The Vandals
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| The Vandals
<tr style="text-align: center;"><td colspan="3">Image:Vandals.jpg </td></tr> | ||
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| Background information
<tr><td>Origin</td><td colspan="2">Image:Flag of the United States.svg Huntington Beach, California</td></tr><tr><td>Genre(s)</td><td colspan="2">Punk rock</td></tr><tr><td>Years active</td><td colspan="2">1981–present</td></tr><tr><td style="padding-right: 1em;">Label(s)</td><td colspan="2">Epitaph Records |
The Vandals are a punk rock rock band originally from Huntington Beach, California. Since the foundation of the band in 1981, their lineup has been replaced entirely (with the exception of the drummer, who moved to bass), but has remained more or less stable since 1989.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
Jan Nils Ackermann and Steven Ronald "Stevo" Jensen started The Vandals in 1981, and the band went through several lineup changes over the following year, stabilizing as Jan Nils Ackermann (guitar), Steven Ronald "Stevo" Jensen (lead vocals), Steve "Human" Pfauter (bass) and Joe Escalante (drums). The Vandals were the first band signed to Epitaph Records, and released their only EP Peace Thru Vandalism in 1982. The band released their first full-length album When in Rome Do as the Vandals in 1984.
The current lineup consists of Dave Quackenbush (lead singer), Warren Fitzgerald (guitarist), Joe Escalante (bassist) and Josh Freese (drummer). This lineup is considered by most fans to be far removed from the early 1980s version (of which only one member, Joe Escalante, remains). Escalante's version of the Vandals have a fan base of younger average age than most bands from the early 80's.
The current lineup of the Vandals have released ten albums. Their more recent works, 2002's Internet Dating Superstuds and 2004's Hollywood Potato Chip did not have nearly the same impact as did the work of the original band.
The band is not entirely well-respected in the punk scene, and some of their European appearances have been picketed and boycotted due to their decision to play for U.S. troops in Iraq. There is some additional controversy regarding allegations of plagiarism by Joseph P. Escalante, the band's former drummer and current bassist. Escalante has been accused of attributing lyrics and music to himself that were in fact written by other members of the band's original lineup, and of withholding royalty payments and licensing fees owed to his former bandmates.
The last Kung Fu Records music video sampler 'Secret Weapons of Kung Fu 3' featured a live performance from one of the band's Iraq shows (playing for US troops in Iraq however prompted angry demonstrations and boycotting of the band's shows in various places in Europe).
[edit] Band History
[edit] Formation
The Vandals were formed in 1981 in Huntington Beach, California by vocalist Steven Ronald "Stevo" Jensen and guitarist Jan Nils Ackermann. After working with several other people, Ackerman and Jensen found relative stability with bassist Steve "Human" Pfauter, and drummer Joe Escalante. The group quickly built a reputation in the Los Angeles and Orange County punk rock community which also included bands such as Bad Religion, Descendents, Black Flag, TSOL, and Social Distortion. The Vandals distinguished themselves in their scene mostly by showcasing the humor and charisma of "Stevo" Jensen, who along with Jan Ackerman wrote nearly all of the band's initial catalogue of songs before Pfauter or Escalante joined the band.
In 1982 the group became the first band (other than Bad Religion) signed to Epitaph Records, the Los Angeles label run by Bad Religion's Brett Gurewitz, who released their first EP Peace Thru Vandalism. The record contained several songs that would become fan favorites and remain in the band's live set well into the 1990s, in spite of the fact that no original members were left in the band's lineup (Joe Escalante was their second drummer). The continued use of these songs, along with sales of Peace Thru Vandalism and licensing of songs to Sony and Adidas, later gave rise to a bitter legal battle in which Stevo Jensen, Jan Ackerman, Steve Pfauter, and his successor on bass Chalmer Lumary accused Joe Escalante of plagiarism and theft of their royalties and licensing fees. These songs include "Urban Struggle," which became a local hit after receiving airplay on KROQ's Rodney on the ROQ program. Most of the record's subject material was drawn directly from Stevo and Jan's own experiences in their local punk rock scene. "The Legend of Pat Brown" told tales of a substance-abusing friend who was notorious for causing mayhem, while the aforementioned "Urban Struggle" dealt with the constant fights that would occur between the punk rock fans who congregated at a Huntington Beach club called the Cuckoo's Nest and the country music fans who gathered at nearby Zoobie's. "Anarchy Burger (Hold the Government)" approached the philosophy of anarchism, advocated by many early punk bands, from a humorous perspective and became one of the band's most popular songs throughout their career. The song's title was taken from graffiti that Todd Barnes of TSOL was fond of spray painting on walls, and originally inspired by the Sex Pistols' [Some Product] release, which depicted various fictional products such as the Vicious Burger and a soft drink called Anarkee-Ora. The rest of the song's lyrics were written by Stevo Jensen, who scrawled them on a paper bag in the restroom of the studio just minutes before the song was recorded.
