Screaming Trees had six official members across their sixteen years. The band was formed in Ellensburg, Washington, in 1984 by vocalist Mark Lanegan, guitarist Gary Lee Conner, bassist Van Conner and drummer Mark Pickerel; Barrett Martin replaced Pickerel in 1991, and Josh Homme, formerly of Kyuss, played rhythm guitar from 1996 to 1998. The band broke up in 2000, and two of its founders have since died: Lanegan in 2022 and Van Conner in 2023.
Here is every member, with roles and years as the band’s own member list gives them, followed by the touring players and the sequence of line-up changes.
Mark Lanegan – Lead Vocals (1984–2000)
Lanegan fronted the band from its formation in high school through the break-up in 2000, and pursued a solo career alongside it; the band’s late-1990s hiatus was taken so he could record his third solo album, Scraps at Midnight (1998). He died in 2022.
Gary Lee Conner – Guitar, Backing Vocals (1984–2000)
The band’s guitarist and one of the two Conner brothers, whose family video rental store served as the group’s rehearsal space.
Van Conner – Bass, Backing Vocals (1984–2000)
Van Conner played bass throughout, apart from a hiatus after Uncle Anesthesia (1991) when he toured as bassist for Dinosaur Jr. and Donna Dresch filled in. He died in 2023.
Mark Pickerel – Drums, Percussion (1984–1991)
The original drummer, Pickerel played through the independent-label years and the major-label debut before Barrett Martin replaced him in 1991.
Barrett Martin – Drums, Percussion, Backing Vocals (1991–2000)
Martin joined for Sweet Oblivion (1992), the band’s breakout album with “Nearly Lost You”, and stayed to the end. He later mixed and released the band’s final recordings, Last Words (2011), on his own Sunyata Productions label.
Josh Homme – Rhythm Guitar (1996–1998)
After Dust (1996) was released, Homme, formerly of Kyuss, was hired as rhythm guitarist for the tour and stayed until 1998.
Touring Members
- Donna Dresch – bass (1988, 1991)
- Sean Hollister – drums (1991)
- Dan Peters – drums (1991)
Screaming Trees Line-Up Changes at a Glance
- 1984: Lanegan, the Conner brothers and Pickerel form the band in Ellensburg.
- 1991: Van Conner takes a hiatus to tour with Dinosaur Jr.; Martin replaces Pickerel on drums late in the year.
- 1996–1998: Homme joins as rhythm guitarist for the Dust era.
- 2000: After a concert celebrating the opening of Seattle’s Experience Music Project, the band announces its break-up.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Who were the original members of Screaming Trees? Mark Lanegan, Gary Lee Conner, Van Conner and Mark Pickerel.
- Who drummed on “Nearly Lost You”? Barrett Martin, who replaced Mark Pickerel in 1991 before Sweet Oblivion.
- Was Josh Homme in Screaming Trees? Yes, as rhythm guitarist from 1996 to 1998, between Kyuss and Queens of the Stone Age.
- When did Screaming Trees break up? In 2000. Their last recordings, made in 1998 and 1999, were released as Last Words in 2011.
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