The Weasels are an American rock band based in Albany, New York and active since the mid-1980s. Throughout their history, the group's core writers and performers have been Doctor Fun (vocals, saxophones, keyboards, flute, lyrics and songwriting) and Roy Weäsell (electric and acoustic guitars, vocals, keyboards, trombone, roto-vibe, mandolin, lyrics and songwriting). The Weasels have released seven LPs and one EP of original material, along with an early career retrospective compilation, and have played approximately 40 concerts, though they have not performed live since October 2000. They have been compared in reviews to Frank Zappa’s Mothers of Invention and Steely Dan, based on their melodic jazz and blues based music, elaborate arrangements, deployment of highly regarded session players, open-ended and suspended compositional style, exacting recording standards, and intelligent use of sardonic, sarcastic, historic, political, surrealist and scatological themes in their lyrics.
Early history
The group was founded after Fun responded to a newspaper advertisement placed by Weäsell and producer-engineer-performer Chris Graf, who were attempting to find a keyboard and saxophone player for a planned live band. For the first several years of their existence, however, the founding trio remained home-bound, writing and recording tracks that would later appear on the discs Meat the Weasels Volume I: Fondue Cabaret and GenerationXcrement. In 1992, The Weasels submitted a tape to the local alternative newsweekly's annual unsigned artists' showcase concert, and were selected as one of four finalists, despite the fact that no live version of the band existed. Fun, Graf and Weäsell quickly assembled and rehearsed a stage presentation of their material, and won generally positive audience and critical reviews for their performance, despite losing the contest to a defunct industrial metal band.
Meat the Weasels Volume 1: Fondue Cabaret
Inspired by the response to their first live performance, the expanded band polished their basement tapes and released Meat the Weasels: Volume 1, Fondue Cabaret in 1993. The album’s opening cut, “Let the Killing Begin,” is the first in a series of Weasels songs about notorious killers, in this case Henry Lee Lucas. It incorporates a tongue-in-cheek adaptation of the closing soliloquy from the Doors’ “The End”. In addition to Fun, Weäsell and Graf, the record featured Jon Cohen (bass guitar and slide whistle), Rocky Petrocelli (drums) and David Maynard (guitar); Maynard had been a member of the New York Rubber Rock Band, whose 1975 single "Disco Lucy", was named "Worst Single of the Year" by Billboard. Following Meat the Weasels''' release, the group continued to perform live, though with continued instability in the drummer's seat, which was occupied for various dates by Petrocelli, Jordan Cohen (later of Powerman 5000 and Blue Man Group), Dave King, Doug Klein, Dan Roberts, Steve Scoons, Dave Berger and Steve Candlen; the latter two emerged as drummers of choice for The Weasels' middle recording period. Meat the Weasels Volume I: Fondue Cabaret included the following songs:
“Let the Killing Begin” “Amway Man” “Red Meat” “Might As Well Try You” (Sometimes listed as “Might As Well Try Ewe”) “Plastic Plant” “Dancing On Your Grave” “Have A Nice Day” “Never Been to Jersey” “Maybe You’re Dead” “Put Your Finger in My Brain” “When the Fat Lady Sings” “Little Town Ashtray Disaster”