Franz Stahl

Last updated

Franz Stahl
Franz Stahl2 (cropped).JPG
Stahl in 2012
Background information
Birth nameFranz Kenneth Stahl
Born (1961-10-30) October 30, 1961 (age 62)
Bailey's Crossroads, Virginia , U.S.
Origin Washington D.C., U.S.
InstrumentsGuitar, vocals
Years active1981–present
Member of Scream, DYS
Formerly of Wool, Foo Fighters

Franz Kenneth Stahl (born October 30, 1961) is an American guitarist. He is a member of the Washington, D.C. hardcore punk band Scream alongside his brother Pete Stahl, and was a member of the rock band Foo Fighters from 1997 to 1999.

Contents

Early life and career

Franz was raised with his brother and musical collaborator Pete in Bailey's Crossroads, Virginia, which they reference by putting the letters "BXR" on Scream's albums. Their father, Arnold, was a lawyer and also managed DC rock band The Hangmen, which scored a regional hit with 1965's "What a Girl Can't Do". [1] After learning guitar, Franz started playing in local Virginian bands with bassist Skeeter Thompson. In 1981, Franz and Thompson formed Scream in Alexandria, along with brother Pete and drummer Kent Stax. [2]

After Scream broke up in 1990, Franz and Pete formed the band Wool, releasing the album Box Set for London Records. Wool then broke up up in 1996. [3] When Stahl visited a friend who was producing for Japanese musician J, he found out that J's recording drummer was fellow DC musician Scott Garrett, and that the band needed a guitarist for their coming tour. Stahl accepted and played in Japan as a member of J's backing band. During the tour, Franz Stahl was invited by the Foo Fighters' founder Dave Grohl to replace the Foo Fighters' original guitarist Pat Smear, who had decided to leave the band. After the J tour was finished, Stahl flew in to join Foo Fighters just two days before his debut performance at the Radio City Music Hall in September 1997, having just one day of rehearsal. Stahl started his Foo Fighters career with their hit "Everlong" from the band's second studio album, The Colour and the Shape . [4]

Stahl performed on the track "A320", which was featured in Godzilla: The Album , [5] and the re-recorded version of the Foo Fighters song "Walking After You", which was released as a single and is included on the soundtrack for The X-Files movie. He also appeared in the music video for the Foo Fighters song "My Hero", even though he did not play on the recording. He was released from the band in 1999, before the recording of their third studio album, There Is Nothing Left to Lose, due to creative differences. Stahl still said his tenure in Foo Fighters was "the best two years of my life". [6] After leaving Foo Fighters, J invited Stahl to play again, which he did for another seven years until 2005. In 2009, Franz was invited by Pete to play for Smith & Pyle, and during the tour, the brothers decided to reform Scream with Thompson and Stax. [4]

Stahl is typically seen playing the Gibson Les Paul. However, in the music video for Foo Fighters' "My Hero", he plays a Fender Stratocaster.

Stahl currently lives in Hollywood, California. Along with Scream, he continued gigging, writing and recording with the Boston Hardcore band DYS, while also writing and composing for film and television. [7] In 2007, he composed the title track for the film One California Day .

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dave Grohl</span> American rock musician (born 1969)

David Eric Grohl is an American musician. He founded the rock band Foo Fighters, of which he is the lead singer, guitarist, and principal songwriter. From 1990 to 1994, he was the drummer of the grunge band Nirvana.

<i>Foo Fighters</i> (album) 1995 debut album by Foo Fighters

Foo Fighters is the debut studio album by American rock band Foo Fighters, released on July 4, 1995, through Roswell and Capitol Records. Former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl wrote the entire album. He recorded it himself in six days with the assistance of producer Barrett Jones at Robert Lang Studios in Seattle, Washington, in 1994. Grohl said that he recorded the album just for fun, describing it as a cathartic experience to recover from the suicide of Nirvana bandmate Kurt Cobain. The album is considered to have started the post-grunge genre.

