NOFX

Sito Ufficiale / Official Website

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DA rocknet.tv

I NOFX nascono in California come band punk in un periodo compreso tra 1983-1984 ma si arrivò alla formazione definitiva solo nel 1991. I componenti sono Mike Burkett, chiamato anche Fat Mike, voce e basso, Eric Melvin chitarra, Aaron Abeyta alias El Hefe chitarra, tromba e cantante in alcune canzoni e per finire alla batteria Erik Sandin.

Fat Mike è il front man della band è un tipo molto originale, è vegetariano ma allo stesso tempo scrive canzoni su quanto siano stupidi i vegetariani, la sua birra preferita è la Beck's e detesta MTV, le Major... la musica commerciale in generale, in "Heavy Petting Zoo", infatti, si possono leggere dei "non" ringraziamenti: "Nessun ringraziamento a: MTV - Etichette maggiori smettetela di scocciarci - Stazioni radio commerciali smettetela di scocciarci - smettetela di mandare le nostre canzoni fino a questi anni abbiamo fatto bene anche da soli. (poi c'è un "Leave us the fuck alone" che credo voglia dire più o meno mollateci, lasciateci stare insomma cose del genere)."
Oltre che nei NOFX Mike suona anche nei "Me First And The Gimme Gimmes" un gruppo Punk-rock che fa cover di canzoni anni 50,60,70.
Possiamo dire che Melvin fu il fondatore dei NOFX, infatti, è l'unico rimasto dal progetto di formare una band che aveva avuto insieme ad un suo amico.
Erik è uno dei batteristi, a mio parere, più bravi che esistano preciso, veloce e potente che cos'altro può chiedere una band?
Come abbiamo già detto El Hefe si è unito al gruppo nel 1991, suona egregiamente la chitarra, la tromba e canta anche in alcune canzoni come: "Bubble Eyes" (White trash two heebs and a bean), "Kill all the white man" (The Longest Line), "My Hart Is Yearing" (Punk In Drublic), "Together On The Sand" (I Heard They Suck Live).
Il primo album con la band al completo è "The Longest Line" del 1992 e ascoltandolo si può subito notare come ormai il gruppo abbia trovato uno stile personale, indistinguibile. Quest'album fu il primo ad essere registrato alla Fat Wreck Chords, ossia, la casa discorafica di proprietà di Fat Mike ormai famosissima per aver visto la nascita di gruppi quali: Anti-Flag, Lag Wagon, No Use For A Name, Strung Out, The Lawrence Arms ed altri.
Nel 1992 usci anche "White Trash Two Heabs And A Bean", secondo me il loro miglior album, per la casa discografica di Brett Gurewits dei Bad Religion la Epitaph.
Quest'album insieme a "The Longest Line" è l'inizio di una svolta, che porterà i NOFX ad essere uno dei gruppi più apprezzati della scena punk-rock tra le canzoni migliori: "Stickin In My Eye", "Bob", "Liza And Louise" e "Johnny Appleseed".

L'album che però li fece conoscere al mondo intero è "Punk In Drublic" 1994 (storpiatura delle frase "drink in Dublin") registrato anch'esso presso la Epitaph, il quale credo vinse pure un disco di platino ma non ne sono sicuro.
Tra le canzoni contenute: "Leave It Alone", "The Brews", "Lori Meyers" e "Happy Guy".
Tra le registrazioni live abbiamo "I Heard They Suck Live" registrato ad Hollywood al Roxy Club, contiene i loro pezzi più famosi ed usci con etichetta Fat Wreck Chords.

Il 1996 fu l'anno di un nuovo album "Heavy Petting Zoo" da molti sottovalutato perchè ha uno stile più soft ma credo sia un passo fondamentale per arrivare a conceire "So Long And Thanks For All The Shoes" del 1997, l'album del '96, comunque, fu uno di quelli che ebbe magior successo.
"So Long And Thanks For All The Shoes" esce nel 1997 con etichetta Epitaph, è uno dei migliori album della band, veloce e melodico.

Il Titolo dell'album "So Long And Thanks For All The Shoes" non è solo uno dei più lunghi della storia ma ha pure un significato, il titolo non si riferisce nè alla Airwalk nè alla Vans, ma riprende il titolo di un libro di Douglas Adams chiamato "So long and thanks for all the fish". «Solitamente mentre suoniamo nei concerti veniamo colpiti da molte scarpe così abbiamo pensato che fosse un buon titolo» Fat Mike (nota: Al Decostruction Tour del 2000 durante la data italiana Fat Mike è stato raggiunto in pieno volto da una scarpa o una bottiglia e si è abbastanza incazzato).

