NOFX

NOFX

NOFX (pronounced "no ef-ex") is an American punk rock band that was formed in Los Angeles, California (now based in San Francisco), in 1983.

The band was formed by vocalist and bassist Fat Mike, and guitarist Eric Melvin, drummer Erik Sandin joined them shortly afterwards. In 1991 El Hefe joined to play lead guitar and trumpet, rounding out the current line-up. The band rose to popularity in 1994 with their album Punk in Drublic which was certified gold.

NOFX has released 10 studio full lengths, 15 EPs, and many 7" singles. The group has independently sold over 6 million records worldwide, making them one of the most successful independent acts of all time. The band is also aired their own show on Fuse TV entitled "NOFX: Backstage Passport."

History

Early years (1983–1990)

In 1983, guitarist Eric Melvin started to play with his friend Dillon. Later he met bassist/vocalist Mike Burkett (Fat Mike) and started the band under the name NOFX, after a Boston hardcore punk band called Negative FX. At this time, they were joined by drummer Erik Sandin. NOFX’s first recording was a demo from 1983, produced by Germs drummer Don Bolles, which did not sell any copies. They released their self-titled debut EP NOFX on Mystic Records in 1985, which was later re-released in 1992 as part of the Maximum RocknRoll CD. The band’s lineup had undergone numerous changes; however, the original three members had reunited. For a year, Erik Sandin left the band and was replaced by Scott Sellers, and later by Scott Aldahl. Dave Allen was in the band for about four months, until he died in a car accident. In 1986, the band released So What if We’re on Mystic! Dave Casillas joined the band on second guitar in 1987 and was featured on the EP The P.M.R.C. Can Suck on This!, attacking the PMRC’s campaign for music censorship. The original cover was an edited S&M photo; the cover for the re-released version was changed to a photo of Eric Melvin.

File:HOFXyellowsplatter3.jpg

NOFX 1995 release HOFX, pressed on splatter-colored vinyl.

Dave then left the band and was replaced by Steve Kidwiller (a.k.a. ‘Steve the Caucasian’). They recorded Liberal Animation in 1988 (before Dave was replaced by Steve) with Brett Gurewitz of Bad Religion. Although the title and some of the album’s lyrics mocked vegetarianism and animal rights, Fat Mike says that he became a vegetarian after writing the Liberal Animation album. The album was re-released in 1991 on Gurewitz’s label Epitaph Records. NOFX released their second album S&M Airlines on Epitaph Records in 1989.

Epitaph Years (1991-2002)

1991 saw the release of Ribbed. By that year, Steve Kidwiller left the band, and Aaron Abeyta (a.k.a. El Hefe) joined to round out the group. With Abeyta, the band recorded the EP The Longest Line, followed by White Trash, Two Heebs and a Bean, released in 1992. (The original intended title, White Trash, Two Kikes, and a Spic, was changed because Eric Melvin’s grandmother was upset about the racial epithets.)

In 1994, punk rock entered the mainstream with the success of The Offspring’s Smash and Green Day’s Dookie, and NOFX had a commercial breakthrough with the release of their album Punk in Drublic, NOFX's best-selling album to date. Somehow the album went Gold without any radio airplay or aired music videos, although a video has been made for the song "Leave It Alone". Due to the success of Punk in Drublic, NOFX received many offers to sign with major labels, but they turned the offers down. The following year, the band released their first live album I Heard They Suck Live!!.

Punk in Drublic was followed by 1996’s slower Heavy Petting Zoo. The album did not approach the success of their predecessor, although it was the first NOFX record to achieve a position on the US Billboard charts, peaking at number 63. The band stated, "Weird record. I thought it was the coolest record when we finished it, but a few months later I wasn't so sure. Some of those songs are kinda weird. I like the cover a lot though. I think it sold well in Belgium."

In 1997 the band released So Long and Thanks for All the Shoes, a return to faster punk, as exemplified by the frenetic opening track, “It’s My Job to Keep Punk Rock Elite.”

