Sea Hags

Sea Hags' mercurial career redefined the art of self-destruction, and the band's short run was over almost before it began -- how rock & roll of them. Hailing from Seattle, Sea Hags were formed in 1985 by Ron Yocom (vocals, guitar), Frankie Wilsey (guitar), Chris Schlosshardt (bass), and Adam Maples (drums), who collectively decided to relocate to San Francisco in a bid to get closer to their Hollywood hair metal dreams. Metallica's Kirk Hammett lent a hand in the recording of their first demo, and such was its promise that after signing with Chrysalis Records, production on their eponymous 1989 debut was charged to Guns N' Roses engineer Mike Clink. Processing the sounds of '80s sleaze metal through the Pacific Northwest's distinctly darker and mysterious (and unsuspectingly pre-grunge) sonic aesthetic, the album met with much critical success, but was a commercial flop. Not that it mattered, since the inherently doomed outfit would soon live up to their decadent image by breaking up under acrimonious circumstances (substance abuse, canceled performances, etc.) in the middle of a European tour. To echo their manager's statement at the time: "There's only so far you can get with three junkies and one alcoholic." Tentative plans for a comeback remained just that, and when Schlosshardt suffered a lethal heroin overdose in 1991, Sea Hags were officially no more. Yokom has eluded the media eye ever since, and though Maples was briefly rumored to be Steven Adler's replacement in GNR, it was Wilsey who eventually found a short rock & roll afterlife of sorts, changing his name to Wilsex and joining Stephen Pearcy's Arcade.