Michael Weber

Michael Peter Weber (17 March 1966 – 2 January 1999) was the lead guitarist of Australian punk rockers Seminal Rats, from 1984 to 1988. Weber also worked as a technician at the Maton guitar facility. He was a member of punky power poppers Slush Puppies (1988), before joining hard rock band Hoss, between 1990 and 1992. He returned to Seminal Rats from 1992 until his death. He died from an accidental heroin overdose, aged 32.

Michael Weber formed a student band, Skippy, while at secondary school with Todd McNeair and Reuben Pinkster. Weber was the founding lead guitarist of Seminal Rats, a punk rock group formed in Melbourne in 1984 by Weber on guitar, Dave Balsamo on bass guitar, Mick Harley on lead vocals, McNeair on drums and Pinkster on guitar.

During 1988, with McNeair, he was a member of a punky power pop group, Slush Puppies, alongside Shane Grubb (a.k.a. Shane Rose) on bass guitar and Phil Rose on lead vocals. They released their debut single, "You're So Perfect", on the Au Go Go Records label in December of that year before disbanding soon after. Rose became a member of Nursery Crimes.

Michael Weber 1989

In 1990 Weber and McNeair founded a hard rock band, Hoss, with Scott Bailey on bass guitar and Joel Silbersher on guitar and lead vocals (ex-God). Hoss issued their debut album, Guzzle, in 1990 and followed with a second one, You Get Nothing (April 1992), on Au Go Go before Weber and McNeair returned to Seminal Rats. Michael Weber died from an accidental heroin overdose on 2 January 1999, aged 32.

Studio albums

with Seminal Rats

• Omnipotent (1986) Mr Spaceman
• Life in the Necropolis 1990 Mr Spaceman
• Plectrum Muscle 1998 independent

with Hoss

• Guzzle(1990) Au Go Go Records
• You Get Nothing (April 1992) Dog Meat

Compilation albums

with Seminal Rats

• The Essential Seminal Rats 1984-1991 (August 2007) Bang Records

Extended plays

with Seminal Rats

• Grruntled a.k.a. Hot Snapper Pie (1986) Mr Spaceman

Singles

with Seminal Rats

• "Change" on "Jesus on T.V."/"Change"(1987) What Goes on Records
• "Call Me Animal" 1990
• "La Grande Bouffe" 1991

with Slush Puppies

• "You're so Perfect" (December 1988)

with Hoss

• "Green" (1990) Au Go Go Records
• "It's Everywhere" (February 1992) Dog Meat

Other appearances

with Seminal Rats

• "I Need Somebody" on Hard to Beat 1987
• Final Audio Blast 1990
• "Weak" on From Babylon to Brunswick 1991