Screeching Weasel
Encyclopedia
Screeching Weasel is an American punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...

 band originally from Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...

. The band was formed in 1986 by Ben Weasel
Ben Weasel
Ben Weasel is a punk rock musician, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of bands Screeching Weasel and The Riverdales...

 and John Jughead
John Pierson (musician)
John Pierson, commonly known by the stage name "John Jughead" or simply "Jughead", founded the pop-punk band Screeching Weasel in Chicago, Illinois with Ben Weasel in 1986. He played guitar for the band until its disbanding in 2001...

.
Since their formation, Screeching Weasel have broken up and reformed numerous times with numerous line-up changes. Ben Weasel has been the only constant member, though Jughead was present in every incarnation of the band until 2009. Other prominent members include guitarist/bassist Dan Vapid
Dan Vapid
Dan Schafer is a punk rock musician from Chicago, Illinois best known for his participation in Screeching Weasel, The Riverdales, The Methadones, and various other pop punk bands.-Generation Waste:...

 and drummer Dan Panic
Dan Panic
Dan Sullivan, also known as Dan Panic or Danny Panic, is a punk rock drummer from Chicago.-Career:Dan Sullivan began his musical career with Ivy League, a quartet from Chicago's western suburbs who released one 7" EP in 1990. He then joined Screeching Weasel in 1991 and remained with the band until...

, who have each appeared on six of the band's studio albums, and Green Day
Green Day
Green Day is an American punk rock band formed in 1987. The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, and drummer Tre Cool...

 bassist Mike Dirnt
Mike Dirnt
Michael Ryan Pritchard is an American musician, best known as the bassist, backing vocalist and co-founder of the American Rock band Green Day. While at school, he would play "air-bass." While pretending to pluck the strings, he made the noise, "dirnt, dirnt, dirnt"...

 who was briefly a member of the band.

Screeching Weasel recorded 12 studio albums, splitting time between a number of famous independent record labels such as Lookout! Records
Lookout! Records
-History:Larry Livermore and David Hayes formed the label in 1987. From the start, Lookout released punk rock records, but over time expanded its scope to include various types of pop rock, reggae fusion, acoustic rock, pop punk, and indie rock...

 and Fat Wreck Chords
Fat Wreck Chords
Fat Wreck Chords is a San Francisco, California based independent record label, focused on punk rock. It was started by Fat Mike and his ex-wife, Erin, in 1990....

. Despite never achieving mainstream success, a number of largely popular acts cite them as influential.

Early years (1986-1989)

In 1986, Ben Foster and John Pierson were inspired to start a band after attending a Ramones
Ramones
The Ramones were an American rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first punk rock group...

 concert. Foster (who played bass and sang) rechristened himself "Ben Weasel", while Pierson, a guitarist, dubbed himself "John Jughead". The duo recruited Steve Dubick as drummer who went by the alias of Steve Cheese to complete the band.

The band originally called themselves All Night Garage Sale but changed their name to Screeching Weasel, a variation of a name a friend had suggested, Screaming Otter, which was a reference to a t-shirt that read, "I'VE GOT A SCREAMING OTTER IN MY PANTS!". Shortly after their formation, Weasel decided that it was too difficult to play bass and sing at the same time, so Vince Vogel
Vince Vogel
Vince Vogel is a punk rock and heavy metal bass player from Chicago, Illinois. In December 1986, he joined Screeching Weasel, where he was re-christened Vinnie Bovine. He appeared on the band's first album. He was kicked out of the band in January 1988...

, whom took the stage name "Vinnie Bovine" joined as the band's bassist. The band recorded their debut album, Screeching Weasel
Screeching Weasel (album)
Screeching Weasel was the eponymous debut album by the American punk rock band Screeching Weasel. It was originally released with 27 tracks in 1987 through Underdog Records. According to Ben Weasel, Underdog's pressing of 1,000 copies sold out in 3 months, but the label was not interested in...

, in one night for $200 and released it on Chicago label Underdog Records in 1987.

In 1988, Bovine was fired from the band and was replaced with Warren Fischer, better known as Fish, and former member of the band Ozzfish. The band recorded their second studio album, Boogadaboogadaboogada!
Boogadaboogadaboogada!
-Personnel:* Ben Weasel - lead vocals, guitar* Jughead - guitar, backing vocals* Fish - bass* Steve Cheese - drums-Release variations:* The first 200 copies of the original pressing on Roadkill Records included an insert which featured pictures of the band bowling naked.* Roadkill Records...

, which featured Weasel playing second guitar (he would later state that he only played on about a quarter of the songs) and made a name for themselves by opening a show for Operation Ivy
Operation Ivy (band)
Operation Ivy was an American ska punk band that formed in Berkeley, California, and was often credited with spurring the 1990s punk revival in California. It is well-known as one of the first bands to "mix" hardcore punk with elements of ska, known as ska-core...

 at 924 Gilman Street
924 Gilman Street
924 Gilman Street is an all-ages, not for profit, collectively organized music club usually referred to by its fans simply as "The Gilman." It is located in the West Berkeley area of Berkeley, California about a mile and a half west of the North Berkeley BART station and a quarter-mile west of San...

