If you were to ask the late Kurt Cobain what his favorite bands were, he might have said the Beatles and the Melvins, and not necessarily in that order. Centered around the fright-haired frontman Buzz “King Buzzo” Osborne and drummer Dale Crover, the Melvins’ uncompromising slow and heavy plodding noise (perhaps best exemplified on 1986’s Gluey Porch Treatments. now reissued on Ipecac), has proven influential in the underground. You can’t deny their shadow over the current crop of doom metal, but there’s more:While Cobain’s Nirvana was the breakout band of the Northwest rock explosion, it was the Melvins who proved the lynchpin to it all. Matt Lukin was the original Melvins bassist, before exiting to start Mudhoney and beginning a revolving door at the Melvins’ bass slot; Crover was initially Nirvana’s fill-in drummer until he introduced Cobain to Scream drummer/Melvins fan Dave Grohl; Cobain was an occasional member, contributor and enough of a champion of the Melvins to help the band secure a major label deal at Atlantic for 1993’s Houdini. After 20 years the Melvins continue to make albums, collaborating with everyone from 1970s teen pinup Leif Garrett to punk icon Jello Biafra. They even issued a coffee table book, Neither Here Nor There, showcasing the dark, disturbing, psychedelic and mostly hilarious art that accompanies the band’s releases and gig posters. Crover and Buzzo’s current incarnation includes members of Big Business (who are also a supporting act) for an even bigger and louder Melvins. Also on the bill is Ghostigital.

Friday, October 6 at 7pm (doors). Showplace Theatre, 1063 Grant St. (447-1271). $15