Franz Stahl

Franz Kenneth Stahl (born October 30, 1961) is an American guitarist. He is a member of the Washington, D.C. hardcore punk band Scream alongside his brother Pete Stahl, and was a member of the rock band Foo Fighters from 1997 to 1999.

Early life and career

Franz was raised with his brother and musical collaborator Pete in Bailey's Crossroads, Virginia, which they reference by putting the letters "BXR" on Scream's albums. Their father, Arnold, was a lawyer and also managed DC rock band The Hangmen, which scored a regional hit with 1965's "What a Girl Can't Do". After learning guitar, Franz started playing in local Virginian bands with bassist Skeeter Thompson. In 1981, Franz and Thompson formed Scream in Alexandria, along with brother Pete and drummer Kent Stax.

After Scream broke up in 1990, Franz and Pete formed the band Wool, releasing the album Box Set for London Records. Wool then broke up up in 1996. When Stahl visited a friend who was producing for Japanese musician J, he found out that J's recording drummer was fellow DC musician Scott Garrett, and that the band needed a guitarist for their coming tour. Stahl accepted and played in Japan as a member of J's backing band. During the tour, Franz Stahl was invited by the Foo Fighters' founder Dave Grohl to replace the Foo Fighters' original guitarist Pat Smear, who had decided to leave the band. After the J tour was finished, Stahl flew in to join Foo Fighters just two days before his debut performance at the Radio City Music Hall in September 1997, having just one day of rehearsal. Stahl started his Foo Fighters career with their hit "Everlong" from the band's second studio album, The Colour and the Shape.

Stahl performed on the track "A320", which was featured in Godzilla: The Album, and the re-recorded version of the Foo Fighters song "Walking After You", which was released as a single and is included on the soundtrack for The X-Files movie. He also appeared in the music video for the Foo Fighters song "My Hero", even though he did not play on the recording. He was released from the band in 1999, before the recording of their third studio album, There Is Nothing Left to Lose, due to creative differences. Stahl still said his tenure in Foo Fighters was "the best two years of my life". After leaving Foo Fighters, J invited Stahl to play again, which he did for another seven years until 2005. In 2009, Franz was invited by Pete to play for Smith & Pyle, and during the tour, the brothers decided to reform Scream with Thompson and Stax.

Stahl is typically seen playing the Gibson Les Paul. However, in the music video for Foo Fighters' "My Hero", he plays a Fender Stratocaster.

Stahl currently lives in Hollywood, California. Along with Scream, he continued gigging, writing and recording with the Boston Hardcore band DYS, while also writing and composing for film and television. In 2007, he composed the title track for the film One California Day.