Early years (1992 - 2000)
In 1993, drummer Trevor Reilly, guitarist John Carvalho and bassist Jonathan Teves formed the band Adam's Crack and recorded a Nirvana-inspired demo cassette. In 1994 Reilly and Carvalho started a side band with Nuno Pereira on vocals, and others. The side band played one show before disbanding. Members from the two bands would merge into one, taking the name Koen. The lineup of Koen consisted of Pereira (vocals), Reilly (drums), Teves (bass), Carvalho (rhythm guitar) and friend Mat Demelo (lead guitar and trumpet). Under the name Koen, the band released one cassette titled "The Big Fall...", this time with their sound evolving more into skate punk and ska. In 1997, the band changed its name again, this time to Smackin' Isaiah, and released a cassette titled "Give Girls More Beer...". Mat Demelo left the band shortly after. During this time, Reilly would switch between drumming and guitar duties, with an unknown drummer playing in the band for a brief amount of time. Nicholas Angelini was eventually tapped to play drums on a permanent basis. In 1998, the band released another demo cassette, titled "Gets Eaten Alive".
Tank Records era (2000 - 2001)
The band's first CD release was on Tank Records, a record label created by Carvalho and Teves. The CD was a split release with the bands Moronique and Merrick, entitled "6:6:6" after the number of tracks each band contributed. Soon after, the band released its debut album, "The Way to a Girl's Heart Is Through Her Boyfriend's Stomach". The band considers this their first "real" release, as all the songs had been written after Angelini joined the band. In retrospect, they consider it their most cheerful record. It was reissued the following year on All About Records, but the band stayed with Tank Records to release its second album, "Benefits Of Thinking Out Loud. During the album's recording, the band members had a strained relationship as they argued over its production. Six outtakes from the album's recording sessions were compiled onto an EP entitled "The Champagne of Bands... We Know Sexy" released by Fork in Hand Records. Following its release, Carvalho left the band. Christopher Levesque quickly replaced him.
Final name change and move to Nitro (2002 - present)
With the band moving to a more serious style with Benefits, they decided to once more change their name, finally settling on A Wilhelm Scream. Signing with new label Jump Start Records, they re-released "Benefits of Thinking Out Loud" under their new name. After touring the United States and Canada a few times, they then began recording their next album, "Mute Print", with Jump Start Records. For the recording of the album, the band decided to put "as much shit as you can possibly fit into a song and pull off live" into the songs, to which they attribute their faster, more aggressive and more technical sound. The album was produced by Bill Stevenson and Jason Livermore, whom the band looked up to. Although the album was finished while the band was signed to Jump Start Records, the rights to the album were then bought by Nitro Records, who released it in 2004.
Only a year after "Mute Print", the band released a second record on Nitro Records, again produced by Stevenson and Livermore. The record, entitled "Ruiner", was released on August 16, 2005. Following stress from touring, founding member Jonathan Teves left the band, and was replaced by bassist Curtiss Lopez. They then embarked on their first European tour with Lagwagon, and also toured with Less than Jake. Midway through the latter tour, Lopez abruptly quit the band. This left A Wilhelm Scream without a permanent bassist until Brian J. Robinson joined in April. The band continued to tour throughout 2006. They also released an 7-inch Extended play titled "Diver" on Jump Start Records. This was because the title track was recorded during the "Mute Print" sessions, but left off the album, and thus was not purchased by Nitro Records.
In 2007, the band returned to the studio with Stevenson and Livermore to record their third album with Nitro Records. The record, according to the band, was "very, very fast" and a few songs were dropped for not being fast enough. The record, "Career Suicide", was released on October 9, 2007. However, only two weeks before its street date, long-time guitarist Chris Levesque announced that he was leaving the band, elaborating with the following statement:
"I have maintained for the duration of my time in Smackin' Isaiah/A Wilhelm Scream that when it stopped being fun, I would give it up. The bottom line here is that I just don't enjoy the day-in, day-out grind of being on tour anymore.... There are no personal or creative differences between any of us. None of that bullshit. I still love this band and everything it stands for. The six years that I've spent in SI/AWS have been the best of my life. We've accomplished more than I ever expected, and I take with me with more amazing memories than most people experience in a lifetime."
