John Pierson, known also by the stage name Jughead and by the pseudonym Ian Pierce, is an American musician, writer, actor, and podcaster.
In 1986, Pierson and Ben Weasel co-founded the punk rock band Screeching Weasel in Chicago, Illinois. Pierson played guitar for the band [1] until 2006.
In 2002, Pierson formed the acoustic pop-punk band Even in Blackouts, [2] [3] with which he has recorded four albums and one EP and toured several times.
Pierson is also a playwright and novelist, usually writing under the name Ian Pierce. He formed a theater production company, Hope And Nonthings, in 1990 and produced ten plays before joining the Neo-Futurists; he has been performing in their long-running show Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind since 1996.
His semi-fictitious Weasels in a Box (2005) is a novelization of Screeching Weasel's history. [3] His last novel, Last Temptation of Clarence Odbody , appeared in October 2011. [4]
Screeching Weasel is an American punk rock band consisting of Ben Weasel (vocals), Mike Kennerty (guitar), Mike Hunchback (guitar), Zach "Poutine" Brandner (bass) and Pierre Marche (drums) founded in 1986 by Ben Weasel and John Jughead. Screeching Weasel is originally from the Chicago suburb of Prospect Heights, Illinois. Since their formation, Screeching Weasel have reformed several times with lineup 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 and drummer Dan Panic, who have each appeared on six of the band's studio albums, and Green Day bassist Mike Dirnt who appeared on one.
Benjamin Foster, also known as Ben Weasel, is a highly-influential American musician, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the punk rock band Screeching Weasel.
The Lillingtons were a pop-punk band formed in 1995 in Newcastle, Wyoming. The band is composed of its original members, vocalist and lead guitarist Kody Templeman, drummer Tim O’Hara, bassist Cory Laurence, and later added rhythm guitarist Alex Volonino.
Massimiliano Adelmo Giorgini is an 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 of the mid-'90s. Among these bands was Giorgini's own Squirtgun, which received minor MTV rotation and several soundtrack appearances in major films in the 1990s. Mass Giorgini is also a linguistics scholar specializing in forensic literary analysis and is the son of renowned Italian artist Aldo Giorgini.
Crimpshrine was an American punk rock band from Berkeley, California. The group was formed in 1982 by Aaron Cometbus, founder of the seminal punk rock zine Cometbus, and future Operation Ivy vocalist Jesse Michaels. They grew out of the East Bay scene, centered on 924 Gilman Street, and had an important influence on later East Bay bands such as Operation Ivy, Green Day and punk rock in general.
Even in Blackouts, known occasionally by the acronym EiB, are 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 punk band Screeching Weasel, for which Pierson had performed since 1986. The core of the band is formed by lead vocalist Liz Eldredge and Pierson, although a number of additional musicians have performed with the band. Even in Blackouts have been lauded by critics and fans alike for their musicianship and sense of innovation in bringing pop-punk to a new format. The energy and intimacy of Even in Blackout's live performances have attracted particular acclaim.
Boogadaboogadaboogada! is the second studio album by the Chicago-based punk rock band Screeching Weasel. The album was originally released on vinyl in December 1988 through Roadkill Records. It was the group's only album to feature Fish on bass and the last with Steve Cheese on drums, both leaving the band shortly after the album's release. Although still influenced by hardcore punk, the album also shows hints of the band's later Ramones-inspired sound.
My Brain Hurts is the third studio album by the Chicago-based punk rock band Screeching Weasel. The album was originally released on CD, vinyl and cassette in September 1991 through Lookout Records. It was the group's first album on Lookout as well as the only release with bassist Dave Naked and the first with drummer Dan Panic, the latter of which would go on to appear on several of the band's albums. The album marked a very distinct stylistic shift for the group, fully moving toward a Ramones-inspired sound and completely abandoning their previous hardcore punk influences as a condition made by vocalist Ben Weasel when reforming the band after a brief break-up.
Wiggle is the fifth studio album by the Chicago-based punk rock band Screeching Weasel. Initially planned for release in November 1992, the album was finally released on CD, vinyl and cassette on January 15, 1993, through Lookout Records. Due to a "cymbal hissing" in the original vinyl version, the album was remixed and re-released soon afterwards.
