Editing Tenacious D (section)

===Rise to popularity===
The band's first on-stage appearance was at Highland Grounds in Los Angeles, a coffee shop, where they performed as ''The Axe Lords Featuring Gorgazon's Mischief,'' though the production was technically part of a variety event for the Actor's Gang''.<ref name="kerrang.com" />'' In the audience was the actor and comedian [[Harry Shearer]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://relix.com/articles/detail/let-it-d-tenacious-d-the-greatest-band-in-the-world-or-maybe-the-second-gre/|title=Let It D: Tenacious D, The Greatest Band in the World (or Maybe the Second Greatest, They're Still W|date=February 3, 2012|website=Relix.com|language=en-US|access-date=November 27, 2019}}</ref>

The band's first performance at an actual music event was a short appearance at Al's Bar in 1994, opening for The Abe Lincoln Story.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Fresh Produce |url=https://www.freshproducemedia.co/show/tenacious-d-the-road-to-redunktion |access-date=2024-10-17 |website=www.freshproducemedia.co}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.songfacts.com/facts/tenacious-d/tribute|title=Tribute by Tenacious D - Songfacts|website=Songfacts.com}}</ref> They performed "Tribute", still their only song at the time, and asked the audience to vote for their name.<ref name="Sunday-times" /><ref name="tenacious-d-edinburgh" /> Black and Gass gave them the choice between Pets or Meat, Balboa's Biblical Theater and the Axe Lords Featuring Gorgazon's Mischief (Gass' favorite).<ref name="Sunday-times" /> "Tenacious D"—a basketball term used by commentators to describe robust [[defense (sport)|defensive]] positioning in basketball — did not get the majority of votes, but according to Black "we forced it through".<ref name="Sunday-times" /><ref name="budget" /> The venue had become a hotbed for upcoming bands, so much so that in attendance was [[David Cross]], who invited Black and Gass to open for the live version of ''[[Mr. Show]]''. Black was cast on ''Mr. Show'' in 1995.<ref name="AMG" /><ref name="mr-show">{{cite news |first=Steve |last=Palopoli |title=Cult Leader |work=[[Metro Silicon Valley]] |url=http://www.metroactive.com/metro/11.08.06/cult-0645.html |date=November 8, 2006 |access-date=January 12, 2007}}</ref>

Tenacious D continued to generate momentum on the Los Angeles music scene, notably performing headline shows at Al's Bar, Pedro's, [[Largo (nightclub)|Largo]] and The Actors' Gang studio. [[Maynard James Keenan]], lead vocalist of the band [[Tool (band)|Tool]], had also met Cross on the Los Angeles scene, and therefore had also become involved in ''Mr. Show''. Keenan invited Black and Gass to support three Californian Tool concerts in December 1995.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://sidehatch.com:80/tool_tour.txt |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000621182055/http://sidehatch.com/tool_tour.txt |title=Tenacious D/Tool |archive-date=June 21, 2000 |date=December 23, 1997 |first=Alex |last=Thayer |access-date=November 2, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.metalinsider.net/columns/remember-when-maynard-james-keenan-appeared-in-mr-show|title=Remember When: Maynard James Keenan appeared in 'Mr. Show'?Metal Insider|date=January 9, 2017|work=Metal Insider|access-date=November 18, 2018|language=en-US}}</ref> Tool was the first large act that Tenacious D were a support act for. Black had previously attended UCLA with director [[Jason Bloom (director)|Jason Bloom]]; therefore, when Bloom was made the director of 1996's ''[[Bio-Dome]]'', Black and Gass were invited to perform a short song in the film. The two wrote the song "5 Needs", and this was their first on-screen appearance as Tenacious D.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/bio-dome-v135585/cast-crew|title=Bio-Dome (1996) - Jason Bloom {{!}} Cast and Crew {{!}} AllMovie|website=AllMovie|access-date=November 2, 2018}}</ref>

In 1997, Tenacious D had become a popular act on the Los Angeles music scene and would perform residencies at The Viper Room.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://wazee.org/artists/tenacious_d.shtml|title=[radio.wazee] Modern Alternative Rock - TENACIOUS D|website=Wazee.org|access-date=January 10, 2019}}</ref> [[Pete Stahl]], the vocalist of the band [[Scream (band)|Scream]], worked at The Viper Room at the time and became a fan of Black and Gass. Stahl invited friend [[Dave Grohl]] to come and visit The Viper Room to see Tenacious D, though Grohl initially did not want to go. Grohl changed his stance and went to see the band perform a couple of weeks later and thoroughly enjoyed it. This would start a relationship between Grohl, Black and Gass.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fooarchive.com/gpb/davetendkerrang06.htm|title=Dave Grohl interviews Tenacious D: Kerrang! November '06|website=Fooarchive.com|access-date=November 18, 2018|archive-date=January 17, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070117131726/http://www.fooarchive.com/gpb/davetendkerrang06.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Tenacious D recorded their songs "Tribute", "Kyle Quit the Band", "Krishna" and "History" and released them in a demo tape called ''Tenacious Demo'' in the late 1990s with Andrew Gross. They distributed it to various record companies until HBO offered them a TV show based on the tape and Black's work on ''Mr. Show''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.discogs.com/Tenacious-D-Demo-/release/2862109 |title=Discogs, Tenacious Demo, 1997 |year=1994 |publisher=Discogs.com |access-date=April 12, 2012}}</ref>