Dan Schafer (born January 18, 1970), better known by his stage name Dan Vapid, is a punk rock musician from

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

, United States. He is best known for his participation in

Screeching Weasel Screeching Weasel is an American punk rock band consisting of Ben Weasel (vocals), Mike Kennerty (guitar), Mike Hunchback (guitar), Zach "Poutine" Brandner (bass) and Pierre Marche (drums). Screeching Weasel is originally from the Chicago subur ...

The Riverdales The Riverdales were an American punk rock band from Chicago, Illinois, United States, made up of Screeching Weasel members. Bassist Dan Vapid (Dan Schafer) and guitarist Ben Weasel (Ben Foster) are heavily influenced by the Ramones' sound and b ...

The Methadones The Methadones were a band formed in 1993 by guitarist/vocalist Dan Vapid. The Methadones initially lasted only a few shows before Vapid put them to the side to focus on his main band Screeching Weasel. By 1999 Dan was no longer a member of Scree ...

, and various other punk rock/

pop punk Pop punk (or punk pop) is a rock music genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop. It is defined for its emphasis on classic pop songcraft, as well as adolescent and anti-suburbia themes, and is distinguished from other pu ...

bands. His current band is

Dan Vapid and the Cheats Dan Vapid and the Cheats are a pop punk band from Chicago that features former members of Screeching Weasel, The Riverdales, The Methadones, Noise By Numbers, The Vindictives, Sludgeworth and The Bomb. History Following the demise of Screeching ...

Generation Waste

Schafer's first band was the

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier punk ...

band Generation Waste, formed in 1985. They were around for 4 years and recorded one album, which remains unreleased. He was the vocalist and the other band members were Ted Domurat (later of Gear) on guitar, Frank Ciampi (later of Tension Wire, Devastation, Mindfunk) on bass and Dave Juarez on drums. Juarez was later replaced by Pat Buckley (later of Gear,

The Vindictives The Vindictives are an American, Chicago-based punk rock group, founded by singer and songwriter Joey Vindictive in 1991, releasing 12 EPs and albums by July 1996. History They began their career in 1991, cutting their first 7-inch record later ...

(as "P.J. Parti")).

Screeching Weasel

In 1989, Schafer became the bass player for

, though he switched back and forth from bass to guitar several times over the band's history. He performs under the pseudonym Dan Vapid or Danny Vapid, although he was originally called Sewercap when he joined the band. Screeching Weasel disbanded when Schafer and Brian Vermin, the drummer, quit the band to concentrate on their side project,

Sludgeworth Sludgeworth is an American punk rock band from Chicago, Illinois, United States, consisting of Dan Schafer (vocals), Adam White (guitar), Dave McClean (guitar), Mike Hootenstrat (bass), and Brian Vermin (drums). The band was formed in 1989 as ...

. Schafer spoke about his time with Screeching Weasel in a March 2011 interview with Jason Duarte for Squid Pro Quo. Screeching Weasel has been through many incarnations, some which include Schafer and some which do not. He was the guitarist for the 2011 version of the band, which did not include founding member John Jughead. That version of the band ended on March 23, 2011 when all the members quit the band following an incident at

SXSW South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Te ...

Sludgeworth

was formed in 1989 as a side project from Screeching Weasel for Schafer (vocals) and Vermin (drums). Completing the line-up were Adam White (guitar), Dave McClean (guitar) and Mike Hootenstrat (bass). The band broke up in 1992 shortly after Schafer rejoined Screeching Weasel.

The Riverdales

The

Riverdales The Riverdales were an American punk rock band from Chicago, Illinois, United States, made up of Screeching Weasel members. Bassist Dan Vapid (Dan Schafer) and guitarist Ben Weasel (Ben Foster) are heavily influenced by the Ramones' sound and b ...

were formed in 1994 by three members of Screeching Weasel (Ben Foster, Dan Schafer, and Dan Sullivan) when the former band disbanded. Just like with Screeching Weasel, Schafer played bass for the Riverdales but this time also shared lead vocals with Foster. They released their self-titled debut album in 1995 and their second album '' Storm the Streets'' in 1997 before the band broke up after Screeching Weasel reformed. They reformed in 2003 to release their third (and supposedly final) album. They once again reformed in 2008 and released albums in 2009 and 2010. The band has been inactive since March 23, 2011 when all of the members quit on

Ben Weasel Benjamin Foster (born 1968), also known as Ben Weasel, is an American musician, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the punk rock band Screeching Weasel. Early life Foster was born in 1968, and was raised in Prospect Heights, Ill ...

under bad circumstances at a Screeching Weasel show.

The Queers

Schafer played guitar for

The Queers The Queers are an American punk rock band, formed in 1981 by the Portsmouth, New Hampshire native Joseph “Joe” P. King (a.k.a. Joe Queer) along with Scott Gildersleeve (a.k.a. Tulu), and John “Jack” Hayes (a.k.a. Wimpy Rutherford). With ...

in 1994 and 2002. He is present on The Queer's third studio album ''

Beat Off ''Beat Off'' is the fourth studio album by the American punk rock band the Queers, released in 1994 by Lookout! Records. Recorded during a time when the Queers' usual drummer, Hugh O'Neill, was on a forced leave of absence from the band to deal ...

'' (1994), '' Suck This'' (1995) and the '' Surf Goddess'' EP (1994).

