The bands that've kept Sub Pop hopping

Sub Pop then

Tad: One of the most powerful, heavy grunge bands, led by the original Jack Black, Tad Doyle.

Green River: Short-lived but legendary, GR released an EP and a full-length on Sub Pop before Mark Arm and Steve Turner would split to form Mudhoney, and Jeff Ament and Stone Gossard did the Pearl Jam thing.

Nirvana: Back in 1988, Poneman and Sub Pop were the only ones to give Kurt Cobain — who had been sending letters and demo tapes to record labels, unanswered — any attention. This band wasn't even much liked around Seattle. But Sub Pop saw something, and released Nirvana's first recordings, a single and an album, before Cobain's crew signed with a major label and became a worldwide sensation.

Soundgarden: The "Screaming Life" EP was released on Sub Pop before Chris Cornell's band signed with A&M Records and hit the big time.

Mudhoney: Many around Seattle would tell you that this was the great Seattle grunge band, but a reluctance to do anything vaguely commercial kept this slacker band firmly rooted in the worst-seller lists.

Sub Pop now

The Shins: A born-in-Albuqurque indie-rock band now split between Seattle and Portland, powered by writer-singer James Mercer's unique style.

Band of Horses: Reverb-heavy indie rock, inspired by Neil Young, started by former Carissa's Wierd sideman Ben Bridwell (who has moved from Seattle to South Carolina).

The Postal Service: The electro-pop side project of Death Cab for Cutie's Ben Gibbard, not currently active.

Iron & Wine: Sam Beam's whispery vocals and stripped-down music have achieved critical acclaim, and sell at a surprising rate — Iron & Wine have three of Sub Pop's top-10 selling albums of all time.

No Age: L.A. experimental-hardcore duo is one of Sub Pop's latest signings, inked right around the time the band received a glowing New Yorker feature.

Gutter Twins: A pair of Sub Pop retreads: Greg Dulli (Afghan Whigs, Sub Pop 1990-92) and Mark Lanegan (Screaming Trees, one Sub Pop EP, 1990s "Change Has Come").

Mudhoney: Don't touch Mark Arm, he's still sick — the band that influenced so many others around Seattle has a new album coming this spring. Arm and guitarist Steve Turner are the Mick Jagger-Keith Richards of grunge.

Tom Scanlon, Seattle Times staff reporter