Founding and mainstream success (1992–2001) Mark Makoway, Jeff Pearce,
David Usher and Kevin Young, all from
Ontario, all individually moved to
Vancouver over eight years. The group came together in 1992 where they formed the first version of Moist, which included drummer Jamie Kaufmann. The band began writing songs in November 1992 and played their first gig two months later. Drummer Paul Wilcox replaced Kaufmann in early 1993. In 1993, the band recorded a 9-song demo tape at the 8th Avenue Sound Studio with engineer Kevin Hamilton. Their sound was influenced by contemporary
Seattle acts such as
Soundgarden,
Pearl Jam,
Nirvana, and
Alice in Chains. The
Silver album went on to sell 400,000 copies in Canada on the strength of the singles "Push", "Silver", "Believe Me", and "Machine Punch Through". The band was also successful internationally in the United Kingdom, Germany, and Thailand. That year the band continued to tour around Canada. In 1995, the band won the
Juno Award for "
Best New Group". That same year, the band also played the Molson Ice Polar Beach Party, a private concert in
Tuktoyaktuk,
Northwest Territories.
Metallica headlined the concert with
Hole and
Veruca Salt also appearing. In late 1996, Moist released their second album,
Creature, to favourable reviews and sales in excess of 300,000 units. The album included the hits "
Leave It Alone", "
Resurrection", "Tangerine", and "Gasoline", all of which were placed on high rotation on
MuchMusic. In addition to these, a remixed version of "Tangerine" became a hit on radio and MuchMusic. Following the band's second record, David Usher released his first solo album,
Little Songs. In early 1999, the band regrouped to record their third full-length album, the melancholic and soft-toned
Mercedes 5 and Dime. The album was released in the summer of 1999 in Canada and later in 2000 in the United States. Singles included "
Breathe", "Underground", and "Comes and Goes". While touring in support of the album, drummer Paul Wilcox injured his back, causing him to miss the band's final performances. In December 2000, it was revealed that Wilcox had decided to take a "potential permanent leave from the band." Wilcox never returned to the band and retired from music. The band released a compilation album and DVD in 2001, titled
Machine Punch Through. Moist did not perform at all in 2001. Though David Usher stated that Moist was still together as late as 2002, the band's hiatus would last 12 years.
Hiatus (2001–2013) During the band's hiatus, David Usher continued to record solo, releasing
Morning Orbit in 2001,
Hallucinations in 2003,
If God Had Curves in 2005,
Strange Birds in 2007,
Wake Up and Say Goodbye in 2008,
The Mile End Sessions in 2010, and
Songs from the Last Day on Earth in 2012. Mark Makoway published a guide to the music industry, called The Indie Band Bible, and continued to produce and mix records. Jeff Pearce formed the band RYE, and released the album "Wolves" through Maple Nationwide in 2004. Kevin Young toured with David and worked as a freelance writer.
Reunion, new albums (2013–present) In June 2013, the band got back together, with Francis Fillion on drums. The first new Moist recording in 13 years, a cover of Greg Lake's "I Believe in Father Christmas", was released through
CBC Music in December 2013. Moist toured around Canada in November and December that year, calling their tour "Moist - The Resurrection", a reference to their 1996 single "Resurrection". In January 2014, the band, now including Jonathan Gallivan, who had accompanied Moist as a second guitarist on the 2013 tour, reconvened in
Montréal to continue work on material for a new album. Although he would still be featured on some of the new record, bassist Jeff Pearce left to focus on being a father. Recording of the new songs began in January 2014. The band signed a new deal with
Universal Music Canada, and released a single, "Mechanical", to radio on May 23, 2014, and to
iTunes on May 27. The band's fourth full-length album,
Glory Under Dangerous Skies, was released on October 7, 2014. On May 9, 2019, it was announced that Jeff Pearce had reunited with the band. 2019 also marked the 25th anniversary of Moist's debut hit album
Silver. Moist took to the road for the
Silver 25th Anniversary Tour through Canada. The group performed
Silver in its entirety, as well as favourites from their career. In November 2019, Moist released a 2CD/digital remastered edition of
Silver and a 180g 3LP deluxe edition out in December. Both versions include demos, acoustic versions, and previously unreleased live tracks recorded in Los Angeles in 1994. Also in November 2019, Moist released remasters of their albums,
Silver,
Creature, and
Mercedes Five and Dime, for the first time on 180g vinyl. In January 2021, Moist released a single "Tarantino", their first new song since 2014. In April 2021, Moist announced that they would be releasing a new studio album,
End of the Ocean, on October 1, 2021. The title track single of the same name was simultaneously released. The album was released on January 14, 2022. ==Band members==