Grunge was filled with iconic characters. The movement may have been short-lived but it was driven by larger than life frontmen and charismatic musicians. Jason Everman may not be a household name the way some of his peers are, but his resume is undeniable. He lays claim to being a member of both Nirvana and Soundgarden, though his involvement with both bands ended almost as soon as they started.
Everman joined Nirvana in 1989. He served as the band's second guitarist, and is credited as such on the band's debut album, Bleach, but he did not actually play on the recording. Evidently, the credit was a thank you from lead singer Kurt Cobain because Everman paid $600 to help get Bleach made.
Everman was fired from Nirvana in 1989
Everman did play, however, on several of Nirvana's live bootlegs and covers that eventually made their way onto compilation albums. Everman was fired from Nirvana, however, in 1990. Yes, one year before they took over the music world with Nevermind and became lionized as a trio. The reasoning? Well, it seems Everman was too "moody" to vibe with Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic.
Grunge.com confirmed that Everman kept his distance from the rest of the band during their 1989 tour, and once it was over, they decided it was a bad fit. Now, the running joke among grunge heads is "how could one be too moody for Kurt Cobain?," but Everman proved to have the same problem when he joined another legendary grunge outfit, Soundgarden, the same year.
As far as lateral moves go, moving from Nirvana to Soundgarden is pretty damn good. Everman took over for Hiro Yamamoto on bass, and played on the 1990 EP Loudest Love as well as the home video Louder Than Love. Once again, the alignment of personalities didn't gel. Everman chose to leave Soundgarden on his own accord, and pivoted to the band OLD for the 1991 album Lo Flux Tube.
Everman now plays with Silence & Light
Jason Everman's life post-grunge has been a fascinating deep dive for many. He joined the Special Forces in the 2000s, and served tours in Afghanistan and Iraq. He got a Master's in Military History from Norwich University in 2017. He was also invited to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction for Nirvana in 2014.
The guitarist (and occasional bassist) took several offs when it came to recording music, but he picked his instruments back up in 2019 to join the band Silence & Light. He's performed on both of the band's studio albums, the latest of which released in 2023.