If you were alive during the 90s, you had the privilege of experiencing one of the greatest decades of all time. The 90s quite possibly produced some of the greatest music, television, toys, and movies that have ever been made. From 1990-1999, we were all smashed in between a time when toys could potentially kill you...and we loved it.

This was before the internet and social media took hold of society. We didn't have "internet influencers" and unlimited information at our fingertips. We had more patience, we had a general trust for other humans, and that decade is remembered as a time of peace and prosperity.

You know what else appeared, kind of out of nowhere, in the 90s? A little band from Aberdeen, Washington, called Nirvana.

Nirvana

And by little band...I mean one of the most popular bands during that time frame. Some would even consider Nirvana one of the most popular bands of all time. This music video, of their song Smells Like Teen Spirit, has been viewed 1.7 billion times on YouTube.

For comparison, the hit song Someone Like You, from the uber-talented Adele, has been viewed 2 billion times. She's one of the most famous people on the planet. Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic, and Dave Grohl were all at that level in the 90s before the internet could make just about anyone famous.

Nirvana gave a voice to a lot of angsty teenagers at that time and they helped show kids what it means to truly be an individual. They still have millions of fans to this day and the drummer, Dave Grohl, is the frontman for the amazing band, the Foo Fighters. Nirvana along with Pearl Jam are considered the most responsible for turning "grunge music" mainstream during this decade and it upset a lot of parents.

Smells Like Nirvana

Sadly, Kurt Cobain died on April 5, 1994, and the days of seeing this incredible trio are gone forever. Dave and Krist have teamed up and played together from time to time since Kurt's passing but we'll never see the true band together again. What if I told you we could get pretty close?

You might roll your eyes when you hear a term like "tribute band" but if there was ever a tribute band who does it right, it's these guys. Not only does lead singer/guitar player, Paul Wandtke, look and sound like Kurt Cobain, he even plays guitar left-handed like Kurt did, which is pretty rare in the guitar world. Most players just learn to play right-handed due to the fact that they don't make nearly as many left-handed guitars and right-handed ones are generally cheaper.

According to Smells Like Nirvana, the band is made up of lead singer/guitar Paul Wandtke, bass player Mike Petrasek, and Benny Boomba Piazza on the drums.

Composed of seasoned pros and DIE-HARD FANS of Nirvana, Smells Like Nirvana’s live tribute to Nirvana is a haunting episode of grunge filled angst and rock prowess played without click tracks or backing tracks a trait that is rare in today’s contemporary musical landscape, a trait and philosophy that Nirvana lived by.

In my opinion, Nirvana and Eric Clapton have the two greatest MTV Unplugged performances of all time and if you've seen the Nirvana performance...this is about as close as I've ever heard to the real thing.

They're Coming To Iowa!

If you're a Nirvana fan or maybe you just want to re-live the time you spent in the 90s, Smells Like Nirvana is performing in 2 eastern Iowa locations. They'll be performing in Dubuque at Mississippi Moon Bar, on Friday, September 29th as well as in Cedar Rapids on Saturday, September 30th, at The Ideal Theater & Bar. If you're interested, check out Smells Like Nirvana Tribute for tickets.

Nirvana is a band I could write about forever and I'm pretty dang bummed I won't be able to make either show. I have a pretty big event from stopping me making the shows... I'm getting married this weekend. I hope they come back soon.