Ace Of Spades hosted the Grunge BIG 4 tour Friday night. The show featured performances by In Uterus, Alice in the Garden and Corduroy. The three tribute bands have been on tour for four months.

The Grunge BIG 4 refers to Nirvana, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden and Pearl Jam. In Uterus is an all-female band celebrating Nirvana and has five members rather than three. Alice in the Garden tributes two bands, Alice in Chains and Soundgarden. Corduroy is a Pearl Jam tribute band that has five members in the group, all from the Bay Area.

The State Hornet Spoke with Diego Zegarra, lead singer of Corduroy, a Pearl Jam tribute band. Zegarra talked about what inspired him to tribute grunge.

Question: Since grunge was popularized in the ‘90’s, how do you feel about it still being relevant and still being popularized today in 2020? 

Answer: “It feels great. I grew up with that music and with all the music that’s happening right now and to still be able to listen to that music even when it’s been over 25 years is amazing. And you just do things like (tribute concerts) to keep it alive.

Q: What was the first song that got you into Pearl Jam? 

A: Well it was “Even Flow,” the funny thing is that I heard it before I knew it was them, but then a couple of albums later on “Vitalogy” there was a song on there called “Corduroy” and that’s actually why I named the band Corduroy because that’s my favorite song from Pearl Jam. When that song came out I was going through some hard times. I was 14, my parents were getting a divorce and it was just one of those songs that you’re just like ‘this was written for me’ you can identify with the lyrics and that’s just how it was.

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Q: How did you and your band members meet? 

A: Actually, I put up an ad on Craigslist and Facebook. I had to make it look professional so that way people could take it seriously, so I made the logo and I put Pearl Jam tribute band is looking for a drummer, bass, rhythm and lead guitarist so pretty much the whole band. So I put auditions will take place at this time, this place and if you’re interested, please send your information at this email and that’s how it all started.

Q: What cities are you guys from?

A: Everywhere. All the auditions were in San Francisco and Concord. The bass player is from San Jose and the rest of the band is from San Francisco. Everyone loves it for that reason, we’re a local tribute band from the Bay Area.

Q: What’s been your favorite part of this tour so far?

A: That we get to go everywhere. It’s funny because you play around the Bay Area, but then you get to tour everywhere.

Q: What goes through your mind when you’re performing?

A: “A lot of feelings and it’s more the people’s energy giving you those feelings. Their reaction and their vibe.”

Each of the bands at the tribute concert performed iconic hits like “Lithium,” “Blackhole Sun” and “Jeremy.” You can catch upcoming events and media on the Grunge BIG 4 tour facebook page.