Commonly referred to as PUSA, Pot USA or simply The Presidents, The Presidents of the United States of America is an alternative rock band based in Seattle. When the band formed in 1993, it was originally a duo made up of guitarist and vocalist Chris Ballew and bass guitarist Dave Dederer. While they were still students at The Bush School in Seattle, the two musicians began performing shows together under a variety of names and without a drummer. They settled on The Presidents of the United States of America, and Ballew and Dederer found drummer Jason Finn to complete the band. After signing with PopLlama Records in 1994, The Presidents released its self-titled debut to critical acclaim, prompting Columbia Records to sign the band and re-release its debut. Tired of the 1990s era grunge music, fans and critics praised the band's catchy and self-deprecating music. Ballew quit the band in 1998 to dedicate more time to his family, ultimately cutting short The Presidents' successful start. The band reformed for a short period of time in 2000 to release its album Freaking Out and Small. The album received critical and commercial success despite the band's lack of promotion and follow-up tour. After parting ways a second time, The Presidents reformed once again in 2004, when it released its fourth critically-acclaimed studio album, Love Everybody.