Punkhouse is the first EP by the Chicago-based punk rock band Screeching Weasel. The EP was originally released on 7-inch vinyl with a limited pressing of 500 copies on July 7, 1989 through Limited Potential Records. It was the band's only non-compilation release to feature drummer Brian Vermin and the first to feature Dan Vapid, who would be featured on many later Screeching Weasel albums. Musically, the songs on Punkhouse are in a similar vein to the band's previous album Boogadaboogadaboogada!, albeit with a rougher sound.
How to Make Enemies and Irritate People is the seventh studio album by the Chicago-based punk rock band Screeching Weasel. Planned as the group's final album, it was released in September 1994 on CD, vinyl, and cassette through Lookout Records. Shortly before recording the album, bassist/backing vocalist Dan Vapid left the band and, as a result, Green Day bassist Mike Dirnt was recruited to play on the album.
Dan Schafer, better known by his stage name Dan Vapid, is a punk rock musician from Chicago, Illinois, United States. He is best known for his participation in Screeching Weasel, The Riverdales, The Methadones, and various other punk rock/pop punk bands. His current band is Dan Vapid and the Cheats.
Emo is the tenth 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 full-length album released through Panic Button Records, recorded in Chicago during the blizzard of 1999.
Screeching Weasel is the debut studio album by the Chicago-based punk rock band Screeching Weasel. It was originally released on vinyl with a limited pressing of 1,000 copies in September 1987 through local independent label Underdog Records and was the band's only album with bassist Vinnie Bovine, who was fired the next year. Screeching Weasel documents the group's early years as a hardcore punk band, with the music being heavily influenced by bands such as Adrenalin O.D., Angry Samoans, Circle Jerks and Black Flag.
Television City Dream is the ninth 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 until First World Manifesto in 2011. The album is the first to feature new members Mass Giorgini, Zac Damon, and Dan Lumley. The cover art was done by Giorgini's father, noted artist Aldo Giorgini. The songs on the album are notably faster than previous Screeching Weasel albums. The album was re-released on November 9, 2010, featuring five bonus tracks from the original recording sessions.
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 punk rock band Screeching Weasel. In 1998 the label was purchased by Lookout! Records when Screeching Weasel re-signed to Lookout!.
Major Label Debut is the tenth EP by Chicago punk rock band Screeching Weasel. Despite the name, the E.P. was the first release on Panic Button Records, an independent record label owned by band members Ben Weasel and John Jughead.
Riverdales is the eponymously titled debut studio album by the Chicago-based punk rock band the Riverdales. Formed after the break-up of Screeching Weasel, the band sought to write more Ramones-inspired music and the album was released on June 7, 1995, through Lookout Records with the catalog number LK 120. The group supported the album by opening for Green Day on the initial US leg of the tour for their album Insomniac. Riverdales experienced substantial success on the tour, and the album became the group's best-selling release to date.
Dave Klein is an American musician and bass player from Edmond, Oklahoma, United States. He has worked as a studio musician, founded and developed numerous bands, and performed hundreds of concerts internationally since 1993. He currently plays bass for punk and rock bands: A Vulture Wake, Aggravated Nuisance, and They Stay Dead. Former bands include: Screeching Weasel, Black Flag, Wretch Like Me, Good For You, Bi-Products, Jettison, Euclid Crash, American Ruse, et al.
Between 1993 and 2000, a series of Ramones covers albums were released by Selfless Records, an independent record label based in Garland, Texas specializing in punk rock, on which bands influenced by seminal punk group the Ramones performed cover versions of entire Ramones albums. Under the Selfless label, Screeching Weasel, the Queers, and the Vindictives respectively covered the first three Ramones albums: Ramones (1976), Rocket to Russia (1977), and Leave Home (1977). Selfless then became Clearview Records and continued the series, with Boris the Sprinkler, the Parasites, the Mr. T Experience, the Beatnik Termites, and the McRackins respectively covering End of the Century (1980), It's Alive (1979), Road to Ruin (1978), Pleasant Dreams (1981), and Too Tough to Die (1984).