LOS ANGELES Hard rock icons Greenhouse Effect are probobly the most seen and downloaded band in 2008 and 2009 on the internet. This unusual looking and sounding band got their start nearly 25 years ago as founded by grunge guitarist Phillip Keegan and drummer Rich Hebben in Torrance/ Redondo Beach California. Today, as "G.e." are widely seen and touted as the real 'original grunge band' and their fan following grows, new debate and doubt looms as to the real true origins of grunge.
"Our band started grunge" says guitarist Phil Keegan (Dr. Phil) of Northern California quintet Roughpuppy. "Clark Hagins didn't form Greenhouse Effect! - Infact,...quite the contrary, HE WAS THE LAST MEMBER TO JOIN ! He's like our Ringo (Laughs)" says Keegan. "Hagins would hire these photographers,..I remember we were always taking pictures,.." says Keegan "We would go everywhere,...we would go up to Rat Beach cliffs and Hagins would be out there standin' like the 'producer' next to the photog,..he would then come get in the picture...- AND we would shoot hours of film,..and I remember how important Higgins would say that 'image' was,..and that how we all had to have like this 'special look' that wasn't heavy metal,..we could be 'niether' heavy metal 'or' punk, Hagins wanted to start this whole new thing and sound,..everybody thought he was crazy,..me? i still do (Laughs) " says Keegan....
True enough it is,...old pictures of G.e. stand as mute testimony to G.e's grande ideas to 'take over all of rock n roll' as G.e. are often seen in 1987 pictures in the look that would become that of grunge Seattle Folklore many years later,;...torn jeans,sneakers, flannels, penalton sweaters, tattered hockey jerseys,surf,shorts, and cut off levi's, tye dye shirts,...Says Hagins today in 2008; "I had knowledge of all kinds of bands because i was into punk rock and i read Flipside Magazine and i would buy advertising space there,..but honestly, i thought most punk and ska and Seattle bands sucked,..i thought that they were worthless because G.e. always had way more melody and our lyrics were always better" says Clark Hagins.
Says Keegan "Yeah, Hagins would mail in our ideas, pictures, our look - which was so important ,..and ofcourse MY GUITAR SOUND,..SO KEY on tracks like "Racers' and "Precarious" and important cuts like 'Little Man",..theres no doubt about it to me,...Higgins got a lot of our secret ideas stolen because he always was so bold and brash,..he literally handed the entertainment industry and record labels all of our precious gems and the keys to the 1990's indie rock kingdom !!"
Says Jeff Snow of Massachusetts Indie label Rock City Productions who managed G.e. from 1989 til the band's demise in 1992 ; "Clark Hagins is the original Dave Grohl,..a completely driven individual independent man who's quest was nothing but the absolute top of the world,...He started it all,..and a 'master' songwritor,...except for one thing; Dave Grohl or NO ONE, NOBODY HAS TALENT compared to this guy !! Not even close !! "
In the South Bay area of Redondo, Hermosa, and Torrance, from 1987 til 1992, there was no bigger promoter of 'alternative rock shows' in town than Hagins; "Haggins really was like this little Sgt. Major General dude" says Keegan "He ran the South Bay like a machine,...you name ANY BAND EVER out of the South Bay from 1986 til 92' and there is a high likelyhood chance that they played a Clark the Shark Show or festival at Wilson Park in Torrance,..he would throw shows with multiple bands up in Hollywood or where-ever,..he was always dreaming up a new concert idea,..but it wasn't like he was a liked popular dude" says Keegan....
And "Mr. South Bay" doesn't mince words when it comes to talking about G.e. and the importance and politics of grunge and the death of glam heavy metal; "I wanted to kill heavy metal because i wanted and needed to do my 'right-wing politics' thing " says Clark Hagins "I wanted to write topical songs that put down a certain liberal ilk audience in our society,..the whole time ofcourse, i never realised that i 'was' like a liberal myself,...church going conservatives who i was trying to help - they hated me !!" says Higgins "then all the lefty people up in Hollyweird,..they swooped in and used my precious ideas - for evil ,...it was never meant to be that - ya know,..about depression n' all" says Higgins "Heavy metal was all about a good time,..but the reality was my life sucked,..people picked on me and i had like real mean older brothers,..i was the last of 8 children,..i told it like it was !! -sincere !"
The Importance of Greenhouse Effect in music today in 2008 and 2009 cannot be denied,...this bizarre three piece band were indeed massive innovators,...developing a sound and look to be heralded and respected by generations to come "People need to know that we were 'the' three piece power trio 'BEFORE NIRVANA' "says Higgins . "Songs like 'Racers' and 'Precarious' are brutally important music in the history of rock n roll and this is why i feel we have grown so huge on Myspace"...
And true it is, Greenhouse Effect recently in December 2008, crashed into the top 40 all time 'Grunge bands' at Myspace.com , approaching their one millionth Myspace profile view. "That just feels great,..a lot of people out there know just exactly 'who' the real deal is now" says Higgins....
