Weston (band)
Weston | |
|---|---|
| File:Westonband.jpg | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Pennsylvania |
| Years active | 1990– 2001; 2006 |
Weston was a punk rock band hailing from Bethlehem, PA. Founded in 1990, they took their name from singer Dave Weston's family, since his parents allowed them to practice in their basement. The band went through several shifts in members and musical styles in the eleven years they were together, some with much more fanfare than others. Following their major label debut in 2001, the band split up. It was announced on October 17, 2006 that Weston would be reuniting for three shows in late December. No official word is out on which lineup will be performing at the reunion shows.
Early History
The band started out as a 5-piece post-hardcore act with some melodic leanings in 1990. After some time refining a sound and a live show, the band released the Thursdaytown 1981 7" in 1992. Outtakes from this same session would later appear on the (possibly) unofficial Perfectly Good Dishwasher 7" along with an interview. They gained a strong local reputation around this time and in the years to follow for their wildly energetic and often unpredictably goofy live shows. Vocalist Dave Weston would often perform in his underwear. Guitarist Mark Kale parted ways with the group to form a new band known as the ICK. To keep their full sound, they recruited Jim Snyder for 2nd guitar and backup vocals. Even early on, Weston did not handle all lead vocals, some songs featured vocals by bassist Chuck Saltern, who was developing his own songwriting style that was complementary to Weston's. The band made sparing use of harmonies between the two, which would greatly increase with the addition of Snyder.
Following the lineup change, the band recorded and released a handful of split 7"s with area bands and signed with Gern Blandsten Records for their first LP release in 1994. Entitled A Real Life Story of Teenage Rebellion, the record showed the band's shift to a decidedly more pop-punk sound with lyrics that matched the theme hinted at in the title. Two tracks from the Thursdaytown 1981 EP reappeared on the album, much tighter and polished. Weston and Saltern shared almost equal time as lead vocalist, and the vocal harmonies greatly increased, becoming one of the band's strongest qualities. Following the release of the album, guitarist Chris Benner quit the group to form his own band, Digger, and Weston took over his spot on guitar rather than find a replacement. The band released a single of new material and a collection of vinyl-only tracks entitled Splitsville before parting with Gern and heading to Go Kart Records.
Go Kart Records Years
The band arguably enjoyed their highest level of success while on Go Kart. In 1996, they released Got Beat Up, considered by many fans to be their best work. Jim Snyder took on a much more prominent role for this record, contributing lead vocals to about 2/3 of the album. Weston and Saltern switched for the others, and at many times all took part in three part harmony. They even began adding more harmonies to older songs as part of their live show. This quality set the band apart from most in the genre. The pop-punk boom in the mainstream at the time (due to bands like Green Day and Rancid) combined with the band's rising friends and contemporaries the Bouncing Souls and Lifetime put a good deal of attention on Weston. They became well known in the PA/NJ/NY tri-state area and enjoyed a modest amount of success. There were rumors of major label offers, but the band chose to remain on indie Go Kart. In the midst of all of this, founding member and bassist/vocalist Chuck Saltern left the band. Prior to leaving, he helped to write and record two new songs for a split single with Digger. To many fans, this essentially ended the band they knew as Weston. He was replaced by Jesse Short from their friends Walter Krug. This new lineup would last until the end of the band.
With Short in tow, the band recorded their next LP, Matinee. It contained re-recordings of both songs from the Digger split, as well as nine new tracks. Most noticeably, Snyder had taken over nearly all lead vocals, leaving Weston with just one song and one for newcomer Short. The album had a near-linear story and was meant to unfold like the plot of a movie, as evidenced by the projector sounds bookending the music and the liner notes arranged like a script. The band's sense of humor was still very present in the liner notes, but the music began to take a more serious turn, which disappointed a lot of longtime fans. Many new fans were enjoying this sound, though, and the band's popularity continued to rise. Following this release, Weston departed Go Kart.
