afi

Biography

Early years

AFI formed in 1991 while the members were attending high school in Ukiah, California. At the time, the band had no drummer. Mark suggested his friend Adam Carson be in the band. Furthermore, they didn't know how to play any instruments, but they knew that Davey was able to sing, and Adam had a drumkit. So Mark learned guitar and Vic learned bass (he was later replaced by future Tiger Army bassist Geoff Kresge). AFI made their first foray in recording with the EP Dork (1993) with the now defuct Loose Change, which included future AFI guitarist Jade Puget.

AFI disbanded when its members attended different colleges, including the University of California, Berkeley and the University of California, Santa Cruz. Songwriter and bassist Geoff Kresge moved to New York where he played with the band Blanks 77. After reuniting to perform a live show, the other members decided to drop out of college to play in the band full-time. Between 1993 and 1995 they released several vinyl EPs (Behind the Times; Eddie's Picnic All Wet; Fly in the Ointment; This is Berkeley, Not West Bay; AFI/Heckle) independently. They released their debut full-length album Answer That and Stay Fashionable in 1995 with Wingnut Records; which was re-released in 1997 by Nitro Records. Their second album, Very Proud of Ya, was released in 1996 on the Nitro label. After several tours in support of the album, bassist Geoff Kresge decided to leave the group. Bassist Hunter Burgan (formerly of The Force) filled in for Kresge for the remaining Very Proud of Ya tours. He went on to help AFI record Shut Your Mouth and Open Your Eyes and was invited to become the new bassist. Shut Your Mouth and Open Your Eyes introduced AFI fans to a much more aggressive sound that included much more shouting as opposed to singing. Shut Your Mouth and Open Your Eyes is generally considered the first step in the band's progression away from their original sound.

Black Sails and Art of Drowning era

After recording the A Fire Inside EP for Adeline Records in 1998, guitarist Mark Stopholese left the band and was replaced by his close friend Jade Puget. Following the new approach they had taken on the A Fire Inside EP, the band recorded Black Sails in the Sunset (Nitro 1999), a musical turning point in the band's career. On this album, their original hardcore roots were still the base of their sound, but more Dark Romantic influences were apparent (a poem by French Dark Romantic Charles Baudelaire, entitled "De profundis clamavi," is present in the hidden track "The Midnight Sun"). In 1999, they recorded the All Hallows EP, which spawned the single "Totalimmortal". "Totalimmortal" was later covered by The Offspring for the soundtrack of Me, Myself and Irene. It got a fair amount of radio play and helped expose AFI to larger audiences. The lead singer of The Offspring, Dexter Holland, owned Nitro Records at the time, the label to which AFI was signed. Dexter Holland was featured as a backing vocalist on a number of Black Sails in the Sunset tracks. In 2000, AFI released The Art of Drowning which debuted on the Billboard Charts at number 174 ^[1]. The Days of the Phoenix was released as a single and video in order to promote the album. The Days of the Phoenix, like Totalimmortal, had some moderate mainstream success, garnering the band both TV and radio airplay.

Mainstream success

In 2002, AFI left Nitro Records on the recommendation of label owner Dexter Holland. Their next album, Sing the Sorrow, was released on the much larger DreamWorks label on March 11, 2003. The songs Girl's Not Grey, The Leaving Song Pt. 2 and Silver and Cold had some Billboard chart sucess and exposed the band to even larger audiences. They were nominated in the MTV Video Music Awards 2003 in the MTV2 award category for the video Girl's Not Grey, which came to be the first VMA they won. On October 7, 2005, AFI went on KROQ for an interview on the radio. They aired an unreleased song from the Sing the Sorrow sessions, entitled Rabbits are Roadkill on Route 37. This can somewhat explain the picture of a rabbit on the second to last page of the Sing the Sorrow lyric booklet. Rabbits are Roadkill on Route 37 would later be released as a UK & Australian bonus track for the group's seventh album Decemberunderground.

AFI's seventh album, Decemberunderground, was released on May 29, 2006 in the UK and June 6, 2006 (06/06/06) in the U.S. Reviewers have noted an even greater progression in sound for AFI in this album, featuring many more electronic, ColdPop, and New Wave^[2] elements. The Album's first single Miss Murder reached #1 on the Billboard Modern Rock Charts. ^[3]The release reflects the continually changing and growing fan base of the band, and the album debuted as #1 on the Billboard charts.^[4] The album has also been certified Gold by the RIAA for sales of over 500,000 copies of the album. In August of 2006, AFI's video for Miss Murder won Best Rock Video at the MTV Video Music Awards.

