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NOFX

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NOFX
File:NoFX promophoto.jpg
Background information
Years active1983 – Present
MembersFat Mike
El Hefe
Eric Melvin
Smelly

NOFX are a punk band from California, sometimes referred to in the underground music press as "the funniest band in rock and roll." They were formed in 1983 by high school-aged "Fat Mike" (real name Mike Burkett), Erik Sandin and Eric Melvin in Los Angeles. The root of their name is commonly attributed to the Boston punk band Negative FX, although Fat Mike has stated that the name was chosen to reflect a desire among band members to avoid being influenced by one another's views on substance abuse (at the time of the naming, some members adhered to the Straight Edge teetotaller lifestyle, while others were not). The band has become more politically aware in recent years (leaning to the left), as is evidenced by songs such as "No Fun in Fundamentalism" and "Idiot Son of an Asshole"—a direct reference to George W. Bush.

Background

They released their debut EP NOFX on Mystic Records in 1984, which later resurfaced in 1992 on the Maximum Rock and Roll CD.

They recorded Liberal Animation in 1988 with Brett Gurewitz from Bad Religion. The album was re-released in 1991 on Gurewitz's label Epitaph Records. NOFX had signed to Epitaph by 1989, releasing the album S&M Airlines.

By 1991 there had been a lot of changes to the band however the original three members had reunited and Aaron Abeyta (aka El Hefe) joined to round out the present line-up.

It was not until the 1994 release of Punk in Drublic that the band had a popular breakthrough. The album went gold in the same year pop-punk entered the mainstream with The Offspring's Smash and Green Day's Dookie. NOFX never matched the popularity of other punk bands, and are among those who achieved popular acclaim in the mid-1990s and still kept their hardcore punk fanbase who reviled other bands that were perceived as sell-outs.

Since 1994 they have consented to very few interviews and have made only few music videos. However, Fat Mike once did an interview for Guitar World in 2003 giving his opinion on the pop punk bands rising at that time. Fat Mike was also interviewed by Australian radio station Triple J in 2004. Their official website features a Q&A section, where they answer questions sent in by fans. Updates have not occurred to the Q&A section, but the archives can still be browsed. NOFX have continued to release independent records throughout their career. An extensive, nearly 20 page interview was done for a 2003 issue of AMP magazine. The band released The Decline, a fiery and pessimistic social commentary, in 1999. Having a duration of 18 minutes and 23 seconds it may well be the longest punk song by any artist to date.

In 2003, NOFX released a CD entitled War on Errorism, an album of snarky political songs. It became the start of their anti-Bush campaign and a rallying point for liberal punks. Since the CD's release, Fat Mike organized the website Punkvoter.com, compiled two chart topping Rock Against Bush CDs on the Fat Wreck label, and kicked off a Rock Against Bush nationwide tour. Their emergence on the political scene has not faded after the election.

The band has also released many EPs (Fuck the Kids, The Longest Line) on Fat Mike's own label Fat Wreck Chords. In February of 2005 they launched the NOFX 7" of the Month Club, a subscription based service which will see the release of one new EP every month from February 2005 to January 2006 (a total of 12 releases.) The cover art for these 7-inches were chosen from fan-submitted entries, from which the band selected one submission for each month's record. Billed as "A year long documentation of their songwriting process," the first 3000 subscribers to the club will receive all of their records on coloured vinyl.

NOFX played a gig in Hong Kong on the 12th of November 2005, their first stop for the Asia Tour.

NOFX have recently finished an album of new material, Wolves in Wolves' Clothing, due to be released in April 2006. Fat Mike also has his own record label, Fat Wreck Chords which has many up and coming punk bands on its books.

Past and present members of NOFX

1983

1985

===1986=== (6 months)

1986

1989

1991 - present

NOFX Discography

Studio Albums - LPs

EPs

Live Albums

Other

Compilations

Videos/DVD's

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