SCREAM
Scream is an American hardcore punk band from Washington, DC that formed in 1979, straight out of high school and just before the Washington DC hardcore explosion. Known for their incendiary live performances, an urgent mix of punk, Bad Brains/Clash-inspired dub, and rock-and-roll swagger, the original lineup was vocalist Pete Stahl, guitarist Franz Stahl, bassist Enoch “Skeeter” Thompson, and drummer Kent Stacks. In 2023, Kent Stacks passed away after a bout with metastatic cancer and Scream is now joined by Andrew Black – known for his work with The Explosion, Battery and Straggler – on drums, and Gizz Butt of UK bands The Destructors, English Dogs, The Prodigy and Janus Stark on second guitar.
Scream’s first album, Still Screaming (1982), was the first LP on DC’s Dischord Records, followed by This Side Up in 1984. The band toured throughout the US and were one of the first US hardcore bands to tour Europe and the UK. In 1987, they released Banging the Drum, which was recorded at Southern Studios in London by John Loder. In 1988, No More Censorship was released on reggae label RAS Records. The album was the first to feature drummer Dave Grohl, who replaced Kent Stacks for both this album and Fumble (Dischord Records,1993).
After the 1990 implosion of Scream midway through a US tour, Dave Grohl went to Seattle to join Nirvana, and the Stahl brothers decided to start over in Los Angeles. Collectively and separately, everyone dove into other projects – Franz with The Foo Fighters, Pete with Goatsnake and earthlings?, Kent with The Suspects, Spitfire United, and The Old Dominion Trio, Enoch with the Muff Divers, Daddyface, Dub Itals and, most recently, with Rise Defy.
As a band, Scream continued to play occasional shows, mostly at home in the Washington DC area. After recording the EP Complete Control Sessions for Side One Dummy in 2011, the band began to tour more consistently, playing shows nationally and touring overseas to perform at festivals like Rebellion in Blackpool, UK, Different Sounds Festival in Poland and Punk Rock Holiday in Slovania. In 2023, Scream released their 5th album on Dischord, DC Special, toured with label mates Soulside, and supported NOFX on their Punk in Drublic Final tour.
As DC’s hardcore punk mythology continues to grow, interest in Scream has never waned. With an extensive discography—starting with the seminal Still Screaming – the band remains committed to the spirit that fueled them from the beginning. Their latest release, DC Special (2023), embodies the same sense of community and politics that inspired the band from the start. Guest musicians from the DC music community, both past and present, appear on DC Special, making this record a truly special collection of new music that speaks to the present and also tells the story of DC music, Scream, and the influences that shaped them.