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Presidents of the United States of America (band)
Encyclopedia
The Presidents of the United States of America, commonly referred to as Pot USA or "PUSA" or The Presidents, are a twice Grammy-nominated American
alternative rock
band. The band formed in Seattle, USA
, in 1993. The three-piece group currently comprises vocalist and "basitarist" Chris Ballew
, drummer and vocalist Jason Finn
with "guitbassist" and vocalist Andrew McKeag. "Guitbassist" and vocalist Dave Dederer
was a member of the band for 11 years before leaving in 2004. They have released six studio albums since forming in 1993.
(guitar and lead vocals) and Dave Dederer
(bass guitar and backup vocals), who met while attending The Bush School in Seattle. Initially a drummerless duo, Ballew and Dederer performed a half-dozen or so shows in 1993 as "The Lo-Fis", "The Dynamic Duo", and "Pure Frosting." Ballew eventually came upon the name "The Presidents of the United States of America." Shortly after settling on their name, Ballew and Dederer added drummer Jason Finn
; the band played their first show as a trio at Seattle's Romper Room in early December 1993. At the time, Finn was also the drummer in the band Love Battery
, who had recently changed record labels from Sub Pop
to Atlas Records, an A&M
subsidiary.
The Presidents recorded a 10-song cassette, Froggystyle, in early 1994 in one day at Laundry Room Studios. The band sold the cassette at shows in 1994. Finn also sold the cassette from behind the bar of Seattle's legendary Comet Tavern, where he bartended.
In 1994, the Presidents signed with the tiny Seattle label PopLlama Records
and released their self-titled debut
in the following year. The band also released a limited edition blue vinyl 7" single, "Fuck California", on C/Z Records
. Columbia Records
signed the band shortly thereafter and re-released the album in late July 1995. Driven by the singles "Lump
", "Peaches", and "Kitty
", their debut album proved to be an absolute delight.
Critics praised the band's catchy, humorous, and self-deprecating songs, which were a major departure from the grunge/post-grunge
sound. The album received Grammy
nominations in 1996 and 1997. Though "Peaches" met the most critical success, the band credits "Lump" as their favorite single. The song's strange lyrics came from a dream that Ballew had while fighting pneumonia. The antibiotics he was taking caused an allergic reaction that produced several consecutive nights of wild and crazy dreams. The lyrics for "Peaches" were written about a crush Ballew used to have on a girl. According to him, she had a peach tree in the front of her yard, and when he finally summoned the courage to go talk to her, he stood under the tree and smashed peaches in his fist until he decided not to talk to her.
In 1996, "Weird Al" Yankovic
created a parody
of the Presidents' "Lump
", titled "Gump
". This song was released on Yankovic's album Bad Hair Day
. In 1997, ApologetiX
also parodied Lump with "Plump", as well as "Peaches" with "Preachers". These were released on the album Ticked
.
A follow-up album, II
, received similar praise, but did not match the commercial success that the Presidents' debut album had, though it was still certified gold in the US.
Throughout 1995, 1996 and 1997, the band made worldwide tours to support their first two albums. In addition to relentless touring in the U.S. and Canada, PUSA made multiple tours of Europe
, Australia
, New Zealand
and Japan
. They also made many appearances in major print media and on radio and TV, including multiple appearances on Leno and Letterman in the U.S. A little-known fact is that the Presidents turned down an offer to perform on Saturday Night Live
in the fall of 1995 because the date conflicted with Ballew's wedding.
The band broke up in January 1998 as Ballew quit to spend more time with his young family and explore other musical terrain. Pure Frosting
, a final album composed of new songs, covers, and demos, was released in 1998. The CD also contained videos for "Lump," "Peaches," "Mach 5," and "Dune Buggy."
Pure Frosting featured two songs that had previously been used in a movie and as a television show theme. "Video Killed the Radio Star
" was included on the soundtrack for The Wedding Singer
, while "Cleveland Rocks
," originally recorded by Ian Hunter
, was chosen as the theme song for The Drew Carey Show
. Another song on the album, "Man (Opposable Thumb)", appeared in the Nickelodeon-produced motion picture Good Burger
but was not directly written or performed for the film.
The Presidents also wrote the theme song for the 1998 TV movie My Date with the President's Daughter
. They also performed a cover of the George of the Jungle
theme song for the 1997 movie of the same name. This performance is not available on any of their albums.
