Formation and major label signing (1990–1992) Paw formed in
Lawrence, Kansas, in 1990. Brothers Grant Fitch (guitar) and Peter Fitch (drums) teamed up with Mark Hennessy (vocals) and Charles Bryan (bass). The band quickly developed a reputation for blending
grunge with elements of
southern rock and
alternative metal. They opened for various bands in the Kansas region, such as
Nirvana,
Urge Overkill,
Tad, and
Dwarves. Paw self-funded a demo tape as they recorded at
Smart Studios with producer Doug Olson. At that point, the studio's owner,
Butch Vig, was still working on Nirvana's breakthrough album
Nevermind. The demo attracted interest from major labels, despite the fact that the band had only played around 20 live shows at that point. A bidding war ensued, and ultimately Paw signed to
A&M Records. Paw chose A&M based on their artist-oriented approach, along with the label's success with other bands such as
Soundgarden and
Therapy?, among others. A&M took an unconventional approach to marketing, and initially released two promotional singles ("Lolita" and "Sleeping Bag") under the label name Nasty Pope Records in 1992, although the songs were taken from the aforementioned demo tape instead of their debut album. The singles were used to generate buzz, aimed at college students and fanzines.
Dragline and extensive touring (1992–1995) Paw's first national tour was as openers, alongside
Reverend Horton Heat, for
Social Distortion in July 1992. The band released their debut album,
Dragline, in the summer of 1993. The lead single "
Jessie" peaked at No. 82 on the
UK Singles Chart and it found moderate airplay on
alternative rock/alternative metal radio stations in the US. Although
Dragline did not chart, its sales surpassed over 200,000 copies worldwide within a year of its release. Paw toured extensively in support of
Dragline as they played alongside bands such as
Mind Over Four, Therapy?,
Tool, and many others, in addition to repeated visits to Europe alongside
Monster Magnet. Overall, the band went on tour for nearly 14 consecutive months. In 1994, Paw's cover of "
Surrender" was included on the soundtrack to the film
S.F.W., and the song was notably released as a single to promote the soundtrack. Also in 1994, three songs from
Dragline ("Jessie", "Pansy", and "The Bridge") were included in the
racing game Road Rash.
Road Rash was notably one of the first instances of a video game that utilized licensed music from multiple bands on a major label, as all of the artists featured were on A&M at that time: Paw, Monster Magnet, Soundgarden, Therapy?,
Swervedriver, and
Hammerbox. By the end of the year however, Bryan had departed from the band.
Death to Traitors, label shifts, Home Is a Strange Place, and disbandment (1995–2000) Paw's second album,
Death to Traitors, was released in 1995. Although the album was officially recorded as a trio, bassist Jason Magierowski was brought in for live shows. A&M experienced internal difficulties by then, as it was noted that promotional material (such as flyers and singles) were not created until after the album came out. Paw headlined a tour of Australia and New Zealand in late 1995, followed by a US tour with
Tesla in early 1996. Due to the commercial failure of
Death to Traitors and a takeover of A&M by
Seagram, Paw eventually distanced themselves from the label by late 1996. That same year, Magierowski was replaced on bass by Dan Hines. The band drastically reduced their activity by 1997. Paw released the compilation
Keep the Last Bullet for Yourself in 1998 on their own label, Outlaw Records, which collected b-sides and unreleased material. The band played various one-off shows, but then went on a hiatus. At one point, the Fitch brothers considered continuing Paw with vocalist Steve Tulipana, although only one show in 1999 was played. Paw was properly reactivated by 2000 after the band was offered a label deal with
Koch Records. The lineup consisted of Hennessy, Grant Fitch, and Magierowski, in addition to Kyle Hudson on drums (Peter Fitch recorded in the studio but did not formally join the band). Although Koch had outlined plans for various tours, promotional singles, and follow-up releases, none of them came to fruition. The band played its first headlining reunion show in Lawrence on October 4 at The Bottleneck. Despite playing various live shows, Paw ultimately did not release any material, and the band became inactive once again after 2008. ==Related projects==