. Steve Cheese was fired from the band shortly after the recording due to his unwillingness to tour outside of Chicago. He was replaced by Aaron Cometbus
Aaron Cometbus
Aaron Elliott , better known as Aaron Cometbus, is an American drummer, lyricist, self-described "punk anthropologist," novelist, and author of punk rock zine Cometbus.-Personal life:...

 for two shows whom then was replaced by Brian Vermin. Boogadaboogadaboogada! was released in late 1988 on Roadkill Records, a label formed by investor David Best and managed by Ben Weasel following an introduction of the two by producer Mass Giorgini
Mass Giorgini
Mass Giorgini is an Italian-American bassist and record producer, who rose to fame when several of the bands he produced experienced huge gains in popularity during the pop-punk boom on the mid-90's. Among these bands was Giorgini's own Squirtgun, which received minor MTV rotation and several...

.

After what Weasel described as a "disastrous" tour, Fish left the group and was replaced by Dan Schafer
Dan Vapid
Dan Schafer is a punk rock musician from Chicago, Illinois best known for his participation in Screeching Weasel, The Riverdales, The Methadones, and various other pop punk bands.-Generation Waste:...

, originally nick-named "Sewercap" and later renamed Danny Vapid. The new band members recorded an extended play entitled Punkhouse
Punkhouse
Punkhouse was the debut EP by the American punk rock band Screeching Weasel. It was released in 1989 through Limited Potential Records. It was the band's first release on Limited Potential Records. It was also the band's first release to feature Danny Vapid on bass . It was also the only...

for Limited Potential Records soon after that. The band ended up recording four more songs in 1989 that were featured on compilations, featuring a second guitarist Doug Ward, whom also joined the band for several live performances. Screeching Weasel disbanded when Vermin and Vapid stated that they wanted to leave the band to concentrate on their side project, Sludgeworth
Sludgeworth
Sludgeworth is an American punk rock band from Chicago, Illinois consisting of Dan Schafer , Adam White , Dave McClean , Mike Hootenstrat , and Brian Vermin ....

.

First reformation (1991-1994)

After the break-up, Weasel and Jughead formed a new band called The Gore Gore Girls, and Ben briefly performed in the original incarnation of The Vindictives
The Vindictives
The Vindictives were a Chicago-based punk rock underground group during the 1990s. They were peers with Screeching Weasel and other bands from the era, they were also heavily-influenced by the Ramones. Joey Vindicitive's characteristic nasal melodies often told the story of alienation, psychosis,...

. In 1991, the members of Screeching Weasel reunited for what was intended as a one-off gig to pay off debts the band incurred from the recording of Boogadaboogadaboogada!
Boogadaboogadaboogada!
-Personnel:* Ben Weasel - lead vocals, guitar* Jughead - guitar, backing vocals* Fish - bass* Steve Cheese - drums-Release variations:* The first 200 copies of the original pressing on Roadkill Records included an insert which featured pictures of the band bowling naked.* Roadkill Records...

. The line-up consisted of Ben, Jughead, Vapid, Vermin, and Ward. After the show, Vapid discussed the idea of reforming Screeching Weasel with Jughead. All of the band's members agreed to reform, with the exceptions of Brian Vermin and Douglas Ward. To replace Vermin, drummer Dan Panic
Dan Panic
Dan Sullivan, also known as Dan Panic or Danny Panic, is a punk rock drummer from Chicago.-Career:Dan Sullivan began his musical career with Ivy League, a quartet from Chicago's western suburbs who released one 7" EP in 1990. He then joined Screeching Weasel in 1991 and remained with the band until...

 (Dan Sullivan) was brought in. Before recording their third studio album, My Brain Hurts
My Brain Hurts
My Brain Hurts is the third studio album by the American punk rock band Screeching Weasel. It was released in 1991 through Lookout! Records. It was the band's first album released through Lookout! Records. The album marked a very distinct stylistic shift...

(1991)for Lookout! Records
Lookout! Records
-History:Larry Livermore and David Hayes formed the label in 1987. From the start, Lookout released punk rock records, but over time expanded its scope to include various types of pop rock, reggae fusion, acoustic rock, pop punk, and indie rock...

, Weasel decided that he wanted to focus on singing and would no longer be playing guitar in the band. Vapid switched instruments from bass to guitar, and former Gore Gore Girls bassist Dave Naked joined the band. The recording sessions for the album also produced the extended play Pervo Devo
Pervo Devo
Pervo Devo is a 1991 EP by the punk rock band Screeching Weasel. It consists of songs that were recorded for My Brain Hurts but were left off the album. The EP was originally included with the final issue of "Teen Punks in Heat", a sex-themed 'zine penned by Ben Weasel. There were two pressing of...

.

