Words by Jim Testa
Dan Schafer has been at the forefront of American pop-punk since the dawn of the ’90s, more commonly known to friends and fans alike as Dan Vapid. His resume includes stints in Screeching Weasel, The Queers, The Riverdales, The Methadones, The Mopes, and his own bands – Noise by Numbers and Dan Vapid & The Cheats. Schafer and Brian McQuaid (or Brian Vermin) joined Screeching Weasel for the “Punkhouse” EP at the end of the ’80s. When Weasel disbanded, Schafer recruited a group of friends to form Sludgeworth, Chicago kids who became a popular live act but only released on album, What’s This? in 1990 before fading into punk rock legend.
Now Sludgeworth is back with a new album, appropriately titled Second Time Around, with Schafer on guitar and lead vocals, McQuaid on drums, Dave McLean and Adam White on guitars, and new bassist Simon Lamb. It’s been 35 years but not much has changed: the album features the melodic chord progressions, distorted guitars, and inspirational vocals that helped define the Chicago punk sound generations ago.
Off Shelf: One of the nicest things about this Sludgeworth album – other than it’s very good – is that nobody expected it. I know you guys reunited for a compilation single and the shows at Riot Fest and Insubordination Fest, which I can’t believe was 18 years ago! From there, over the next two decades, what happened that ultimately resulted in this album?
Dan Vapid: Our record, Losers of the Year – a compilation of Sludgeworth’s album and other tracks on the now defunct Lookout! Records, had been out of print for years. The idea for a reissue was floated to Toby Jeg of Red Scare Records in 2022 and forward momentum was built from there.
OS: When people hear you sing – given the bands you’ve been in recently – they naturally think you wrote the song. But that’s not at all true with the Sludgeworth album. Can you explain how these songs were written, with you in Southern Illinois and the rest of the band in Chicagoland?
DV: The songwriting process was mostly them sending me music and I would put their parts together. Sometimes I would shorten or lengthen a section and add a part here or there. The lyrics and vocal melodies are mine. I did write some music but for the most part I was more like an editor.
OS: Have you guys talked about doing some live shows or even a tour? No one’s a kid anymore, people have jobs and families, so I know that would be difficult but I also know a lot of people would love to see you play.
DV: Well, we have a three-day stint with Teenage Bottle Rocket in July. We have two record release shows in Chicago in August. A date in Minneapolis in October. So, keeping busy somewhat! We’ll see what transpires but would love to come to the east coast.
OS: Listening to the album, I hear a theme – “carpe diem,” running through a lot of these songs. Was that intentional or something that just developed naturally?
DV: Probably both! (laughs) I think the message is important so it comes out naturally. That said, when refining a lyric, it then becomes intentional.
OS: Lots of critics say there is a “Chicago punk sound” – burly guitars, whoa-oh-oh choruses, and they cite bands like Naked Raygun, Effigies, and Smoking Popes. Do you think that it exists, and if so, does Sludgeworth fit into that template?
DV: Yes, we’re part of the Chicago sound. We were all influenced by Naked Raygun who paved the way.
OS: The press release says that you and Brian quit Screeching Weasel and started Sludgeworth. What was the timeline there? Did the two bands co-exist for a while?
DV: Weasel broke up and I started Sludgeworth, then Screeching Weasel got back together and I rejoined, playing in both bands at the same time.
OS: It’s been a few years since the Cheats released an album. Do you guys get together on a regular basis to rehearse, or is the band on hiatus in between projects?
DV: You can expect a Dan Vapid record but no more Cheats. It’s getting too logistically difficult to keep a steady lineup with where I live.
OS: You’ve made so many great records with so many different bands, have you ever thought about your legacy? What do you think Dan Vapid will be remembered for most? And what would Dan Schafer like to remembered for?
DV: It’s rare I ever think about any kind of legacy. I usually think of the next record I’m working on.