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".

[2] After Scream broke up in 1990, Franz and Pete formed the band Wool, releasing the album Box Set for London Records.

[4] Stahl performed on the track "A320", which was featured in Godzilla: The Album,[5] 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.

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.