In 1996, the band performed a live concert at Mount Rushmore
on Presidents Day. They were introduced with: "Ladies and gentlemen, the Presidents of the United States."
and The Tycoons, two of his side projects. Dederer collaborated with former Guns N' Roses
bassist Duff McKagan
as The Gentlemen and in McKagan's perennial hard rock band, Loaded
, including contributing to the album Dark Days. Dederer also played bass in the Seattle band Juke and produced songs for singer/songwriter Gerald Collier. Finn played drums for several bands, including Nevada Bachelors
, The Fastbacks and Love Battery
, his original band.
In 1998, the group appeared on the album Happy Hour
by Japanese female rockers Shonen Knife
(also a three piece); they did backing vocals on the song "Sushi Bar".
The Presidents also collaborated with Sir Mix-A-Lot
as Subset, a short-lived rock and hip-hop
band. They had a brief tour and recorded several songs, but never released an album. The band broke up because Sir Mix-A-Lot wanted to take the band in a harder, more electronic direction, but Finn and Dederer were not interested.
In 2000, Columbia Records
released Lump, a discount greatest hits compilation, without the band's approval or collaboration.
Afterwards, the band members once again went their own ways. Ballew continued to produce and record his own work and collaborated with Tad Hutchison of The Young Fresh Fellows as The Chris and Tad Show. Also during this time, The Young Fresh Fellows recorded a song, "Good Times Rock 'N' Roll", about The Presidents, which appeared on the 2001 album Because We Hate You
.
In 2004, the band once again reformed, releasing Love Everybody
on their newly formed indie label PUSA Inc.. As with their previous albums, it received praise from many critics. Two singles from the album have been released through the Apple
iTunes
store. In late 2004, the rights to the debut album were returned to the band, who have since reissued the album through PUSA Inc. twice: once as a Ten Year Anniversary edition with extra tracks, and again in the spring of 2006 in a low-price edition.
Andrew McKeag, Seattle guitarist (formerly of Uncle Joe's Big Ol' Driver, Shuggie, The Black Panties and others), joined the band on guitbass in late 2004, as an occasional live-performance stand-in for Dave Dederer, who had expressed an interest in spending more time with his family. Since late 2007, Andrew started touring full-time with the band, and later replaced Dederer.
Dederer has played live with the band in concerts in Seattle on occasion.
In November 2007, it was announced that the band's next album would be entitled These Are the Good Times People
, which was released on March 11, 2008. They did a live webcast celebrating the albums release from Easy Street records: http://app.synclive.com?show/17772
In December 2007 KEXP
played the new song "Bad Times." On February 1, 2008, 107.7-The End
(a Seattle radio station) played the first single from the Presidents' new album, title "Mixed Up S.O.B." The music video for the song was directed by "Weird Al" Yankovic. On June 15, 2008, they played for Pet-Aid 2008 in Oregon
.
In October 2008, "Lump" was released on the video game Rock Band 2
. "Ladybug
", "Feather Pluck'n," and "Dune Buggy" were released as downloadable content for the game on November 4, 2008.
Around 2006, Chris Ballew began collaborating with Seattle-based rapper Outtasite as The Feelings Hijackers. They have done local shows and have released two albums.
In the summer of 2009, The Presidents performed in San Diego at the North Park Music Thing Music & Media Festival which only showcases local bands. Apparently, the new President's guitar player is a San Diegan. In 2009, in addition to his continued work with The Presidents, Ballew began recording and performing as children's artist Caspar Babypants
. In September 2010, The Presidents performed during halftime of the UW-Syracuse game at Husky Stadium
.
On March 5, 2011, The Presidents performed a new tribute song, "Can't Stop (Catchin' 'Em All)" at the Nintendo World launch event for the video games Pokémon Black and White
.
Bill Clinton
at a 1994 Democratic Party
fundraiser in Seattle. The band also supported John Kerry
in the 2004 U.S. presidential election. On January 17, 2009, The Presidents released a single on the National Public Radio show Weekend America
called "Moving In," detailing the journey of Barack Obama
in celebration of his inauguration as president.
The former Governor of Washington State, Gary Locke
, is featured on the backing vocals of "Volcano" (Live) [Ten Year Super Bonus Special Anniversary Edition].
s with special modifications: Ballew's instrument has two bass strings (with which he plays bass parts), and Dederer/McKeag's instrument has three guitar strings (used to play guitar parts). The original idea came from Morphine
frontman Mark Sandman
, with whom Ballew had previously worked.
Guitars modified in this way use heavy-gauge strings for a heavier sound and are normally tuned in Drop D
, though the Presidents play half a step lower in C#.
For a basitar, the strings are placed in the D and G positions. Chris uses a .60 gauge string tuned to C# and a .36 tuned to G#.
On a guitbass, the strings are placed in the A, D, and G positions. .54 gauge tuned to C#, .42 to G#, and a .32 gauge tuned to C#.