<i>The Colour and the Shape</i> 1997 studio album by Foo Fighters

The Colour and the Shape is the second studio album by American rock band Foo Fighters, released on May 20, 1997, by Roswell and Capitol Records. It was the first album by the Foo Fighters to be recorded as a full band, as the previous self-titled album was both written and recorded entirely by frontman Dave Grohl. The Colour and the Shape is widely considered a defining album of the post-grunge genre, with its three singles becoming staples of rock-oriented radio in the United States. It was among the highest-selling rock albums of 1997 and 1998, and was nominated for Best Rock Album at the 40th Annual Grammy Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pat Smear</span> American guitarist (born 1959)

Georg Albert Ruthenberg, better known by his stage name Pat Smear, is an American musician. He was the lead guitarist and co-founder of Los Angeles–based punk band The Germs and a rhythm guitarist for grunge band Nirvana. After Nirvana disbanded following the suicide of frontman Kurt Cobain, drummer Dave Grohl went on to form Foo Fighters, with Smear joining on guitar. Smear left the band in 1997 before rejoining as a touring guitarist in 2005 and being promoted back to a full-time member in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nate Mendel</span> American bassist

Nathan ‍Gregor ‍Mendel is an American musician who is the bass guitarist for the rock band Foo Fighters, as well as a former member of Sunny Day Real Estate. He has also worked with musical acts The Jealous Sound and The Fire Theft. He has released one solo album, If I Kill This Thing We're All Going to Eat for a Week, under the name Lieutenant. Aside from the Foo Fighters' lead vocalist and founder Dave Grohl, he is the second longest serving member of the band, and is the only member to have appeared on all of the band's studio albums as a full band, since The Colour and the Shape.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Goldsmith</span> American musician (born 1972)

William Goldsmith is an American drummer who is a member of Sunny Day Real Estate and Assertion, and a former member of Foo Fighters. He has toured with Mike Watt and IQU, and played live with several bands and artists.

<i>There Is Nothing Left to Lose</i> 1999 studio album by Foo Fighters

There Is Nothing Left to Lose is the third studio album by American rock band Foo Fighters, released on November 2, 1999, through Roswell and RCA Records. It marked the first studio credit for drummer Taylor Hawkins, and is often seen as a departure from the band's previous work, showcasing a softer, more experimental sound. Vocalist and guitarist Dave Grohl has called it his favorite Foo Fighters album, stating that it was "totally based on melody" and that the recording process was a serene experience. The album was recorded using only three musicians; Grohl, Hawkins, and bassist Nate Mendel in the basement of Grohl's home in Alexandria, Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foo Fighters</span> American rock band

Foo Fighters is an American rock band formed in Seattle in 1994. Founded as a one-man project by former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, the lineup now consists of Grohl, Nate Mendel (bass), Chris Shiflett and Pat Smear (guitars), Rami Jaffee (keyboards), and Josh Freese (drums). Drummers William Goldsmith and Taylor Hawkins, along with guitarist Franz Stahl, are former members of the band.

<i>Probot</i> 2004 studio album by Probot

Probot was a heavy metal side project of former Nirvana drummer and Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl. Described by Grohl as "a death metal Supernatural", the album mixes instrumentals recorded by Grohl himself with various metal singers whom the musician admired. The album was released in February 2004 by Southern Lord Records. It featured one single entitled "Centuries of Sin"/"The Emerald Law".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scream (band)</span> American hardcore punk band

Scream is an American hardcore punk band from Washington, D.C.; they originally formed in the suburb of Bailey's Crossroads, Virginia. Scream originally formed in 1981 within the vanguard of the Washington Hardcore explosion. In 2009, the band reunited, and as of January 2012 were on tour in Europe. As of 2017, the band was still touring in both America and the United Kingdom.