L'ultimo album e del 2000 E si chiama "Pump Up The Valuum", questo è un album esclusivamente punk-rock, le canzoni sono veloci e non sono presenti contaminazioni di alcun genere come invece si è soliti ascoltare in un album dei NOFX, vedi "Kill All The White Man", "Jonnhy Appleseed", Straight Edge", ah no ho sbagliato l'ultima canzone "Theme From A NOFX Album
" inizia con un motivetto stile Raul Casadei...
Dal 1997 al 2000 uscirono numerosi EPs tra cui il migliore "The Decline" un unica canzone di ben 18 minuti dove sia il testo che la musica rimangono costantemente ad altissimi livelli, si dice, infatti, che per scrivere testo e musica ci sono voluti 6 mesi e credo proprio che ne sia valsa la pena.

Nel 2001 uscì "Surfer" con etichetta Fat Wreck Chords ed è su vinile. La copertina è praticamente identica a "Suffer" dei Bad Religion ed anche il titolo, come avete potuto capire, non è altro che una storpiatura del titolo originale. Diciamo subito che con quest'album i NoFx volevano solo divertirsi e far divertire le canzoni infatti hanno una durata media che va dai 40 secondi al minuto rare sono le eccezioni, vi sono infatti due canzoni che superano i due minuti di durata "Puke On Cops" durata: 3:30 e "Totally Fucked" durata: 2:01. Con quest'album sembra quasi che i NOFX siano ritornati al passato con una dose più consistente di bravura però.
Nel 2002 è uscito uno split tra Rancid e NOFX il risultato è ben diverso prendendo in considerazione le due band i NOFX rivisitano le canzoni dei Rancid e fanno in modo di metterci del loro ed il risultato è molto apprezzabile per quanto riguarda i Rancid il risultato è scarsino (sono il più imparziale possibile ve lo giuro) a differenza dei NOFX, infatti, non vi è una così ampia rielaborazione della musica, come invece vorrebbe una cover, l'unica che mi piace è Bob, forse perchè mi piace troppo l'originale.
Il 21 maggio uscirà il "nuovo album" ho usato le virolette, infatti, i due cd dell'album conterranno canzoni da compilation e da EPs, tutto L'EPs "Fuck The Kids" del 1996 e "Surfer" del 2001 ed una canzone inedita.
I NOFX sono stati premiati per la loro musica al Music Awards degli sport d'azione sotto la categoria snowboard (avete mai provato ad andare con lo snow ascoltandoli?). Ma dopo aver ricevuto il trofeo questo è stato rotto da Mike e poi non so che è successo anche perché il filmato della premiazione non lo riesco a vedere e mi son dovuto arrangiare per la ricostruzione dei fatti.
Non si può dire che i NOFX non siano una band famosa ma questa loro fama se la sono costruita con fatica e nel tempo lasciando far parlare la loro musica.

