Screeching Weasel - First World Manifesto

It’s nice to see that Ben Weasel is keeping busy. After the one-two punch of the recent pair of Riverdales releases- Invasion USA in 2009 and last year’s Tarantula- he and a new lineup of the classic Chicago Ramones devotees Screeching Weasel have returned to Fat Wreck and issued First World Manifesto, the first Screeching Weasel album in 2000′s Teen Punks in Heat.

So how has ten years changed Screeching Weasel?

Well, quite frankly, it hasn’t. Musically, they haven’t changed up their sound since locking it down around the My Brain Hurts-Wiggle-Anthem for a New Tomorrow period. Ramones worship without trying to sound exactly like them (see: The Riverdales) and that’s exactly what you’ll find here. Mid- to up-tempo pop-punk with lyrics that go from somewhat sappy to sarcastic and abrasive.

On the lyrics- Ben Weasel, deservedly, has something of a reputation. Better put, he can be kind of a dick. It comes through in his infamous essays and radio diatribes, and it certainly comes through in his songs. This isn’t new, and if it’s putting you off, you probably weren’t paying much attention when listening to Boogada or My Brain Hurts.

Lyrically, the record is hit-or-miss. Some songs are fun and funny, like the dig at homogeny in the punk scene that is “Follow Your Leaders,” or “Beginningless Vacation.” Others don’t fare so well. Diss tracks outside of hip-hop are pretty lame, so “Little Big Man,” Ben’s sneering attack on Brendan Kelly (The Lawrence Arms) comes off as petty. Sorry Ben. Oh, and “Dry as the Desert” would be a lot better if Vapid had sung this one. Ben’s voice is fine, for what it is, but for some reason on this song’s chorus in particular, he almost ventures into “bad Ben Weasel parody” territory. Which is a shame, because the song itself is quite good.

I will say, this record won bonus points for me with one moment on “Frankengirl” where Dr. Frank (Frank Portman) of the Mr. T Experience contributes vocals. I love MTX, and it’s always great to hear Frank’s voice. Later on, Ben’s other pal/parter-in-crime Joe Queer (the Queers) shows up for some backing vocals in “Creepy Crawl.” Also a pleasant addition. Oh, and there’s a song called “Come and See the Violence Inherent in the System.” I can always appreciate a good Monty Python reference.

All in all, it’s a Screeching Weasel record. They have a very well-defined sound, and this doesn’t deviate from that in the slightest. It’s not the band’s strongest material, but it’s certainly no slouch, and while it might not bring many new people to the fold, I think long-time fans will be pleased by the material.

Ben Weasel - The Brain That Wouldn't Die

You all know Ben Weasel. Lead singer and sometimes-guitarist for legendary Chicago punk heroes Screeching Weasel; also, he of the Riverdales with his former Screeching cohorts, and of course his pair of solo albums, including 2007′s excellent These Ones Are Bitter. Now, as of 2009, he’s reformed the Riverdales, and Screeching Weasel (sans drummer John Jughead) for a handful of shows.

Earlier this year, Ben and friends played a pair of shows in Chicago, wherein the band played Screeching Weasel’s classic My Brain Hurts LP in its entirety. Now, here’s a recording of the shows, for the listening pleasure of those who- like me- couldn’t make it those nights.

First things first: this is the music you know and, hopefully, love. The album is exactly what you’d expect. Well, mostly; there are a few notable changes: the band’s cover of “I Can See Clearly Now” has been replaced by “Cool Kids,” and “Fathead” has been replaced with “This Ain’t Hawaii.” While I don’t know that I would have cited “Fathead” as a SW favorite if I was asked on the street (note: if you see me on the street, please ask me about Screeching Weasel), its omission is glaring, and the replacement with “Hawaii” really emphasizes the musical differences between My Brain Hurts and its predecessor, Boogadaboogadaboogada!, so it’s pretty glaring. Likewise, “I Can See Clearly Now” is a fan-favorite, so while “Cool Kids” is a fine song off one of the decent latter-day Weasel albums, I’d have preferred the cover. “Fathead” can be explained by, since it’s the only song on the album co-written by former drummerguitarist [I'm an idiot; Jughead was the guitarist -ed] John Jughead, perhaps not wanting to include him on the royalty checks, there’s no such reason, as I understand, to omit “I Can See Clearly Now.” Alas.

As for what is on the album, it’s My Brain Hurts. The sound quality is good for a live album; it probably sounds better than it would have if you were actually in the pit that night. There’s no real between-song banter. A could shouts of the song title, a 1-2-3-4 count, and the band hurtling through the music with an intensity befitting the material. Weasel and Vapid are perfect; Ben’s voice may have changed some in the nearly 20 years since the album’s release, but he doesn’t sound any worse for the wear. Vapid’s guitar rips, and his backing vocals are perfect.

One last minor note: the LP could have used some liner notes. This is a pretty barebones package. The clear red vinyl is pretty sweet, though.

Basically, whether or not this album appeals to you comes down to one thing: how big a fan of the original album you are. If the answer is “a huge fan,” then you should pick this up. The two omissions will be glaring, but the rest of the album makes up for their absence.

