Reggie and the Full Effect
| Company type | Solo project / Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1998 |
| Founder | James Dewees |
Area served | United States |
Key people | James Dewees |
| Products | Studio albums, music tours |
Reggie and the Full Effect is a rock band from the United States, serving as the solo endeavor of James Dewees, who previously played keyboards for The Get Up Kids. The project has produced seven studio albums to date, with the latest released in 2018, and has toured alongside various affiliated groups to support its releases.
Formation and Early Period (1998–2004)
During the mid-1990s, while involved with Coalesce, Dewees recorded a four-track cassette as a humorous side project, distributing copies at live shows. After Matt Pryor received one of these tapes, he encouraged Dewees to collaborate with producer Ed Rose for professional recording sessions. With Pryor’s backing, Dewees launched Reggie and the Full Effect’s first album, Greatest Hits 1984–1987, through Second Nature Recordings in 1999.
The band’s sophomore album, Promotional Copy, was released in April 2000 via Vagrant Records. Its cover art was designed to resemble a promotional disc not intended for sale, which caused confusion among retailers. A similar marketing approach was employed with Under the Tray in February 2003: the CD was concealed beneath the tray inside the case, surprising buyers. Subsequent editions included an illustration guiding listeners to the hidden disc. This release featured the single "Congratulations Smack and Katy," which became Reggie’s first music video and was included in the soundtrack of Burnout 3: Takedown.
Songs Not to Get Married To Era (2005–2006)
Reggie’s fourth album, Songs Not to Get Married To, debuted on March 29, 2005. The record drew heavily from Dewees’ personal experience of divorcing his first wife, Megan. Contributions came from Sean Ingram of Coalesce and former From Autumn to Ashes vocalist Ben Perri, along with fellow The Get Up Kids members Rob Pope and Ryan Pope.
This album yielded three singles—the highest number in Reggie’s discography at that time. The leading single, "Get Well Soon," featured a music video portraying a Loch Ness Monster grappling with divorce themes, mirroring the album’s subject matter. "Get Well Soon" was also part of the 2006 video game Saints Row. The follow-up single "Take Me Home, Please" received a music video but less promotional emphasis. Additionally, a video was released for "Love Reality," a track by Dewees’ alter ego Fluxuation—marking the only instance of a non-Reggie persona receiving visual treatment.
After this release, Dewees embarked on extensive tours supporting bands such as Alkaline Trio, My Chemical Romance, and Hellogoodbye.
Last Stop: Crappy Town and Farewell Tour (2006–2008)
In the summer of 2006, Reggie and the Full Effect departed from the Warped Tour to focus on recording their next album with producer Sean Beavan. On October 31, 2006, they offered the track "F Train" exclusively on MySpace for a limited 24-hour period; its heavier style reflected Dewees’ roots in Coalesce.
By July 2007, speculation about the band’s dissolution circulated through MySpace messages; however, Dewees denied these claims before their official page was eventually removed.
On April 8, 2008, information surfaced regarding the forthcoming 12-track album Last Stop: Crappy Town, produced by Beavan. Initially withheld by Vagrant Records for being stylistically heavier and diverging from previous Reggie releases, this concept album explores Dewees’ struggles with substance abuse and rehabilitation. Originally titled simply Reggie and the Full Effect, it comprised 15 tracks arranged as one continuous piece. Following an 18-month process involving remixing and cutting three songs, Vagrant issued it on June 17, 2008. The band’s MySpace page was reactivated in mid-April that year. On August 27, they released the B-side "Shit Sandwich" as a complimentary download.
A final tour was announced running from August 20 to September 14, 2008, featuring support from Leathermouth. Although fans were initially disappointed by the absence of shows in Kansas City—Dewees’ hometown—he later revealed that branding it as a “Final Tour” was primarily a marketing strategy to increase ticket sales.
Dewees acknowledged that some fans found the album’s serious tone and lack of usual Reggie characters unsettling but expressed his eagerness to return to lighter themes.
At the conclusion of this tour, Dewees hinted at plans to revive musical projects involving an “old band from the ’90s and early 2000s,” which was later confirmed as a reunion with The Get Up Kids.
Post-"farewell tour" era (2008–2013)
On November 3, 2010, James Dewees revealed that the band would reunite for a singular New Year's Eve show on December 31, 2010, held at Philadelphia's Theatre of Living Arts. He referred to this event as a "mini reunion," clarifying that there were no intentions for additional appearances. The concert included unexpected guest performers and introduced a new dance-pop-inspired track titled "Someone Please Tell Mark's Vagina to Shut Up," performed by Dewees under his Fluxuation alias.
