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= The Preps (band) =

History
The Preps are an American punk band, formed in West Chester, PA in 1996 by classmates Bryan Schwenk, Douglas J. Scherbak, Eric Schwenk, Jeff Frederick and Stephen Q. Breslin. Frederick, Scherbak and Schwenk were previously in a band together since meeting at J.R. Fugett Middle School in 1993. Scherbak was the lead guitarist, Schwenk the drummer, Frederick the bassist, Breslin the lead singer and Schwenk's younger brother Bryan joined on backup guitar to round out the group. The 5 wrote and performed punk and ska songs based off the music of late 90's punk bands from Epitaph, Fat Wreck Chords and Lookout! Records, with Scherbak taking the lead of song writing duties. In 1997, Douglas J. Scherbak left the band as it's backup guitarist to join existing ska band, Lucky # 7, as the baritone saxophone player. Breslin who originally joined the band as a singer, would learn to play the guitar and work his way into being the full time backup guitar player and main songwriter over the next 4 years. The band spent their high school years playing local shows, battle of the bands and participating in regional music conferences such as the Philadelphia Music Conference and Delaware Music Festival. The 4 would write in the Schwenk's childhood basement, recording their originals on a 4 track cassette recorder. Most of the band's first recordings were manually transferred to cassette and hand labeled for sale at shows and festivals such as the Warped Tour. They gained an ability to play at extremely fast tempos and develop a strong local scene who would gladly travel to see them play. The band would not have an album on compact disc until the band won recording time at Creep Records for winning the 1998 W.C. East High School Battle of the Bands. The band would record both an E.P. Punk Rock and Roll and a full length, End of the Road, at Creep Records in 1998 and again in 1999. After high school Breslin attended Temple University, Eric Schwenk went to North Carolina University, Frederick stayed local at West Chester University, while Bryan Schwenk finished his high school days at W.C. East. Their early 20's saw touring highlights such as opening for The Queers & Murphy's Law at the now defunct Rex's Bar in West Chester, PA.

Hiatus (2005-2011)
With careers, families and distance separating the members, the band went on an extended hiatus. Bryan Schwenk had moved to NJ to attend Princeton University and later up to NYC for work, Eric Schwenk had been extremely busy with pursuing his doctorate at Jefferson Medical school and a new marriage, while Breslin was traveling the country & abroad for his camera operating career in television.

Reunion (2011-2018)
Absence made the heart grow fonder and the 4 regrouped at Eric Schwenk's new home in Haddonfield, NJ to record using some new DIY recording software and equipment. With a renewed passion, the band began writing and playing out again with a bigger focus on the original style of the music with the benefit of their In 2011, the 4 used there new fervor to release All Together Again for the Last Time which featured both re-recorded originals as well as brand new songs written by Bryan Schwenk & Breslin as well as one the first ever writing contribution from Frederick. Being avid fans of Christmas and the holiday season in general, the band released their Christmas E.P. in 2013, which included covers of "Winter Wonderland" & "Silver Bells" as well as New Traditions, an original Christmas song written by Breslin which reflects on how traditions change as family's age. Remastered Jams, was a collection of older songs re-recorded in 2015 for better quality including "Poseur" which appeared on the band's first full length Self Titled album. 2015's Blue & Gold single featured a song, "Boys in Blue", about the Philadelphia Union, whom Breslin follows closely and attends matches as a season ticket holder since the team's' inception. 20 Years Down was an E.P. in 2015, featuring 5 new songs written by Breslin, Bryan Schwenk, and one by Frederick entitled "Fred's Head".

Current (2018 - Present)
Scherbak returned as the bass guitarist in 2018 with the departure of Frederick, who left for personal reasons. Scherbak's return immediately added more edge and a booming presence to the quartet with the simple addition of Doug's use of a pick versus the finger picking from Frederick. The band returned to the stage in both Philadelphia, Delaware & NYC opening up for acts like the Swingin' Utters, Bad Luck 13 and CJ Ramone. The band also headed back to the studio for first time in 19 years, recording their 3rd full length album, 2nd Story, at Noisy Little Critter in Downingtown, PA where they again reunited with Mike Bardzik. The 5 song album was a success for the band in terms of creating a cohesive sound that demonstrated their decades of playing together. 2nd Story was released on Apple Music in April of 2019.

Line Up
Bryan Schwenk - Lead Guitar & Vocals

Douglas J. Scherbak - Bass & Backing Vocals (2018-Present)

Eric Schwenk - Drums & Percussion

Stephen Q. Breslin - Backing Guitar & Lead Vocals

Former Members
Jeff Frederick - Bass & Vocals (1996-2018)

Douglas J. Scherbak - Guitar & Vocals (1996-1997)

Studio Albums
In 1998 Punk Rock & Roll was recorded at Creep Records in Lionville, PA and mixed by Arik Victor. The songs were recorded on a 16 track reel to reel tape system and offered a "live" feel versus the band's previous DIY basement recordings. The album featured a distinct sound which blended the melodic punk roots of the 4 with a rock sound on songs "Out of Control" and 17 Mile Disaster". The E.P. also featured an instrumental song, "Triplet" which showcased Bryan's shredding ability as a young lead guitarist. The 4 returned to Creep Records in 1999 and spent a few days recording and mixing a full length album, End of the Road again with Arik Victor mixing and Mike Bardzik mastering the tracks. The album's sound wavered from the punk only genre and had a opening track with a rockcentric sound. For their latest E.P. 2nd Story, they went to a new studio, Noisy Little Critter in Downingtown, PA, owned and operated by Mike Bardzik. Bardzik mixed and mastered the songs with heavy emphasis on getting a strong drum and guitar sound. 5 songs were recorded over a long weekend in April 2019, including 3 new originals, a re-recording of "Unknown Night" and a cover of Phil Colin's "Look at me now" with Douglas J. taking lead vocals for the first time since their days in middle school.

Discography
Self Titled (1996)

Punk Rock & Roll (1999)

End of the Road (2000)

Summer Sessions (2002, 2003 2005)

Winter Sessions (2006)

All Together for the Last Time (2011)

Christmas E.P. (2013)

Blue & Gold (2015)

20 Years Down (2015)

2nd Story (2019)