Fat Club
Encyclopedia
The Fat Club is a series of twelve 7-inch singles released monthly by Fat Wreck Chords
from February 2001 to January 2002. Limited numbers of each single were pressed; They were not available for sale individually, but were distributed by postal service to those who purchased a subscription to the series.
The series featured bands who had not previously been associated with the label: Of the 12 bands who participated, only three—NOFX
, Swingin' Utters, and Strung Out
—were already part of the Fat Wreck Chords roster. Three of the participating bands had other one-off releases with Fat following their participation in the Fat Club: MxPx
's The Renaissance EP
(2001), Randy
's Randy the Band (2005), and Strike Anywhere
's Dead FM
(2006). Three of the bands—The Lawrence Arms
, The Real McKenzies, and American Steel
—became long-term additions to Fat Wreck Chords' roster, releasing multiple albums through the label in the years following. Only The Vandals
, Enemy You
, and One Man Army have had no further releases through Fat Wreck Chords.
Though the singles were limited, several of the bands re-released their tracks on compilation album
s in the years following, including NOFX's 45 or 46 Songs That Weren't Good Enough to Go on Our Other Records
(2002), Strike Anywhere's To Live in Discontent
(2005), The Lawrence Arms' Cocktails & Dreams
(2005), Swingin' Utters' Hatest Grits: B-Sides and Bullshit (2008), and Strung Out's Prototypes and Painkillers (2009). All of the tracks from the series were re-released as part of the Fat Wreck Chords twentieth anniversary compilation Wrecktrospective
in 2009.
The Vandals
American Steel
MxPx
Strike Anywhere
Randy
NOFX
Strung Out
Enemy You
The Lawrence Arms
Fat Wreck Chords
Fat Wreck Chords is a San Francisco, California based independent record label, focused on punk rock. It was started by Fat Mike and his ex-wife, Erin, in 1990....
from February 2001 to January 2002. Limited numbers of each single were pressed; They were not available for sale individually, but were distributed by postal service to those who purchased a subscription to the series.
The series featured bands who had not previously been associated with the label: Of the 12 bands who participated, only three—NOFX
NOFX
NOFX is an American punk rock band from Los Angeles, California .The band was formed in 1983 by vocalist/bassist Fat Mike and guitarist Eric Melvin. Drummer Erik Sandin joined NOFX shortly after. In 1991 El Hefe joined to play lead guitar and trumpet, rounding out the current line-up...
, Swingin' Utters, and Strung Out
Strung Out
Strung Out is a Californian punk rock band from Simi Valley, California, formed in 1992. They are known mainly for their musical style, which fuses aspects of punk rock and heavy metal to form their primary sound. They have released seven albums on Fat Wreck Chords and appeared on numerous...
—were already part of the Fat Wreck Chords roster. Three of the participating bands had other one-off releases with Fat following their participation in the Fat Club: MxPx
MxPx
MxPx is a pop punk band from Bremerton, Washington with connections to the Christian punk scene. The band has recorded eight studio albums, four EPs, four compilation albums, a live album, a VHS tape, a DVD and released 20 singles....
's The Renaissance EP
The Renaissance EP
The Renaissance EP is an EP by the band MxPx released in 2001.-Track listing:# "Lonesome Town"# "Letting Go"# "Party II "# "Time Will Tell"# "The Opposite"# "Don't Look Back"# "Talk Of The Town"# "The Struggle"...
(2001), Randy
Randy (band)
Randy is a punk rock band from Hortlax, Sweden, formed in 1992. They were first inspired by skate punk bands like NOFX and Propagandhi but after the release of The Rest Is Silence and the depart of their bass player Patrik Trydvall, they radically changed their musical style and adopted an older...
's Randy the Band (2005), and Strike Anywhere
Strike Anywhere
Strike Anywhere is a punk rock/melodic hardcore band from Richmond, Virginia. Formed in 1999 after the demise of frontman Thomas Barnett's previous band, Inquisition, they took their name from the Inquisition song "Strike Anywhere". Their music is characterized by fast tempos, catchy melodies, and...
's Dead FM
Dead FM
Dead FM is the third studio album by Strike Anywhere. It was recorded April 2006 at Salad Days Studios by Brian McTernan. It contains songs that focus on the band's leftist political views, as well as branching out to discuss issues such as singer Thomas Barnett's grandfather's work on the...
