Scream

Emerging from the 1980s hardcore circles of the nation’s capital, Scream established themselves among the longest-running acts in the Washington, D.C. punk rock community, developing from those origins into a stylistically broader unit while preserving their forceful drive. Their debut album, Still Screaming from 1983, delivered sharply executed and intense hardcore, whereas the follow-up LP This Side Up from 1985 explored a more polished yet robust approach that also incorporated reggae elements. The releases Banging the Drum in 1986 and No More Censorship in 1988 blended anthemic punk with hard rock muscle and alternative rock experimentation before the group disbanded in 1990, yet members periodically reconvened for performances and sessions, culminating in the 2023 reunion album DC Special.

The band originated in 1981 in Alexandria, Virginia, roughly nine miles from Washington, D.C. Its founding members included Pete Stahl on lead vocals, brother Franz Stahl on guitar, Skeeter Thompson on bass, and Steve Atton on drums. Once regular appearances began in the D.C. area, Kent Stax (also known as Kent Stacks) had taken over the drum position, and the group quickly earned recognition as one of the scene’s most regarded acts. Dischord Records, established by Ian MacKaye and Jeff Nelson of Minor Threat to chronicle the local punk community, signed Scream to record, resulting in Still Screaming becoming the label’s first full-length debut rather than a single or various-artists collection.

This Side Up from 1985 expanded the lineup to a quintet when guitarist Robert Lee Davidson joined, introducing a more intricate two-guitar dynamic. Sessions for Banging the Drum in 1987 took place at Southern Studios in London, England, as well as at Inner Ear in Arlington, a facility central to many D.C. recordings. Regular touring had already commenced, and after Banging the Drum the band ventured overseas to Europe and the United Kingdom for the first time.

Kent Stax departed amicably after that touring cycle, prompting the addition of seventeen-year-old Virginia drummer Dave Grohl, who understated his age to secure the role. Grohl’s first studio work with Scream appeared on the 1988 album No More Censorship, issued by the Washington, D.C. reggae imprint RAS Records as part of its move into rock releases. Further road work followed, including a March 1988 concert in the Netherlands captured on Live! At Van Hall Amsterdam and a May 1990 show in Germany documented on a volume of the Your Choice Live Series. Back in D.C., the group began preparing a fifth studio album, yet internal strains surfaced and Scream disbanded before the end of 1990. Grohl soon joined Nirvana in time to record their landmark 1991 release Nevermind, while Pete Stahl and Franz Stahl relocated to Los Angeles to form Wool; Franz Stahl later contributed guitar to Grohl’s Foo Fighters between 1997 and 1999.

The album tracked just prior to the breakup received posthumous release in 1993 on Dischord as Fumble, after which the Stahl brothers, Skeeter Thompson, and Dave Grohl organized a reunion tour. Subsequent lineups of Scream members continued to stage occasional shows thereafter. The five-piece configuration from This Side Up and Banging the Drum performed a one-time concert at the Black Cat in December 1996, documented on the 1998 CD Live at the Black Cat, and the original Still Screaming lineup reconvened at the same venue in 2009. Another reunion brought the founding members together for recordings at Grohl’s Studio 606 facility in Los Angeles, yielding the six-song EP Complete Control Sessions issued by Side One Dummy Records in 2011. Southern Lord Records released a band-remixed edition of No More Censorship titled NMC17 in 2017. In 2021 Pete Stahl, Franz Stahl, Skeeter Thompson, and Kent Stax reconvened to track an album celebrating the breadth of the D.C. music community, with guest contributions from Ian MacKaye and Joe Lally of Fugazi, Brian Baker of Minor Threat, Dave Grohl, and additional artists; DC Special marked one of the final projects completed at Inner Ear Studio before its October 2021 closure. The album appeared in November 2023 and contained Kent Stax’s last recordings; he passed away on September 20, 2023, at age 61.