<i>Live at the Black Cat</i> 1998 live album by Scream

Live at the Black Cat is a live album by American hardcore punk band Scream. It was released on February 10, 1998, by Torque Records. The album was recorded live at The Black Cat in Washington, D.C., on December 28, 1996, at a Christmas reunion show. The band featured the original band line-up of Franz Stahl on lead guitar, his brother Pete Stahl on lead vocals, Skeeter Thompson on bass and Kent Stax on drums. Robert "Harley" Davidson, who was picked up by the band in the mid-1980s during the recording of the band's second album "This Side Up" also performed on guitar on the recording. All material on the record was written by Franz and Pete Stahl with the exception of "No More Censorship" which was written by Davidson. Scream alumni drummer Dave Grohl who played with Nirvana and later Foo Fighters guest appeared as the drummer on "No More Censorship".

<i>Fumble</i> (album) 1993 studio album by Scream

Fumble is the fifth studio album by American hardcore band Scream. It was recorded in December 1989 at Inner Ear Studios in Arlington, Virginia, and released in July 1993 through Dischord. It is notable for showcasing the band's expansion in style, towards a more post-hardcore sound.

<i>No More Censorship</i> 1988 studio album by Scream

No More Censorship is the fourth studio album by American hardcore punk band Scream released in 1988 through RAS Records. It is the first Scream album to feature Dave Grohl on drums, who went to be a part of many successful bands, most notably Nirvana and Foo Fighters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pete Stahl</span> American musician

Peter Marc Stahl is an American musician best known for fronting the Virginia-based punk/hardcore band Scream with his brother Franz. Early on, Scream also featured Nirvana drummer and Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl on drums who credited Pete Stahl as the inspiration for the song "My Hero" for his tutelage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wool (band)</span> American rock band

Wool was an American rock band from Washington, D.C., and based in Los Angeles. The band was active from 1990 to 1996 and specialized in a rough hewn but melodic brand of punk-based hard rock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jackson United</span> American punk rock band

Jackson United is an American punk rock band, formed by singer and lead guitarist Chris Shiflett in 2003. Shiflett recruited his older brother Scott Shiflett (bass) and Pete Parada (drums) to complete the band. A debut eponymous EP was recorded and released in 2003. Shortly after this release Parada left the band. He was replaced by Cary Lascala, and the group was then further expanded with the addition of a rhythm guitarist, Doug Sangalang.

<i>Complete Control Recording Sessions</i> (Scream EP) 2011 EP by Scream

Complete Control Recording Sessions is a live EP by Scream. It was recorded at Dave Grohl's Studio 606 in February 2011 It is the second in SideOneDummy's series The Complete Control Sessions. It was released digitally and on vinyl on August 16, 2011. The artwork is by El Jefe Designs.

Robert Lee Davidson is an American guitarist known for playing in the hardcore punk band Scream. Scream also featured Nirvana drummer and Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl on drums. In the 80's, Davidson gained recognition playing in the D.C. hardcore band Scream recording albums This Side Up, Banging The Drum, and No More Censorship. On December 28, 1996, Davidson reunited for a show with Scream at The Black Cat in Washington, DC and recorded a live record on Torque Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Feast and the Famine</span> 2014 single by Foo Fighters

"The Feast and the Famine" is a song by American rock band Foo Fighters. It is the second song and second single from their eighth album Sonic Highways. The song was released on October 24, 2014.

References

  1. "Garage Hangover | The site for '60s garage bands since 2004".
  2. Apter, Jeff (2006). The Dave Grohl Story. Music Sales Group. p. 74. ISBN   978-0-85712-021-2.
  3. "the few beautiful people left". lacunae.
  4. 1 2 "Be specific: Franz Stahl on life after Foo Fighters, being big in Japan and reuniting Scream - The Washington Post". The Washington Post .
  5. MTV News Staff. "Foo Fighters Describe Joining Puffy, Page, Rage, Jamiroquai For "Godzilla"". MTV News. Archived from the original on April 16, 2015.
  6. Moll, James (2011). Back and Forth .
  7. Mike Paarlberg (April 13, 2012). "Scream's Franz Stahl on Being a Teamster, Reconciling With Dave Grohl, and Playing Hardcore Fests Again". Washington City Paper . Archived from the original on April 21, 2012. Retrieved August 28, 2012.