Later Years and Breakup
Left in record label limbo, the band chose Australian-based Rubber Records for their follow-up LP. Without any North American distribution, the Return to Mono album was near impossible for most fans to find. Import copies ranged from $30-40, and the band themselves had no copies on the following tours. A single was released for the tribute song "Liz Phair", and "Bus Stop" appeared in demo form on a local PA compilation. The album followed the same musical path of Matinee, and Snyder remained mostly on lead vocals. Some songs went for a darker, more "heavy" feel, which seemed out of place among the majority of poppy tracks. Other tracks hinted at a sound much closer to indie pop than punk rock. Weston contributed two songs that were much closer to the band's early material, and again Short had one song. Their live shows were tighter and more professional than ever, though still retaining some of the old silliness, but the songs were mostly unknown due to the record's inavailability and the band's popularity quickly waned.
In 1999, the band signed with Mojo Records, a subsidiary of Universal. They released a 7" as a teaser, containing demos of two brand new songs, both penned by Snyder. They were very similarin sound to the Pixies, a transition in sound the band had been slowly making since Matinee. Their final LP, The Massed Albert Sounds was released on Mojo in 2000. It contained re-recordings of several songs from Return to Mono, including the track "Radio", which had already appeared on both the previous album AND Matinee. The album ventured even further into the vocal harmonies the band had been known for, sounding almost Brian Wilson-ish at times. The liner notes touted the "art of live production", saying that the band felt that leaving mistakes and first takes in caught the feel of a live show better, but the album still sounded far more "produced" than any other release. For the tour and live shows following the album's release, a third guitarist and keyboardist were brought along to reproduce sounds on the album the band could not replicate as a four-piece. Massed Albert was seen by many as a chance to return the band to a local and national spotlight, but it did neither and the band split up the following year. Dave Weston went on to play sporadic solo shows in the area. Jim Snyder formed the band Cordova, following up on much of the sound he'd pushed for on later Weston recordings. It was announced on October 17, 2006 that Weston would be reuniting for three shows in late December. No official word is out on which lineup will be performing at the reunion shows.
Band Members
Dave Weston - vocals (1990-2001), guitar (1994-2001)
Mark Kale - guitar (1990-1992)
Chris Benner - guitar (1990-1994)
Jim Snyder - guitar/vocals (1992-2001)
Chuck Saltern - bass/vocals (1990-1996)
Jesse Short - bass/vocals (1996-2001)
Jeremiah Attanasio - drums/vocals (1990-2001)
Discography
LPs
- A Real Life Story of Teenage Rebellion (Gern Blandsten Records, 1994)
- Got Beat Up (Go Kart Records, 1996)
- Matinee (Go Kart Records, 1997)
- Return to Mono (Rubber Records, 1998)
- The Stepchildren of Rock (live album, split with Doc Hopper) (Go Kart Records, 1998)
- The Massed Albert Sounds (Mojo Records, 2000)
Collections
- Splitsville (Gern Blandsten Records, 1996)
7 inches
- Thursdaytown 1981 (Mammy Records, 1992)
- A Perfectly Good Dishwasher (Wolf Records, 199?)
- split with Plow United (Coolidge Records, 1994)
- split with Sticks and Stones (Reservoir Records, 199?)
- split with Bouncing Souls (FOE Records, 199?)
- Flower b/w Feelings Stupit Feelings (Gern Blandsten Records, 1994)
- Retarded b/w Teenage Love Affair (Gern Blandsten Records, 1995)
- split with Digger (Hopeless Records, 1996)
- You Kiss Like An Angel b/w Volume Hater (Mojo Records, 2000)
Compilations
- Where Is My Mind: A Tribute To The Pixies (Glue Factory, 1999)
- This Is The Lehigh Valley, Not South Park! (FOE Records, 1999)
- Songs For the Broken Hearted (Glue Factory, 1999)
- Gern Blandsten: The First Nine Years (Gern Blandsten, 2001)