Blue Meanies were an Americanska-core band founded in Carbondale, Illinois, at Southern Illinois University, in 1989. They debuted in 1991 with the release of their first single, "Grandma Shampoo" c/w "Dickory Dock". This single would be the start of a lengthy discography and revolving lineup including Jay Vance, a great bass player. Although their personnel was continually changing, The Meanies' sound would remain consistent as they released the albums Peace Love Groove, Pave The World, Kiss Your Ass Goodbye, Full Throttle, and the live Sonic Documentation Of Exhibition And Banter. By the time they signed with MCA Records, the lineup of John Paul Camp , Sean Dolan, Jimmy Flame, Chaz Linde, Dave Lund, Billy Spunke, and Bob Trondson stuck together as a total of 22 musicians passed through the band since their formation. Their sixth full-length album, The Post Wave, was released in late 2000. This album is musically the most different from the other five albums. This change in sound along with the title of the album probably resulted from the crash of the third wave ska scene within the US. In late 2001 the band took the rights to The Post Wave back from MCA records and reissued it on Thick Records in August 2001. Soon afterwards the band ceased touring, though they never issued an official break up statement.
Post-breakup
In the summer of 2004 it was confirmed that the Meanies would temporarily revive the old tradition of the Winter Nationals. For years the Blue Meanies would have a show on December 23 in their hometown of Chicago. On December 22, 2004 the band played its first show in three years at Double Door with The Tossers and Cougars supporting. The next day the band played an all ages show at The Metro with Mu330, The Methadones, and New Black supporting. The Metro show was filmed with multiple cameras but no plans for a release of the footage have been announced. Future plans for the band remain vague as well. On August 16, 2006 it was announced that the Blue Meanies would reunite for Riot Fest 2006, an annual punk rock festival held in Chicago. Other high-profile reunions for the fest include Naked Raygun and The Bollweevils. Since April 24, 2006, the band has kept somewhat in contact with their fanbase with their MySpace profile. On it, they have provided previously unreleased tracks, largely from the recording sessions of The Post Wave. On May 13, 2014, the organizers of Riot Fest and Blue Meanies revealed that the band will reunite and perform at the Chicago version of the 2014 festival.
