The Last Hard Men

• Genres: Rock

Biography

Briefly formed in 1997, the Last Hard Men was an alternative supergroup consisting of Kelley Deal of the Breeders, Jimmy Chamberlin of the Smashing Pumpkins, Jimmy Flemion of the Frogs, and Sebastian Bach of Skid Row. The formation of the band was the brainchild of Deal and Bach, who met in late 1996 and decided to join forces for a recording session. Chamberlin and Flemion were brought in, and the four musicians recorded 14 songs in four days. One of the tracks, a cover of Alice Cooper's "School's Out," was featured on the original soundtrack to the movie Scream.

The Last Hard Men is an interesting confluence of musical styles and backgrounds. Both Deal and Chamberlin have a history of troubles with substance abuse and addiction, most notably represented by Chamberlin's dismissal from the Smashing Pumpkins following the overdose death of band member Jonathan Melvoin. Chamberlin was with Melvoin at the time of his death. Deal endured a rocky relationship with her former band, the Breeders, which are led by her sister Kim, marked by at least one stint in a recovery center for heroin addiction. A Breeders reunion is rumored to be pending, however. Fleming, the bass player from the Milwaukee-based Frogs, is a lower-profile representative of the alternative community, and Bach has long been the lead vocalist for glam-metal stalwarts Skid Row.

Additional material from the Last Hard Men recording session was finally released in the fall of 2001. ~ Nick Kemper, All Music Guide

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