Biography
Chicago's Screeching Weasel tends to split punk audiences down the middle, with listeners either embracing the group's rough-hewn, melody-driven nods to the Ramones alongside singer/guitarist Ben Weasel's sarcastic takes on suburban life and pop culture or rejecting the approach outright. Across more than ten years marked by repeated splits and an ever-shifting roster, Weasel upheld a strict commitment to independent, do-it-yourself principles despite occasional critical quibbles, a stance consistent with his earlier role as a columnist for the fiercely punk publication Maximumrocknroll.
Vocalist Ben Foster, who adopted the stage name Ben Weasel, assembled the band in 1986 after attending a Ramones concert. Founding guitarist John Jughead and drummer Steve Cheese were joined by Vinnie Bovine on bass once Weasel abandoned that instrument. The self-titled debut appeared on Underdog Records in 1987 in a limited pressing of roughly three thousand copies. Bovine's personal issues led to his removal, after which ex-Ozzfish Experience guitarist Warren "Fish" Ozzfish took over on bass. Following West Coast shows, the band aligned with the new Roadkill imprint, where Jughead and Weasel participated in operations, and issued Boogada Boogadaboogada! in 1989.
Cheese departed because of tour fatigue and was succeeded by Brian Vermin. After the subsequent tour, Warren exited and Danny Vapid (born Dan Schafer), previously known as "Sewercap" and a vocalist in Chicago hardcore acts such as Generation Waste and the Igor Skulls, filled the bass position. Several EPs and singles later, Vermin and Vapid exited to start Sludgeworth, prompting Jughead and Weasel to disband and attempt a new project that included bassist Dave Naked. A benefit reunion gig aimed at settling debts revived Screeching Weasel, now featuring Weasel, Jughead, Naked, Vapid on second guitar, and drummer Dan Panic (born Dan Sullivan). Lookout! Records consented to release the next album provided it carried the Screeching Weasel name, resulting in the more Ramones-styled My Brain Hurts in 1991.
Post-tour, Naked was succeeded in quick succession by Gub, Johnny Personality, and finally Vapid, who returned to bass after 1992's Wiggle, allowing Weasel to move to second guitar. The group then cut a vinyl-only, track-for-track cover of a full Ramones album that quickly went out of print. Anthem for a New Tomorrow, widely viewed as the band's strongest work, surfaced in 1993. After an announced breakup the following year, Vapid left early, so 1994's How to Make Enemies and Irritate People was tracked with Green Day's Mike Dirnt on bass. In the aftermath, Weasel, Vapid, and Panic formed the even more Ramones-centric punk-pop band the Riverdales, which incorporated greater songwriting input from Vapid and toured alongside Green Day. Lookout! compiled outtakes, live cuts, and previously unavailable material as Kill the Musicians in 1995 and later persuaded the Riverdales to resume activity under the more familiar Screeching Weasel banner once Jughead rejoined.
Legal disputes soon surfaced, however, producing a bitter separation. Meanwhile the band had self-financed Bark Like a Dog, which Fat Wreck Chords eventually released in 1996. A planned tour was scrapped at the eleventh hour, yet the group resurfaced with Television City Dreams in 1998 and Emo in 1999. The rarities collection Thank You Very Little and the new studio album Teen Punks in Heat both arrived the next year.
Screeching Weasel disbanded again in 2001. In the ensuing period Weasel continued with the Riverdales and launched a solo career while Jughead founded Even in Blackouts. The 2005 greatest-hits package Weasel Mania on Fat Wreck served as a capstone to that chapter. In March 2009 Weasel revived the band with Vapid and three newcomers: Simon Lamb of the Ritalins, Justin Perkins of Yesterday's Kids, and Adam Cargin of Blueheels and the Riverdales. The 2011 release First World Manifesto suggested renewed momentum, yet the reunion ended suddenly. On March 18 of that year, during a South by Southwest performance, Ben Weasel physically attacked two audience members after ice was thrown onstage. Although Weasel later issued a public apology expressing remorse, his bandmates told PunkNews.org they had unanimously decided against any further live appearances as Screeching Weasel in the near term.
Vocalist Ben Foster, who adopted the stage name Ben Weasel, assembled the band in 1986 after attending a Ramones concert. Founding guitarist John Jughead and drummer Steve Cheese were joined by Vinnie Bovine on bass once Weasel abandoned that instrument. The self-titled debut appeared on Underdog Records in 1987 in a limited pressing of roughly three thousand copies. Bovine's personal issues led to his removal, after which ex-Ozzfish Experience guitarist Warren "Fish" Ozzfish took over on bass. Following West Coast shows, the band aligned with the new Roadkill imprint, where Jughead and Weasel participated in operations, and issued Boogada Boogadaboogada! in 1989.
Cheese departed because of tour fatigue and was succeeded by Brian Vermin. After the subsequent tour, Warren exited and Danny Vapid (born Dan Schafer), previously known as "Sewercap" and a vocalist in Chicago hardcore acts such as Generation Waste and the Igor Skulls, filled the bass position. Several EPs and singles later, Vermin and Vapid exited to start Sludgeworth, prompting Jughead and Weasel to disband and attempt a new project that included bassist Dave Naked. A benefit reunion gig aimed at settling debts revived Screeching Weasel, now featuring Weasel, Jughead, Naked, Vapid on second guitar, and drummer Dan Panic (born Dan Sullivan). Lookout! Records consented to release the next album provided it carried the Screeching Weasel name, resulting in the more Ramones-styled My Brain Hurts in 1991.
Post-tour, Naked was succeeded in quick succession by Gub, Johnny Personality, and finally Vapid, who returned to bass after 1992's Wiggle, allowing Weasel to move to second guitar. The group then cut a vinyl-only, track-for-track cover of a full Ramones album that quickly went out of print. Anthem for a New Tomorrow, widely viewed as the band's strongest work, surfaced in 1993. After an announced breakup the following year, Vapid left early, so 1994's How to Make Enemies and Irritate People was tracked with Green Day's Mike Dirnt on bass. In the aftermath, Weasel, Vapid, and Panic formed the even more Ramones-centric punk-pop band the Riverdales, which incorporated greater songwriting input from Vapid and toured alongside Green Day. Lookout! compiled outtakes, live cuts, and previously unavailable material as Kill the Musicians in 1995 and later persuaded the Riverdales to resume activity under the more familiar Screeching Weasel banner once Jughead rejoined.
Legal disputes soon surfaced, however, producing a bitter separation. Meanwhile the band had self-financed Bark Like a Dog, which Fat Wreck Chords eventually released in 1996. A planned tour was scrapped at the eleventh hour, yet the group resurfaced with Television City Dreams in 1998 and Emo in 1999. The rarities collection Thank You Very Little and the new studio album Teen Punks in Heat both arrived the next year.
Screeching Weasel disbanded again in 2001. In the ensuing period Weasel continued with the Riverdales and launched a solo career while Jughead founded Even in Blackouts. The 2005 greatest-hits package Weasel Mania on Fat Wreck served as a capstone to that chapter. In March 2009 Weasel revived the band with Vapid and three newcomers: Simon Lamb of the Ritalins, Justin Perkins of Yesterday's Kids, and Adam Cargin of Blueheels and the Riverdales. The 2011 release First World Manifesto suggested renewed momentum, yet the reunion ended suddenly. On March 18 of that year, during a South by Southwest performance, Ben Weasel physically attacked two audience members after ice was thrown onstage. Although Weasel later issued a public apology expressing remorse, his bandmates told PunkNews.org they had unanimously decided against any further live appearances as Screeching Weasel in the near term.
Albums
