Presidents of the United States of America, The – Nostalgia Central

Formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1993, The Presidents of the United States of America became a massive fixture of the 1990s post-grunge era by intentionally doing the exact opposite of their peers.

While Seattle bands like Nirvana and Soundgarden pioneered a heavy, angsty, and serious sound, PUSA found global success with high-energy, humorous, and completely surreal pop-punk songs about bugs, fruit, and fictional characters.

The band’s heavy yet playful sound came from a highly unusual instrument setup, including the “Basitar” (Lead vocalist and bassist Chris Ballew played a standard electric guitar modified to have only two strings – tuned to C# and G# – functioning as a hybrid bass/guitar), the “Guitbass” (Guitarist Dave Dederer – and later Andrew McKeag – played a standard electric guitar modified to have only three strings – tuned to C#, G#, and C#.

This minimalist setup gave their music a distinct, chunky, and raw garage-rock texture.

The trio signed with Columbia Records and released their self-titled debut album in 1995. It became a multi-platinum smash hit, earning two Grammy nominations and spawning several 90s alt-rock anthems, including Lump  (about a fictional, dim-witted girl), Peaches (a heavy-riffing ode to eating canned fruit, which became their highest-charting Billboard hit) and Kitty.

The group disbanded in 1998 so Chris Ballew could focus on his family and other musical projects. They reunited briefly in 2000 and fully reformed in 2004, with Dave Dederer replaced by guitarist Andrew McKeag.

They released several more indie albums, including Love Everybody (2004) and These Are the Good Times People (2008), before quietly and permanently calling it a day in 2016.

Chris Ballew found success performing children’s music under the name Caspar Babypants.

Chris Ballew
Vocals, bass (Basitar)
Dave Dederer
Guitar (Guitbass), vocals
Jason Finn
Drums
Andrew McKeag
Guitar (Guitbass), vocals

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