Scream were one of the earliest and longest-lasting bands to emerge form the Washington DC hardcore scene. Brothers Pete and Franz Stahl, drummer Kent Stax and bassist Skeeter Thompson originally came together in 1979, but the band first started to make serious inroads in the punk scene during 1981. They recorded and released the awesome ‘Still Screaming’ LP on Dischord in 1982 and from the outset were intent on touring and establishing themselves as far and wide as possible. In 1987, after the release of their third album ‘Bang The Drum’, they became the first Dischord-related band to tour in Europe, with a new drummer in their ranks, a certain Dave Grohl. It was at this time that I saw them play an incredible show at the George Robey in North London. Even though their sound was beginning to include hard rock influences by this point, they were still an incredibly powerful and exciting band to see and it’s one of those great gigs I’m really glad that I saw.
After their ‘No More Censorship’ album in 1988, they continued to tour, including further returns to Europe, but by 1990 personal problems were beginning surface within the band. Despite recording most of the tracks for another album, ‘Fumble’ (eventually completed and released in 1993) the band broke-up in the middle of a US tour after grinding to a halt in Los Angeles. Skeeter went AWOL and Dave decided to take-up an offer to join Nirvana (they enjoyed some minor success of their own…) Pete and Franz decided to stay in LA and soon formed a new band, the much-respected by sadly under-acknowledged Wool.
After their ‘No More Censorship’ album in 1988, they continued to tour, including further returns to Europe, but by 1990 personal problems were beginning surface within the band. Despite recording most of the tracks for another album, ‘Fumble’ (eventually completed and released in 1993) the band broke-up in the middle of a US tour after grinding to a halt in Los Angeles. Skeeter went AWOL and Dave decided to take-up an offer to join Nirvana (they enjoyed some minor success of their own…) Pete and Franz decided to stay in LA and soon formed a new band, the much-respected by sadly under-acknowledged Wool.
However, Scream remained friends and did reunite on occasions for various reasons. They played a US tour in late 1993 to support the late release of ‘Fumble’ and a one-off show in DC during 1996. Franz played again with Dave Grohl as a guitarist in Foo Fighters during 1997-98 while Pete also worked as their tour manager. Along the way he also found time to play in the bands Goatsnake and Earthlings. But the call of Scream was never far away and in 2009, the original line-up reunited for another one-off show in DC. Over the next couple of years, more gigs were played and in 2011 a new record, the ‘Complete Control Sessions’, was released featuring the first new material since ‘Fumble’. Since then, the band have continued to play live on a more regular basis, including dates in Europe, but it wasn’t until this year that they announced their return to the UK.
I’d always regretted the fact that I hadn’t interviewed Scream when I saw them in 1987, so this time I wasn’t going to miss my second chance. Arrangements are set, although on the evening itself I find the band rushing around in the short time they have between their soundcheck and doors-opening, trying to feed themselves and organise various other things. Pete is happy to be interviewed but we have to do this as he’s setting up the merch-stall, so on occasions he does get a little distracted. But regardless, the interview went ahead and I began at the beginning, asking what had got Pete and his brother first interested in music…
‘A lot Sixties garage rock and early rock’n’roll. I can even remember seeing The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show, which must have been in 1964 or ’65. My Dad actually managed some rock bands and there was one from Washington DC, our home town, called The Hangmen. They put out their first record in 1966 on Monument Records, when I was around 10 years old and my Dad started taking me to their shows a year or so after that. We started to see some pretty cool local bands and also some bigger bands, like Jefferson Airplane, when The Hangmen supported them. So that whole scene had a big impact on me, not just musically but politically as well. As we were hanging out with the bands we’d get to hear what they were talking about and we saw how they were setting up the shows for themselves… they had a sort of DIY thing going on, setting up the shows and putting posters on walls to advertise them. There was a lot of creative activity going on and I was exposed to all of that at quite a young age. Of course, it took me a while to actually transfer that experience to being in a band myself… the thing was, by the time I was 14 or 15 I’d actually started listening to Jazz, because I’d already been through the garage rock thing. I was progressing on to different things. I’d been a huge Allman Brothers fan and from that I started listening to Blues and I ended-up getting into Jazz. I first started trying to play guitar when I was 16 or 17, at Boarding School, but it wasn’t until a little later ,when I started going to see New Wave and Punk bands, that I started to think, well, maybe I could do that… And the more I thought about it, the more I realised that I wanted to do it.’
