Punkhouse was the first EP by the Chicago-based punk rock bandScreeching Weasel. The EP was originally released on 7-inch vinyl with a limited pressing of 500 copies on July 7, 1989 through Limited Potential Records. It was the band's only non-compilation release to feature drummer Brian Vermin and the first to feature Dan Vapid, who would be featured on many later Screeching Weasel albums. Musically, the songs on Punkhouse are in a similar vein to the band's previous album Boogadaboogadaboogada!, albeit with a rougher sound. The EP went out of print quickly, and vocalistBen Weasel repressed it himself on his own label No Budget Records in 1991 without a jacket. The last repress was by Selfless Records in 1993, who released it with a slightly different cover from the original. The song "Fathead" was later re-recorded for the group's third albumMy Brain Hurts in 1991 and all the original tracks from the EP were included on the compilation Kill the Musicians in 1995.
Background and recording
After releasing their second albumBoogadaboogadaboogada! in late 1988, drummer Steve Cheese left the band because he was unwilling to tour and was replaced with Brian McQuade. The band then went on the "No Showers 'til Gainesville" tour with local band Spongetunnel, which vocalist Ben Weasel called a "minor disaster" as the two bands argued constantly. Tensions grew within Screeching Weasel at the last show of the tour and, two weeks later, bassist Warren Fish left the band. Fish was replaced by Dan Schafer, a fan of Screeching Weasel's who had been the singer for various local hardcore bands. Before starting their next tour, the band decided to record an EP and went to Studio One in Chicago in April 1989. Mike Potential, founder of the fanzine Limited Potential, served as producer/engineer and opted to release the EP on his new label Limited Potential Records. The entire EP was recorded without John Jughead's guitar, due to him being stranded in downstate Illinois. When Jughead finally made it to the sessions, the other members made him hurry recording his parts and did not notice that his guitar was out of tune with the other guitars on the recordings. Weasel later called Potential a "terrible engineer" and cited the recording quality of the EP, and him writing the lyrics to the songs while drunk, as why Punkhouse is his least favorite Screeching Weasel release.
