About Wheatus
Wheatus is an American rock band from Northport, New York, formed in 1995. They are known principally for their 2000 single, "Teenage Dirtbag". They also experienced success with their 2001 cover version of Erasure's "A Little Respect", and their self-titled album was certified platinum in the United Kingdom.
Wheatus was formed by Brendan B. 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 the help of 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 entertainment executive and 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 largest hit, "Teenage Dirtbag", a song that 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, only 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.
Wheatus began work on their second album in 2002, with Brendan enlisting the help of his sister, Liz Brown, and the band's merchandiser, Kathryn Froggatt, as backing vocalists. Shannon Harris of Relish, a group who 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 made the decision to part with their record label and to form their own, Montauk Mantis. During this time, they also 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".
Bassist Mike McCabe left the band in March 2005, shortly after the release of Suck Fony; he was replaced by Nicolas diPierro. The band subsequently began recording a new album in April 2005, and three months later, the first single, BMX Bandits, was released. In October 2005, the band's third studio album, Too Soon Monsoon, was issued. Since early 2010, it has been made available via a "pay what you want" donation scheme via the band's official website. Days after the release, Michael Bellar decided to leave the band and was replaced by Gerard Hoffmann. A second single, The London Sun, was released in February 2006. diPierro departed the band and was replaced by 19-year-old rookie bassist Matt Milligan. A further lineup change occurred in May 2006, when drummer Pete Brown decided to give up being a musician to get married. He was replaced by Kevin Garcia, leaving Brendan Brown as the only remaining member from the original lineup. The next member change occurred only five days later, when Kathryn Froggatt left the band due to pregnancy. She was replaced by Connie Renda, who in turn traded places with Missy Heselton. In February 2007, Wheatus joined the UK leg of the Get Happy Tour, along with founders Bowling for Soup and Army of Freshmen and British pop-punk outfit Son of Dork, for a sold-out 13-show tour. Liz Brown Missy Heselton both left the group around this time.
Wheatus began recording new material in October 2007. Its release was carried over until February 2008, when a video for the song "Real Girl" was uploaded to YouTube. In March, the band performed several shows in the US and also announced dates for an acoustic performance in the UK, In October, they completed a tour of the UK, during which some of the new material was showcased in acoustic form. In November, the band returned to the recording studio and set a release date for a six-track EP, entitled Pop, Songs & Death, Vol 1: The Lightning EP. In early 2009, Brown composed music for April Showers, a film that deals with the Columbine High School massacre. On June 1, 2009, The Lightning EP was expected for release; however, it was not available until June 2 due to a series of technical difficulties, including a server crash on the band's website. In January 2010, Wheatus began a worldwide theater tour, with dates spanning the US, UK, and Austria. They were supported by nerdcore rapper MC Frontalot. In April 2010, Brown announced via his Twitter page that Pop, Songs & Death, Vol. 2: The Jupiter EP was scheduled for release in May 2010. However, this was pushed back to December 23, 2010.
In November 2012, the EPs were released together as the band's fourth studio album, Pop, Songs and Death.
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