(2006). Three of the bands—The Lawrence Arms
The Lawrence Arms
The Lawrence Arms are an American punk rock band from Chicago, Illinois, formed in 1999. They have released five full-length albums and toured extensively.-Pre-history:...
, The Real McKenzies, and American Steel
American Steel
American Steel is an American punk rock band formed in 1995 in Oakland, California. When offered their first show, the group took their name from the block-long sign on the warehouse across the street...
—became long-term additions to Fat Wreck Chords' roster, releasing multiple albums through the label in the years following. Only The Vandals
The Vandals
The Vandals are an American rock band established in 1980 in Huntington Beach, California. They have released ten full-length studio albums and two live albums and have toured the world extensively, including performances on the Vans Warped Tour...
, Enemy You
Enemy You
Enemy You was a punk rock band from San Francisco, California that formed in 1997.-Biography:Prior to their formation, David Jones, the main songwriter in Enemy You, recorded several releases with his band After School Special on Mutant Pop Records. After AFS broke up, Enemy You was formed and...
, and One Man Army have had no further releases through Fat Wreck Chords.
Though the singles were limited, several of the bands re-released their tracks on compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
s in the years following, including NOFX's 45 or 46 Songs That Weren't Good Enough to Go on Our Other Records
45 or 46 Songs That Weren't Good Enough to Go on Our Other Records
45 or 46 Songs That Weren't Good Enough to Go on Our Other Records is a double album released in 2002 by NOFX. There are actually 47 songs on the CD version, and all the songs could easily fit onto one CD....
(2002), Strike Anywhere's To Live in Discontent
To Live in Discontent
To Live in Discontent is a compilation album released by Strike Anywhere. It collects various rare, live and unreleased tracks by the band including the entirety of their out of print EP, Chorus of One.-Track listing:...
(2005), The Lawrence Arms' Cocktails & Dreams
Cocktails & Dreams
Cocktails & Dreams is an album of B-Sides and rarities by the Chicago, Illinois punk rock band The Lawrence Arms, released in 2005 by Asian Man Records...
(2005), Swingin' Utters' Hatest Grits: B-Sides and Bullshit (2008), and Strung Out's Prototypes and Painkillers (2009). All of the tracks from the series were re-released as part of the Fat Wreck Chords twentieth anniversary compilation Wrecktrospective
Wrecktrospective
Wrecktrospective is a three-disc compilation album released December 8, 2009 by Fat Wreck Chords. Subtitled "Twenty Years...and Counting!", it compiles tracks spanning the label's catalog from 1990 to 2009. The first disc, titled Fattest Hits, collects songs from 33 of the label's album releases...
in 2009.
The VandalsThe VandalsThe Vandals are an American rock band established in 1980 in Huntington Beach, California. They have released ten full-length studio albums and two live albums and have toured the world extensively, including performances on the Vans Warped Tour...
- Joe EscalanteJoe EscalanteJoseph Patrick "Joe" Escalante is an American musician, record label owner, radio host, film and music video director, and amateur matador, as well as a former television executive and entertainment lawyer...
– bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, backing vocals - Warren Fitzgerald – guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, backing vocals - Josh FreeseJosh FreeseJosh Freese is an American session drummer and songwriter. He is a permanent member of A Perfect Circle, The Vandals, and Devo, having formerly played drums for Nine Inch Nails from late 2005 until late 2008, and for Guns N' Roses from mid-1998 to 2001. Freese has appeared on close to 300 records....
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... - Dave Quackenbush – lead vocals
American SteelAmerican SteelAmerican Steel is an American punk rock band formed in 1995 in Oakland, California. When offered their first show, the group took their name from the block-long sign on the warehouse across the street...
- Scott Healy – drums
- Rory Henderson – lead vocals, guitar
- Ryan Massey – guitar, backing vocals
- John Peck – bass guitar, backing vocals
The Real McKenzies
- Mark Boland – guitar, backing vocals
- Gwomper – bass guitar
- Paul McKenzie – lead vocals
- Kurt Robertson – guitar, backing vocals
- Sean Sellers – drums
- Gord Taylor – Great Highland BagpipeGreat Highland BagpipeThe Great Highland Bagpipe is a type of bagpipe native to Scotland. It has achieved widespread recognition through its usage in the British military and in pipe bands throughout the world. It is closely related to the Great Irish Warpipes....