Other notes

• They are followed by a devoted fan base called the Despair Faction. Consisting of many fans, the Despair Faction are privy to many added band bonuses which include contacting the band on their website.
• Havok and Puget have a side project called Blaqk Audio. Burgan is also involved with his own solo project, Hunter Revenge.
• Havok whispers Sir John Squire's translation of the Charles Baudelaire poem, "De Profundis Clamavi" (Out of the Depths I Cry) in the middle of the song "Midnight Sun," a hidden track on Black Sails in the Sunset.
• The cover for Answer That and Stay Fashionable was a parody of the cover of the 1992 film Reservoir Dogs
• The song, "Summer Shudder" is featured on Madden NFL 2007. This is the second time they have had a song featured in the Madden NFL video game series. The first time was with the song The Leaving Song Pt. 2.

Discography

Full-length albums

• Answer That and Stay Fashionable (1995) on Wingnut Records (Re-released in 1997 on Nitro Records)
• Very Proud of Ya (1996) on Nitro Records
• Shut Your Mouth and Open Your Eyes (1997) on Nitro Records
• Black Sails in the Sunset (1999) on Nitro Records
• The Art of Drowning (2000) on Nitro Records
• Sing the Sorrow (2003) on DreamWorks Records (Platinum)^[5]
• Decemberunderground (2006) on Interscope Records (Gold)

The Nitro Records and DreamWorks Records releases were all released in Cassette, 12" vinyl and CD formats.

EPs

• Dork (1993}
• Behind the Times (later-1993)
• Eddie Picnic's All Wet (1994)
• This Is Berkeley, Not West Bay (1994)
• Bombing the Bay (1995)
• Fly in the Ointment (1995)
• A Fire Inside EP (1998)
• Black Sails EP (1999)
• All Hallow's EP (1999)
• The Days of the Phoenix EP (2001)
• 336/Now the World Picture Disc (2002)

Singles

• The Days of the Phoenix", 2003
• Girl's Not Grey UK June 9, 2003 - #22
• Girl's Not Grey Europe June 9, 2003
• Girl's Not Grey Germany June 9, 2003
• The Leaving Song Pt. 2 Australian Tour Edition Australia August 3, 2003
• The Leaving Song Pt. 2 UK September 8, 2003 - #43
• The Leaving Song Pt. 2 EU September 8, 2003
• Silver and Cold U.S. 2003
• Miss Murder U.S. April 2006 - #24
• Miss Murder U.S. Modern Rock 2006 - #1 (5 weeks)
• Miss Murder UK June 5, 2006 - #44
• Love Like Winter U.S. September, 2006

Promotional releases

• Alternative Press EP (magizine bonus promo) (1999) -on CD
• Totalimmortal Promo Single 1999
• Totalimmortal 1999
• Wester Promo Single 2000
• The Art of Drowning Promo mid 2000
• The Art of Drowning Promo Cassette July 14, 2000
• The Days of the Phoenix Radio Promo 2000
• AFI: A History early 2003
• Sing the Sorrow Advance CD early 2003
• Girl's Not Grey Radio Promo January 2003
• Sing the Sorrow 4-Track Sampler early 2003
• Sing the Sorrow 6-Track Sampler early 2003
• Sing the Sorrow Sampler (Australia) early 2003
• Sing the Sorrow Test Pressing early 2003
• Girl's Not Grey Advance Promotional Single January 6, 2003
• Girl's Not Grey March 2003
• Girl's Not Grey March 2003
• Girl's Not Grey Single Promo mid April 2003
• Rockline Promotional Radio Interview CD Set April 21, 2003
• The Leaving Song Pt. II Radio Promo mid 2003
• The Leaving Song Pt. II Australian Promo mid 2003
• The Leaving Song Pt. II July 2003
• Silver and Cold Promotional Single late November 2003
• Live at the Hard Rock Cafe Promotional CD late November 2003
• Head Like a Hole Radio Promo 2004
• Head Like a Hole Australian Promo September 2004