Finn's drum kit is currently supplied by Slingerland; his cymbal
s are a variety of Sabian
s.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band. The band formed in Seattle, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, in 1993. The three-piece group currently comprises vocalist and "basitarist" Chris Ballew
Chris Ballew
Christopher "Chris" Ballew is a member of the alternative rock group The Presidents of the United States of America and performs as a children's artist under the pseudonym Caspar Babypants....
, drummer and vocalist Jason Finn
Jason Finn (musician)
Jason Finn is a drummer and singer for The Presidents of the United States of America. He was previously the drummer of Love Battery until 1995 , when he joined Chris Ballew and Dave Dederer to form The Presidents of the United States of America...
with "guitbassist" and vocalist Andrew McKeag. "Guitbassist" and vocalist Dave Dederer
Dave Dederer
Dave Dederer, best known as guitarist and singer for The Presidents of the United States of America, was born on October 5, 1964. An alumnus of Seattle, Washington's The Bush School and Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, he founded The Presidents with fellow Bush School alumnus...
was a member of the band for 11 years before leaving in 2004. They have released six studio albums since forming in 1993.
Early years and rise to fame (1993–1998)
The band was formed in late 1993 by Chris BallewChris Ballew
Christopher "Chris" Ballew is a member of the alternative rock group The Presidents of the United States of America and performs as a children's artist under the pseudonym Caspar Babypants....
(guitar and lead vocals) and Dave Dederer
Dave Dederer
Dave Dederer, best known as guitarist and singer for The Presidents of the United States of America, was born on October 5, 1964. An alumnus of Seattle, Washington's The Bush School and Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, he founded The Presidents with fellow Bush School alumnus...
(bass guitar and backup vocals), who met while attending The Bush School in Seattle. Initially a drummerless duo, Ballew and Dederer performed a half-dozen or so shows in 1993 as "The Lo-Fis", "The Dynamic Duo", and "Pure Frosting." Ballew eventually came upon the name "The Presidents of the United States of America." Shortly after settling on their name, Ballew and Dederer added drummer Jason Finn
Jason Finn (musician)
Jason Finn is a drummer and singer for The Presidents of the United States of America. He was previously the drummer of Love Battery until 1995 , when he joined Chris Ballew and Dave Dederer to form The Presidents of the United States of America...
; the band played their first show as a trio at Seattle's Romper Room in early December 1993. At the time, Finn was also the drummer in the band Love Battery
Love Battery
Love Battery is an American grunge band from Seattle, Washington.For the most part Love Battery was an unusual group in the early '90s Seattle music scene, blending intense swirling psychedelic guitar work, pulsating rhythms, driving beats and heartfelt vocals derived from '60s garage/psych, '70s...
, who had recently changed record labels from Sub Pop
Sub Pop
Sub Pop is a record label founded in 1986 by Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman in Seattle, Washington. Sub Pop achieved fame in the late 1980s for first signing Nirvana, Soundgarden, Mudhoney and many other bands from the Seattle music scene...
to Atlas Records, an A&M
A&M Records
A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...
subsidiary.
The Presidents recorded a 10-song cassette, Froggystyle, in early 1994 in one day at Laundry Room Studios. The band sold the cassette at shows in 1994. Finn also sold the cassette from behind the bar of Seattle's legendary Comet Tavern, where he bartended.
In 1994, the Presidents signed with the tiny Seattle label PopLlama Records
PopLlama Records
PopLlama Records is an independent record label founded by record producer Conrad Uno in Seattle, Washington, in 1984. After making several of his own demos in his basement studio, Uno would produce the Young Fresh Fellows' debut album The Fabulous Sounds of the Pacific Northwest at the bands request...
and released their self-titled debut
The Presidents of the United States of America (album)
Critical reception to The Presidents of the United States of America was mainly positive. The Allmusic review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine awarded the album 4 out of 5 stars and stated: "It's novelty punk...
in the following year. The band also released a limited edition blue vinyl 7" single, "Fuck California", on C/Z Records
C/Z Records
C/Z Records is a Seattle-based record label that was established in early 1985 by Chris Hanzsek and Tina Casale with the release of the now-legendary, Deep Six LP, which collected the earliest recordings of the real pro-genitors of what later came to be known as grunge...
. Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
signed the band shortly thereafter and re-released the album in late July 1995. Driven by the singles "Lump
Lump (song)
"Lump" is a song by alternative rock band The Presidents of the United States of America. It was released in 1995 and featured on their self-titled debut album. The song reached #1 on Billboards Modern Rock Tracks chart in 1995. Later in the same year, it debuted on the Album Rock Tracks chart, and...
