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The Presidents of the United States of America (occasionally referred to as PUSA, PotUSA, the Presidents of the USA, or simply the Presidents) were an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1993. The three-piece group's initial lineup consisted of vocalist and bassist Chris Ballew, drummer Jason Finn, and guitarist Dave Dederer. The band became popular in the mid-1990s for their hits "Lump" and "Peaches"—released in 1995 and 1996, respectively—which helped their self-titled debut album go triple Platinum.

The group broke up for the first time in late 1997, since Ballew wanted a solo career; they performed a farewell concert early the next year. They reunited in 2002. In 2004, Dederer left the group and was replaced by Andrew McKeag. The Presidents privately disbanded in 2015, making the news public the following year.

History

Early years (1993–1994)

The band was formed in late 1993 by Chris Ballew (bass guitar and lead vocals) and Dave Dederer (guitar and backup vocals), who met at school in Seattle. Ballew had previously been in a punk-busker band called Egg, who wrote many songs that would later be turned into Presidents songs. Initially a drummerless duo, Ballew and Dederer performed a few shows in 1993 as "the Lo-Fis", "the Dynamic Duo", and "Pure Frosting". Ballew eventually came upon the name "the Presidents of the United States of America". Shortly after, Ballew and Dederer added drummer Jason Finn; the band played their first show as a trio at Seattle's Romper Room in early December 1993. At the time, Finn was also the drummer for Love Battery, who had recently changed record labels from Sub Pop to Atlas Records, an A&M subsidiary.

The Presidents recorded a ten-song cassette, Froggystyle, in early 1994 at Laundry Room Studios, selling it at shows that year.

Rise to fame (1994–1998)

In 1994, the Presidents signed with the independent Seattle label PopLlama Records and released their self-titled debut the following year. They also issued a limited-edition blue vinyl 7" single, "Fuck California", on C/Z Records. Columbia signed the band shortly thereafter and re-released the album in late July 1995. Driven by the singles "Lump", "Peaches", and "Kitty", the record was eventually certified triple Platinum by the RIAA.

A follow-up album, II, received similar praise but did not match the commercial success that its predecessor had, though it was still certified Gold in the US.

From 1995 to 1997, the Presidents toured worldwide to support their first two albums. In 1996, MTV aired a previously recorded live concert from Mount Rushmore for Presidents Day. The band was introduced with: "Ladies and gentlemen, the Presidents of the United States". In addition to relentless touring in the U.S. and Canada, the Presidents made multiple tours of Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. They were featured in major print media and on radio and TV, including multiple appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and the Late Show with David Letterman. The Presidents turned down an offer to perform on Saturday Night Live in the fall of 1995, because the date conflicted with Ballew's wedding, but later made an appearance on the eleventh episode of Mad TV in January 1996. They began the program with a skit called "Public Domain", performed "Lump" later in the show, and "When the Saints Go Marching In" during the end credits.

Pure Frosting, collaborations, and breakup (1998–2000)

The Presidents broke up in January 1998, as Ballew wanted to spend more time with his young family and explore other musical terrain. Pure Frosting, a final album composed of new songs, covers, and demos, was released in 1998. The CD also contained videos for "Lump", "Peaches", "Mach 5", and "Dune Buggy".

Pure Frosting featured two songs that had previously been used in a movie and as a television show theme. "Video Killed the Radio Star" was included on the soundtrack for The Wedding Singer, while "Cleveland Rocks", originally recorded by Ian Hunter, was chosen as the theme song for The Drew Carey Show. Another song on the album, "Man (Opposable Thumb)", appeared in the Nickelodeon-produced motion picture Good Burger but was not directly written or performed for the film.

The Presidents also wrote the theme song for the 1998 TV movie My Date with the President's Daughter. They also performed a cover of the George of the Jungle theme song for the 1997 film adaptation. This performance is not available on any of their albums.

In 1998, the group appeared on the album Happy Hour by Japanese female rockers Shonen Knife, singing backing vocals on the song "Sushi Bar".

Between 1999 and 2000, the Presidents collaborated with Sir Mix-a-Lot as Subset, a short-lived rock and hip-hop band. They had a brief tour and recorded several songs but never released an album.