In 1984 the definitive line-up of the band (Stevo Jensen, Jan Ackerman, Steve Pfauter, and Joe Escalante) appeared in the film Suburbia by invitation of director Penelope Spheeris, who had also directed the influential The Decline of Western Civilization. In a humorously ironic move the band also played a benefit concert for the Cypress College Young Republicans, an action which prompted a certain amount of confused derision from the traditionally liberal and anarchic punk community. The current line-up of the band has, by contrast, shown their support for the war in Iraq by playing for U.S. forces staying there, and this has resulted in vehement protests against them that caused the cancellation of several shows in Europe. In contrast with the Ackerman/Jensen Vandals, who adhered more closely to the traditional political spectrum of the punk movement, Joe Escalante's version of the band has given many strong indications that they are conservative to the point of (in Escalante's case, at least) supporting the Bush administration and attending church regularly.
[edit] First album
Pfauter left the band in 1984 and Brent Turner was brought in to play bass on the recording of their first album, When in Rome Do as the Vandals. By the time of the album's release in 1985 on National Trust Records Chalmer Lumary had joined as the band's full-time bass player. The album explored different musical styles and contained several songs that would become fan favorites. "Ladykiller" incorporated scratching and dance beats, while "Mohawk Town" explored a mixture of punk rock and country music. Personality clashes between Stevo and Joe Escalante led to his departure from the band shortly thereafter, to be followed by Jan Ackerman. When Ackerman, Jensen, Chalmer Lumary, and Todd Barnes attempted to play a show without Joe Escalante, Escalante served them with an injunction and claimed sole ownership of the band's name, despite the fact that he was not a founding member and did not write the songs that gave the band their success. As the band lacked the funds with which to counter his suit, they lost by default.
By 1989 Robbie Allen joined Escalante's Vandals in the studio to play bass on the album Slippery When Ill. It would be facile to say that the album was something of a departure from the punk rock formula of their previous releases, since it was at this point arguably no longer the same band. The album would remain in obscurity until its 1999 re-release as The Vandals Play Really Bad Original Country Tunes. By the time of the album's release the band had recruited new drummer Doug MacKinnon and Escalante had moved to bass, a position he would remain in for the rest of the band's career.
[edit] Fitzgerald and Freese join
Following the release of Slippery When Ill the band went through several lineup changes, as Escalante and Quackenbush searched for new members. The Vandals had previously played shows with a band called Doggy Style and had been intrigued by the wacky antics of their guitarist Warren Fitzgerald, and Escalante and Quackenbush soon recruited him as the Vandals' new permanent guitarist. Also around this time Escalante and Quackenbush made many visits to Disneyland, where they witnessed Josh Freese playing electronic drums in the children's cover band Polo on the Tomorrowland stage. They persuaded him to join, solidifying the new Vandals lineup of Quackenbush, Fitzgerald, Escalante, and Freese which would remain constant throughout the rest of their career (with occasional substitutes filling in for Freese). Meanwhile, Time Bomb Recordings reissued Peace Thru Vandalism and When in Rome as a single CD with the credits altered to show Joe Escalante as sole author of all the lyrics and music, which contributed to further legal battles between Escalante and his former bandmates, who decried this alteration as a blatant theft on Escalante's part.
