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 Bowling
For Soup
June 2, 2002
Punky power pop outfit Bowling
For Soup was formed in 1994 in Wichita Falls,
TX, featuring lead vocalist/guitarist Jaret Reddick,
guitarist/vocalist Chris Burney, bassist Erik Chandler,
and drummer Gary Wiseman. The group really began to
jell in 1997 when a heavy touring schedule helped
broaden their fan base and landed them opening spots
for nationally prominent punk and ska bands. The following
year, they recorded a debut EP for the local FFROE
label, titled Tell Me When to Whoa!; by now, their
base of operations had been moved to Denton, TX, the
site of the label's headquarters as well. Later in
1998, Bowling for Soup issued its first full-length
album, Rock on Honorable Ones!!!; both it and its
predecessor proved popular around the state and the
band ended up scoring a deal with Jive/Silvertone.
For their 2000 major-label debut, Let's Do It for
Johnny!, Bowling for Soup re-recorded some of the
best songs from their indie records and added a few
new tracks, including lead single "The Bitch
Song" and a cover of Bryan Adams' "Summer
of '69." — Steve Huey, All Music Guide
From the band's website: Once upon a time, young Jaret
Von Erich was using–though some might say wasting!–his
considerable vocal and songwriting skills in a death
metal band in Wichita Falls, Texas. That is, until
one fine morning in 1994 when a thoughtful Von Erich
awoke, stretched, and realized: "I want to start
a band that's happy. Wouldn't it be cool to see a
band and leave the club singing their songs, smiling
and in a good mood?" After all, Von Erich, a
former toy shop owner nurtured on Tammy Wynette, Sha
Na Na, REO Speedwagon, Van Halen and Ozzy Osbourne,
was a happy guy. Thus, BOWLING FOR SOUP was born.
The group's first rehearsal was June 4, 1994, the
first show, July 3, and BOWLING FOR SOUP's self-titled
debut, on their own Queso (si, it's Espanol for cheese)
Records, hit in September of that same year. The genial
pop-punksters had modest, but instantly realized goals:
to write spirited, honest, sing-along songs, utilize
their strong vocals and harmonies, and, in the words
of Spinal Tap, "have a good time, all the time."
In the new Millennium, BOWLING FOR SOUP's goals remain
the same–and on the quartet's engaging Jive/Silvertone
Records debut, "Let's Do It For Johnny,"
with its infectious first single, "The Bitch
Song," those goals–and much more–are accomplished.
Or, as founding member Christopher Van Malmsteen notes:
"The world is our playground. I’m a kid who can’t
grow up and this is the perfect band for that."
Given that radio jumped on "The Bitch Song"
before its official add date, a lot of folks are finding
BOWLING FOR SOUP "perfect." The 13-song
album that takes its name from the Francis Ford Coppola
flick The Outsiders is the culmination of years of
touring in an '82 Dodge, and show-stealing at gigs
with bands as diverse as Blink 182, Sammy Hagar, Stabbing
Westward and Less Than Jake. Several "Let's Do
It For Johnny" tracks, such as "Belgium,"
"Scope" and "The Bitch Song" (remixed
by Matt Wallace of Everlast and Faith No More fame),
were re-done from previous BFS albums including "Tell
Me When to Whoa!" and "Rock On Honorable
Ones." Others, like "Pictures He Drew,"
which lyricaly tackles a painful true story, are brand-new
compositions. And of course, "Summer of '69"
is a creative cover of the hit written by Canadian
treasure Bryan Adams. Additionally, the band has penned
a new song, "The Greatest Day," for a new
Tiger Woods video game.
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