I’d always regretted the fact that I hadn’t interviewed Scream when I saw them in 1987, so this time I wasn’t going to miss my second chance. Arrangements are set, although on the evening itself I find the band rushing around in the short time they have between their soundcheck and doors-opening, trying to feed themselves and organise various other things. Pete is happy to be interviewed but we have to do this as he’s setting up the merch-stall, so on occasions he does get a little distracted. But regardless, the interview went ahead and I began at the beginning, asking what had got Pete and his brother first interested in music…
‘A lot Sixties garage rock and early rock’n’roll. I can even remember seeing The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show, which must have been in 1964 or ’65. My Dad actually managed some rock bands and there was one from Washington DC, our home town, called The Hangmen. They put out their first record in 1966 on Monument Records, when I was around 10 years old and my Dad started taking me to their shows a year or so after that. We started to see some pretty cool local bands and also some bigger bands, like Jefferson Airplane, when The Hangmen supported them. So that whole scene had a big impact on me, not just musically but politically as well. As we were hanging out with the bands we’d get to hear what they were talking about and we saw how they were setting up the shows for themselves… they had a sort of DIY thing going on, setting up the shows and putting posters on walls to advertise them. There was a lot of creative activity going on and I was exposed to all of that at quite a young age. Of course, it took me a while to actually transfer that experience to being in a band myself… the thing was, by the time I was 14 or 15 I’d actually started listening to Jazz, because I’d already been through the garage rock thing. I was progressing on to different things. I’d been a huge Allman Brothers fan and from that I started listening to Blues and I ended-up getting into Jazz. I first started trying to play guitar when I was 16 or 17, at Boarding School, but it wasn’t until a little later ,when I started going to see New Wave and Punk bands, that I started to think, well, maybe I could do that… And the more I thought about it, the more I realised that I wanted to do it.’
What first attracted you to Punk music ?
‘I saw a bunch of punk bands live and really enjoyed them. I saw some of the early British bands when they came to DC, like the Stranglers and Buzzcocks, and also American bands like The Cramps. We had a really cool New Wave scene in DC which was fun, but then I saw the Bad Brains and that pretty-much sealed the deal for me. They really blew my mind and I was never the same after that.’
How did Scream actually come together ?
‘Well, Skeeter, Kent and Franz all went to High School together, while I was a couple of years older than them. They had already been playing in different bands so when they decided to put their own band together, they asked me if I would join them as the singer and I said okay. We started rehearsing and as soon as we thought we were ready, we started playing backyard parties and school parties around Virginia. This would have been from around 1979.’
As you were living outside of DC itself, did you feel separate to the rest of the DC hardcore scene ?
‘Well, a little bit. We were out in the suburbs so it took us a little while to really get involved with that scene. Initially, that had started around just a couple of the schools in North West Washington and we were definitely not part of that. But as things went on and developed, everyone got to know each other.’
It does seem that Scream were a little more intent on taking the band further than many of the early DC bands. A lot of them seemed to split-up after a pretty short time…
‘I guess that probably came a bit from our background, what with my Dad being in the music business. But we were all very close and had the same kind of ambitions. We were the first band from that DC scene to go to Europe and I think we just felt that, if these opportunities came up, we should make the most of them. We weren’t going to turn our backs on something just because that’s what some of the other bands did. We just did what we felt was right for us.’
‘I saw a bunch of punk bands live and really enjoyed them. I saw some of the early British bands when they came to DC, like the Stranglers and Buzzcocks, and also American bands like The Cramps. We had a really cool New Wave scene in DC which was fun, but then I saw the Bad Brains and that pretty-much sealed the deal for me. They really blew my mind and I was never the same after that.’
How did Scream actually come together ?
‘Well, Skeeter, Kent and Franz all went to High School together, while I was a couple of years older than them. They had already been playing in different bands so when they decided to put their own band together, they asked me if I would join them as the singer and I said okay. We started rehearsing and as soon as we thought we were ready, we started playing backyard parties and school parties around Virginia. This would have been from around 1979.’