", "Peaches", and "Kitty
Kitty (song)
"Kitty" is the name of the third single by the post-grunge/alternative rock band The Presidents of the United States of America. The song, along with "Lump", and "Peaches" helped propel Presidents of the United States of America to a platinum level....
", their debut album proved to be an absolute delight.
Critics praised the band's catchy, humorous, and self-deprecating songs, which were a major departure from the grunge/post-grunge
Post-grunge
Post-grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged in the mid-1990s as a derivative of grunge, using the sounds and aesthetic of grunge, but with a more commercially acceptable tone...
sound. The album received Grammy
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
nominations in 1996 and 1997. Though "Peaches" met the most critical success, the band credits "Lump" as their favorite single. The song's strange lyrics came from a dream that Ballew had while fighting pneumonia. The antibiotics he was taking caused an allergic reaction that produced several consecutive nights of wild and crazy dreams. The lyrics for "Peaches" were written about a crush Ballew used to have on a girl. According to him, she had a peach tree in the front of her yard, and when he finally summoned the courage to go talk to her, he stood under the tree and smashed peaches in his fist until he decided not to talk to her.
In 1996, "Weird Al" Yankovic
"Weird Al" Yankovic
Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic is an American singer-songwriter, music producer, accordionist, actor, comedian, writer, satirist, and parodist. Yankovic is known for his humorous songs that make light of popular culture and that often parody specific songs by contemporary musical acts...
created a parody
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
of the Presidents' "Lump
Lump (song)
"Lump" is a song by alternative rock band The Presidents of the United States of America. It was released in 1995 and featured on their self-titled debut album. The song reached #1 on Billboards Modern Rock Tracks chart in 1995. Later in the same year, it debuted on the Album Rock Tracks chart, and...
", titled "Gump
Gump (song)
"Gump" is a song by American musical parodist "Weird Al" Yankovic. It is a parody of "Lump" by The Presidents of the United States of America and also parodies the 1994 movie Forrest Gump. It is one of several Yankovic songs describing the events of a movie....
". This song was released on Yankovic's album Bad Hair Day
Bad Hair Day
Bad Hair Day is the 9th studio album by "Weird Al" Yankovic, released in 1996. This album was the third studio album self-produced by Yankovic. The musical styles on Bad Hair Day are built around parodies and pastiches pop and rock music of the mid 1990s, targeting alternative rock and hip-hop...
. In 1997, ApologetiX
ApologetiX
ApologetiX is a Christian parody band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. The band was founded in 1992, and since then, has played in 44 states, released 17 studio albums, and built up a fan club that includes 45,000 people. The band is currently composed of J...
also parodied Lump with "Plump", as well as "Peaches" with "Preachers". These were released on the album Ticked
Ticked
Ticked is the third album released by Christian parody band ApologetiX. It was also their first album to be released on CD. Later, two songs from the album would be released on the band's greatest hits album.-History:...
.
A follow-up album, II
II (The Presidents of the United States of America album)
II is the second album by The Presidents of the United States of America. It was released via Columbia Records on November 5, 1996, which was Election Day in the United States, which included voting for the President.-Background:...
, received similar praise, but did not match the commercial success that the Presidents' debut album had, though it was still certified gold in the US.
Throughout 1995, 1996 and 1997, the band made worldwide tours to support their first two albums. In addition to relentless touring in the U.S. and Canada, PUSA made multiple tours of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. They also made many appearances in major print media and on radio and TV, including multiple appearances on Leno and Letterman in the U.S. A little-known fact is that the Presidents turned down an offer to perform on Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
in the fall of 1995 because the date conflicted with Ballew's wedding.
The band broke up in January 1998 as Ballew quit to spend more time with his young family and explore other musical terrain. Pure Frosting
Pure Frosting
Pure Frosting is a compilation album by The Presidents of the United States of America. It was released on March 10, 1998.It was, at the time, the band's last album, as they had broken up in 1998...
, a final album composed of new songs, covers, and demos, was released in 1998. The CD also contained videos for "Lump," "Peaches," "Mach 5," and "Dune Buggy."
Pure Frosting featured two songs that had previously been used in a movie and as a television show theme. "Video Killed the Radio Star
Video Killed the Radio Star
"Video Killed the Radio Star" is a song by the British synthpop/New Wave group The Buggles, released as their debut single on 7 September 1979, on Island Records from their debut album The Age of Plastic. It celebrates the golden days of radio, describing a singer whose career is cut short by...
" was included on the soundtrack for The Wedding Singer
The Wedding Singer
The Wedding Singer is a 1998 romantic comedy film written by Tim Herlihy and directed by Frank Coraci. It stars Adam Sandler as a wedding singer in the 1980s and Drew Barrymore as a waitress with whom he falls in love....
