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Music

Weasel words

SCREECHING WEASEL with ROMAN LINE and VISITORS at the Phoenix (410 Sherbourne), Friday (May 14), 7:30 pm, $23.50. Sold out. rotate.com.

THE RIVERDALES with VARSITY WEIRDOS and the CREEPS at the Mod Club (722 College), Saturday (May 15), 6 pm. $18.50. rotate.com.


Mention the word “tour” to Ben Weasel and he’ll cringe like you’re running fingers down a chalkboard.

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Considering his 24 years in the punk rock music biz, playing with seminal Chicago band Screeching Weasel as well as Ramones rip-offs the Riverdales and the Vindictives, you’d think this often essential part of a musician’s lifestyle would hold some appeal for the vocalist, born Ben Foster. But that’s not the case now, nor has it ever been.

“This is really the best situation,” says Foster about the fact that the band will fly into shows on their short but long-anticipated tour, which includes their first gig in Toronto in over a decade, followed by a Riverdales gig the next night.

“I wish I could have been doing this sooner. I’m enjoying performing for first time in my career, ever.”

This shouldn’t come as a major surprise for SW fans, considering the group’s history of breakups, infighting and tour avoidance. Through much of the 90s, when Lookout! and Fat Wreck Chords were putting out some of their best records, including 1991’s My Brain Hurts and 98’s Television City Dream, they were essentially a studio band due to Foster’s reluctance to sit in a van for weeks with members like John “Jughead” Pierson.

The former guitarist and co-founder is no longer a Weasel. After a mostly dormant decade for SW, Foster has “taken the reins of my own band and cleaned house.” But it’s not like he spent 10 years getting rid of Jughead Foster was making solo and Riverdales albums, doing a radio show and untangling unpleasant label legalities for his Screeching catalogue.

“I’m disappointed in myself for not getting things going in a way that makes me happy and could have put me in the position of running my own band sooner,” he says. “Allowing that to be taken away from me is one of the silliest fucking things I’ve ever done.”

Pressed on the issue, Foster reluctantly concedes that there will be new Screeching Weasel material at some point. (A new Riverdales album, Tarantula, is forthcoming on Recess, the label that’s also re-releasing the SW back catalogue.) However, he doesn’t sound terribly enthusiastic about the prospect.

“I don’t have any expectations of having a good time in the music industry. It’s always going to be one pain in the ass after another. I’ve been doing it for 24 years. I don’t expect it’s going to change any time soon.”

Interview Clip

Screeching Weasel frontman Ben Foster says he’s happy to be freed from the shackles of DIY punk ethics.

Download associated audio clip.

music@nowtoronto.com

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