Dave Grohl reunited with his first band Scream and will appear on the band’s forthcoming album DC Special, out November 10. The band shared their first single from the album “DC Special Sha La La.”
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DC Special is the first new music from the Washington, D.C.-based hardcore punk band since their 2011 EP, Complete Control Recording Sessions, and their last full-length album, Fumble, in 1993.
The new 12-track album features the band’s classic lineup of singer Pete Stahl, guitarist Franz Stahl, bassist Skeeter Thompson, and drummer Kent Stax, along with Minor Threat and Fugazi frontman Ian MacKaye, Grohl, and other special guests. The CD version and the download code with the LP also feature six bonus tracks.
Following the departure of Stax in 1986, Grohl joined Scream when he was 17—and lied about his age to get in the band. Grohl remained with the band through their initial breakup in 1990, then moved to Seattle soon after to join Nirvana.
Scream released Fumble, which was originally recorded in 1989, and features Grohl on drums. Grohl also helped co-write several of the songs on the album and also sings on the track “Gods Look Down.”
Prior to Fumble, Grohl also appeared on the band’s 1988 album No More Censorship. In 1997, Franz Stahl joined Grohl’s then-newly formed Foo Fighters and remained with the band for two years, while Pete Stahl was working as a road manager for Foo and Queens of the Stone Age.
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The band launched a Kickstarter in 2021 to fund the project, which was recorded at Don Zientara Inner Ear Studios. Zientara was forced to vacate the studio after more than 50 years when it was purchased by Arlington County for a new development. The studio was featured on Grohl’s 2014 TV series, Sonic Highways.
DC Special also features guests from the D.C. music scene, including Fugazi bassist Joe Lally, along with Amy Pickering, Mark Cisneros, Jerry Busher, Onam Emmett, John Goetchius, and Bob Berberich, among others.
To support the new album, Scream will kick off a small North American tour with Soul Side in September.
DC Special Track List:
1. “DC Special Sha La La”
2. “Bored to Life”
3. “Somebody Love”
4. “Hel Nah”
5. “Tum Tum”
6. “Represent”
7. “Dead Cities”
8. “Last of the Soft”
9. “Vanishing Commissars”
10. “The Flam”
11. “Lifeline”
12. “Call it a Night”
Scream 2023 Tour Dates:
10/27 — Los Angeles, CA @ Zebulon
10/29 — San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill
10/31 — Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios
11/01 — Portland, OR @ The Vera Project
12/07 — Washington, DC @ Black Cat
12/08 — Brooklyn, NY @ The Meadows
12/09 — Medford (Boston), MA @ Deep Cuts
12/10 — Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brendas
Photo: Erika Goldring/Getty Images