In 1990 the new lineup recorded Fear of a Punk Planet, an album which established their presence amongst an emerging new crop of southern California punk rock bands including Pennywise, Rancid, NOFX, the Offspring, and Sublime. It spawned their first music video, for the song "Pizza Tran," which recieved airplay on local punk and rock television shows. The following year the band recorded Sweatin' to the Oldies, a live album and video which featured mostly performances of songs from Peace Thru Vandalism and When in Rome. From this point on the band would play fewer and fewer of these older Jensen/Ackerman compositions in their live sets, concentrating instead on newer material.
In 1992 Escalante graduated from law school and became a television executive at CBS, using money from his job to finance the band and his television connections to allow them to play on late-night rock shows. At a New Years Eve party at which Escalante was unable to play, actor Keanu Reeves filled in for him on bass. Fitzgerald and Freese, meanwhile, moved towards careers as professional musicians. Freese became a sought-after studio drummer, while Fitzgerald began a 3-year stint as guitarist for Oingo Boingo.
[edit] Nitro Records years
By 1995 punk rock had gained nationwide mainstream popularity in the wake of successful albums by the Offspring and Green Day, and the Vandals signed to Offspring singer Dexter Holland's new label Nitro Records. They released the album Live Fast, Diarrhea to positive reception and supported it with tours throughout the United States and Europe, including a spot opening for fellow Orange County rockers No Doubt. The album and band garnered increased attention thanks to an episode of the popular television show The X-Files in which actor Giovanni Ribisi played a character who wears Vandals t-shirts and listens to their music.
1996 saw the release of The Quickening, a slightly more nihilistic and aggressive album that was supported by a music video for "It's a Fact." That year Escalante and Fitzgerald also founded the record label Kung Fu Records, initially created in order to release a split record featuring the Vandals and Assorted Jellybeans. The label also released the soundtrack to the Ben Affleck movie Glory Daze, which featured music from both the Vandals and Assorted Jellybeans and a theme written by Fitzgerald. At the end of the year the band also released a Christmas album, Oi to the World!, on Kung Fu. Although it remained the band's most obscure release for a several years, the title track became somewhat famous when it was covered by No Doubt in 1997. Their version was produced by Fitzgerald and made into a music video. Other than "Oi to the World!," songs from the album are generally not part of the Vandals' live setlist, except for their annual Christmas Formal concert in Anaheim at which they generally perform the album in its entirety. Sweatin' to the Oldies was also re-released by Kung Fu in 1997 with bonus tracks.
In 1998 the band released Hitler Bad, Vandals Good, their most popular album yet which focused more on lighthearted humor with songs such as "My Girlfriend's Dead" and "I've Got an Ape Drape." The band continued to tour, including stints on the Vans Warped Tour. In 1999 they re-released most of Slippery When Ill as The Vandals Play Really Bad Original Country Tunes on Kung Fu. The members also starred in the Kung Fu-produced internet television series Fear of a Punk Planet, later released on DVD.
2000 saw a trio of releases from the band, beginning with a 10-year anniversary edition of Fear of a Punk Planet that was released by Kung Fu. This was followed by Look What I Almost Stepped In..., their final album under their contract with Nitro. Because of other musical commitments Freese was unavailable to play on the album, so substitute Brooks Wackerman filled in as drummer for the album's recording and some accompanying tours. At the end of the year Kung Fu re-released Oi to the World!, making it much more widely available than it had been in previous years. Escalante also launched the Kung Fu imprint Kung Fu Films in 2000 with the release of the film That Darn Punk, in which he starred and the other band members also appeared. The Vandals also contributed new songs to the film's soundtrack.
[edit] Move to Kung Fu Records
By the end of 2000 the Vandals had fulfilled their contractual obligations to Nitro Records, and moved their operations fully to Kung Fu. The Kung Fu label had grown since its founding in 1996 and was well-positioned to provide the recording, marketing, and touring support the band's popularity now necessitated, including marketing and touring opportunities in Japan. With Escalante acting as president of the label the band's operations could also run more smoothly, since they would not have to deal with any middle men. In 2001 the band performed on the entire run of the Vans Warped Tour.