As you were living outside of DC itself, did you feel separate to the rest of the DC hardcore scene ?
‘Well, a little bit. We were out in the suburbs so it took us a little while to really get involved with that scene. Initially, that had started around just a couple of the schools in North West Washington and we were definitely not part of that. But as things went on and developed, everyone got to know each other.’
It does seem that Scream were a little more intent on taking the band further than many of the early DC bands. A lot of them seemed to split-up after a pretty short time…
‘I guess that probably came a bit from our background, what with my Dad being in the music business. But we were all very close and had the same kind of ambitions. We were the first band from that DC scene to go to Europe and I think we just felt that, if these opportunities came up, we should make the most of them. We weren’t going to turn our backs on something just because that’s what some of the other bands did. We just did what we felt was right for us.’
You also progressed musically, with more ‘rock’ influences coming through on the later albums…
‘No doubt, but those influences had always been there. Out background had included everything from rock to soul and funk, garage bands to pop, you know, everything ! So we just played what we liked and our music was always a product of what we liked. We were inspired by different artists, whether it be the Bad Brains, Parliament-Funkadelic or Johnny Cash. The thing is, particularly as you get older, you realise that it’s just good music regardless of what it is or where it comes from. There’s a lot of shit out there, so if you find something that sounds great, just enjoy it ! So we would bring all these different things into our music even though the first songs we ever learned were ‘Tell Us The Truth’ by Sham 69, ‘Total War’ by The Lurkers and ‘All Around The World’ by The Jam. That was how we cut our teeth. We learned how to play those songs and then started to write these really basic things of our own. I think, even at the very beginning, we always really wanted to be doing our own thing. In fact, there was a whole series of songs that we wrote around that time which never came out. We wrote them while we were still learning how to play, so when we began to get a bit better and a bit faster we ditched them. I wish now that we had recordings of that stuff but I don’t think we ever taped them…’
But even though the later albums had a more rock sound, the bands’ approach always remained in touch with its’ punk background…
‘Oh yeah, I think so. In fact, later on when we added a second guitar player, Robert, he had come from a metal band and we actually used to like the fact that it pissed-off a lot of the people in the scene, because they thought he was too “rock” for them. But, you know, we thought that was a totally punk rock thing to do because he upset those people but he fit-in with us and played really well, so we were all good. Maybe that wasn’t the smartest thing to do, but that was just the way we were. If we pissed-off the people who were taking these things too seriously, that was fine. I think the thing is that a lot of people just get to judgmental about things that really aren’t that important.’
‘No doubt, but those influences had always been there. Out background had included everything from rock to soul and funk, garage bands to pop, you know, everything ! So we just played what we liked and our music was always a product of what we liked. We were inspired by different artists, whether it be the Bad Brains, Parliament-Funkadelic or Johnny Cash. The thing is, particularly as you get older, you realise that it’s just good music regardless of what it is or where it comes from. There’s a lot of shit out there, so if you find something that sounds great, just enjoy it ! So we would bring all these different things into our music even though the first songs we ever learned were ‘Tell Us The Truth’ by Sham 69, ‘Total War’ by The Lurkers and ‘All Around The World’ by The Jam. That was how we cut our teeth. We learned how to play those songs and then started to write these really basic things of our own. I think, even at the very beginning, we always really wanted to be doing our own thing. In fact, there was a whole series of songs that we wrote around that time which never came out. We wrote them while we were still learning how to play, so when we began to get a bit better and a bit faster we ditched them. I wish now that we had recordings of that stuff but I don’t think we ever taped them…’
But even though the later albums had a more rock sound, the bands’ approach always remained in touch with its’ punk background…
‘Oh yeah, I think so. In fact, later on when we added a second guitar player, Robert, he had come from a metal band and we actually used to like the fact that it pissed-off a lot of the people in the scene, because they thought he was too “rock” for them. But, you know, we thought that was a totally punk rock thing to do because he upset those people but he fit-in with us and played really well, so we were all good. Maybe that wasn’t the smartest thing to do, but that was just the way we were. If we pissed-off the people who were taking these things too seriously, that was fine. I think the thing is that a lot of people just get to judgmental about things that really aren’t that important.’