After recording My Brain Hurts, Dave Naked was fired from the band and Scott "Gub" Conway, Panic's former bandmate, was brought in as the band's bassist to tour. After the tour, Johnny Personality of The Vindictives became the band's bassist, as Gub was committed to another band. By late 1992, the band had recorded the follow-up to My Brain Hurts, Wiggle
Wiggle (album)
Wiggle is the fourth studio album by the American punk rock band Screeching Weasel. It was released in 1993 through Lookout! Records. Their previous album, My Brain Hurts, had seen a sharp rise in the band's popularity and a shift in sound towards mid-tempo pop songs. With Wiggle, the band shifted...

, which also marked their first collaboration with producer Mass Giorgini
Mass Giorgini
Mass Giorgini is an Italian-American bassist and record producer, who rose to fame when several of the bands he produced experienced huge gains in popularity during the pop-punk boom on the mid-90's. Among these bands was Giorgini's own Squirtgun, which received minor MTV rotation and several...

, whom went on to produce the vast majority of the Screeching Weasel catalog, and also became the bassist of the band from 1998 to 2004. Personality then left the band to focus on The Vindictives. Instead of adding a new member, Weasel moved back to guitar, and Vapid moved back to bass.

The band was then asked to record a cover of an entire Ramones album, Ramones
Ramones (Screeching Weasel album)
Ramones is a cover album by the American punk rock band Screeching Weasel. It covers the Ramones' debut album Ramones in its entirety. The band was approached to cover the album at a party for the completion of their fourth album, Wiggle...

(1992), followed later that year by Anthem for a New Tomorrow
Anthem for a New Tomorrow
- Personnel :* Ben Weasel - lead vocals, guitar* Jughead - guitar* Danny Vapid - bass, backing vocals* Danny Panic - drums* Fat Mike - backing vocals on "Peter Brady"* Blake Schwarzenbach - backing vocals on "A New Tomorrow"...

. Shortly after the record's release, Weasel decided that he no longer wanted to perform live, and Vapid left after falling out with the rest of the band. Screeching Weasel enlisted the help of Green Day bassist Mike Dirnt
Mike Dirnt
Michael Ryan Pritchard is an American musician, best known as the bassist, backing vocalist and co-founder of the American Rock band Green Day. While at school, he would play "air-bass." While pretending to pluck the strings, he made the noise, "dirnt, dirnt, dirnt"...

 to record what they intended to be their final studio album. After the release of How to Make Enemies and Irritate People
How to Make Enemies and Irritate People
How to Make Enemies and Irritate People is the sixth studio album by the American punk rock band Screeching Weasel. It was released in 1994 through Lookout! Records. It was meant to be the band's last album. Shortly after the release of 1993's Anthem for a New Tomorrow, bassist/backing...

(1994), the band broke up for the second time.

Second reformation (1996-2001)

Following the second breakup, Weasel, Vapid, and Panic formed the band the Riverdales and experienced some notoriety touring with Green Day. By 1996, they rejoined with Jughead and recorded a new Screeching Weasel album Bark Like a Dog
Bark Like A Dog
Bark Like a Dog is the seventh studio album by the American punk rock band Screeching Weasel. It was released in 1996 through Fat Wreck Chords. It was the band's first album released through Fat Wreck Chords. It was also the band's first album since they disbanded for the second time...

for Fat Mike's Fat Wreck Chords
Fat Wreck Chords
Fat Wreck Chords is a San Francisco, California based independent record label, focused on punk rock. It was started by Fat Mike and his ex-wife, Erin, in 1990....

 label. The album peaked at number 34 on the Billboard Heatseekers
Top Heatseekers
Top Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical...

 chart, making it their highest-charting album. However, both Vapid and Panic left by mutual decision after the recording, and Weasel and Jughead decided to go on without them, adding bassist Mass Giorgini (whom had served as the band's producer in the past) and drummer Dan Lumley
Dan Lumley
Dan Lumley has been a drummer for many bands, including Rattail Grenadier, Squirtgun, The Riverdales, The Methadones, Even in Blackouts, The Mopes, Common Rider and Screeching Weasel. He was also a brief member of Rise Against...

. Weasel also decided for the second time that he no longer wanted to play guitar, so guitarist Zac Damon was added.

In 1998, the group's new line-up recorded the Major Label Debut
Major Label Debut
Major Label Debut is a 1998 EP by the Chicago punk rock band Screeching Weasel. Despite the name, the EP was the first release on Panic Button Records, lead singer Ben Weasel's independent record label....

EP; the first release on Panic Button Records
Panic Button Records
Panic Button Records was a record label which was formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1997. It was co-owned by Ben Weasel and John Jughead, both members of Screeching Weasel...

, a label Ben and John had formed that year and quickly followed it with Television City Dream
Television City Dream
Television City Dream is the eighth studio album by the American punk rock band Screeching Weasel. It was released in 1998 through Fat Wreck Chords. It was the band's last album released through Fat Wreck Chords. The album is the first to feature new members Mass Giorgini, Zac Damon, and Dan...

. Their next release, 1999's Emo
Emo (album)
Emo is the ninth studio album by the American punk rock band Screeching Weasel. It was released on May 18, 1999 through Ben Weasel's and John Jughead's label Panic Button Records. It was their first album released through Panic Button Records. The album was recorded in Chicago during the blizzard...