Riot Fest 2009 promo poster

Chicago’s Riot Fest Records are once again putting on Riot Fest, a multi-day festival of awesome punk rock and ska. Last year’s festival featured ALL, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, the Ergs!, Mustard Plug, the Methadones, the Lawrence Arms, the Bouncing Souls, and so many more awesome bands.

This year’s lineup includes:

• Screeching Weasel
• NOFX
• The Alkaline Trio
• Murder City Devils
• The Dead Milkmen
• Cock Sparrer

I went last year, just to the Sunday show, and it was truly excellent. I will definitely be back for 2009. Hell, Screeching Weasel alone would be enough to merit the trip.

Screeching Weasel - Boogadaboogadaboogada

Here we are again; it’s Thursday, and we’re going to talk about yet another album from a Chicago band that’s near and dead to my heart. Yes, it’s part  4 of Chicago Week, and today I’m gonna look at Screeching Weasel’s classic Boogadaboogadaboogada.

Screeching Weasel are longtime heroes of the Chicago pop-punk scene. Regardless of how you might feel about frontman Ben Weasel (many are not fans of the man), it’s hard to ignore the contributions they’ve made to the scene. Their first truly notable album was the sophomore effort, Boogadaboogadaboogada. The album features a blistering 26 songs. Before you get daunted, remember, this is punk rock. If you’re curious, the length of the entire album is 41 minutes and change. One song, “We Skate,” is 16 seconds long. So despite the large number of songs, the album isn’t all that much longer than other albums. Unless the only other album you own is Group Sex by the Circle Jerks.

First thing fans of the band’s later material (My Brain Hurts and after) will notice is that the music here is much faster than they would play later. This record owes more to hardcore than the extreme Ramones influence they would exhibit later in their careers. They also seem more willing to, or rather like they are trying to, piss people off. Anyone, really; one can imagine Chicago classic rock fans not taking kindly to the sentiments expressed on “I Hate Led Zepplin:”  “”Stairway to Heaven” makes me see red/Bonzo’s buried, only three more left.” Also under the gun are the more political-minded in the audience, on the intentionally-misspelled “Nicarauga;” in current pressings of the album, after the lyrics (which end with the line “I don’t give a fuck about Nicaragua”) the line “that’s why I spelled it wrong” is included.

But the music isn’t all baiting various interest groups. Songs like “My Right” and “Dingbat” would go down as classics, particularly the former, and givs the listener a glimpse of where the band would end up taking its career; the song is slower than most of the raging tempos on the album, more tuneful, and has lyrics that any even slightly rebellious teenager would love to scrawl on book covers and notebooks.

Boogadaboogadaboogada really put Screeching Weasel on the map, and it’s easy to see why; a multitude of great songs played with fury and conviction.

Screeching Weasel - My Brain Hurts

I know, there’s not much to be said about one of the classic albums of pop-punk, and a landmark album of the Chicago scene, that hasn’t been said before, but whatever, I’m going to do it anyway, because I love this album. And rightly so!

The band had broken up after their previous album, the also-classic Boogadaboogadaboogada!, and the reunited band features different members, and a notably different sound than found on Boogada. Where that album featured the band playing breakneck, hardcore-inspired tunes that railed against just about everyone (see the classic-rock-baiting “I Hate Led Zeppelin” and anti-political screed “Nicarauga”), My Brain Hurts sees the band playing at a slower tempo, upping the melody, and frontman Ben Weasel actually attempting to sing his lyrics.

If there’s one obvious starting point for the Weasels’ sound at this point, it’s the Ramones. Ben Weasel and his newly-assembled cohorts clearly worship the famous New York foursome (this adoration would later come to fruition in Ben Weasel’s side project, the Riverdales) and the boys are clearly insanely inspired by their early, classic albums. And the band, including Jughead, Danny Panic, and Danny Vapid, is extremely tight and competent. Astute Weasel fans will note that this is the “classic” lineup. The music sounds great. It’s wild, reckless punk rock without being sloppy. It’s powerful and pummeling and energizing without ever getting monotonous.

It also doesn’t hurt that Weasel turned in what could very well be the best collection of songs of his career. I loved These Ones Are Bitter, and can’t get enough of Boogada‘s sprawling 26 tracks, but nothing on either of those albums comes close to equalling the quality of the songs found on this album. Stand-outs include “Teenage Freakshow,” “The Science of Myth,” lead-off song “Making You Cry,” “Veronica Hates Me,” “Cindy’s on Methadone,” “What We Hate,” and… I could go on, and on, until I named every song on the album. The point is, this album has nothing but classic Weasel tunes. Listening through the album, it’s compelling back to front; Ben Weasel’s lyrics and nasally vocals work wonderfully with the raw, tight music.

The album’s 14 tracks clock in at just over thirty minutes. That half-hour packs a lot of punch, and anyone who has an interest in the Chicago scene, or pop-punk/Ramonescore in general- or, alternately, is interested in why everyone seems to care about Ben Weasel when he is a gigantic asshole- owes it to themselves to listen to this album.