Screeching Weasel

Founded in '86 by Ben Foster--who immediately dropped his last name and began performing under the stage name Ben Weasel-- Screeching Weasel are the poster boys for third wave, 90's pop punk. Inspired by early punk acts like the Ramones, Screeching Weasel play mid-tempo songs with frequent, simple chord changes, accentuated by Ben Weasel's trademark bratty nasal vocals. Although die-hard punk purists have been less than responsive to their brand of college radio- friendly punk rock, the band has had overwhelming success with adolescent suburban dwellers, inspiring a slew of SW copy-cat bands. What ever you think about Screeching Weasel, they've been around for over a decade now. And in an era when bands disappear overnight, that certainly means they're doing something right.