, featured the same line-up minus Zac Damon, who was unable to record due to school commitments at the time. In 2000 the band brought in Phillip Hill as a second guitarist and recorded what would be their final album, Teen Punks in Heat
Teen Punks in Heat
Teen Punks In Heat is the tenth studio album by the American punk rock band Screeching Weasel. It was released in August of 2000 through Panic Button Records...

. After the album, Screeching Weasel made their first live appearances since 1993, playing 30 minute matinees at Chicago's House of Blues
House of Blues
House of Blues is a chain of 13 live music concert halls and restaurants in major markets throughout the United States. House of Blues first location was in Cambridge's Harvard Square. It was opened in 1992 by Isaac Tigrett, co-founder of Hard Rock Cafe, and Dan Aykroyd, star of The Blues Brothers...

. The band broke up for the third—and allegedly final—time on July 6, 2001, due to Jughead's frustration of a lack of touring.

Hiatus and brief third reformation

After the third breakup, Jughead started a new band called Even in Blackouts
Even in Blackouts
Even in Blackouts, known occasionally by the acronym EiB, were an acoustic pop-punk band from Chicago, Illinois. The band was formed in 2002 by veteran pop-punk guitarist John 'Jughead' Pierson following the demise of the pop-punk band Screeching Weasel, for which Pierson had performed since 1986...

, while Weasel released a solo album titled Fidatevi
Fidatevi
Fidatevi is the first solo album released by former Screeching Weasel frontman Ben Weasel. The album was released on June 18, 2002 on Panic Button Records....

, and new Riverdales album, Phase Three
Phase Three
Phase 3 is the third studio album by the American punk rock band The Riverdales. It was released in 2003 through 1-4-5 Records. It was the first new Riverdales album in five years. It was also the first Riverdales album to feature drummer Dan Lumley. It was re-released on October 7, 2008 by Asian...

.

Both Weasel and Jughead authored books seemingly related to Screeching Weasel. In 2001, Ben Weasel
Ben Weasel
Ben Weasel is a punk rock musician, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of bands Screeching Weasel and The Riverdales...

 published Like Hell, the account of a fictional punk band called Pagan Icons and the life of their frontman, Joe Pagan. Jughead released Weasels in a Box, his admittedly fictionalized account of Screeching Weasel's history. Both books were published by Hope And Nonthings, a publishing house run by Jughead. Jughead also continued his membership with the Neo-Futurists
Neo-Futurists
The Neo-Futurists are an experimental theater troupe founded by Greg Allen in 1988. Neo-Futurism, inspired by the Italian Futurist movement from the early 20th century, is based on an aesthetics of honesty, speed and brevity.-Aesthetic:...

, a theater group he has written and performed with since 1997, appearing in a show called Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind
Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind
Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind: 30 Plays in 60 Minutes is the longest running show in Chicago and the only open-run Off-Off-Broadway show in New York. Starting in 1988, the show has run 50 weekends of the year since then...

.

In 2004, Ben reclaimed all of the Screeching Weasel masters from Lookout! Records
Lookout! Records
-History:Larry Livermore and David Hayes formed the label in 1987. From the start, Lookout released punk rock records, but over time expanded its scope to include various types of pop rock, reggae fusion, acoustic rock, pop punk, and indie rock...

 in the wake of long-running financial and personal conflicts. The masters were subsequently licensed to and reissued by Asian Man Records
Asian Man Records
Asian Man Records is a small, DIY record label run by Mike Park in Monte Sereno, California. Park started a record label and began releasing music in 1989 under the name Dill Records, with the Asian Man label established May 1996.-Artists:...

. That same year a line-up consisting of Ben Weasel, Jughead, and multi-year Screeching Weasel veterans Dan Vapid, Mass Giorgini, and Dan Lumley came together to play surprise sets at the Chicago club The Fireside Bowl
The Fireside Bowl
The Fireside Bowl is a bowling alley and music venue established in the 1940s, located at 2648 W Fullerton Ave in Chicago, Illinois.-History:The building was an ice factory in its early days...

. According to Ben Weasel, there was an intention to tour that year, but "the offers just weren't there".

Ben released a second solo album, These Ones Are Bitter
These Ones Are Bitter
These Ones Are Bitter is the second solo-album by former Screeching Weasel frontman Ben Weasel.The album also features musicians Dan Andriano , Mike Kennerty, and Chris Gaylor...

, in 2007, and gave his first solo live performance at that years Insubordination Fest
Insubordination Fest
Insubordination Fest is an annual message board nerd festival held in Baltimore, Maryland. The festival started in 2006 as a 10th anniversary showcase for Insubordination Records, and since then has been held every summer. In the past the festival has been headlined by bands such as Less Than...

 in Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...

. During his set, backed up by The Guts, he was joined on stage by Dan Vapid for several Screeching Weasel and Riverdales songs. Ben Weasel and Dan Vapid also played two shows in August 2008 at Reggie's Rock Club in Chicago, playing the entirety of My Brain Hurts
My Brain Hurts
My Brain Hurts is the third studio album by the American punk rock band Screeching Weasel. It was released in 1991 through Lookout! Records. It was the band's first album released through Lookout! Records. The album marked a very distinct stylistic shift...

 as well as other songs by Screeching Weasel, The Riverdales, and from Ben Weasel's solo albums.

