Owing to Chicago’s longstanding image as a hub of mob activity at the dawn of the twentieth century, the quartet 88 Fingers Louie chose a name drawn from a piano-playing gangster in an old Flintstones episode. None of the musicians had any connection to organized crime. In the spring of 1993 the group simply set out to create loose, lighthearted punk rock strictly for their own enjoyment. Later that year they issued their debut EP on their own and contributed tracks to a pair of local compilations, which led to a 1994 association with Fat Wreck Chords. The subsequent EPs Go Away and Wanted prompted reviewers to brand them another “Fat Wreck Chords band” on the strength of their brisk pop-punk style, tongue-in-cheek lyrics, and occasional vocal harmonies, with frequent comparisons to NOFX and Lagwagon. Also in 1994, Rocco Records put out the 10-inch Tootin’ 40s and Fucking Shit Up, while Hopeless Records delivered the band’s first full-length, Behind Bars, the following year. The 1996 EP Chicago vs. Amsterdam was followed by an extensive tour spanning North America and Europe, yet mounting internal tensions and the strain of constant travel caused 88 Fingers Louie to dissolve suddenly in July, leaving numerous scheduled U.S. shows unplayed. During the ensuing hiatus, Fat Wreck Chords issued The Teacher Gets It EP and The Dom Years 10-inch in 1997, and Hopeless collected the group’s previously vinyl-only and scarce recordings on Up Your Ass. After roughly eighteen months apart, guitarists Dan Wlekinski (also known as Dan Precision) and vocalist Dennis Buckley revived the project in 1998, recruiting bassist Joe Principe and drummer John Carroll to complete the lineup. That same year they released the album Back on the Streets, promoted as a major return despite the presence of only two founding members, and followed it a year later with a split release alongside Kid Dynamite.