Greenhouse Effect ofcourse it is known today were never signed to a major label back in the 1990's signing frenzy of alternative bands,..but then again, G.e. broke up in November 1992 as bassist Rick Carmody quit the band to go join the South Bay's One Handed Readers punk rock band in North Redondo. "That was a crucial time" says Higgins "I think if me and Ted had kept goin',..we woulda been signed"
Phil Keegan left G.e. in 1990 September after an infamous performance at Torrance's Wilson Park but today says he harbors no resentment towards Higgins "that guy did a lot for music but so too did i,...the band was not a solo project by anybody; We were a democracy ! The three of us, Ted, Shark, and myself,..we created the 'sound' that changed rock n roll forever,..we did it with "Precariois", Number One, and Racers,..and i don't care what Mudhoney and Alice in Chains say,..WE WERE HERE FIRST - AND EVERYBODY IN THE SOUTH BAY KNOWS IT" - "Hagins would use attorneys and he would mail in our glossys and tapes and biographys to record labels,..and THATS where it all came from"
And Higgins takes things even a step further saying that he regularly used the word 'grunge' to describe G.e. as early as 1987; "The word 'grunge' refers to the Carmody's house and Ted's room in particular" says Higgins "Ted's room in Torrance had flannel and penleton sweaters, torn jeans , and joints and beer cans and bottles everywhere,..we were lonely guys but we would throw our own private raging partys in Ted's room after jamming some G.e. rehearsals there too,...Ted's whole house and room were a destruction zone,...plus we would listen to Neil Young albums and 1986 Metallica Master of puppets,...me and Ted would listen to punk sometimes and all kinda' shit,....- i would literally laugh and write about 'the G.e. lifestyle' and mail it in to labels because we were all so hillarious - ALL OF US AND ALL OF 'IT',..it was like reality tv or a movie,...YA KNOW,...LIKE THE 'FIRST' OF ITS KIND N SHIT !!" I don't give a shit about "Deep 6" and all that stuff goin' on up there in Seattle,..because THEY weren't organized with it like the way that G.e. was - and SST RECORDS IN LAWNDALE KNOWS EVERYTHING; THEY GOT ALL MY TAPES AND BIOS THERE !! I WAS MaiLIN' them shit since 1985 !!"
"You look at our name" says Hagins "Greenhouse Effect ---> G.e. ,..then LOOK AT THE WORD 'GRUNGE' our initials are 'in' the very word FOR CRISSAKES !! IF 'THAT' ISN'T GOD and the Universe talking then I don't know what is!!" says Higgins...
The early G.e. songs 'the Magic Man', Little Man, Precarious and "Racers" all sport the muddy LOUD guitar of Phil keegan as Keegan himself today describes 'achieving' the sound by turning down the treble and midrange and cranking the 'bass' on his Fender Twin amp and then often stepping on a 'wah wah' peddle to really 'screach' the sound into the crowd's eardrums,..all the while creating a dynamic 'fuzz' guitar tone that was quite strange in 1986 and 87'.....
Hagins found little luck in 'persuading' the major record labels such as Capital and Geffen and Sony Columbia ,..with his new wild 'grunge' rock ideas back in the late 1980's "they thought i was crazy" says Higgins "the few A & R guys n gals that i could get through to,..they all told me that heavy metal and glam were 'here to stay',..that metal would never die and that the only other styles were like KROQ and the Cure and Morrisey or stuff like John Cougar Mellencamp, THEY ALL SAID ALTERNATIVE ROCK WOULD NEVER MAKE IT BIG !..today, ..i just laugh,..cause when i saw Nirvana in 92' ,..i just 'knew' instantly how and why they got signed at all - IT WAS BECAUSE OF ME !!"
This is all 'not bad' for the little trio band, who is stunning the world in 2008 and 2009 and literally 're-educating' millions of people as to the truth of atleast one kind of rock n roll. "We deserve to be the most seen band in the world in cyberspace" says Higgins "Because we're one of the greatest bands ever - if not the very GREATEST !!"
HAGINS today casts his major recent good times and accomplishments as 'hanging out on the tour bus backstage with Joel O'keeffe and the Roadrunner Records band from Australia Airbourne,..."they are great guys" say hagins "theres no doubt about it today,....I SUPPORT HEAVY METAL NOW,....i've discovered that the people who run emo, punk, and alternative are backstabbers and THEY ARE NOT YOUR FRIENDS BY ANYMEANS,...I JUST HOPE WE STAY UNDERGROUND,..and that's it,...hopefully we just get swept under the rug because I wanna see Airbourne be the biggest band in the world and number one on the Billboard charts,...i hope people into alternative now,..WELL -i fucking hope their house fore-closes !! ,..and people into shit like rap and Britney Spears,....Fuck that shit; it sucks !"

sAYS HAGINS; "People think they can make a million dollars off my shit and my life,..and get away with it ??,...uh uh no way,...you ain't gettin' away with shit,.....MOTHERFUCKER,...."