Fourth reformation (2009-present)

In March 2009, Ben Weasel announced on his blog that he had reformed Screeching Weasel. For the first time, the band featured a lineup without John Jughead, although longtime member Dan Vapid had rejoined. Ben wrote:

"I really want to give you the lowdown on the SW re-formation but there's honestly not a lot to say. Legal issues prevented me from doing my own band on my own terms over the past couple of years but thankfully those problems are all resolved now. The kind of stuff happens sometimes. I won't deny that those problems - which were really just the culmination of many years of a lot of other b.s. - left a foul taste in my mouth about SW. But now that all the headaches are behind me I'm feeling great about it. I'm finally running my own band again and I'm really happy and excited to be back at it. I've got a killer line-up myself, Danny Vapid, Simon Lamb (the Ritalins), Justin Perkins (Yesterday's Kids) and Adam Cargin (Blueheels) (he's also the new Riverdales drummer) and we've got a great set list."


In response to the resurrection of the Screeching Weasel name without his involvement, Jughead released the following statement via his MySpace page:


If it weren’t for the fact that I actually enjoy conversing with the fans of my prior bands, I would never have found out about a new band called Screeching Weasel beginning to tour. “This can’t be the band I was in.” I say to myself. “I would have been preparing.” My mind would much prefer going to a place of calm contemplation than into a dark cold room filled with anger and the emotions associated with betrayal. So to avoid painful emoting I first took the facts that Ben and I started a band together called Screeching Weasel, we both spent all our days making that band a home for ourselves, and 18 years later we put it to rest. This along with the statement made by both me and Ben on many occasions that the band wouldn’t be Screeching Weasel without either of us, makes me assume that this band playing isn’t Screeching Weasel, because I don’t recall having kicked myself out of the band. So it seems logical that this is not Screeching Weasel. If it were I would have to admit that I longer [sic] have friends named Ben Foster or Dan Schafer. As for people like Ben Weasel, Dan Vapid, or even John Jughead, I have nothing to say, because they never really existed, they were just made up names for a bunch of friends that tried to do something different in order to survive and make a living in this world. And I imagine they are all still trying to make a living somehow, seeing that their band’s prominent “leader” never wanted to tour in order to make it financially viable to continue on.


Weasel later revealed the split with Jughead was the result of two-year long legal battle over Screeching Weasel's business affairs and, although they were resolved, Weasel said "it was not an amicable split" and that "things had gone way, way past the point of no return in terms of our friendship and any semblance of a working relationship anymore".

In November 2009, Mike Park of Asian Man Records
Asian Man Records
Asian Man Records is a small, DIY record label run by Mike Park in Monte Sereno, California. Park started a record label and began releasing music in 1989 under the name Dill Records, with the Asian Man label established May 1996.-Artists:...

 announced that Weasel had decided to sever his relationship with the label and that Recess Records
Recess Records
Recess Records is an independent record label founded in 1989 with the release of F.Y.P's Extra Credit, an 11 song 7-inch record. Label founder Todd Congelliere originally created the label as a vehicle to release F.Y.P's material...

 would be carrying the Screeching Weasel, Riverdales and Ben Weasel solo back catalogues.

On November 30, 2010, Ben Weasel appeared on Last Call with Carson Daly
Last Call with Carson Daly
Last Call with Carson Daly is an American late night talk show that is broadcast on NBC. The show is hosted by Carson Daly, the half-hour show featuring celebrity interviews, documentary-style coverage of a topic, and musical performances. Last Call airs weeknights at 1:35 a.m. Eastern / 12:35 a.m....

to talk about his personal problems with anxiety disorders and agoraphobia
Agoraphobia
Agoraphobia is an anxiety disorder defined as a morbid fear of having a panic attack or panic-like symptoms in a situation from which it is perceived to be difficult to escape. These situations can include, but are not limited to, wide-open spaces, crowds, or uncontrolled social conditions...

.

On March 15, 2011, the band released its first album in eleven years, First World Manifesto
First World Manifesto
First World Manifesto is the twelfth full-length studio album by the American punk rock band Screeching Weasel. It was released on March 15, 2011, on Fat Wreck Chords and is the band's first album in eleven years...

on Fat Wreck Chords. It was produced by Mike Kennerty of The All-American Rejects
The All-American Rejects
The All-American Rejects are an American rock band formed in Stillwater, Oklahoma in 1999. The band consists of lead vocalist and bass guitarist Tyson Ritter, lead guitarist, Nick Wheeler, rhythm guitarist, Mike Kennerty, and drummer Chris Gaylor....

. It was announced that the label will also be releasing the back catalogs of Screeching Weasel, the Riverdales, and Ben Weasel.

