News
The Methadones haven't released new music in over 15 years, but that's all about to change with their upcoming 2-song 7-inch due out tomorrow. These Chicago heroes are led by the master of melody: Dan Schafer (Sludgeworth, The Riverdales, Screeching Weasel, Dan Vapid and The Cheats, etc.) and they've been heating up with shows from St. Louis to Rotterdam. Red Scare Industries teamed up with beloved Dutch label, Stardumb Records to celebrate their 25th birthday and pressed a very limited 7" as a party favor.
The Methadones came together formally in 1999 when Dan Schafer recorded some songs with fellow Mopes members Chris Barnard and Dan Lumley. Ill at Ease, the band's first album, arrived in 2001 on AF records and what had been a side project for Schafer became a full-time endeavor. Geographic issues forced Schafer to recruit Chicago musicians Mike Soucy, Pete Mittler, and Mike Byrne on drums, bass, and guitar respectively, forming the lineup that would carry on for the next decade.
Career Objective, a record blending catchy, pop-punk hooks with straightforward rock-and-roll was released in 2003 on Stardumb Records (Europe) and Thick Records (US). Having played as a solid four-piece for several years, the album was a more cohesive release, building on the punk foundation set by Ill at Ease.
2005 saw the release of Not Economically Viable on Thick Records, an ambitious collection of songs veering toward power-pop, while maintaining an aggressive punk energy with the performances. Sometimes wrongly classified as a concept record, the album combines stories of awful jobs, crumbling relationships, and AM radio nostalgia.
Taking a break from writing, the band recorded 12 classic power-pop covers for 2006’s 21st Century Power Pop Riot, their first album on Red Scare Industries. Deliberately taking a more casual (and beer filled) approach to recording, the record blends the Methadones’ high energy punk approach with classic power-pop filled songs.
Not slowing down, 2007 brought This Won’t Hurt…, also on Red Scare Industries, a more polished sounding collection of 12 pop-punk classics. A more diverse group of songs, This Won’t Hurt…, highlights a band whose power-pop, pop-punk, and rock-and-roll influences work seamlessly together to create a unique sound and energy that is quintessentially Methadones.
In 2010, The Methadones released their self-titled and final release on Asian Man Records. The album is a collection of new songs, a split record originally released with The Copyrights, and two 7” releases. This record shows the band further perfecting their pop and power-pop sound while also delivering some of their shortest and punchiest songs to date.
Playing only a handful of reunion shows over the years, The Methadones are back with new guitarist Simon Lamb (Screeching Weasel, Dan Vapid and The Cheats, The Riverdales). In 2022, Red Scare Industries released This Won’t Hurt… on vinyl for the very first time.
Upcoming Shows:
June 7 - Rotterdam, NL @ Stardumb 25
August 30 - Chicago, IL @ Cobra Lounge