As you mentioned, you were one of the first Dischord-related bands to tour in Europe and you also returned several times…
‘We came over pretty regularly from 1987 until we stopped and went on extended hiatus. That was in 1990 when Dave joined Nirvana and Scream kind of called it a day for a while. Me and my brother decided to stick it out in LA and start another band, which became Wool. After that, Scream only played occasionally, like, when we all went home for Christmas or something. With the other guys still living back on the East Coast, we didn’t get many chances to play.
You recorded the album ‘Fumble’ shortly before Scream broke-up in 1990, but it wasn’t eventually released until 1993. How come there was such a long delay with it ?
‘We recorded most of it in 1990, but it took some time to complete everything, particularly the vocals, because by that point I was living on the West Coast. That’s what caused the biggest delays, plus me and Franz were getting pretty busy with Wool at that point, so it was just a case of having to find the time to be able to complete everything. But I think we did the right thing rather than trying to finish it in a rush. I think it came out really good and I’m still very happy with it. I still love that record, although we don’t really play any of those songs now just because Dave was the drummer on that album and Kent’s style is a little bit different… There’s definitely a few songs on that record that I’d still like to play, but we’d have to work out how we could do them with Kent and, again, we don’t have too much time to do that because we only get together to rehearse two or three times a year… I’m sure Kent would be able to work out most of that stuff, but he also plays in, like, a dozen other bands, so he’d have to find the time to do it. ‘
‘We came over pretty regularly from 1987 until we stopped and went on extended hiatus. That was in 1990 when Dave joined Nirvana and Scream kind of called it a day for a while. Me and my brother decided to stick it out in LA and start another band, which became Wool. After that, Scream only played occasionally, like, when we all went home for Christmas or something. With the other guys still living back on the East Coast, we didn’t get many chances to play.
You recorded the album ‘Fumble’ shortly before Scream broke-up in 1990, but it wasn’t eventually released until 1993. How come there was such a long delay with it ?
‘We recorded most of it in 1990, but it took some time to complete everything, particularly the vocals, because by that point I was living on the West Coast. That’s what caused the biggest delays, plus me and Franz were getting pretty busy with Wool at that point, so it was just a case of having to find the time to be able to complete everything. But I think we did the right thing rather than trying to finish it in a rush. I think it came out really good and I’m still very happy with it. I still love that record, although we don’t really play any of those songs now just because Dave was the drummer on that album and Kent’s style is a little bit different… There’s definitely a few songs on that record that I’d still like to play, but we’d have to work out how we could do them with Kent and, again, we don’t have too much time to do that because we only get together to rehearse two or three times a year… I’m sure Kent would be able to work out most of that stuff, but he also plays in, like, a dozen other bands, so he’d have to find the time to do it. ‘
You and Franz relocated to Los Angeles after Scream broke up. Was that something you had already thought about doing before then ?
‘No, not at all. It was completely by accident. Scream were on tour but we were having some problems and had to cancel the rest of the dates. That was when Dave decided to go up to Seattle and take up the offer to join Nirvana. First of all, me and my brother were going to get another drummer and bass player and head home, but then we decided to stay out in LA. It seemed like we’d been playing in Scream for our whole lives, so we decided it was time for a change. We put Wool together and we ended-up getting signed by Polygram within a year. We were a fucking great band. It had been totally serendipitous that we ended up in Los Angeles, but it changed my life in a lot of ways. It put me on a new path and I made a whole new group of friends, as well as meeting a lot of new bands. So for me, it was great and I think I can say the same thing for my brother. You really don’t know what’s around the corner !’
‘Fumble’ was finally released by Dischord in 1993, while Wool were still busy in their own right, but you did find some time to complete a short Scream tour in the States to promote it…
‘Yeah, although by then, it was Dave who was really busy with Nirvana. But he let us know that he was going to have some free time during the Summer and we arranged to do a short tour together. We were all involved with different things by then, so we found that we could come back together to play as Scream again and just enjoy ourselves.’