The Mopes and The Methadones

The Mopes were a side-project for Schafer (vocals, guitar) and B-Face (bass). The line-up was completed with John Jughead (guitar) and Dan Lumley (drums). The band existed from 1996 through 1998. The Methadones were a side project that Schafer began in 1993 but sat on the back-burner for a number of years. In 1999, Schafer re-launched the group, recruiting former Mopes B-Face and Dan Lumley to record an album, ''Ill at Ease''. After the recording, he established a new, Chicago-based line up. The Chicago line-up included Schafer (vocals, guitar), Mike Byrne (guitar), Sensitive Pete (bass) and Mike Soucy (drums). The band disbanded in 2010.

Noise By Numbers

Noise By Numbers was formed in 2008 with Schafer (vocals, guitar), Jeff Dean (guitar), Rick Uncapher (bass) and Neil Hennessy (drums). Hennessy left after the first album and was replaced by Jimmy Lucido. A second album was released in July 2011.

Dan Vapid and the Cheats

Following the demise of Screeching Weasel after the SXSW debacle, Schafer formed a new band called

featuring bassist Simon Lamb (from Screeching Weasel and the Riverdales), guitarist Mike Byrne and drummer Mike Soucy (both from the Methadones). The band recorded a studio album in October 2011, with Justin Perkins producing, at the Mystery Room.

Partial discography

Screeching Weasel * ''

Punkhouse ''Punkhouse'' is the first EP by the Chicago-based punk rock band Screeching Weasel. The EP was originally released on 7-inch vinyl with a limited pressing of 500 copies on July 7, 1989 through Limited Potential Records. It was the band's only no ...

'' (1989) * ''

My Brain Hurts ''My Brain Hurts'' is the third studio album by the Chicago-based punk rock band Screeching Weasel. The album was originally released on CD, vinyl and cassette in September 1991 through Lookout Records. It was the group's first album on Lookout as ...

'' (1991) * ''

Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite achieving a limited commercial appeal in the United ...

'' (1992) * '' Wiggle'' (1993) * ''

Anthem for a New Tomorrow ''Anthem for a New Tomorrow'' is the sixth studio album by the American punk rock band Screeching Weasel. It was released in 1993 through Lookout! Records. According to ''Contemporary Musician'', ''Anthem for a New Tomorrow'' is "widely regarded ...

'' (1993) * ''

Bark Like a Dog ''Bark Like a Dog'' is the eighth studio album by the American punk rock band Screeching Weasel. It was released in 1996 through Fat Wreck Chords. It was the band's first album released through Fat Wreck Chords. It was also the band's first albu ...

'' (1996) * '' First World Manifesto'' (2011) Sludgeworth * ''What's This?'' (1991) * ''Losers of the Year'' (1995) The Queers * ''

'' (1994) * '' Surf Goddess'' (1995) * '' Suck This'' (1995) Riverdales * ''

'' (1995) * '' Storm the Streets'' (1997) * '' Phase Three'' (2003) * '' Invasion U.S.A.'' (2009) * ''

Tarantula Tarantulas comprise a group of large and often hairy spiders of the family Theraphosidae. , 1,040 species have been identified, with 156 genera. The term "tarantula" is usually used to describe members of the family Theraphosidae, although ...

'' (2010) The Mopes * ''Lowdown, Two-Bit, Sidewinder'' (1996) * ''Accident Waiting to Happen'' (1998) The Methadones * '' Ill at Ease'' (2001) * '' Career Objective'' (2003) * '' Not Economically Viable'' (2004) * '' 21st Century Power Pop Riot'' (2006) * '' This Won't Hurt...'' (2007) * ''The Methadones/The Copyrights Split'' (2008) * ''

'' (2010) Ben Weasel * ''

Fidatevi ''Fidatevi'' is the first solo album released by American punk rock band Screeching Weasel frontman Ben Weasel. The album was released on June 18, 2002 on Panic Button Records. Weasel has said that the lyrics on the album "Are based on experien ...

'' (2002) * ''The Brain That Wouldn't Die'' (2009) Noise by Numbers * ''Yeah, Whatever...'' (2009) * ''Over Leavitt'' (2011) Dan Vapid and the Cheats * ''Dan Vapid and the Cheats'' (2012) * ''Two'' (2013) * ''Three'' (2019) Solo albums * ''All Wound Up'' (2016) * ''All Wound Up Vol. 2'' (2018)

Philanthropy

Schafer contributed a song on the charity album for

Children's Memorial Hospital Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, formerly Children's Memorial Hospital and commonly known as Lurie Children's, is a nationally ranked pediatric acute care children's hospital located in Chicago, Illinois. The hospital has 3 ...

by the Chicago

super group ''Super Group'' is an album by the Japanese rock music, rock trio Shonen Knife. It was released in Japan on 7 November 2008, in the USA on 20 May 2009, and in the UK and Europe in 2010. The original Japanese CD issue was released as a mini-LP ca ...

The Black Sheep Band The Black Sheep Band is a Chicago-based punk rock supergroup that made a record for charity in 2011 called ''A Chicago Punk Rock Collaboration For The Kids, Vol 1''. Members of the band include well-known musicians and punk pioneers such as Jak ...

, ''A Chicago Punk Rock Collaboration for the Kids, Vol 1''. He plays guitar on all the tracks as well.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vapid, Dan 1970 births Living people American rock bass guitarists American rock guitarists American male bass guitarists American punk rock guitarists American punk rock singers American rock singers Guitarists from Illinois 20th-century American bass guitarists The Methadones members Screeching Weasel members The Queers members Riverdales members Dan Vapid and the Cheats members The Bomb (band) members 20th-century American male musicians Noise by Numbers members