The band's first new album for Kung Fu was Internet Dating Superstuds, released in 2002. The band held an online contest in which the winners were each awarded a "date" with one of the band members. These "dates" were filmed and included on the CD-ROM portion of the album, which used an internet theme in its artwork. They once again performed on the Warped Tour, and would play select dates on subsequent Warped Tours over the next 3 years. The Sweatin' to the Oldies video was also re-released on DVD that year by Kung Fu.
In July of 2003 the Vandals filmed a live concert album and DVD at the House of Blues in Anaheim as part of Kung Fu's The Show Must Go Off series. It was released the following year and featured mostly songs written from 1995 to 2002. 2003 also saw the release of Hollywood Potato Chip, the band's most aggressive album which strayed a bit from the pop-punk formula of their 1990s work. In December of 2004 the band traveled to Iraq and played several shows in support of US troops in the area, with drummer Byron McMackin of Pennywise filling in for Freese. Some fans and contemporaries in the punk community criticized this decision to overtly support the US-led war in Iraq. This was followed by a tour of Europe in which several shows were picketed and closed down by angry protesters who took umbrage at the band's conservative, pro-war stance and actions.In 2005 the Shingo Japanese Remix Album was released, composed of versions of the band's songs remixed by Japanese DJ Shingo Asari. That August the band played a benefit show for the legendary New York rock club CBGB.
[edit] Recent activity
In April 2006 the Vandals once again returned to the Middle East with McMackin to perform for US troops, this time in Afghanistan. They continue to tour when the members' schedules permit, as they also have other music-related obligations outside the band. Freese continues to act as a studio drummer for a multitude of recording artists. Fitzgerald writes and produces songs and albums for other artists as well as movie scores, and occasionally acts, having starred in the Kung Fu film Cake Boy. Escalante continues to own and operate Kung Fu Records and Kung Fu Films, signing bands and making films such as the Show Must Go Off series and Cake Boy. He retired from legal practice in 2005 and hosted the call-in radio show Barely Legal Radio on Indie 103.1 FM, where he dispensed entertainment and legal advice to aspiring musicians. In May of 2006 he became the station's drive-time morning show host, replacing former Mighty Mighty Bosstones singer Dicky Barrett. Meanwhile, controversy continues regarding the alleged plagiarism and theft of royalties and licensing fees committed by Joe Escalante against his former bandmates.
[edit] Band members
| (1981 - 1984) Peace Thru Vandalism |
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|---|---|
| (1984) When in Rome Do as the Vandals |
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| (1984 - 1985) live shows only |
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| (1985 - 1989) Slippery When Ill |
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| (1989) live shows only |
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| (1990 - 2000) Fear of a Punk Planet Sweatin' to the Oldies Live Fast, Diarrhea The Quickening Oi to the World! Hitler Bad, Vandals Good |
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| (2000) Look What I Almost Stepped In... |
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| (2000 - current) Internet Dating Superstuds Live at the House of Blues Hollywood Potato Chip |
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[edit] Current members
- Dave Quackenbush – vocals
- Warren Fitzgerald – guitar, backing vocals
- Joe Escalante – bass, backing vocals
- Josh Freese – drums
[edit] Past members
- Steven Ronald "Stevo" Jensen - vocals (1981 - 1985)
- Jan Nils Ackermann - guitar (1981 - 1989)
- Steve "Human" Pfauter - bass (1981 - 1984)
- Brent Turner - bass (1984)
- Chalmer Lumary - bass (1984 - 1985)
- Robbie Allen - bass (1985 - 1989)
- Doug MacKinnon - drums (1988 - 1989)
[edit] Notable fill-ins
