Nutshell - Alice in Chains

Alice in Chains was probably my favorite band to come out of the Seattle grunge scene, though much of their early sound owed more to late 80s metal than their peers. Fronted by often drug-addled Layne Staley (who did the rockstar overdose in 2002) and his killer voice with songs often written by the brilliant Jerry Cantrell...they're not a perfect band, but they produced some great hard rock hits.

After the release of their most popular and acclaimed album, Dirt, the band returned with an unexpectedly softer, melodic EP recorded over a week in 1993, Jar of Flies. The tracks were nearly acoustic, Staley's voice was more understated, but it's my favorite and produced a couple of the bands best tracks, including "Nutshell," the opening piece.

One of their last performances was for MTV Unplugged, stripping down many of their popular songs for an acoustic set with a visibly decrepit Staley. Still, the concert (led off by "Nutshell") was exciting and incredibly memorable, a fitting way for many fans to see the band in its original incarnation for the final time.

We chase misprinted lies
We face the path of time
And yet I fight
And yet I fight
This battle all alone
No one to cry to
No place to call home

26/365