Compilations

• Satan Is Love Volume 1 1996
• Punk Nation Unification 1996
• Bacteria Sour 1996
• Go Ahead Punk... Make My Day September 24, 1996
• Godmoney August 12, 1997
• Punk Fiction late 1997
• 10 Years Later September 23, 1997
• Cinema Beer Nuts September 23, 1997
• The Show January 14, 1998
• Deep Thoughts July 28, 1998
• California Hardcore: A Call to Arms November 3, 1998
• No Time to Kill 1999
• Short Music for Short People June 1, 1999
• Cinema Beer Belly October 12, 1999
• Punk You! 1999
• The Thought Remains the Same January 25, 2000
• Magazine Comps
• Metal Hammer RIOT Video ??/??/??
• Search and Destroy: The History of Punk Volume 1 June 2000
• The Way It Should Be February 14, 2000
• Punk Goes Metal August 1, 2000
• Metal Hammer CD November 2000
• Rock Sound CD December 2000
• For Those Who Stand December 4, 2000
• Punk Rawk Show December 11, 2000
• The Cornerstone Player #016 early 2001
• That Darn Punk March 6, 2001
• The Show Volume 1 April 27, 2001
• The Vans Warped Tour June 21, 2001
• Moto XXX Volume 2 July 21, 2001
• Nitro Records: Warped Tour 2001 Compilation 2001
• Plea for Peace/Take Action August 7, 2001
• PBS: Punk Broadcasting System September 4, 2001
• Nitro Records Video Compilation 2001
• DreamWorks Cheat Sheet Sampler 2002
• Punkzilla January 22, 2002
• Punk Chunks 2 February 15, 2002
• Rock Sound CD April 2002
• Punk Rawk Show - Taking Back the Airwaves April 23, 2002
• MTV Road Rules August 6, 2002
• Monitor This April 2003
• Concrete Corner Sampler April 2003
• Universal Music International: Weekly Showreel 14/03 April 14, 2003
• Universal Music International: Weekly Showreel 17/03 May 5, 2003
• Universal Music International: Weekly Showreel 24/03 June 23, 2003
• High Voltage June 24, 2003
• The Cornerstone Player #44 July 2003
• Cinema Beer Buddy July 8, 2003
• Universal Music International: Weekly Showreel 27/03 July 14, 2003
• SoundGear New Music August 2003
• Cinema Board Buddy August 12, 2003
• MuchMusic: Big Shiny Tunes 8 November 11, 2003
• Nu Rock Traxx Volume 105 November 25, 2003
• DJ Elitizk Ultimate late '03/early '04
• Backbeat Video Magazine Vol. 1 December 30, 2003
• 99x Up Start Bands Volume 1 2004
• Triple j Hottest 100 March 14, 2004
• Vans Warped Tour Live 2003 April 2004
• Hitman: Contracts DVD April 20, 2004
• XDoaneX2 mid 2004
• 99X Joyride 2004
• Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (soundtrack only) November 23, 2004
• Music from the Cutting Edge. Razor Vol. 11 January 1, 2005
• Rock Sound: Music & Attitude May 2003
• 20 Tracks Compiled By The Offspring's Dexter Holland... July 5, 2003
• NME: Rock 'N' Roll Riot (CD 2) November 9, 2003
• Visions: All Areas Volume 39 late 2003
• The Nitro Years Box Set, vinyl collection released by Nitro in 2003 containing the albums released on that label on clear vinyl. ^[6]
• AFI retrospective released on November 2, 2004
• MySpace Records Volume 1 November 15, 2005
• Life Less Lived: The Gothic Box September 19, 2006

Videos

• He Who Laughs Last... 1996 Video-Single (only)
• Third Season 1997 Video-Single (only)
• Totalimmortal 1999 Video-Single (only)
• The Days of the Phoenix 2000 Video-Single (only)
• Girl's Not Grey 2003 CD/Video Single
• The Leaving Song Pt. 2 2003 CD/Video Single
• Silver and Cold 2004 Video-Single (only)
• Miss Murder 2006 CD/Video-Single
• Love Like Winter 2006 CD/Video-Single

Footnotes

1. ^ AFI's Billboard Album Chart History
2. ^ Allmusic.com Decemberunderground review
3. ^ AFI's Billboard Singles Chart History
4. ^ Hasty, Katy. "AFI burns brightly with #1 debut", Billboard, 2006-06-14. Retrieved on 2006-07-08.
5. ^ Also available in the special edition "Sing the Sorrow Special Edition" (Book, CD, and DVD- Clandestine)
6. ^ AllMusic's AFI Discography

See Also

• Despair Faction

External links

• Official Website
• AFI Official MySpace
• AFI Official TagWorld page