, while "Cleveland Rocks
Cleveland Rocks
"Cleveland Rocks" is a rock song by Ian Hunter from his 1979 album You're Never Alone with a Schizophrenic. The song is seen as a de facto anthem in Cleveland, Ohio. The song was played every Friday at 6:00 PM on Cleveland radio station WMMS beginning in 1979 and is used as a victory song for the...
," originally recorded by Ian Hunter
Ian Hunter (singer)
Ian Hunter Patterson is an English singer-songwriter. He was the lead singer of the English rock band Mott the Hoople from its inception in 1969 to its dissolution in 1974, and he again fronted them at the time of their 2009 reunion. Hunter was a musician and songwriter before Mott The Hoople, and...
, was chosen as the theme song for The Drew Carey Show
The Drew Carey Show
The Drew Carey Show is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from 1995 to 2004. The show was set in Cleveland, Ohio, and revolved around the retail office and home life of "everyman" Drew Carey, a fictionalized version of the actor....
. Another song on the album, "Man (Opposable Thumb)", appeared in the Nickelodeon-produced motion picture Good Burger
Good Burger
Good Burger is a 1997 American comedy film by Tollin/Robbins Productions and Nickelodeon Movies, released by Paramount Pictures, directed by Brian Robbins, and starring Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell...
but was not directly written or performed for the film.
The Presidents also wrote the theme song for the 1998 TV movie My Date with the President's Daughter
My Date with the President's Daughter
My Date with the President's Daughter is a 1998 made-for-TV comedy film produced by Buena Vista Home Entertainment and Walt Disney. It is about a free-spirited 16-year-old daughter of the American president who makes a date with a high school teenager named Duncan, then sneaks away from her Secret...
. They also performed a cover of the George of the Jungle
George of the Jungle
George of the Jungle was an American animated series produced by Jay Ward and Bill Scott, who created The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show. The character George was inspired by the legend of Tarzan. It ran for 17 episodes on Saturday mornings from September 9 to December 30, 1967, on the American TV...
theme song for the 1997 movie of the same name. This performance is not available on any of their albums.
In 1996, the band performed a live concert at Mount Rushmore
Mount Rushmore
Mount Rushmore National Memorial is a sculpture carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmore near Keystone, South Dakota, in the United States...
on Presidents Day. They were introduced with: "Ladies and gentlemen, the Presidents of the United States."
Indefinite break (1998–2000)
Following the breakup, each band member devoted time to his own solo projects. Ballew was the most prolific of the three, releasing albums with The GiraffesThe Giraffes (Seattle band)
The Giraffes is a Seattle-based band that featured Chris Ballew , Jason Staczek and Mike Musburger....
and The Tycoons, two of his side projects. Dederer collaborated with former Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, in 1985. The band has released six studio albums, three EPs, and one live album...
bassist Duff McKagan
Duff McKagan
Michael Andrew "Duff" McKagan is an American musician and writer. He is best known for his twelve-year tenure as the bassist of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s...
as The Gentlemen and in McKagan's perennial hard rock band, Loaded
Loaded (band)
Loaded is an American hard rock band from Seattle, Washington, formed in 1999. Since 2001, the band's line-up has included vocalist and rhythm guitarist Duff McKagan , lead guitarist Mike Squires and bassist Jeff Rouse Loaded (also known as Duff McKagan's Loaded) is an American hard rock band...
, including contributing to the album Dark Days. Dederer also played bass in the Seattle band Juke and produced songs for singer/songwriter Gerald Collier. Finn played drums for several bands, including Nevada Bachelors
Nevada Bachelors
Nevada Bachelors were an American rock band from Seattle, Washington, formed in 1997. The band's lineup consisted of Robb Benson , Mike Squires and Ben Brunn . Dusty Hayes was the band's drummer from their formation until 1999, and was replaced by Jason Finn...
, The Fastbacks and Love Battery
Love Battery
Love Battery is an American grunge band from Seattle, Washington.For the most part Love Battery was an unusual group in the early '90s Seattle music scene, blending intense swirling psychedelic guitar work, pulsating rhythms, driving beats and heartfelt vocals derived from '60s garage/psych, '70s...
, his original band.
In 1998, the group appeared on the album Happy Hour
Happy Hour (Shonen Knife album)
Happy Hour is a 1998 album by the Japanese rock trio Shonen Knife. The cover artwork is by Yoshitomo Nara. It is the last album by the group with their original bass guitarist, Michie Nakatani.-Track listing:...
by Japanese female rockers Shonen Knife
Shonen Knife
Shonen Knife, written in Japanese characters as 少年ナイフ, which transliterates as Shōnen Naifu, literally "Boy Knife," is an all-female Japanese pop-punk band formed in Osaka, Japan, in 1981...