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NOFX (pronounced no-ef-ex) is an American punk rock band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1983 in Los Angeles. The band was formed by vocalist and bassist Fat Mike and guitarist Eric Melvin. Drummer Erik Sandin joined them shortly afterward. 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 12 studio albums, 15 EPs and numerous 7" singles. The group has sold over 6 million records worldwide, making them one of the most successful independent acts of all time. The band also aired their own show on Fuse TV entitled NOFX: Backstage Passport.
In 1983, guitarist Eric Melvin met bassist/vocalist Mike Burkett (Fat Mike) and started the band under the name NO-FX, after a Boston hardcore punk band called Negative FX. At this time, they were joined by drummer Erik "Smelly" Sandin. NOFX's first recording was a demo from 1984, produced by Germs drummer Don Bolles, which did not sell many copies, but is now an incredibly rare collector's item. Many have been uploaded online, but barely any are valid. Fat Mike claims no copies exist anymore, though it is unclear whether he or any other members of the band still possess the item. 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 "Smelly" 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. Prior to the release of Liberal Animation, a compilation of 14 early NOFX songs was released on Mystic Records. The album was self-titled, and featured the songs from the NOFX and So What If We're on Mystic! EPs. The album is quite rare and only printed around 1,000 copies. The price of the album ranges from $80–300 (see "NOFX" article on NOFX Wiki for more details). The album's cover was a remastered version of the cover from the NOFX EP.
They recorded Liberal Animation in 1988 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. Dave left the band and was replaced by Steve Kidwiller (a.k.a. 'Steve the Caucasian') after the recording of Liberal Animation. NOFX released their second album S&M Airlines on Epitaph Records in 1989.
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 album White Trash, Two Heebs and a Bean followed by The Longest Line, released in 1992. In 1994, pop punk 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. The album went Gold with support from Los Angeles based KROQ-FM for the song "Leave It Alone". A video was made for the song but received no support from MTV. 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!!. In the liner notes they explicitly rejected the advances of major labels and radio airplay, stating "We've been doing fine all these years without you so leave us alone!"
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-minute 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.
In 2003, NOFX released The War on Errorism, an album of political songs. It became the start of their anti-George W. Bush campaign. 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. The song "Separation of the Church and Skate" from that album was featured in the game Tony Hawk's Underground.
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.
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 NHL 07 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, funniest, 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 broken bass guitar was replaced with one from Useless ID for the rest of the show. 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, the band's first concerts on the African continent. The tour of South Africa followed successful tours by bands Lagwagon, Frenzal Rhomb, and Mad Caddies, all of which are signed to Fat Wreck Chords.
In February 2009, NOFX reunited with previous fellow members Steve Kidwiller and Dave Casillas for their 25th anniversary special shows. NOFX released a new album, Coaster, on April 28, 2009. The band worked with the same co-producer, Bill Stevenson, who produced the previous album Wolves in Wolves' Clothing. NOFX was also added to the lineup for the Warped Tour 2009. They also toured Australia and New Zealand in late 2009 with Bad Religion.
NOFX released a new EP on November 24, 2009 titled Cokie the Clown. It was released on one CD or two 7" vinyl records, which are called Cokie the Clown and My Orphan Year. The EP consists of outtakes from the Coaster sessions. NOFX will start their spring 2010 "Fermented and Flailing" tour on April 21. This will be the official tour for their Coaster album.
During this time period, Fat Mike would occasionally adopt the Cokie the Clown persona (as seen on the EP's cover and the "Cokie the Clown" music video) during live performances. Fat Mike performed a solo acoustic show at the 2010 SXSW Festival as Cokie that was described as "strange, emotional, and intimate." At the end of the performance, after debuting a new song called "Drinking Pee," a video that was played for the audience suggested that several festival participants unknowingly drank Fat Mike's urine. The stunt resulted in Fat Mike getting banned from the Austin, Texas venue. In May 2010, NOFX posted a video online that showed Fat Mike urinating into a bottle of Patrón as was previously announced, but then switched the bottle before going on stage to a bottle not containing any urine. Months later in an interview, Mike stated that he had "always wanted to be banned from somewhere."
On June 21, 2010, NOFX announced that they were going to release a compilation album called The Longest EP. This is a compilation of select songs featured on their EP's from 1987 to 2009. It was released on August 17, 2010.
It was recently announced by Fat Wreck Chords that NOFX will release a new split album with the Seattle, WA band The Spits. It will be released on November 23, 2010 and it will contain 2 new songs from each band.
The band's sound is diverse, utilizing elements of punk rock, melodic hardcore, skate punk, ska punk, and other music genres. Their more recent songs often focus on issues such as politics, society, racism, sexism, homophobia, class inequalities, drug use, the music industry, and religion. The band has released songs that range in length from under a minute, with songs like "I gotta pee" (32 Seconds) and "Murder the Government" (45 Seconds), to their longest song, "The Decline," which is over eighteen minutes long. NOFX will frequently poke fun (in friendly manner) at other bands. Their song "Whoa On The Whoas" made fun of The Offspring frequent use of the word "whoa" in their songs. A split album between NOFX and fellow punk band Rancid featured each group covering 6 songs from the other band's catalog.
They cite their influences as Adrenalin O.D., Rich Kids on LSD, D.I.,Operation Ivy, Dickies, Descendents, Dead Milkmen, Sex Pistols, Bad Religion, Minor Threat, Dead Kennedys, The Adolescents, The Misfits and The Subhumans.
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. Their appearance on Conan was controversial, as their message was anti-Bush (playing the song Franco Un-American), the lyrics were modified from the original to include an anti-bush statement: "We all know George Bush is an imbecile. He loves Dick but he hates homosexuals. We're sick and tired of the embarrassment. The whole world wants us to get to get a better president." Conan seemed to find their performance displeasing or unprofessional. The band briefly pursued an "anti-Conan" riff, although the intent may have been jocular. The credits on the album Heavy Petting Zoo call on MTV, along with major labels, to "Leave us the fuck alone."
Fat Mike has also repeatedly conducted friendly interviews with the Australian Broadcasting Corporations' alternative radio station Triple J on its breakfast show with Jay (Jason Whalley) and the Doctor (Lindsay McDougall). Jay and the Doctor are both members of Frenzal Rhomb, an Australian punk rock 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 documentary series on Fuse TV about their worldwide tour. The show was entitled NOFX: Backstage Passport.
Band members:
Current members
• Fat Mike - lead vocals, bass guitar, keyboards (1983–present)
• Eric Melvin - rhythm guitar, backing vocals (1983–present)
• Erik Sandin - drums, percussion (1983–1985, 1986–present)
• El Hefe - lead guitar, trumpet, backing vocals (1991–present)
Former members
• Steve Kidwiller - guitar (1989–1991)
• Ambrose Nzams - guitar (1989)
• Dave Casillas - guitar (1986–1989)
• Scott Sellers - drums, percussion (1985–1986)
• Scott Aldahl - drums, percussion (1986)
• Dave Allen - lead vocals (1986)

Official website: http://www.nofxofficialwebsite.com/