Upcoming Releases

Semi Famous began as a fictional band in John “Jughead” Pierson’s novel Weasels In A Box. At the suggestion of Rarebird Publishing’s Tyson Cornell, Jughead decided to make the band real, joining forces with Ryan Rockwell of Mixtapes and Billy Brown, a veteran of 1990s hardcore bands including Crash & Burn. That lineup recorded the 7-inch EP Collective Mindlessness, sparking a collaboration that quickly grew beyond its original scope.

The project expanded into a full-length album, Destroy Ourselves, with Poli vanDam of The Bombpops joining the band. Shortly after recording in Los Angeles, the group reunited in Chicago for a pair of shows, one acoustic and one electric, before Jughead returned to Japan. In that short, intense stretch, the band forged a deep personal and musical bond, becoming something closer to a family than a side project.

​When Billy passed away from cancer a few months before the album’s release, his energy, passion, and unmistakable personality became the driving force behind the band’s decision to continue. In his honor, Semi Famous reconvened to write and record Not Sorry, welcoming Poli’s husband Mike L. Kinshella of Murderland and Jughead’s wife Nanako Nishio on piano.