(also a three piece); they did backing vocals on the song "Sushi Bar".
The Presidents also collaborated with Sir Mix-A-Lot
Sir Mix-a-Lot
Anthony Ray , better known by his stage name Sir Mix-a-Lot, is an emcee and producer based in Seattle, Washington. The founder of the Nastymix record label, he debuted in 1988 with Swass...
as Subset, a short-lived rock and hip-hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
band. They had a brief tour and recorded several songs, but never released an album. The band broke up because Sir Mix-A-Lot wanted to take the band in a harder, more electronic direction, but Finn and Dederer were not interested.
In 2000, Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
released Lump, a discount greatest hits compilation, without the band's approval or collaboration.
Brief reformation (2000–2003)
The Presidents reunited in 2000 to release a new single, "Jupiter," on MUSICBLITZ Records. Because of the single's popularity, the label convinced the band to release a new album. Freaked Out & Small was released that year to critical praise. The band did not tour on or promote the album, which quietly sold 25,000 copies as MUSICBLITZ, an early digital music player, quickly went bankrupt.Afterwards, the band members once again went their own ways. Ballew continued to produce and record his own work and collaborated with Tad Hutchison of The Young Fresh Fellows as The Chris and Tad Show. Also during this time, The Young Fresh Fellows recorded a song, "Good Times Rock 'N' Roll", about The Presidents, which appeared on the 2001 album Because We Hate You
Because We Hate You
Because We Hate You is an album by American rock group the Young Fresh Fellows, one half of a split album with The Minus 5, released in 2001 on Mammoth Records.-Track listing:#"Barky's Spiritual Store"#"Lonely Spartanburg Flower Stall"...
.
Full reformation (2004–present)
Love Everybody
Love Everybody is the fourth album by The Presidents of the United States of America. It was released on August 17, 2004 on the band's own label, PUSA Inc.When the album was released in the UK in 2005, it featured four bonus tracks...
on their newly formed indie label PUSA Inc.. As with their previous albums, it received praise from many critics. Two singles from the album have been released through the Apple
Apple Computer
Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation that designs and markets consumer electronics, computer software, and personal computers. The company's best-known hardware products include the Macintosh line of computers, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad...
iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
store. In late 2004, the rights to the debut album were returned to the band, who have since reissued the album through PUSA Inc. twice: once as a Ten Year Anniversary edition with extra tracks, and again in the spring of 2006 in a low-price edition.
Andrew McKeag, Seattle guitarist (formerly of Uncle Joe's Big Ol' Driver, Shuggie, The Black Panties and others), joined the band on guitbass in late 2004, as an occasional live-performance stand-in for Dave Dederer, who had expressed an interest in spending more time with his family. Since late 2007, Andrew started touring full-time with the band, and later replaced Dederer.
Dederer has played live with the band in concerts in Seattle on occasion.
In November 2007, it was announced that the band's next album would be entitled These Are the Good Times People
These Are the Good Times People
These Are the Good Times People is the fifth album by The Presidents of the United States of America. It was released on March 11, 2008. This is their first album to feature Andrew McKeag instead of Dave Dederer on guitbass.-Track listing:...
, which was released on March 11, 2008. They did a live webcast celebrating the albums release from Easy Street records: http://app.synclive.com?show/17772
In December 2007 KEXP
KEXP
KEXP-FM is a public radio station based in Seattle, Washington, that specializes in alternative and indie rock programmed by its disc jockeys. Its broadcasting license is owned by the University of Washington, which operates the station in a partnership with Paul Allen's Experience Music Project...
played the new song "Bad Times." On February 1, 2008, 107.7-The End
KNDD
KNDD , also known as "107.7 The End", is an alternative rock radio station in Seattle, Washington. It is operated by Entercom Communications Its studios are located in the Metropolitan Park West tower between Downtown and South Lake Union in Seattle...
(a Seattle radio station) played the first single from the Presidents' new album, title "Mixed Up S.O.B." The music video for the song was directed by "Weird Al" Yankovic. On June 15, 2008, they played for Pet-Aid 2008 in Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
.
In October 2008, "Lump" was released on the video game Rock Band 2
Rock Band 2
Rock Band 2 is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems. It is the sequel to Rock Band and is the second title in the series. The game allows up to four players to simulate the performance of popular songs by playing with controllers modeled after musical instruments...
