquallum Road, in Elma
6 p.m. — This Way Out — The Loge — 1416 S. Montesano St., in Westport
7 p.m. (doors at 6 p.m.) — Hellbelly and Clear Nothing — The Loading Dock — 202 E. Wishkah St., in Aberdeen
8 p.m. — Deerswerver — Porthole Pub — 893 Point Brown Ave. NW, in Ocean Shores
Sunday, July 2
Noon to 2 p.m. — Clinton “Dogger” Mullins — Aberdeen Sunday Market — just south of the intersection of South Broadway and East Heron streets
2 to 5 p.m. — SR 109 — Oyhut Bay Grill — 404 Salmonberry Lane SW, in Ocean Shores
4 p.m. and 8 p.m. — Kyle & Darin and Chris Guenther — Tuggs & Chuggs — 13443 W. Cloquallum, in Elma
Monday, July 3
2 to 5 p.m. — SR 109 — Oyhut Bay Grill — 404 Salmonberry Lane SW, in Ocean Shores
6 to 9 p.m. — Keven Hoffman (Solo) — Nirvana Coffee Company — 205 S. I St., in Aberdeen
Tuesday, July 4
1 to 5 p.m. — Mr. Blackwatch — Oyhut Bay Grill — 404 Salmonberry Lane SW, in Ocean Shores
Matthew N. Wells / The Daily World The second Nirvana Talk & Walk & Ride Tour group arrives late morning on Saturday at the edge of Kurt Cobain Memorial Park. The guitar statue shows when the park came to be in April 2011. The plaque shows Kim and Lora Malakoff were the artists.
Matthew N. Wells / The Daily World Phil “Fill” Slep begins the Nirvana Talk & Walk & Ride Tour at the front of Boomtown Records. Slep is a wealth of knowledge and knows how to lead a tour; it was informative and it kept people engaged. The next Nirvana-centered tour is 9 a.m. on Saturday, July 29, when Angel Phoenix Damasiewicz and Chris Svinth will kick it off with a short setlist.
Matthew N. Wells / The Daily World Nirvana Coffee Company — 205 S. I St., in Aberdeen — was the meeting spot for the Nirvana Talk & Walk & Ride Tour on Saturday morning. Phil “Fill” Slep and assistants, Sarah Corey and Chuck Meskimen, helped guide guests to various points in town that are important in telling Cobain’s history as a young Aberdeen resident. Connie Parson, who was a guest on the tour, said she liked how other guests also chimed in with facts they knew about Cobain.