‘No, not at all. It was completely by accident. Scream were on tour but we were having some problems and had to cancel the rest of the dates. That was when Dave decided to go up to Seattle and take up the offer to join Nirvana. First of all, me and my brother were going to get another drummer and bass player and head home, but then we decided to stay out in LA. It seemed like we’d been playing in Scream for our whole lives, so we decided it was time for a change. We put Wool together and we ended-up getting signed by Polygram within a year. We were a fucking great band. It had been totally serendipitous that we ended up in Los Angeles, but it changed my life in a lot of ways. It put me on a new path and I made a whole new group of friends, as well as meeting a lot of new bands. So for me, it was great and I think I can say the same thing for my brother. You really don’t know what’s around the corner !’
‘Fumble’ was finally released by Dischord in 1993, while Wool were still busy in their own right, but you did find some time to complete a short Scream tour in the States to promote it…
‘Yeah, although by then, it was Dave who was really busy with Nirvana. But he let us know that he was going to have some free time during the Summer and we arranged to do a short tour together. We were all involved with different things by then, so we found that we could come back together to play as Scream again and just enjoy ourselves.’
There have been occasional Scream reformations over the years since then and they’ve become a little more regular over the last five or six years. But have you ever been tempted to reform the band on a more permanent basis ?
‘Not really… I mean, we’ve been tempted by the idea and we’ve certainly thought about it because we still love the music. If anything, I think we’d like to be able to record more music together, rather than just touring and playing live occasionally. We put out the ‘Complete Control Session’ record in 2011 but we’ve written a whole bunch of new stuff since then so I hope we get a chance to record it and put some more new stuff out. But at the moment, the only ‘new’ record that will be coming out is a remixed version of ‘No More Censorship’ that’s coming out on Southern Lord at some point later this year. My brother remixed it at Dave’s studio and it sounds really good now. It’s going to come out with a whole new package and we’re really stoked about it. So I guess we’ll see if this goes down well and then maybe start thinking about putting something new together. The ‘Complete Control’ record went down really well, even though it was kind of hard to find in some places. We play some of the songs from that live, as Kent was playing drums with us when we recorded it…’
The ‘Complete Control Session’ was recorded live in a studio…
‘Yeah, completely out of necessity as we only had a limited amount of time when we could do it. I think we would have liked to have spent more time on those songs but we were still really happy with the way they came out on the record and it seems that most of the people who have heard it have really enjoyed it.’
You included a great cover of The Ruts’ song ‘Demolition Dancing’ on that record. I may be wrong, but isn’t that the first time you’ve recorded a version of someone else’s song ?
‘No, it’s not the only one… There’s a compilation that Kevin Seconds put out called ‘One Shot At The Bracken’ and we recorded a cover of ‘Green Eyed Lady’ by Sugarloaf for that. But this is the first time we’ve recorded a cover for one of our own records. The Ruts were a very big influence on the DC scene. Them and The Damned, immensely so. In fact, that’s one of the great things about coming over here to play at the Rebellion Festival. We’re going to be playing on the same day as bands that I never thought in a million years that I’d get to see, so that’s going to be cool.’
This has been the first time you’ve been back in the UK since the Eighties and you’ve also been back to Europe recently. What other plans do you have at the moment ?
‘We have a few opportunities to play already lined-up. We’ll be touring on the East Coast in November and we’re hoping to go to Brazil, although so far it’s proven a little difficult to arrange the times for that. But I think we all want to do some more recording as soon as we can, that will be a priority. We’ve got definite plans and a lot of other things in the pipeline so, as I said before, we just want to make the most of them.’
‘Not really… I mean, we’ve been tempted by the idea and we’ve certainly thought about it because we still love the music. If anything, I think we’d like to be able to record more music together, rather than just touring and playing live occasionally. We put out the ‘Complete Control Session’ record in 2011 but we’ve written a whole bunch of new stuff since then so I hope we get a chance to record it and put some more new stuff out. But at the moment, the only ‘new’ record that will be coming out is a remixed version of ‘No More Censorship’ that’s coming out on Southern Lord at some point later this year. My brother remixed it at Dave’s studio and it sounds really good now. It’s going to come out with a whole new package and we’re really stoked about it. So I guess we’ll see if this goes down well and then maybe start thinking about putting something new together. The ‘Complete Control’ record went down really well, even though it was kind of hard to find in some places. We play some of the songs from that live, as Kent was playing drums with us when we recorded it…’
The ‘Complete Control Session’ was recorded live in a studio…
‘Yeah, completely out of necessity as we only had a limited amount of time when we could do it. I think we would have liked to have spent more time on those songs but we were still really happy with the way they came out on the record and it seems that most of the people who have heard it have really enjoyed it.’