. "Ladybug
Ladybug (The Presidents of the United States of America song)
"Ladybug" is the second single from The Presidents of the United States of America's album These Are the Good Times People. On November 4, 2008 the song was released as downloadable content for the video game Rock Band along with the songs "Dune Buggy" and "Feather Pluckn" as the Presidents of the...
", "Feather Pluck'n," and "Dune Buggy" were released as downloadable content for the game on November 4, 2008.
Around 2006, Chris Ballew began collaborating with Seattle-based rapper Outtasite as The Feelings Hijackers. They have done local shows and have released two albums.
In the summer of 2009, The Presidents performed in San Diego at the North Park Music Thing Music & Media Festival which only showcases local bands. Apparently, the new President's guitar player is a San Diegan. In 2009, in addition to his continued work with The Presidents, Ballew began recording and performing as children's artist Caspar Babypants
Caspar Babypants
-History:Ballew's first brush with children's music came in 2002 when he recorded and donated an album of traditional children's songs to the nonprofit Program for Early Parent Support titled "PEPS Sing A Long!" Having a son and daughter himself, he enjoyed making the record but didn't think about...
. In September 2010, The Presidents performed during halftime of the UW-Syracuse game at Husky Stadium
Husky Stadium
Husky Stadium is an outdoor athletic stadium on the campus of the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the home of the Washington Huskies...
.
On March 5, 2011, The Presidents performed a new tribute song, "Can't Stop (Catchin' 'Em All)" at the Nintendo World launch event for the video games Pokémon Black and White
Pokémon Black and White
are role-playing games developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS. They are the first installments in the fifth generation of the Pokémon series of role-playing games...
.
Politics
The band performed for PresidentPresident
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
at a 1994 Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
fundraiser in Seattle. The band also supported John Kerry
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...
in the 2004 U.S. presidential election. On January 17, 2009, The Presidents released a single on the National Public Radio show Weekend America
Weekend America
Weekend America was a weekly public radio program dealing with news, popular culture, the arts and more. The program was produced for American Public Media and hosted by John Moe in Saint Paul, Minnesota....
called "Moving In," detailing the journey of Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
in celebration of his inauguration as president.
The former Governor of Washington State, Gary Locke
Gary Locke
Gary Locke may refer to:*Gary Locke , Chinese American politician; U.S. Secretary of Commerce and former Governor of Washington*Gary Locke *Gary Locke...
, is featured on the backing vocals of "Volcano" (Live) [Ten Year Super Bonus Special Anniversary Edition].
Instruments
Ballew and Dederer/McKeag play a basitar and guitbass, which are regular, six-string guitarGuitar
The 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...
s with special modifications: Ballew's instrument has two bass strings (with which he plays bass parts), and Dederer/McKeag's instrument has three guitar strings (used to play guitar parts). The original idea came from Morphine
Morphine (band)
Morphine was an American alternative rock group formed by Mark Sandman and Dana Colley in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1989. They disbanded in 1999 after frontman Sandman died of a heart attack....
frontman Mark Sandman
Mark Sandman
Mark Sandman was an American singer, songwriter, musical instrument inventor and multi-instrumentalist.An indie rock icon and longtime fixture on the Boston/Cambridge music scene, Sandman was best known as the lead singer and slide bass player of the band Morphine...
, with whom Ballew had previously worked.
Guitars modified in this way use heavy-gauge strings for a heavier sound and are normally tuned in Drop D
Drop D tuning
Drop D tuning, also known as DADGBE, is an alternate, or scordatura, form of guitar tuning — specifically, a dropped tuning — in which the lowest string is tuned down from the usual E of standard tuning by one whole step to D.- Uses of drop D tuning :In drop D the three bass strings...
, though the Presidents play half a step lower in C#.
For a basitar, the strings are placed in the D and G positions. Chris uses a .60 gauge string tuned to C# and a .36 tuned to G#.
On a guitbass, the strings are placed in the A, D, and G positions. .54 gauge tuned to C#, .42 to G#, and a .32 gauge tuned to C#.
Finn's drum kit is currently supplied by Slingerland; his cymbal
Cymbal
Cymbals are a common percussion instrument. Cymbals consist of thin, normally round plates of various alloys; see cymbal making for a discussion of their manufacture. The greater majority of cymbals are of indefinite pitch, although small disc-shaped cymbals based on ancient designs sound a...
s are a variety of Sabian
Sabian (company)
Sabian is a Canadian cymbal designer and manufacturer. It is a leading manufacturer of cymbals along with other top companies such as Zildjian, Paiste, and Meinl.-History:...
s.