The band began their tour in support of "Career Suicide" with several rotating guitarists, before Mike Supina, formerly of the Detroit-based band Alucard, was announced as Levesque's permanent replacement. The tour brought the band to over eighteen different countries, finishing in September 2008. Following its conclusion, guitarist Trevor Reilly announced in his blog that the band would take a break for the rest of the year, but implied that they would write new songs soon.
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Famous Friends And Fashion Drunks
A Wilhelm Scream Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You'd never chase another dream again.
All you wanted was an answer, not just to suffer. Who are you weighing down?
All you wanted was the offer, not just to suffer. And it's not the end.
Rule 6 is to hold that tongue.
Because you're fucked if you forget: rules 3 and 4 and 5 were made by them.
All you wanted was an answer, not just to suffer. Who are you weighing down?
But down the road, you'll want to shut me out instead. Right.
You'll want to shut me out. You'll fit in real well.
Successful. Shock the world. But you'll never learn.
People: units sold. You can drop the role.
Let's call us what we are now.
The lyrics of "Famous Friends And Fashion Drunks" by A Wilhelm Scream serve as a commentary on the music industry and the pressures imposed on artists to conform to a certain image for the sake of success. The song lays out a series of rules, presumably set forth by industry insiders, that the singer is struggling to follow. Rules such as "hang up your phone" and "hold that tongue" suggest that the singer is being instructed to prioritize pleasing those in power over pursuing their own creative endeavors.
The refrain of the song ("All you wanted was an answer, not just to suffer. Who are you weighing down?") reveals an internal conflict within the singer - on one hand, they desire success and recognition, but on the other, they don't want to compromise their integrity or hurt others in the process. The line "But down the road, you'll want to shut me out instead" suggests that the singer anticipates feeling isolated and left behind as their peers conform and move ahead in their careers.
Line by Line Meaning
Rule one, is hang up your phone, because if you knew what's next,
The first rule is to stop using your phone, as knowing what the future holds will shatter all your dreams.
You'd never chase another dream again.
You'll cease to pursue your aspirations and lose your drive.
All you wanted was an answer, not just to suffer. Who are you weighing down?
You sought a solution, but it seems you're causing trouble for others. Who are you burdening?
All you wanted was the offer, not just to suffer. And it's not the end.
You sought an opportunity, and there's more yet to come.
Rule 6 is to hold that tongue.
The sixth rule advises you to keep your mouth shut.
Because you're fucked if you forget: rules 3 and 4 and 5 were made by them.
Forgetting the third, fourth, and fifth rules made by some anonymous entity will lead you to an unfortunate fate.
But down the road, you'll want to shut me out instead. Right.
In the future, you'll likely try to cut me off instead, won't you?
You'll want to shut me out. You'll fit in real well.
You'll try to exclude me, and that'll help you blend in with your peers.
Successful. Shock the world. But you'll never learn.
You'll achieve success and make headlines, but you won't gain any wisdom.
People: units sold. You can drop the role.
As people have become mere commodities, you may abandon your current role.
Let's call us what we are now.
It's time to face the reality of the situation and accept the truth.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
C7 PO
Man, so much nostalgia! These guys stayed with my friends and I twice when they were in town. Ate IHOP at 3AM with them, got high, watched movies and crashed. The next morning we sent them on their way only to do it again a couple years later. Awesome band and even better guys!
sharkbait491
This is lit!!
ArseLoad0fMetal666
Love this band so much, saw them on tour with Strike Anywhere and Pennywise a year or two back. I still think of them as a perfect fusion of the two bands styles
Faulther
Saw them play this opening for Strung Out and had no idea who they were..... immediately bought their albums from the merch booth and became a fan.
Mothergooch
Same. Haha.
Diego Gomez
Yup same thing
YOUarcade
Same here. I think it was in 2003-2004. Great times.
Mick Butler
Also same!
Luke
gotta thank jenn Fiorentino for covering these and turning me on to an amazing band
Alex Hernandez
true that!!!! hahah