Franz and his brother Peter were raised in Bailey's Crossroads, Virginia, which they reference by putting the letters "BXR" in Scream's albums. Their father, Arnold, was a lawyer and also managed the DC rock band The Hangmen, who scored a regional hit with 1965's "What a Girl Can't Do". After learning guitar, Franz started playing in local Virginian bands with bassist Skeeter Thompson. In 1981 Franz and Thompson formed Scream in Alexandria, along with Peter and drummer Kent Stax. After Scream broke up in 1990, Franz and Peter formed the bandWool, which even released the albumBox Set for London Records but broke up in 1996. As Stahl visited a friend who was producing Japanese musician J, he found out that the drummer was fellow DC musician Scott Garrett, and that they needed a guitarist for the tour. Stahl accepted, and played around Japan as a member of J's backing band. During the tour, Stahl was invited by Grohl to replace the Foo Fighters' original guitarist Pat Smear, who had decided to leave the band. After the tour was finished, he flew in just two days before his debut performance at the Radio City Music Hall in September 1997, having just one day of rehearsal. Stahl started his short lived Foo Fighters career with their hit "Everlong" from their second studio album, The Colour and the Shape. Stahl performed on the track "A320", which was featured in , 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. Stahl also appeared in the music video for the Foo Fighters song "My Hero", even though he did not play on the recording. He was released from the band in 1999, before the recording of their third studio album, There Is Nothing Left to Lose, due to creative differences. Stahl still said his tenure in Foo Fighters were "the best two years of my life". After leaving, J invited Stahl back, and he remained as his guitarist for another seven years until 2005. In 2009, Franz was invited by Peter to play for Smith & Pyle, and during the tour the brothers decided to reform Scream with Thompson and Stax. Stahl is a big fan of the Gibson Les Paul, which he is usually seen using. However, in the music video for Foo Fighters's "My Hero", Franz is seen using a Fender Stratocaster. Stahl currently lives in Hollywood, California. Along with Scream, he continued gigging, writing and recording with the Boston Hardcore band DYS, while also writing, and composing for film and television. In 2007 he composed the title track for the film One California Day.