In December 2012, Dewees and Matt Pryor announced a brief five-date tour along the East Coast scheduled for January 2013. Their setlist spanned material from Reggie and the Full Effect, The Get Up Kids, The New Amsterdams, as well as Pryor's solo projects. Prior to the tour, they launched a weekly podcast called "Tuesdays With Reggie," which covered topics such as Dewees' previous personal challenges and the potential release of a sixth studio album provisionally named No Country for Old Musicians.
No Country For Old Musicians period (2013–2014)
Dewees initiated a Kickstarter campaign on March 13, 2013, successfully raising funds to produce the album No Country For Old Musicians. The recording sessions took place during summer 2013, with the album officially released on November 19, 2013 via Pure Noise Records. To promote the album, the band performed at Riot Fest Chicago in September 2013 and embarked on an early 2014 tour supported by Buffalo’s Pentimento and Michigan’s Dads.
Say Anything/Saves The Day/Reggie and The Full Effect Anniversary Tour (2014)
Alternative Press announced on September 4, 2014, a collaborative tour featuring Say Anything, Saves the Day, and Reggie and The Full Effect. Say Anything celebrated the tenth anniversary of their debut album ...Is A Real Boy, while Saves the Day commemorated fifteen years of Through Being Cool, and Reggie and The Full Effect marked eleven years since Under The Tray. The six-week itinerary included Buffalo-based Pentimento members performing as part of The Full Effect. Kicking off November 14 in San Diego, the shows incorporated Thanksgiving-themed costumes into their presentation.
41 era (2017–present)
Pure Noise Records announced on December 6, 2017, that Reggie and the Full Effect’s seventh album would be titled 41, referencing Dewees’ age and playfully mimicking Adele’s album naming approach. Alongside this announcement came the release of the single "The Horrible Year" and details of a spring 2018 tour featuring Senses Fail. The full album was released on February 23, 2018.
Former drummer Billy Johnson, who played from 2006 to 2014, passed away on February 13, 2018.
Musical format
James Dewees handles nearly all instrumental duties on Reggie and the Full Effect’s studio recordings, including bass guitar, drums, and keyboards. Each album incorporates tracks performed by various alter egos created by Dewees: Fluxuation draws influence from new wave and New Romantic styles, while Common Denominator represents a Finnish metal-inspired project with industrial elements reminiscent of Rammstein.
Live band configurations frequently shift but often feature musicians associated with The Get Up Kids, Coalesce, The Esoteric, and My Chemical Romance—groups with which Dewees has collaborated extensively. Additional contributors have come from bands such as Hot Rod Circuit, The Anniversary, From Autumn to Ashes, Ultimate Fakebook, Morning Again, Poison the Well, Shots Fired, and Slipknot. Currently, three members of Pentimento comprise part of the live lineup. Numerous guest artists have also participated in recordings over time, including Matt Pryor; Rob Pope and Ryan Pope of The Get Up Kids; Paul Gray from Slipknot; Cory White of Coalesce/The Esoteric; Frank Iero from My Chemical Romance; and Jeramiah Pauly representing Pentimento.
Band members
- Current lineup
- James Dewees – vocals (lead), piano, keyboards, synthesizers (1998–present); drums (1998–2004)
- Lance Claypool – guitar (2014–present)
- Vincent Caito – bass guitar (2014–present)
- Jeramiah Pauly – guitar, vocals (2014–present)
- Jarrod Rose – drums (2017–present)
- Past members
- Matt Pryor – lead and rhythm guitar, shared lead vocals (1998–2004)
- Rob Pope – bass guitar (1998–2006)
- Cory White – rhythm guitar, shared lead vocals (2004–2008, 2010, 2013–2014); lead guitar (2006–2008, 2010)
- Ryan Pope – drums (2004–2006)
- Stephen Looker – lead guitar (2004–2006)
- Billy Johnson – drums (2006–2008, 2010, 2013–2014; deceased 2018)
- Josh Newton – bass guitar (2006–2007)
- Amanda Haase – keyboards, synthesizers (2006–2008)
- Paul Gray – bass guitar (2007–2008; deceased 2010)
- Frank Iero – bass guitar, shared lead vocals (2008, 2010, 2013–2014)
- Francis Mark – drums (2008)
- Zach Phillips – bass guitar (2013–2014)
- Ray Toro – lead guitar, backing vocals (2013–2014)
- Michael Hansen – drums (2014–2017)
Discography
| Year | Album | Label | Release date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Greatest Hits 1984–1987 | Second Nature Recordings | April 20, 1999 |
| 2000 | Promotional Copy | Vagrant Records | April 25, 2000 |
| 2003 | Under the Tray | Vagrant Records | February 18, 2003 |
| 2005 | Songs Not to Get Married To | Vagrant Records | March 29, 2005 |
| 2008 | Last Stop: Crappy Town | Vagrant Records | June 17, 2008 |
| 2013 | No Country for Old Musicians | Pure Noise Records | November 19, 2013 |
| 2018 | 41 | Pure Noise Records | February 23, 2018 |