Members
- Chris BallewChris BallewChristopher "Chris" Ballew is a member of the alternative rock group The Presidents of the United States of America and performs as a children's artist under the pseudonym Caspar Babypants....
- vocals, bass guitar (1993–present) - Dave DedererDave DedererDave Dederer, best known as guitarist and singer for The Presidents of the United States of America, was born on October 5, 1964. An alumnus of Seattle, Washington's The Bush School and Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, he founded The Presidents with fellow Bush School alumnus...
- guitar, vocals (1993–2004) - Jason FinnJason Finn (musician)Jason Finn is a drummer and singer for The Presidents of the United States of America. He was previously the drummer of Love Battery until 1995 , when he joined Chris Ballew and Dave Dederer to form The Presidents of the United States of America...
- drums, vocals (1993–present) - Andrew McKeag – guitar, vocals (2004–present)
Studio albums
- The Presidents of the United States of AmericaThe Presidents of the United States of America (album)Critical reception to The Presidents of the United States of America was mainly positive. The Allmusic review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine awarded the album 4 out of 5 stars and stated: "It's novelty punk...
(1995) - IIII (The Presidents of the United States of America album)II is the second album by The Presidents of the United States of America. It was released via Columbia Records on November 5, 1996, which was Election Day in the United States, which included voting for the President.-Background:...
(1996) - Pure FrostingPure FrostingPure Frosting is a compilation album by The Presidents of the United States of America. It was released on March 10, 1998.It was, at the time, the band's last album, as they had broken up in 1998...
(1998) - Freaked Out and SmallFreaked Out and SmallFreaked Out and Small is the third album by The Presidents of the United States of America. It was released in 2000 by MUSICBLITZ Records, which was a web based label. Copies of the album distributed through MUSICBLITZ included in the liner notes a special thanks to anyone who pre-ordered it from...
(2000) - Love EverybodyLove EverybodyLove Everybody is the fourth album by The Presidents of the United States of America. It was released on August 17, 2004 on the band's own label, PUSA Inc.When the album was released in the UK in 2005, it featured four bonus tracks...
(2004) - These Are the Good Times PeopleThese Are the Good Times PeopleThese Are the Good Times People is the fifth album by The Presidents of the United States of America. It was released on March 11, 2008. This is their first album to feature Andrew McKeag instead of Dave Dederer on guitbass.-Track listing:...
(2008)
Chart information
- "KittyKitty (song)"Kitty" is the name of the third single by the post-grunge/alternative rock band The Presidents of the United States of America. The song, along with "Lump", and "Peaches" helped propel Presidents of the United States of America to a platinum level....
" (1995, #13 U.S. Modern Rock) - "LumpLump (song)"Lump" is a song by alternative rock band The Presidents of the United States of America. It was released in 1995 and featured on their self-titled debut album. The song reached #1 on Billboards Modern Rock Tracks chart in 1995. Later in the same year, it debuted on the Album Rock Tracks chart, and...
" (1995, #26 U.S., #15 UKUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, #1 U.S. Modern Rock, #7 U.S. Mainstream Rock) - "Peaches" (1995, #29 U.S., #8 UK, #8 U.S. Modern Rock, #24 U.S. Mainstream Rock)
- "Dune BuggyDune Buggy (song)"Dune Buggy" is the name of the seventh single by the post-grunge band The Presidents of the United States of America. "Dune Buggy" was the last single released from their highly successful debut album....
" (1996, UK #15) - "Mach 5Mach 5 (song)"Mach 5" is the name of the eighth single by the post-grunge band The Presidents of the United States of America. The single was released from their album II.-Initial pressing:# "Mach 5" - 3:15# "Tremelo Blooz" - 2:50# "Tiki Lounge God" - 3:10...
" (1996, #29 UK, #11 U.S. Modern Rock, #24 U.S. Mainstream Rock) - "Video Killed The Radio Star" (1998, #52 UK)
- "Some PostmanSome Postman"Some Postman" is a song by the band The Presidents of the United States of America, from their fourth album Love Everybody, which was released in 2004...
" (2004, #31 U.S. Modern Rock)
Music videos
| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | "Lump Lump Lump is a 2000 greatest hits compilation album by The Presidents of the United States of America.The album includes three covers: "Video Killed the Radio Star", originally by The Buggles, "Kick Out the Jams", originally by MC5 and "Cleveland Rocks", originally by Ian Hunter.Unusual for a "Greatest... " |
Roman Coppola Roman Coppola Roman Coppola is an American film director and music video director.-Early life:Coppola was born in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, the son of set decorator/artist Eleanor Coppola and Francis Ford Coppola. Coppola was born in the American Hospital in Neuilly-sur-Seine while his father was in Paris... |