With their versatile blend of classic hard rock and punchy alt-pop with a t… Read Full Bio ↴With their versatile blend of classic hard rock and punchy alt-pop with a thin metal veneer, Motor City rockers Sponge caught fire during the post-grunge boom of the mid-'90s with modern rock radio hits like "Plowed" and "Molly (Sixteen Candles)." Despite being wrapped in the fuzzy guitars and brooding intensity that typified grunge music, the band had a knack for jangly riffs and catchy, anthemic hard rock hooks. Sponge hit their commercial peak in 1996 with the release of their sophomore effort, Wax Ecstatic which, like their 1994 debut Rotting Pinata, went gold. While the band's popularity waned as tastes changed, they continued to forge ahead with hard-hitting efforts like Galore Galore (2007), Stop the Bleeding (2013), and Lavatorium (2021). Their sonic attack remained largely uniform, but founder and frontman Vinnie Dombrowski would serve as Sponge's sole constant member throughout their tenure.

Sponge grew out of a Detroit-based hard rock act called Loudhouse, which released an album on the Virgin label in 1988 before losing its record contract and disbanding shortly thereafter. Drummer-turned-vocalist Vinnie Dombrowski (born Mark Dombrowski) and guitarists Mike Cross and Joey Mazzola regrouped as Sponge in 1992, adding Mike's brother Tim Cross on bass and Jimmy Paluzzi on drums. Adapting their '70s hard rock influences to fit the grunge zeitgeist, the bandmates earned a major-label deal with Columbia and released their debut album, Rotting Pinata, in late 1994.

Initially, critics compared Sponge to Stone Temple Pilots, but alternative radio embraced the band's first two singles: the driving rocker "Plowed" and the jangly, introspective "Molly (Sixteen Candles)." A third single, "Rainin'," also earned airplay, and Rotting Pinata went gold; meanwhile, Sponge went on tour as Live's opening act. With new drummer Charlie Grover in tow, their 1996 follow-up album, Wax Ecstatic, was a more diverse affair, rediscovering some of the band's roots in arena rock, British glam, and jangle pop. Even though singles like "Wax Ecstatic (To Sell Angelina)," "I Am Anastasia," and "Have You Seen Mary" enjoyed radio airplay, Columbia was dissatisfied with the sales figures and dropped Sponge once the album left the charts.

Undaunted, Sponge signed a new deal with the Beyond label, which released the more classicist New Pop Sunday in 1999. It attracted little commercial attention, and more personnel shifts ensued. Tired of touring, the Cross brothers both left and were replaced by guitarist Kurt Marschke and bassist Tim Krukowski; Billy Adams also came on board as the new drummer. After several years of recharging -- during which time Dombrowski played in several Detroit-area side projects -- Sponge returned with For All the Drugs in the World in 2003 and The Man in 2005. Dombrowski reworked the lineup once again, this time adding guitarists Kyle Neely and Andy Patalan, before returning again to the studio in 2007 to record Galore Galore for Bellum Records.

Two years later, there was another lineup shift -- Tim Patalan became the group's bassist -- and they released an EP called Destroy the Boy. A full-length called Stop the Bleeding arrived four years later on Three One Three Records; the LP contained all of the 2009 EP plus new songs, including a twisted cover of Jim Croce's "Time in a Bottle." In 2017, the band partnered with Michigan Brewers and PledgeMusic for their eighth full-length outing, The Beer Sessions, which Dombrowski called "a celebration of independent music and incredible Michigan beer." In 2021 the band issued their ninth full-length effort, Lavatorium, which included the fiery single "Stitch," the well-timed ballad "Socially Distant," and an all-new recording of their signature hit "Plowed." Original guitarist Mike Cross died on March 6, 2022 at the age of 57.

Biography by Steve Huey

There are other artists with the same name:

ii) Sponge is also a 90's Japanese noise supergroup. Though the members are credited anonymously, the group reportedly includes:
Jojo Hiroshige (of Hijokaidan)
Junko Hiroshige (also of Hijokaidan)
Masami Akita (better known as Merzbow)
Yamazaki Takushi (better known as Masonna)

The Japanese Sponge have released at least two official albums, a 7" and a CD on T.E.C. Tones.

iii) Alias for James Hoyte, owner of the drum n bass label IQ Records. He has released one 12" record, The Crash, on Suburban Base Records in 1994.

All This And Nothing
Sponge Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

All the God's people
Look from the outside in
You know them too well
But do you mirror their nightmares?

What more could you ask for
For all this and nothing
To talk deep on the inside

And you know that you will

But I'll give a mind any reason
To fall and take the easy way, way out
I'll never give under pressure, give my permission
I bet you say that you will

All of God's people
And all them good people
And all the good people

They don't look like me
They don't look like me
They don't look like me
They don't look like me
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

I'll never mind any reason
To fall and take the easy way out
I'll never give under pressure, give my permission
Well, I bet you say that you will

All of God's people
All them, God's people
All of God

They don't look like me
They don't look like me
No, they don't look like me
They don't look like me

They don't look like me
No, they don't look like me
They don't look like me

All of God's people
Look from the outside in
You know them too well
But do you mirror their nightmares

More could you ask for
For all this and nothing
To talk deep on the inside

And you know that you will, yeah
Yeah, yeah

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Sponge's song "All This And Nothing" suggest a commentary on the outsider perspective towards those who are perceived as "God's people." The lyrics seem to ask the listener to reconsider their own "nightmares" and compare them to those of religious individuals who they may not necessarily understand. The repetition of "they don't look like me" implies a sense of disconnection or alienation from those who are perceived as pious or religious. The line "But do you mirror their nightmares?" suggests a kind of empathetic questioning, wondering if one's own fears and anxieties mirror those of the religious. The lyrics could also be seen as an examination of the existential question of what one really wants in life - "what more could you ask for, for all this and nothing."

Overall, the song seems to be a commentary on the way we view and judge others, and how we may not necessarily understand or empathize with their experiences. The lyrics are somewhat ambiguous, however, and could be interpreted in a variety of ways.

Line by Line Meaning

All the God's people
The individuals deemed good in society

Look from the outside in
Observed by others who are not like them

You know them too well
You are familiar with their traits and tendencies

But do you mirror their nightmares?
Are you also experiencing the same problems and difficulties as them?

What more could you ask for
What else do you need?

For all this and nothing
Despite experiencing everything and nothing at the same time

To talk deep on the inside
To have meaningful conversations

And you know that you will
And you are sure that you will

But I'll give a mind any reason
However, I can't resist finding a reason

To fall and take the easy way, way out
To succumb to the easy way out or give up too easily

I'll never give under pressure, give my permission
I will never let go under pressure or give permission to anyone to take over.