On March 18, 2011, during Screeching Weasel's South by Southwest Festival
South by Southwest
South by Southwest is an Austin, Texas based company dedicated to planning conferences, trade shows, festivals and other events. Their current roster of annual events include: SXSW Music, SXSW Film, SXSW Interactive, SXSWedu, and SXSWeco and take place every spring in Austin, Texas, United States...

 performance at the Scoot Inn in Austin, Texas, Foster punched the face of a female audience member who had thrown a beer and ice cubes at him, and also spit in his face. As a result a woman on the stage, believed to be the club's owner, grabbed him from behind, and Ben mistaking her for an attacking fan turned around and punched her twice in the scuffle. Foster was then restrained by security and left the venue. On March 22, Foster apologized. On March 23, Punknews.org posted a statement from the four other members of Screeching Weasel, Dan Schafer, Adam Cargin, Justin Perkins and Drew Fredrichsen, announcing their resignation from the band.
"The un-calculated act put forth by Ben 'Weasel' Foster leading up to and including the violence that erupted on stage is seen by the band as shameful and embarrassing. The sentiments and actions expressed were completely out of our control and in no way represent the band members' view points or moral compasses. As a result, the band has discussed at length and has come to the conclusion that as a group we will not likely be able to muster the dignity to attempt a live performance as 'Screeching Weasel' in the for-seeable future."


On March 31, Weasel announced the cancellation of "Weasel Fest", a 3-day event in honor of Screeching Weasel's 25th anniversary that had been scheduled to take place at Reggie's Rock Club in Chicago, after many of the other acts on the bill dropped out in the wake of the SXSW incident. In an interview published in July 2011, Fat Mike, owner of Fat Wreck Chords, stated that he had no interest in releasing another Screeching Weasel record, although the label might still reissue the band's back catalog.

Despite speculation of a breakup, Screeching Weasel has scheduled a show for October 29 at Reggie's Rock Club in Chicago with The Queers
The Queers
The Queers are a punk band formed in 1981 by Portsmouth, New Hampshire native Joe King . The band originally broke up in 1984, but reformed with Joe Queer and a new line-up in 1986. In 1990, the band signed with Shakin' Street Records and released their first album Grow Up...

. As of yet, the band's line-up, save for Ben Weasel, has not been announced. A new EP, titled The Carnival of Schadenfreude, is also being prepared for release http://www.interpunk.com/item.cfm?Item=197332&.

A documentary on the band is in the works.

Musical style and influence

In addition to the Ramones, Ben Weasel credits bands such as Black Flag
Black Flag (band)
Black Flag was an American punk rock band formed in 1976 in Hermosa Beach, California. The band was established by Greg Ginn, the guitarist, primary songwriter and sole continuous member through multiple personnel changes in the band...

, D.O.A.
D.O.A. (band)
D.O.A. is a hardcore punk band from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. They are often referred to as the "founders" of hardcore punk, along with Black Flag, Bad Brains, Teen Idles, and Minor Threat. Their second album Hardcore '81 was thought by many to have been the first actual reference to...

, The Dickies
The Dickies
The Dickies are an American punk rock group formed in San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles, California, U.S. in 1977.-History:The Dickies were among the first punk rock bands to emerge from Los Angeles...

 and Zero Boys
Zero Boys
The Zero Boys are a hardcore punk quartet from Indianapolis, Indiana fronted by Paul Mahern. Other members include bassist David "Tufty" Clough, drummer Mark Cutsinger and guitarist Vess Ruhtenberg....

 for laying the groundwork for Screeching Weasel. Much like the Ramones, Screeching Weasel's common lyrical themes include girls and mental health
Mental health
Mental health describes either a level of cognitive or emotional well-being or an absence of a mental disorder. From perspectives of the discipline of positive psychology or holism mental health may include an individual's ability to enjoy life and procure a balance between life activities and...

 problems (Weasel suffered from anxiety). While Weasel has been the sole writer of the majority of the band's catalogue, a number of songs credit Vapid, Jughead, or The Queers
The Queers
The Queers are a punk band formed in 1981 by Portsmouth, New Hampshire native Joe King . The band originally broke up in 1984, but reformed with Joe Queer and a new line-up in 1986. In 1990, the band signed with Shakin' Street Records and released their first album Grow Up...

' frontman Joe King as co-writers.

Many subsequent punk and pop punk bands who have experienced mainstream success cite Screeching Weasel as an influence. Blink-182
Blink-182
Blink-182 is an American rock band consisting of vocalist and bass guitarist Mark Hoppus, vocalist and guitarist Tom DeLonge, and drummer Travis Barker. They have sold over 27 million albums worldwide since forming in Poway, California in 1992...

 covered the band's song "The Girl Next Door" on their album Buddha
Buddha (album)
Buddha is the third and final demo by the American punk rock band Blink-182. It was self-produced by the band, and was released in 1993 through Filter Records. It contains songs from Blink-182’s earlier demos and from their debut album Cheshire Cat. The album was one of the few Blink-182 albums...

, with Blink-182 guitarist Tom Delonge
Tom DeLonge
Thomas Matthew "Tom" DeLonge, Jr. is an American rock musician. He is the guitarist and one of the two lead vocalists for the American pop punk band Blink-182 as well as the guitarist and lead vocalist for the alternative band Angels & Airwaves...

 citing them as one of the biggest influences on his songwriting. Other influenced bands include Green Day
Green Day
Green Day is an American punk rock band formed in 1987. The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, and drummer Tre Cool...

