Wheatus
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History
Wheatus was formed by Brendan B. Brown in 1998. Brendan wrote a few songs, enlisted the help of his brother Pete on drums and Rich Leigey on bass (he was replaced by Mike McCabe after the release of their self-titled debut Wheatus).
Wheatus' first and largest hit was the single "Teenage Dirtbag", their second single "A Little Respect" (an Erasure cover) also reached the higher regions of the charts. Their third single, a double A-side of "Leroy" and "Wannabe Gangstar" (the single-version of the latter featuring Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden) performed less well.
When the band began work on their second album Liz Brown (the sister of the brothers Brown) and Kathryn Froggat (the band's merchandiser) teamed up for backing vocals. Shannon Harris, of Relish (who had supported Wheatus on their earlier tours), signed on as keyboardist, at the request of Brendan.
Due to disagreements with their record label, primarily caused by Brendan Brown's insistence on self-producing the album (as he had done with their debut), Wheatus' second album, Hand Over Your Loved Ones, received little or no promotion and did not sell well, with the single "American In Amsterdam" failing to significantly impact the music charts. In October 2004 Michael Bellar joined Wheatus on keyboard, as former keyboarder Shannon Harris had left the band earlier that year. The band re-released their second album in 2005 under the title Suck Fony on their own label Montauk Mantis with two new songs, "William McGovern" and the Pat Benatar cover "Hit Me With Your Best Shot". The album is only available from the band's website, except in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, where a higher proliferation of record stores are independently owned, and the band were able to get a distribution contract despite the relative obscurity of their record label.
Mike McCabe (bass) left the band in early 2005. He has not yet been replaced.
Members
- Brendan B. Brown – vocals, guitar
- Pete Brown – drums
- Liz Brown – back-up vocals
- Kathryn Froggatt– back-up vocals
- Michael Bellar – keyboards
Former members
- Rich Leigey - bass
- Vanessa Jimenez - back-up vocals
- Philip A. Jimenez - keyboards
- Shannon Harris - keyboards
- Mike McCabe - bass
Discography
Albums
- Wheatus - (2000)
- Hand Over Your Loved Ones - (2003)
- Suck Fony - (2005) re-release of Hand Over Your Loved Ones with two new tracks
- Too Soon Monsoon (to be released later in 2005)
Singles
- "Teenage Dirtbag" (2001)
- "A Little Respect" (2001)
- "Wannabe Gangstar"/"Leroy" (2002)
- "American In Amsterdam" (2003)
iTunes exclusives
External link
- www.wheatus.com
- Wheatus Online (http://www.wheatus-online.com)