Much like the Beatles, Nirvana had a last minute change of course with their drummers right before exploding to superstardom. Before David Grohl cemented his permanent spot as Nirvana's drummer, the job belonged to Seattle native Chad Channing. Channing's drumming can be heard on Nirvana's earliest recordings, including their famed "Bleach" album.
About 6 months before being replaced by Grohl, Channing and Nirvana played a gig at The Club Underground in Madison, WI. A small venue with easy access to the performers, a savvy fan/collector by the name of "Mark" was wise enough to strike up conversation with the band, leading to him acquiring a number of treasures. Among them was a pair of drumsticks, personally played by Chad Channing and signed on both by Channing in black felt tip marker. The sticks show tremendous use and are splintered and worn down.
Accompanying the sticks is a detailed Letter of Provenance from the collector who acquired them and other relics from the fan who attended the concert and was smart enough to engage the band. Explaining the story behind this incredible acquisition, the Letter of Provenance reads, in part:
"I had the good fortune of acquiring...a signed pair of Chad's excessively-used drumsticks...
One of the reasons that this archive is so important is the timing. The individual who acquired these items did so on Friday, April 6, 1990.
During the week of April 2, 1990 to April 6, 1990, Nirvana was at Butch Vig's Smart Studios in Madison, Wl. This week was spent recording very early versions of songs that would ultimately end up on "Nevermind." The week ended on Friday night with a show at The Club Underground.
The person I obtained these items from resided in Wisconsin and was at that show. He also had numerous posters and flyers from the bands he had seen play at various local venues. He made it a practice to ask whatever band he saw play to sign something; usually the poster or flyer from the show. It seemed to me they were mostly flyer-type posters of bar bands that are long forgotten.
In the case of Nirvana, he got along well with the band after the show and remembered that everyone was partying pretty hard....The signed drumsticks in this collection were presented personally by Chad Channing. They show an unbelievable amount of playing wear and are totally shredded..."
Given the bands meteoric rise to fame, a very limited amount of relics from this era in Nirvana's history have ever surfaced. Don't miss this opportunity to acquire a terrific piece of rock history! Accompanied by a Letter of Provenance and a Letter of Authenticity from music autograph authority Roger Epperson/REAL Authentication.