 (whose bassist previously played in Screeching Weasel), The All-American Rejects
The All-American Rejects
The All-American Rejects are an American rock band formed in Stillwater, Oklahoma in 1999. The band consists of lead vocalist and bass guitarist Tyson Ritter, lead guitarist, Nick Wheeler, rhythm guitarist, Mike Kennerty, and drummer Chris Gaylor....

 (whose guitarist Mike Kennerty produced First World Manifesto), fellow Chicago bands Rise Against
Rise Against
Rise Against is an American punk rock band from Chicago, Illinois, formed in 1999. The band currently consists of Tim McIlrath , Zach Blair , Joe Principe and Brandon Barnes .Rise Against spent its first five years signed to the independent record label Fat Wreck Chords, on which it...

 and Alkaline Trio
Alkaline Trio
Alkaline Trio is an American punk rock band that formed in McHenry, Illinois, in 1996. The band's line-up consists of Matt Skiba , Dan Andriano , and Derek Grant...

, and popular ska punk
Ska punk
Ska punk is a fusion music genre that combines ska and punk rock. It achieved its highest level of commercial success in the United States in the late 1990s. Ska-core is a subgenre of ska punk, blending ska with hardcore punk.The characteristics of ska punk vary, due to the fusion of contrasting...

 band Less Than Jake
Less Than Jake
Less Than Jake is an American ska punk band from Gainesville, Florida. Originally formed in 1992 as a power pop trio, the band evolved into a hybrid of ska punk. Less Than Jake have also been cited as showing influences from a wide variety of genres including post-grunge, heavy metal, alternative...

.

Additionally, a number of independent punk bands such as The Apers
The Apers
The Apers are a Dutch pop punk band who formed in Rotterdam in 1996. They have released their albums on Stardumb Records, apart from the 2007 album Reanimate My Heart, which was released by Sonic Rendezvous Records in Europe, and Insubordination Records in the USA. They have played about 700 shows...

, The Leftovers
The Leftovers
The Leftovers are an American pop punk band from Portland, Maine, made up of Kurt Baker , Andrew Rice , Matt Anderson , and Adam Woronoff .-History:...

, The Manges, and The Unlovables
The Unlovables
The Unlovables are a New York City based pop punk band. The band formed after bassist/singer Hallie Bulliet recorded a handful of songs for a present with Adam Rabuck who encouraged her to continue playing music...

 cite Screeching Weasel as influential.

Members

  • Ben Weasel
    Ben Weasel
    Ben Weasel is a punk rock musician, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of bands Screeching Weasel and The Riverdales...

     - lead vocals
    Lead vocalist
    The lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the...

    , guitar
    Guitar
    The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...

     (1986–2001; 2004; 2009–present)
  • John Jughead
    John Pierson (musician)
    John Pierson, commonly known by the stage name "John Jughead" or simply "Jughead", founded the pop-punk band Screeching Weasel in Chicago, Illinois with Ben Weasel in 1986. He played guitar for the band until its disbanding in 2001...

     - guitar, backing vocals
    Backing vocalist
    A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...

     (1986–2001; 2004)
  • Vinnie Bovine
    Vince Vogel
    Vince Vogel is a punk rock and heavy metal bass player from Chicago, Illinois. In December 1986, he joined Screeching Weasel, where he was re-christened Vinnie Bovine. He appeared on the band's first album. He was kicked out of the band in January 1988...

     - bass
    Bass guitar
    The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....

     (1986–1988)
  • Steve Cheese - drums
    Drum kit
    A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....

     (1986–1988)
  • Aaron Cometbus
    Aaron Cometbus
    Aaron Elliott , better known as Aaron Cometbus, is an American drummer, lyricist, self-described "punk anthropologist," novelist, and author of punk rock zine Cometbus.-Personal life:...

     - drums (1988) (two shows)
  • Warren Fish - bass (1988–1989)
  • Brian Vermin - drums (1988–1990)
  • Dan Vapid
    Dan Vapid
    Dan Schafer is a punk rock musician from Chicago, Illinois best known for his participation in Screeching Weasel, The Riverdales, The Methadones, and various other pop punk bands.-Generation Waste:...

     - bass, guitar, backing vocals (1989–1994; 1996; 2004; 2009–2011)
  • Doug Ward - guitar (1989)
  • Dave Naked - bass (1991–1992)
  • Scott "Gub" Conway - bass (1992)
  • Dan Panic
    Dan Panic
    Dan Sullivan, also known as Dan Panic or Danny Panic, is a punk rock drummer from Chicago.-Career:Dan Sullivan began his musical career with Ivy League, a quartet from Chicago's western suburbs who released one 7" EP in 1990. He then joined Screeching Weasel in 1991 and remained with the band until...

     - drums (1991–1996)
  • Johnny Personality - bass (1992)
  • Mass Giorgini
    Mass Giorgini
    Mass Giorgini is an Italian-American bassist and record producer, who rose to fame when several of the bands he produced experienced huge gains in popularity during the pop-punk boom on the mid-90's. Among these bands was Giorgini's own Squirtgun, which received minor MTV rotation and several...