You included a great cover of The Ruts’ song ‘Demolition Dancing’ on that record. I may be wrong, but isn’t that the first time you’ve recorded a version of someone else’s song ?
‘No, it’s not the only one… There’s a compilation that Kevin Seconds put out called ‘One Shot At The Bracken’ and we recorded a cover of ‘Green Eyed Lady’ by Sugarloaf for that. But this is the first time we’ve recorded a cover for one of our own records. The Ruts were a very big influence on the DC scene. Them and The Damned, immensely so. In fact, that’s one of the great things about coming over here to play at the Rebellion Festival. We’re going to be playing on the same day as bands that I never thought in a million years that I’d get to see, so that’s going to be cool.’
This has been the first time you’ve been back in the UK since the Eighties and you’ve also been back to Europe recently. What other plans do you have at the moment ?
‘We have a few opportunities to play already lined-up. We’ll be touring on the East Coast in November and we’re hoping to go to Brazil, although so far it’s proven a little difficult to arrange the times for that. But I think we all want to do some more recording as soon as we can, that will be a priority. We’ve got definite plans and a lot of other things in the pipeline so, as I said before, we just want to make the most of them.’
The interview ends as the doors are opening and fans start to enter the club. It’s not long before I spot several old friends, including some that were also there at the George Robey gig all that time ago. I even bump into a few friends that I literally haven’t seen for years, so it’s very nice to catch up with them. Evidently, Scream has been too big a temptation for many to miss. The venue isn’t packed, but considering it’s a Wednesday evening and many people who would normally have turned up to see Scream are heading north for the Rebellion festival (which starts the next day) it’s still a pretty healthy turn-out, maybe 60% full.
As this line-up features the four original members of the band, the set tonight concentrates on the albums they recorded together, particularly ‘Still Screaming’ and ‘This Side Up’. They still sound as tight and powerful as I remember, playing through the songs with genuine passion and great musicianship. They even have time to pay tribute to one of their original influences, the Bad Brains’, with a searing version of ‘Sailin’ On’. Several tracks are played from the ‘Complete Control Session’ and sound even better than the recorded versions, giving the impression that this is very much an ongoing, organic band rather than just another occasional reunion. When you see the chemistry that still clearly exists between them, you know that they ought to be making a new album. They play for over an hour and are only stopped from playing more by the clubs’ ridiculously early curfew, but I can honestly say that everyone who witnessed this gig left feeling very impressed by the band. As with so many of the best bands from the Eighties Punk / Hardcore era, their music remains fresh and their intent is just as, if not more, relevant than it was in the first place. I have no difficulty at all in recommending that you see or hear Scream at your earliest opportunity.
As this line-up features the four original members of the band, the set tonight concentrates on the albums they recorded together, particularly ‘Still Screaming’ and ‘This Side Up’. They still sound as tight and powerful as I remember, playing through the songs with genuine passion and great musicianship. They even have time to pay tribute to one of their original influences, the Bad Brains’, with a searing version of ‘Sailin’ On’. Several tracks are played from the ‘Complete Control Session’ and sound even better than the recorded versions, giving the impression that this is very much an ongoing, organic band rather than just another occasional reunion. When you see the chemistry that still clearly exists between them, you know that they ought to be making a new album. They play for over an hour and are only stopped from playing more by the clubs’ ridiculously early curfew, but I can honestly say that everyone who witnessed this gig left feeling very impressed by the band. As with so many of the best bands from the Eighties Punk / Hardcore era, their music remains fresh and their intent is just as, if not more, relevant than it was in the first place. I have no difficulty at all in recommending that you see or hear Scream at your earliest opportunity.
