Dan Schafer

Dan Schafer has been a part of Chicago's punk scene since the mid 1980's. Although usually credited under his real name, his best known by his psuedonym "Dan Vapid", which he used during his tenure in Screeching Weasel. Schafer got his start singing for hardcore bands, but since the late '80's, he has focused on playing pop-punk.

Screeching Weasel

See main article: Screeching Weasel

Nationally, Schafer is best recognized for his stints in Screeching Weasel. In the liner notes of SW's 1995 Kill The Musicians compilation, Ben Weasel noted that Schafer seemed to attend virtually every local show the band played prior to joining the group. In 1989, Schafer approached the band about becoming their bassist after the previous bass player had left the group. Initially christened "Sewercap" by the group, Schafer's stint in the band was short-lived. He and drummer Brian Vermin formed the side-project Sludgeworth that same year and that would soon lead to the break up of Screeching Weasel. Screeching Weasel played a reunion show in 1991, after which Schafer proposed the idea of reforming the group. Now renamed "Dan Vapid", Schafer played 2nd guitar for the group until more line up changes eventually pushed him back into his former role as bassist. He quit the group again in early 1994 and the band dissolved a few months later. Screeching Weasel reunited again in 1996 but Schafer left permanently in 1997. He did appear with the group in some one-off reunion shows in 2004. He was with the band again in 2009 was Ben Weasel resurrected Screeching Weasel for live appearences. There is no word at this time whether or not the band will record again.

Sludgeworth

See main article: Sludgeworth

Dan Schafer was the singer of this popular quintet from 1989 until 1993. The group split because Schafer wanted to continue with more of the pop-punk sound they were popular for while the other members wanted to pursue more of a funk and alternative rock direction. He has done several reunion shows with the group.

Riverdales

See main article: The Riverdales

In 1995, Schafer reunited with former Screeching Weasel vocalist Ben Foster (aka Ben Weasel) and drummer Dan Sullivan (aka Dan Panic) to form this heavily Ramones-influence band. In the band, Schafer played bass and split songwriting and singing duties with Ben. Their song "Back To You", sung by Schafer, was featured in the movie Angus [1]. The group also performed on a European tour with Green Day, which has been blamed by Ben Foster as the catalyst for the Riverdales' early demise (the group called in quits in 1997). In 2003, Schafer and Foster reunited with a new drummer to record a new LP. The band went on hiatus after that but returned in 2009 with a new drummer and a new record.

The Mopes

The Mopes were a short-lived late-'90s project featuring Dan, Jughead from Screeching Weasel, former Queers bassist B-Face, and drummer Dan Lumley. They released 2 CDs on Lookout Records but only made a few (3 or 4) live performances.

The Methadones

The Methadones started a side-project in 1993, but Schafer resurrected the band (in which he plays guitar and sings) in 1999. It has since remained his main band. The group has several albums and features members of the The Bomb, Jeff Pezzati's band.

Noise By Numbers

Noise By Numbers is another project for Dan which also includes Jeff Dean of The Bomb. The band's first album is scheduled to be released by Asian Man Records in November 2009.

Other Bands

Schafer got his start singing for the hardcore bands Igor Skulls and Generation Waste in the mid '80's. Generation Waste recorded an LP but it appears to have gone unreleased in their lifetime and an attempt to issue it posthumously by guitarist Ted Domurat was stalled when he could not get all of the other members to agree to the release. Dan also made an appearance as a "Slaughterette" on the 1987 LP Those Who Laugh Last...Laugh Alone by Impulse Manslaughter. In 1994, Schafer toured as 2nd guitarist for the Queers, and is credited for playing on their 1994 LP Beat Off.