     - bass (1994; 1996–2001; 2004)
  • Mike Dirnt
    Mike Dirnt
    Michael Ryan Pritchard is an American musician, best known as the bassist, backing vocalist and co-founder of the American Rock band Green Day. While at school, he would play "air-bass." While pretending to pluck the strings, he made the noise, "dirnt, dirnt, dirnt"...

     - bass (1994)
  • Dan Lumley
    Dan Lumley
    Dan Lumley has been a drummer for many bands, including Rattail Grenadier, Squirtgun, The Riverdales, The Methadones, Even in Blackouts, The Mopes, Common Rider and Screeching Weasel. He was also a brief member of Rise Against...

     - drums (1996–2001, 2004)
  • Zac Damon - guitar (1997–1998; 2011-present)
  • Phillip Hill - guitar (2000–2001)
  • Simon Lamb - guitar (2009–2010)
  • Justin Perkins - bass (2009–2011)
  • Adam Cargin - drums (2009–2011)
  • Drew Fredrichsen - guitar (2010–2011)
  • Dave Klein - bass (2011-present)
  • Pierre Marche - drums (2011-present)
  • Mike Hunchback - guitar (2011-present)

Discography

Studio albums
  • Screeching Weasel
    Screeching Weasel (album)
    Screeching Weasel was the eponymous debut album by the American punk rock band Screeching Weasel. It was originally released with 27 tracks in 1987 through Underdog Records. According to Ben Weasel, Underdog's pressing of 1,000 copies sold out in 3 months, but the label was not interested in...

    (1987)
  • Boogadaboogadaboogada!
    Boogadaboogadaboogada!
    -Personnel:* Ben Weasel - lead vocals, guitar* Jughead - guitar, backing vocals* Fish - bass* Steve Cheese - drums-Release variations:* The first 200 copies of the original pressing on Roadkill Records included an insert which featured pictures of the band bowling naked.* Roadkill Records...

    (1988)
  • My Brain Hurts
    My Brain Hurts
    My Brain Hurts is the third studio album by the American punk rock band Screeching Weasel. It was released in 1991 through Lookout! Records. It was the band's first album released through Lookout! Records. The album marked a very distinct stylistic shift...

    (1991)
  • Ramones
    Ramones (Screeching Weasel album)
    Ramones is a cover album by the American punk rock band Screeching Weasel. It covers the Ramones' debut album Ramones in its entirety. The band was approached to cover the album at a party for the completion of their fourth album, Wiggle...

    (1992)
  • Wiggle
    Wiggle (album)
    Wiggle is the fourth studio album by the American punk rock band Screeching Weasel. It was released in 1993 through Lookout! Records. Their previous album, My Brain Hurts, had seen a sharp rise in the band's popularity and a shift in sound towards mid-tempo pop songs. With Wiggle, the band shifted...

    (1993)
  • Anthem for a New Tomorrow
    Anthem for a New Tomorrow
    - Personnel :* Ben Weasel - lead vocals, guitar* Jughead - guitar* Danny Vapid - bass, backing vocals* Danny Panic - drums* Fat Mike - backing vocals on "Peter Brady"* Blake Schwarzenbach - backing vocals on "A New Tomorrow"...

    (1993)
  • How to Make Enemies and Irritate People
    How to Make Enemies and Irritate People
    How to Make Enemies and Irritate People is the sixth studio album by the American punk rock band Screeching Weasel. It was released in 1994 through Lookout! Records. It was meant to be the band's last album. Shortly after the release of 1993's Anthem for a New Tomorrow, bassist/backing...

    (1994)
  • Bark Like a Dog
    Bark Like A Dog
    Bark Like a Dog is the seventh studio album by the American punk rock band Screeching Weasel. It was released in 1996 through Fat Wreck Chords. It was the band's first album released through Fat Wreck Chords. It was also the band's first album since they disbanded for the second time...

    (1996)
  • Television City Dream
    Television City Dream
    Television City Dream is the eighth studio album by the American punk rock band Screeching Weasel. It was released in 1998 through Fat Wreck Chords. It was the band's last album released through Fat Wreck Chords. The album is the first to feature new members Mass Giorgini, Zac Damon, and Dan...

    (1997)
  • Emo
    Emo (album)
    Emo is the ninth studio album by the American punk rock band Screeching Weasel. It was released on May 18, 1999 through Ben Weasel's and John Jughead's label Panic Button Records. It was their first album released through Panic Button Records. The album was recorded in Chicago during the blizzard...

    (1999)
  • Teen Punks in Heat
    Teen Punks in Heat
    Teen Punks In Heat is the tenth studio album by the American punk rock band Screeching Weasel. It was released in August of 2000 through Panic Button Records...

    (2000)
  • First World Manifesto
    First World Manifesto
    First World Manifesto is the twelfth full-length studio album by the American punk rock band Screeching Weasel. It was released on March 15, 2011, on Fat Wreck Chords and is the band's first album in eleven years...

    (2011)

External links

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