In 1999, the band released The Decline, an 18-minute single-track EP which served as a fiery and cynical social commentary. The Decline, at 18 minutes, 23 seconds, is the second-longest punk song ever recorded (after Crass’s 22-minutes Yes Sir, I Will).

NOFX released the full-length album Pump Up the Valuum in 2000. It would be their final album on Epitaph, as the band decided to move on to Fat Mike’s own label Fat Wreck Chords.

2002 saw the band record BYO Split Series, Vol. 3, a split album with Rancid in which Rancid covered NOFX songs and NOFX covered Rancid songs.

Recent History (2003-Present)

In 2003, NOFX released The War on Errorism, an album of political songs. It became the start of their anti-George W. Bush campaign, and a rallying point for leftist punks. Fat Mike organized the website punkvoter.com, compiled two chart-topping Rock Against Bush CDs, and kicked off a Rock Against Bush U.S. tour. In February 2005, the band launched the NOFX 7" of the Month Club, a subscription-based service which saw the release of one new EP almost monthly, from February 2005 to March 2006 (a total of 12 releases). The cover art for these EPs was chosen from fan-submitted entries. The first 3000 subscribers to the club received all of their records on colored vinyl. Fat Wreck Chords later released full sets of the EPs.

NOFX performing at "The Wall" in Taipei, Taiwan.

On March 14, 2006, the EP Never Trust a Hippy was released. This EP was followed on April 18 by the full-length album Wolves in Wolves’ Clothing. On September 12, 2006, the video game EA Sports NHL07 was released, featuring Wolves in Wolves’ Clothing on its soundtrack, produced by Bill Stevenson and Fat Mike. Also in 2006, NOFX's song "Kill All The White Man" was played briefly in the action movie Crank, and was credited as such in the film's soundtrack.

In January 2007, the band recorded three nights of shows in San Francisco, California, for a live album entitled They've Actually Gotten Worse Live!, released November 20, 2007. The live album is described on the press release as “their sloppiest, drunkest, funnest, best sounding recording ever … and they even made sure not to play any songs off their 1995 live album I Heard They Suck Live.”

NOFX launched a world tour in September 2007, which included concerts in Israel (Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and Haifa). During their final concert in Israel (7 September in Haifa), vocalist Fat Mike inadvertently struck guitarist Eric Melvin with his bass guitar during the performance of “Bottles to the Ground,” breaking the guitar’s neck, and leaving a bloody gash on Melvin’s forehead. (The band completed their scheduled set amidst the audience’s cheers for Melvin’s good humor and perseverance.) This tour was the basis of the band's recent TV show, NOFX: Backstage Passport.

During the same world tour NOFX played four shows in South Africa (one in Cape Town, one in Durban, two in Johannesburg); the band's first concerts on the African continent. The tour of South Africa followed successful tours by bands Frenzal Rhomb, Lagwagon, and Mad Caddies, all of which are signed to Fat Wreck Chords.

Music style and influences

The band’s sound is diverse, utilizing elements of melodic hardcore, skate punk, ska, and other music genres. Their lyrics generally satirize issues such as politics, society, racism, sexism, homophobia, class inequalities, the music industry, and religion.

They cite their influences as Adrenalin O.D., Rich Kids on LSD, Sex Pistols, Bad Religion, and The Subhumans.

Relationship with the media

For years the band has consented to very few interviews and have only made a few music videos, citing the fact that they do not need any more exposure and that people were exploiting them. In recent years Fat Mike has consented to more interviews, including four different interviews with Nardwuar between 2002 and 2006. The band has also refused permission for their music videos to be played on MTV, VH1, and similar music channels, although they made a live appearance on NBC’s Late Night with Conan O'Brien in 2004. The credits on the album Heavy Petting Zoo call on MTV, along with major labels, to "Leave them the fuck alone."

Fat Mike has also repeatedly conducted friendly interviews with the Australian Broadcasting Corporations' Youth radio station Triple J on its breakfast show with Jay and the Doctor. Jay and the Doctor are both members of Frenzal Rhomb, an Australian punk band that has played many tours and festivals with NOFX, and have their music distribution outside Australia handled by Mike's Fat Wreck Chords label.

