Screaming Yellow Players

The  are an American dance-punk band from, which were formed in 1997 by lead vocalist/lead guitarist Derek De Vriendt, drummer/co-lead vocalist Polaris Browne, and co-lead guitarist Samantha E. Aizer. The group is known for their often bizarre lyrical themes (often involving references to their hometown of Pittsburgh), involvement in the personality-punk subculture and associated musical subgenre, and energetic live performances.

After first gaining popularity in where the group was based following their formation, they gained mainstream recognition in the U.S. in the early 2000s, culminating with the release of their platinum-certified second album Hail to the Beef.

Formation and move to Germany
The band was formed in September 1997 in by close friends Samantha E. Aizer, Derek De Vriendt and Polaris Browne, who were attendees of. The band was formed in part from Derek finding a copy of the ' then-recently-released U.S. debut album in Samantha's backpack and being "confused and somewhat angered" at her interest in bubblegum teen pop music. Eventually, they took turns listening to their favorite albums, and released that they were "musically diverse", and decided to form a band that reflected that realization. Vinny Espinola, Tommy Lionheart and Gabriel Haim joined the band after they posted a "auditions" paper on a school bulletin board. The band took the name "Screaming Yellow Players" from, a snack food that Polaris enjoyed.

When Derek, Samantha and Polaris went into the in 1998, they chose to go on a study abroad program in, hoping to build a career there. Since keyboardist Gabriel Haim was only 17 at the time, his parents had to hire a chaperone to allow him to travel in Germany with the Players. The band used the downtime in their study abroad program to tour the German club circuit, performing in venues such as the in  and  in.

In mid-1998, the Players found themselves being courted by record labels including, , , , and. After a gig in, the Players met 's , who was able to help sign them to and 's , and got ex- member  to produce their self-titled debut album.

Early U.S. success
In November 2000, while performing on a Radio Disney mall tour at in, fans rushed the stage and a riot ensued. and several of the attendees settled a $5.1 million lawsuit with, , and the band's management following the incident. When interviewed on MTV's Total Request Live, bassist Vinny Espinola compared the incident to "Like Beatlemania, but with some bloodshed."

In 2001, the band released their second studio album, Hail to the Beef, which peaked at no. 10 on the Billboard 200 and received platinum certification from the RIAA in October 2002. Also in 2001, the band appeared at the 's in. Despite being booed throughout the performance, the band continued playing, with Vinny Espinola joking that they were playing so loud that "we couldn't hear the Juggalos screaming at us to get off the stage."

The band took a hiatus throughout 2002 due to personal issues. In 2003, the band returned to performing live when they appeared at that year's Gathering of the Juggalos in Garrettsville, Ohio. This performance was recorded for their platinum-certified live album The Screaming Yellow Players Put You to Sleep.

Members

 * Derek De Vriendt - lead and backing vocals, lead guitar
 * Polaris Browne - lead and backing vocals, drums
 * Samantha E. Aizer - lead guitar, lead and backing vocals
 * Vinny Espinola - bass guitar, lead and backing vocals
 * Tommy Lionheart - rhythm guitar, lead and backing vocals
 * Gabriel Haim - keyboards, rhythm and lead guitar, lead and backing vocals

Albums

 * The Orange Album (1999)
 * Hail to the Beef (2001)
 * Eighteenth Amendment Blues (2004)
 * Lice (2005)
 * The B&W Album (2007)
 * Contract Fulfillment Album (2009)
 * The Yellow Album (2011)
 * Allegheny & Monongahela (2013)
 * The Cyan Album (2015)
 * The Santo Gold Years (2017)
 * Wired to Go (2019)
 * The Purple Album (2021)

EPs

 * Knuke the Knack (2008)

Live albums

 * The Screaming Yellow Players Put You to Sleep (2003)
 * Live at Velodrom (2006)

The Screaming Yellow Players Say...

 * The Screaming Yellow Players Say Hell Yeah! (2011)
 * The Screaming Yellow Players Say Yo! (2012)
 * The Screaming Yellow Players Say Totally! (2013)
 * The Screaming Yellow Players Say Radical! (2014)
 * The Screaming Yellow Players Say Praise the Lord! (2015)
 * The Screaming Yellow Players Say Don't Stop Believin'! (2017)
 * The Screaming Yellow Players Say Relax... (2017)
 * The Screaming Yellow Players Say The Walrus Was Paul! (2018)
 * The Screaming Yellow Players Say Whatever... (2019)
 * The Screaming Yellow Players Say It's Just What We Needed! (2019)
 * The Screaming Yellow Players Say Uh Huh! (2020)

Other appearances

 * Punk Goes AC (2004) (covering Billy Joel's "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)")
 * Punk Goes Indie (2008) (covering The Libertines' "Can't Stand Me Now")
 * Punk Goes Christian (2009) (original composition entitled "I Like Jesus", credited to alter-ego "Church and State")
 * Punk Goes Dream Pop (2015) (covering Julee Cruise's "Falling")
 * Punk Goes Y2K (2018) (covering Soulja Boy's "Crank That (Soulja Boy)")
 * Punk Goes K-Pop (2020) (covering NCT 127's "Regular")