Sludge Factory was the idea of Dan Coler, one of the great vocalists and front men to come out of the Albany, NY music scene in the late-1980s. While certainly unique, Coler’s vocal sound and style was often compared to that of Layne Staley of Alice In Chains throughout his career. After more than 15 years of successful recording and touring with the biggest names in rock, he decided to pay tribute to one of his most critical musical influences–Alice In Chains. So in the Spring of 2007, Coler put together a four-man group named “Sludge Factory”, after the prototypical song of the same name on the band’s 1995 album, simply titled “Alice In Chains”.
The original Sludge Factory lineup included a few of Coler’s long-time friends from the Albany, NY scene. Unfortunately, due to competing commitments, the band dissolved after a few short months. Over the next few years, Coler continued to write and record on and off with his original heavy-rock outfit, College for Criminals. But in the back of his mind he always intended to once again put together an Alice In Chains tribute act to satisfy that part of his musical personality. So in the Spring of 2010, Coler hooked up with guitarist and long-time acquaintance from the late-80s music scene, Russ Harnish, to have some fun playing modern rock covers. Their band, called Swerve, also included College for Criminals’ Eric Schwanke on bass. Right then Coler knew he had a perfect lineup for 3/4s of the Alice In Chains tribute he had envisioned a few years prior. Jason Bittner was the last critical element…
Bittner, who also started his career in Albany, NY music scene in the late-1980s, had been friends with Coler ever since he performed live shows with Coler as a temporary member of East Wall, the original rock band that Coler fronted at the time. Over the following 15 years, Bittner rose to international fame as the two-time Grammy-nominated drummer of the metalcore band, Shadows Fall, winning awards and appearing multiple times on the cover of Modern Drummer. Bittner also shared Coler’s passion for the music of Alice In Chains, which had also been a big influence in his life. On a late-Summer day in 2010, the two had a conversation about the possibility of working together again, but this time to put together a world-class Alice In Chains tribute band. Bittner was in and Sludge Factory was re-born.
Now, with the lineup of Dan Coler on lead vocals, Jason Bittner on drums, Eric Schwanke on bass, and Russ Harnish on guitar, the band is putting out a near-perfect live re-creation of the music of their musical heroes, Alice In Chains. This quartet is now booking future shows and plans to keep the music of Alice In Chains alive for fans throughout the Eastern US for years to come.