In 2008 NOFX aired a reality show on Fuse TV about their worldwide tour. The show was entitled NOFX: Backstage Passport.

Discography

Studio albums

Date of Release	Title	Label	US Billboard Peak	US sales
1988, re-released in 1991	Liberal Animation	Epitaph	n/a
1989	S&M Airlines	Epitaph	n/a
1991	Ribbed	Epitaph	n/a
1992	White Trash, Two Heebs and a Bean	Epitaph	n/a
1994	Punk in Drublic	Epitaph	12 (Heatseekers)	Gold
1996	Heavy Petting Zoo	Epitaph	63 (Billboard 200)
1997	So Long and Thanks for All the Shoes	Epitaph	79 (Billboard 200)
2000	Pump up the Valuum	Epitaph	61 (Billboard 200)
2003	The War on Errorism	Fat Wreck Chords	44 (Billboard 200), #1 (Billboard Independent Album chart)
2006	Wolves in Wolves' Clothing	Fat Wreck Chords	46 (Billboard 200), #2 (Billboard Independent Album chart)

Live albums

Date of Release	Title	Label	US Billboard Peak	US sales
1995	I Heard They Suck Live!!	Fat Wreck Chords	198 (Billboard 200)
2007	They've Actually Gotten Worse Live!	Fat Wreck Chords	N/A, #40 (Billboard Independent Album chart)

EPs

Date of Release	Title	Label	US Billboard Peak	US sales
1985	NOFX (EP)	Mystic Records	n/a
1986	So What If We're on Mystic!	Mystic Records	n/a
1987, re-released in 1990	The P.M.R.C. Can Suck on This!	Colossal Wassail Re-released on Fat Wreck Chords	n/a
1992	The Longest Line	Fat Wreck Chords	n/a
1995	Leave It Alone (EP)	Epitaph	n/a
1996	Fuck the Kids	Fat Wreck Chords	n/a
1999	The Decline	Fat Wreck Chords	#200
2001	Surfer	Fat Wreck Chords	n/a
2003	Regaining Unconsciousness	Fat Wreck Chords	187 (Billboard 200)
2006	Never Trust a Hippy	Fat Wreck Chords	186 (Billboard 200)

Singles

Date of Release	Title	Label	US Billboard Peak	US sales
1992	"Liza and Louise"	Fat Wreck Chords	n/a
1994	"Don't Call Me White"	Fat Wreck Chords	n/a
1995	"HOFX"	Fat Wreck Chords	n/a
1996	"All of Me"	Fat Wreck Chords	n/a
1999	"Timmy the Turtle"	Fat Wreck Chords	n/a
1999	"Louise and Liza"	Fat Wreck Chords	n/a
2000	"Pods and Gods"	Fat Wreck Chords	n/a
2000	"Bottles to the Ground"	Epitaph	n/a
2001	"Fat Club 7"	Fat Wreck Chords	n/a
2003	"13 Stitches"	Fat Wreck Chords	n/a
2005-2006	"7" of the Month Club"	Fat Wreck Chords	n/a

Splits

Date of Release	Title	Label	US Billboard Peak	US sales
1988	Drowning Roses/NOFX Split	X-Mist Records	n/a
2002	Rancid/NOFX split - BYO Split Series, Vol. 3	BYO Records	n/a

Compilations

Date of Release	Title	Label	US Billboard Peak	US sales
1992	Maximum Rocknroll	Mystic Records	n/a
2002	45 or 46 Songs That Weren't Good Enough to Go on Our Other Records	Fat Wreck Chords	80 (Billboard 200)
2004	The Greatest Songs Ever Written (By Us!)	Epitaph Records	n/a

Videos

Date of Release	Title	Label	US Billboard Peak	US sales
1994	Ten Years of Fuckin' Up	Fat Wreck Chords	n/a

External links

• NOFX Official Website
• NOFX Online Website
• NOFX year-by-year history
• Template:MySpace