Wheatus are a rock band formed by Brendan B. Brown in 1998. Brendan wrote a few songs, enlisted the help of his brother, Pete, on drums and Rich Leigey on bass (he was replaced by Mike McCabe after the release of their self-titled debut Wheatus).

Wheatus' first and largest hit was the single 'Teenage Dirtbag' (from the soundtrack of the movie Loser), their second single 'A Little Respect' (an Erasure cover) also reached the higher regions of the charts. Their third single, a double A-side of 'Leroy' and 'Wannabe Gangstar' (the single-version of the latter featuring Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden) performed less well.

When the band began work on their second album, Liz Brown and Kathryn Froggat, the former the sister of the brothers Brown, the latter the band's merchandiser, teamed up for backing vocals. Shannon Harris, of Relish (who had supported Wheatus on their earlier tours), signed on as keyboardist, at the request of Brendan.

Due to disagreements with their record label, primarily caused by Brendan Brown's insistence on self-producing the album (as he had done with their debut), Wheatus' second album, Hand Over Your Loved Ones, received little or no promotion and did not sell well, with the single 'American In Amsterdam' failing to significantly impact the music charts. In 2005, the album was re-released under the title Suck Fony on the band's own label Montauk Mantis with two new songs, 'William McGovern' and the Joan Jett cover 'Hit Me With Your Best Shot'. The album is only available from the band's website, except in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, where a higher proliferation of record stores are independently owned, and the band were able to get a distribution contract despite the relative obscurity of their record lable.

Mike McCabe (bass) left the band in early 2005. He has not yet been replaced.

Personnel

• Brendan B. Brown – Vocals/ Guitar
• Pete Brown – Drums
• Liz Brown – Backing Vocals
• Kathryn Froggatt– Backing Vocals
• Shannon Harris – Keyboards

Discography

Albums

• Wheatus - (2000)
• Hand Over Your Loved Ones - (2003)
• Suck Fony - (2005) re-release of Hand Over Your Loved Ones with 2 new tracks
• Too Soon Monsoon (to be released later in 2005)

Singles

• Teenage Dirtbag (2001)
• A Little Respect (2001)
• Wannabe Gangstar/Leroy (2002)
• American In Amsterdam (2003)

iTunes exclusives

• The Lemonade EP (2004)
• Live@XM Radio (2004)

External link

• www.wheatus.com