Due to Josh Freese's job as a full-time studio drummer he has sometimes been unable to join the band on tour. The band has often relied on a list of substitutes including:
- Brooks Wackerman (Suicidal Tendencies, Infectious Grooves, Bad Religion)
- Adrian Young (No Doubt)
- Byron McMackin (Pennywise)
- Derek Grant (The Suicide Machines, Alkaline Trio)
- Tyrone Smith (Guttermouth)
- Johnny "Vatos" Hernandez (Oingo Boingo)
- Travis Barker (The Aquabats, blink-182)
- Damon de la Paz (Fenix*TX)
- Actor Keanu Reeves also filled in on bass at a New Years Eve show in 1993 that Escalante was unable to play at.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
| Album Cover | Year | Title | Label | Format | Other information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | When in Rome Do as the Vandals | National Trust Records | LP | First album. Last with vocalist Stevo. Out of print. Re-released in 1989 on CD along with Peace Thru Vandalism. | |
| 1989 | Slippery When Ill | Restless Records/Sticky Fingers Records | LP/CD | First album with vocalist Dave Quackenbush. | |
| 1990 | Fear of a Punk Planet | Triple X Records | CD | First album with guitarist Warren Fitzgerald and drummer Josh Freese. Original version out of print. Re-released in 2000 with bonus tracks. | |
| 1991 | Sweatin' to the Oldies: The Vandals Live | Triple X Records | CD/ VHS | Live album and video. Original version out of print. Album re-released in 1997 with bonus tracks, video re-released in 2002 on DVD. | |
| 1995 | Live Fast, Diarrhea | Nitro Records | CD | First album on Nitro Records. | |
 | 1996 | The Quickening | Nitro Records | CD | |
| 1996 | Oi to the World!: Christmas With the Vandals | Kung Fu Records | CD | Christmas album. First album on Kung Fu Records. Original version out of print. Re-released in 2000 with bonus track. | |
 | 1998 | Hitler Bad, Vandals Good | Nitro Records | CD | |
 | 2000 | Look What I Almost Stepped In... | Nitro Records | CD | Final album on Nitro Records. |
 | 2002 | Internet Dating Superstuds | Kung Fu Records | CD | |
| 2004 | Live at the House of Blues | Kung Fu Records | CD/DVD | Episode 9 of Kung Fu Records’ The Show Must Go Off live DVD series. Includes DVD and live concert CD. | |
 | 2004 | Hollywood Potato Chip | Kung Fu Records | CD |
[edit] EPs & 7" vinyl
| Album Cover | Year | Title | Label | Format | Other information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Peace Thru Vandalism | Epitaph Records | EP | Out of print. Re-released in 1989 on CD along with When in Rome Do as the Vandals. | |
| 1996 | The Vandals / Assorted Jelly Beans split 7" | Kung Fu Records | 7" vinyl | Split with Assorted Jelly Beans. Kung Fu Records' first release. | |
| unknown | The Vandals / Longfellow split 7" | unknown | 7" vinyl | Split with Longfellow. Out of print. The Vandals cover 2 Ramones songs. | |
| 2000 | Fat Club 7" | Fat Wreck Chords | 7" vinyl | Out of print. |
[edit] Compilation albums
| Album Cover | Year | Title | Label | Format | Other information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 1989 | Peace Thru Vandalism/When in Rome Do as the Vandals | Time Bomb Recordings | CD | Re-release of first EP and first album in CD format. |
[edit] Reissues and re-releases
| Album Cover | Year | Title | Label | Format | Other information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Sweatin' to the Oldies: The Vandals Live - Special Edition | Kung Fu Records | CD | Re-release with bonus tracks. | |
| 1999 | The Vandals Play Really Bad Original Country Tunes | Kung Fu Records | CD | Essentially a re-release of Slippery When Ill. Contains 8 tracks from that album along with 2 bonus tracks. | |
| 2000 | Fear of a Punk Planet - Anniversary Edition | Kung Fu Records | CD | Re-release of 1990 album with bonus tracks. | |
| 2000 | Oi to the World! re-release | Kung Fu Records | CD | Re-release of 1996 Christmas album with bonus overture. |
[edit] Remix albums
| Album Cover | Year | Title | Label | Format | Other information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Shingo Japanese Remix Album | Kung Fu Records | CD | Collection of songs from recent albums remixed by Japanese DJ Shingo Asari. |
[edit] Non-album tracks
