The Greg Dulli/Craig Wedren appearance at the 20th Century is a fascinating and perhaps unintentionally appropriate pairing of artists. Although both will be in solo form on this brief tour, Dulli and Wedren share a couple of interesting bullet points on their résumés: They were both members of acclaimed if somewhat underground bands in the ’90s, and both enjoyed equal amounts of adulation and derision in those roles.
Dulli’s story is the stuff of Cincinnati legend. The Afghan Whigs played around town for two years before their 1988 debut, Big Top Halloween, led to a deal with Sub Pop, making them the first east-of-the-Mississippi band on the label. The Whigs switched to Elektra, and their major label debut, Gentlemen, became their biggest and most contentious release, polarizing opinion between wild praise and bitter vilification and landing a spot on a nearly equal number of best and worst albums of 1993 lists. Dulli (pictured) has gone on to form The Twilight Singers and The Gutter Twins.
Wedren’s profile rose as the frontman for Shudder to Think, the thunderous Washington, D.C., Art Punk/Post Hardcore quartet that formed in 1986 and released a pair of singles and its full-length debut, 1989’s Curses, Spells, Voodoo, Mooses, before signing with respected indie Dischord. STT was among a collective of D.C. bands, including Rites of Spring, Embrace, Moss Icon and Grey Matter, that were attempting to steer Hardcore away from the testosterone-fueled aggression that had infiltrated the scene at the time.
Greg Dulli and Craig Wedren play the 20th Century Theater Wednesday. Go here to read Brian Baker's full Sound Advice recommendation.
