Biography
Hailing from Denton, Texas, the Wax Museums deliver punk rock that arrives raw and raucous while leaning into deliberate absurdity, yet remains astute enough to grasp the value of embracing idiocy. The lineup features Paul Museum handling vocals, TV's Daniel—also known as Daniel Fried and Daniel Zeigler—on guitar, Payton Green on bass, and Prince Gregory, whose other name is Gregory Rutherford, behind the drums. The band originated in 2005 through a long-distance partnership between Museum and Daniel: the Denton guitarist composed instrumental ideas and mailed rough melody recordings to Museum, who resided in East Texas at the time. Museum responded by spontaneously layering lyrics over those tracks, resulting in more than three dozen completed songs within several weeks. Once Museum settled in Denton, Rehab Records issued the band's inaugural 7" in 2006. Initial sessions involved only Museum, Daniel, and a drum machine until Green and Jason Kelly, likewise credited as Jason K, joined for the subsequent outing, a four-song EP on Hozac. Additional singles scattered across assorted punk imprints, paired with relentless high-energy performances, cemented their standing among Texas acts worth following, culminating in the 2008 release of their first album via Douchemaster Records. Shortly after the album reached stores, however, the group entered a period of inactivity when Museum moved to California to focus on a personal relationship; although the members maintained they had not disbanded, they performed only sporadically and issued no new material for three years. Activity resumed in 2011 with Gregory replacing Kelly on drums. The Wax Museums then partnered with Trouble in Mind Records to unveil their sophomore LP, Eye Times, during summer 2011, accompanied by a limited run of live appearances. That same season, Tic Tac Totally Records assembled Zoo Full of Ramones, an LP compiling tracks from the band's earlier 7" releases. In the intervening downtime, Daniel contributes to Video and Bad Sports, Green plays with Back Stabbath and Wiccans, and Gregory participates in both Wiccans and Silver Shampoo.
Albums