Wheatus
Wheatus
Wheatus is an American rock band from Northport, New York, formed in 1995. Their 2000 single, "Teenage Dirtbag" and 2001 cover version of Erasure)'s "A Little Respect" charted worldwide. Their self-titled album) was certified platinum in the United Kingdom.
1995–2002: Formation and Wheatus
Wheatus was formed by Brendan Bernard Brown in 1995, who plays guitar and sings, on the Lower East Side of New York City. Brown began by writing a few songs and subsequently enlisted his brother Peter on drums, Rich Liegey on bass and backing vocals, and Philip A. Jimenez on various percussion instruments, keyboards, harmonica, samples, and special effects. The band derives its name from the nickname "wedus" given to the Brown brothers by their father when they were children. In 1999, they hired New York producer Ray Maiello, who booked them at New York's Luna Lounge for regular appearances. Maiello distributed the group's self-produced debut album to major record labels, including A&R executive Kevin Patrick from Columbia Records. Maiello then arranged for Patrick to see the band play at the Mercury Lounge, and Patrick subsequently signed Wheatus to a multi-album deal, with Maiello as the band's manager. Their self-titled debut album) was released on August 15, 2000, and spawned their first and most successful hit, "Teenage Dirtbag", which charted at No. 1 in Australia and No. 2 in the United Kingdom. Their second single, a cover of Erasure)'s "A Little Respect", peaked at No. 3 on the UK Singles Chart. The third single from the album, a double A-side of "Leroy" and "Wannabe Gangstar", was less successful, reaching No. 23 on the UK Singles Chart. Another song from the album, "Punk Ass Bitch", was bought by the creators of Jackie Chan Adventures and reworked as "Chan's the Man", the end credits theme for the program's first season.
2002–2005: Hand Over Your Loved Ones and Suck Fony
Wheatus began work on their second album in 2002, with Brendan enlisting his sister Liz and the band's merchandiser, Kathryn Froggatt, as backing vocalists. Shannon Harris of Relish), a group that had supported Wheatus on their earlier tours, was also added to the band as keyboardist. When the album, Hand Over Your Loved Ones, was released in 2003, it received little promotion in the UK and was not issued in the US. In October 2004, the band decided to leave their record label and form their own, Montauk Mantis. During this time, they enlisted Michael Bellar as a replacement for Harris. In February 2005, Wheatus re-released Hand Over Your Loved Ones under the new title Suck Fony. It included the new tracks "William McGovern" and a cover of Pat Benatar's "Hit Me with Your Best Shot".
Reading List
Report Issue