| Album Cover | Year | Title | Label | Song(s) | Other information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Glory Daze Soundtrack | Kung Fu Records | "Theme From Glory Daze," "Change the World With My Hockey Stick" | Soundtrack to movie starring Ben Affleck, French Stewart and Alyssa Milano. | |
| 1997 | We Are Not Devo | Centipede Records | "The Day My Baby Gave Me a Surprise" | Tribute album. Originally performed by Devo. | |
| 1997 | Generations I: A Punk Look at Human Rights | Ark 21 | "Jilted John" | Originally performed by Jilted John. | |
 | 1999 | Short Music for Short People | Fat Wreck Chords | "To All the Kids" | Compilation of 101 bands playing 30-second songs. |
| 2000 | That Darn Punk Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | Kung Fu Records | "Right on Q," "My Heart Will Go On," "Theme From That Darn Punk" | Soundtrack to movie produced by and starring Joe Escalante. "My Heart Will Go On" features Katalina and was originally peformed by Celine Dion. | |
| 2000 | The "Gone With the Wind" of Punk Rock Samplers | Kung Fu Records | "I Don't Think You're a Slut" | Outtake from Look What I Almost Stepped In... sessions | |
| 2001 | Warped Tour 2001 Tour Compilation | SideOneDummy Records | "S.W.M." | Outtake from Look What I Almost Stepped In... sessions | |
| 2001 | download | Kung Fu Records | "You're Not the Boss of Me (Kick It)" (Shingo's Lounge remix) | Song remixed by Japanese DJ Shingo Asari. Offered as a download from Kung Fu Records website. | |
| unknown | download | Kung Fu Records | "Ball and Chain" | Originally performed by Sublime. From a BBC session. Offered as a download from Kung Fu Records website. | |
| 2002 | Punkzilla | Nitro Records | "Why Are You Alive?" | Outtake from Look What I Almost Stepped In... sessions | |
| 2002 | Punk Rock is Your Friend | Kung Fu Records | "I'm Black" | Outtake from Intenet Dating Superstuds sessions | |
| 2003 | Punk Rock is Your Friend #4 | Kung Fu Records | "Count to Ten" | Outtake from Intenet Dating Superstuds sessions | |
| 2004 | Punk Rock is Your Friend #5 | Kung Fu Records | "Lord of the Dance" (Shingo remix) | Song remixed by Japanese DJ Shingo Asari. | |
| 2004 | Mosh Pit on Disney | Avex Group | "Heigh Ho" | Japanese compilation of bands covering Disney songs. Originally from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Features Scott Aukerman on backing vocals. |
[edit] Videography
[edit] Music Videos
| Year | Title | Album | Other information | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | "Pizza Tran" | Fear of a Punk Planet | Directed by Toby Tilly. | |
| 1995 | "I Have a Date" | Live Fast, Diarrhea | Directed by Joe Escalante and Jeff Richardson. | |
| 1997 | "It's a Fact" | The Quickening / Glory Daze Soundtrack | Directed by Jeff Richardson. Two versions exist, one with clips from the movie and one without. | |
| 2000 | "My Girlfriend's Dead" | Hitler Bad, Vandals Good / That Darn Punk Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | Directed by Jeff Richardson. Included in movie. | |
| 2002 | "My Girlfriend's Dead" | Hitler Bad, Vandals Good | Animated version directed by Luke S. Goljan. | |
| 2002 | "43210-1" | Internet Dating Superstuds | Directed by Joe Escalante. | |
| 2004 | "Don't Stop Me Now" | Hollywood Potato Chip | Directed by Joe Escalante and Nate Weaver. |
[edit] Video Releases
| Cover | Year | Title | Label | Format | Content | Other information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Sweatin' to the Oldies: The Vandals Live | VHS | Live concert from Orange County, band history and interviews. | Re-released in 2002 on DVD. | ||
| 2002 | Oi to the World! Live in Concert | Kung Fu Films | DVD | Live concert from 2001 Christmas Formal in Anaheim, California. | Later labeled as Episode 1 of Kung Fu Films' The Show Must Go Off! live concert series. | |
| 2002 | Sweatin' to the Oldies: The Vandals Live | Kung Fu Films | DVD | Live concert from Orange County in 1991, band history, interviews and commentary. | Re-release of 1991 VHS release with bonus content. | |
| 2004 | Live at the House of Blues | Kung Fu Films | DVD | Live concert from the House of Blues in Anaheim, California on July 5, 2003, band commentary and bonus content, bonus live concert CD. | Episode 9 of Kung Fu Films' The Show Must Go Off! live concert series. |
