Ep. 262: Houseboy w/ Brett Friesen & Ace Cowden

This Was The Scene Podcast

Houseboy was a Chicago-based pop‑punk/emo outfit that emerged in the mid‑1990s, co-founded by Brett Friesen (drums) and Ace Cowden (vocals/guitar) along with Daniel Garcia and Thom Lemke discogs.com +7 last.fm +7 skatepunkers.fandom.com +7 . Known for their high‑energy live shows—often opening for acts like Guttermouth, Samiam, and Face to Face—the band released a handful of catchy DIY recordings including the Last Friday’s Selfless Allstars 7″ and the full‑length Ya Right! before lineup changes and personal tragedy led them to disband in 1999 discogs.com +4 skatepunkmemories.blogspot.com +4 skatepunkers.fandom.com +4 . Despite a relatively short run, Houseboy became a staple of the Chicago punk scene and left behind a legacy of spirited melodic tunes celebrated by local fans and preserved on compilations like Achtung Chicago! Drei

I got Brett and Ace on the ZOOM and this is what we chat about:

• Seeing Green Day for $5
• Brett’s friend getting caught up with the mob
• Playing with Sublime at the Fireside
• Brett meeting his wife
• Punching a Mall Cop
• Stealing beer and getting chased by the cops
• Driver Eleven
• Stiffpole records
• Brian Granik
• Recording their last album
• Local H
• The reason the last album is greyed out on Spotify
• Reuniting recently
• And a ton more

Keep an eye out for their next album when it drops. They’re still writing it so it might take some time but you can follow them on their IG @houseboyband_official

Check out Brett’s discogs

Check out Ace’s discogs