Screeching Weasel is one of the seminal punk bands of the 1990’s and 2000s. Like the Ramones before them, they were often imitated but never duplicated. A core staple of the Lookout Records roster for years, the Weasels were a force to be reckoned with. Through various lineup changes and break ups, the band managed to release over a dozen full lengths of which two are considered pop punk canon – My Brain Hurts and Anthem for a New Tomorrow. On March 24th, Screeching Weasel digitally released its latest set of 14 songs entitled, Some Freaks of Atavism. Atavism was originally slated for an August release, however, with the country on lock down, founding member Ben Weasel made the choice to release the music now, “to give a captive audience a chance to hear new Screeching Weasel music.”
Some Freaks of Atavism is a fantastic collection of songs that capture Ben Weasel at the top of his song writing game. Ben explained that the songs were from a pool of possibilities there were written over the course of the past few years. The first two songs on Atavism were recorded for some time while the vocals were recently re-recorded due to a revision of the lyrics. A few songs were originally written for inclusion on a potential Baby Fat 2 release (Act 2 of Ben’s rock opera) while Brain in a Jar was originally written during the First World Manifesto sessions but re-worked into the masterpiece found on Atavism.
Ben thinks quite highly of the new music. When asked which Screeching Weasel release he is most proud of, without hesitation he stated, “You can’t do better than Some Freaks of Atavism. This new record is by far the total package. The one that I would point to as this is what my band is and what it is supposed to be and encompasses everything that was ever good about the band. Usually there are fans that want to complain about the new music but I am only hearing great things from people about this one. It’s great and all but since this is the first time I am not hearing complaints, I almost feel like I must be doing something wrong.”
Weasel credits the professionalism of his band-mates and the assistance from his long time producer, Mike Kennerty (guitarist for the All-American Rejects) for the success of the recent recording and the expanded musical dynamics on display. “What we are doing now with Mike is pretty different than we had done with producers in the past. He understands songs and he understands what is good about my songs when they are good and what is bad about them when they are bad. I can trust him to go through everything and pick out the best parts and move forward. He has an awful lot of latitude because he’s proved himself over and over.”
In addition to releasing Some Freaks of Atavism, Ben is keeping busy recording a daily YouTube cast, My Right. During these episodes, Ben discusses various topics and answers fan questions (participants in the daily chat be warned, if your question is not to Ben’s liking, you may find yourself receiving a steady diet of ridicule and public shaming). These episodes are entertaining and feature Ben Weasel unfiltered (as always) sharing his views on everything from social distancing, politics, literature, philosophy, and the state of music. Ben is currently exploring options for starting his own podcast in the near future based on the success he’s had with My Right.
Here’s more information about Some Freaks of Atavism:
Band line up:
Ben Weasel – vocals
Mike Hunchback – guitar
Pierre Marche – drums
Trevor Jackson – guitar and backing vocals
Zach Brandner – bass and backing vocals
Track listing:
She Ain’t Your Baby
Back of Your Head
God Help Us
To Hell with You
Settle In
Not Even Close
Losing My Mind – vocal duties shared with Mike Herrera of MXPX.
Never Been in Love
Turn It Around – vocal duties shared with Josie Cotton.
Crying Shame
Brain in a Jar
Dead by Dawn
Problematic
Bleed Through Me
Click here for a comprehensive list of places to find Some Freaks of Atavism:
Or go straight to:
Coming Soon: An exclusive extended interview with Ben Weasel.
Other punk pages on Underthought:
Mr. T Experience – Love Is Dead
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