MxPxMxPxMxPx is a pop punk band from Bremerton, Washington with connections to the Christian punk scene. The band has recorded eight studio albums, four EPs, four compilation albums, a live album, a VHS tape, a DVD and released 20 singles....
- Mike Herrera – lead vocals, bass guitar
- Yuri RuleyYuri RuleyYuri Zane Ruley is an American drummer who plays in the pop punk band MxPx. In 1992, while still in high school, Ruley started MxPx with Mike Herrera and Andy Husted; Husted was replaced by Tom Wisniewski two years later...
– drums - Tom Wisniewski – guitar
- Stephen Egerton – backing vocals on "You Hold the Key"
- Jerry FinnJerry FinnJerry Finn was an American record producer. He was perhaps best known for his work with Blink-182, as well as Morrissey, AFI, Bad Religion, Alkaline Trio, MxPx, Rancid, Green Day, Sum 41 and The Offspring.-Death:...
– producer, recording engineer, mix engineer
Strike AnywhereStrike AnywhereStrike Anywhere is a punk rock/melodic hardcore band from Richmond, Virginia. Formed in 1999 after the demise of frontman Thomas Barnett's previous band, Inquisition, they took their name from the Inquisition song "Strike Anywhere". Their music is characterized by fast tempos, catchy melodies, and...
- Thomas Barnett – lead vocals
- Eric Kane – drums
- Garth Petrie – bass guitar
- Matt Sherwood - guitar, backing vocals
- Matt Smith – guitar, backing vocals
RandyRandy (band)Randy is a punk rock band from Hortlax, Sweden, formed in 1992. They were first inspired by skate punk bands like NOFX and Propagandhi but after the release of The Rest Is Silence and the depart of their bass player Patrik Trydvall, they radically changed their musical style and adopted an older...
- Johan Brändström – guitar, backing vocals
- Fredrik Granberg – drums
- Stefan Granberg – lead vocals, guitar
- Johan Gustafsson – bass buitar, backing vocals
NOFXNOFXNOFX is an American punk rock band from Los Angeles, California .The band was formed in 1983 by vocalist/bassist Fat Mike and guitarist Eric Melvin. Drummer Erik Sandin joined NOFX shortly after. In 1991 El Hefe joined to play lead guitar and trumpet, rounding out the current line-up...
- El Hefe – lead guitar, backing vocals
- Fat Mike – lead vocals, bass guitar
- Eric MelvinEric MelvinEric Scott Melvin is an American musician and the rhythm guitarist in the California punk band NOFX. He has been in the band from its beginnings in the early 1980s to the present day. Eric has been known for his dreadlocks that vary in color each time NOFX performs...
– rhythm guitar, backing vocals - Erik SandinErik SandinErik Sandin , is an American musician and the drummer of the popular California punk band, NOFX. He was a founding member of the band when they formed in Hollywood, California, in 1983, but moved to Santa Barbara two years later, leaving the band.In just one year without Sandin, the band had...
– drums
Swingin' Utters
Strung OutStrung OutStrung Out is a Californian punk rock band from Simi Valley, California, formed in 1992. They are known mainly for their musical style, which fuses aspects of punk rock and heavy metal to form their primary sound. They have released seven albums on Fat Wreck Chords and appeared on numerous...
- Chris Aiken – bass guitar
- Jordan Burns – drums
- Jason Cruz – lead vocals
- Jake Kiley – guitar
- Rob Ramos – guitar
Enemy YouEnemy YouEnemy You was a punk rock band from San Francisco, California that formed in 1997.-Biography:Prior to their formation, David Jones, the main songwriter in Enemy You, recorded several releases with his band After School Special on Mutant Pop Records. After AFS broke up, Enemy You was formed and...
- David Jones – lead vocals, guitar
- Chris Matulich – bass guitar
- Joe Yamazaki – drums
- Ken Yamazaki – guitar
The Lawrence ArmsThe Lawrence ArmsThe Lawrence Arms are an American punk rock band from Chicago, Illinois, formed in 1999. They have released five full-length albums and toured extensively.-Pre-history:...
- Neil Hennessy – drums
- Brendan Kelly – bass guitar, lead and backing vocals
- Chris McCaughan – guitar, lead and backing vocals