The Benjamins began with the lineup of brothers
Jay Stys (vocalist/guitarist) and
Chris Stys (drummer), guitarist
Dan Hinz, and bassist
Ron Forchette). Soon after, they were discovered at a local club by bassist
Ben Perlstein (formerly with Milwaukee ska group The Invaders), who replaced Forchette, and brought drummer
Jon Phillip (formerly with Shaft) into the group. The Benjamins recorded their first disc,
Bordering on Boredom, on Labor Day of 1999. The EP features six songs that earned favorable attention for the band after the album was released in February 2000. After garnering a solid fanbase throughout the Midwest — including shows with
Alkaline Trio,
The Mr. T Experience, and
Superdrag — The Benjamins were interviewed for an online zine by a fan named
Jared Blohm at a concert at the Rock 'n' Roll High School in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The fan turned out to be a street team representative for
Drive-Thru Records, and after a brief courtship, the label agreed to sign the band. Their second release and first full-length album,
The Art of Disappointment — featuring the production of the Grammy-nominated
Nick Raskulinecz (
Foo Fighters,
Superdrag,
Queens of the Stone Age), graphic design of former
The Promise Ring guitarist Jason Gnewikow, and cover-modeling of
Aiko Sakai — was released on the California-based
Drive-Thru Records in February 2001. In May and June 2001, the band toured with
Mock Orange. While constant touring was done in support on
The Art of Disappointment, The Benjamins were regularly part of mismatched tours, including dates alongside
Reel Big Fish,
Sum 41, and
Showoff, in addition to a brief stint on the 2001
Warped Tour. In October, the band reportedly broke up; the band initially denied this, before it was later confirmed.
Post-breakup After the breakup, the members formed various bands: Philip formed Versa with a member of
the Promise Ring, and Nice Outfit; and Hinz and Perlstein started Carolina, alongside a member of Camden, and the Drugs. In the years that followed, the band performed the occasional reunion show in Milwaukee, the last one being in 2004. Perlstein currently lives in
New York City and works in music management, and his clients include
Tommy Stinson/
The Replacements,
Smoking Popes and
Trapper Schoepp & The Shades and runs
Good Land Records with Jon Phillip. Following time in The Obsoletes with former members of Yesterday's Kids, Phillip joined the Orange County, California-based
Limbeck in August 2005 until their disbanding in 2010. In 2011, Phillip both joined
Trapper Schoepp & The Shades on drums and co-founded
Good Land Records. Hinz has become a permanent member of
Maritime with former members of
The Promise Ring and
The Dismemberment Plan. Stys remains based in Milwaukee, like Hinz and Phillip, and has moved over into the culinary world. The band reunited on July 10, 2013 at a local outdoor music festival for a brief, surprise set and that they will co-headline a benefit show at Turner Hall in Milwaukee with fellow Milwaukee underground legends
Alligator Gun on January 18, 2014. ==Discography==