[color=orange]Through a combination of zealous righteousness and post-punk experimentalism, U2 became one of the most popular rock & roll bands of the '80s. Equally known for their sweeping sound as for their grandiose statements about politics and religion, U2 were rock & roll crusaders during an era of synthesized pop and heavy metal. The Edge provided the group with a signature sound by creating sweeping sonic landscapes with his heavily processed, echoed guitars. Though the Edge's style wasn't conventional, the rhythm section of Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. played the songs as driving hard-rock, giving the band a forceful, powerful edge that was designed for arena rock. And their lead singer, Bono, was a frontman who had a knack of grand gestures that played better in arenas than small clubs. It's no accident that footage of Bono parading with a white flag with "Sunday Bloody Sunday" blaring in the background became the defining moment of U2's early career -- there rarely was a band that believed so deeply in rock's potential for revolution as U2, and there rarely was a band that didn't care if they appeared foolish in the process. During the course of the early '80s, the group quickly built up a dedicated following through constant touring and a string of acclaimed records. By 1987, the band's following had grown large enough to propel them to the level of international superstars with the release of The Joshua Tree. Unlike many of their contemporaries, U2 was able to sustain their popularity in the '90s by reinventing themselves as a post-modern, self-consciously ironic dance-inflected pop-rock act, owing equally to the experimentalism of late '70s Bowie and '90s electronic dance and techno. By performing such a successful reinvention, the band confirmed its status as one of the most popular bands in rock history, in addition to earning additional critical respect.

With its textured guitars, U2's sound was undeniably indebted to post-punk, so it's slightly ironic that the band formed in 1976, before punk had reached their hometown of Dublin, Ireland. Larry Mullen Jr. (b. October 31, 1961; drums) posted a notice on a high school bulletin board asking for fellow musicians to form a band. Bono (b. Paul Hewson, May 10, 1960; vocals, guitar), the Edge (b. David Evans, August 8, 1961; guitar, keyboards, vocal), Adam Clayton (bass), and Dick Evans responded to the ad, and the group formed as a Beatles and Stone cover band called the Feedback, before changing their name to the Hype in 1977. Shortly afterward, Dick Evans left the band to form the Virgin Prunes. Following his departure, the group changed their name to U2.

U2's first big break arrived in 1978, when they won a talent contest sponsored by Guinness; the band were in their final year of high school at the time. by the end of the year, the Stranglers' manager Paul McGuinness saw the band play and offered to manage the group. Even with a powerful manager in their corner, the band had trouble making much headway -- they failed an audition with CBS Records at the end of the year. In the fall of 1979, U2 released their debut EP U2:3. The EP was available only in Ireland and it topped the national charts. Shortly afterward, they began to play in England, but they failed to gain much attention.

U2 had one other chart-topping single, "Another Day," in early 1980 before Island Records offered the group a contract. Later that year, the band's debut, Boy, was released. Produced by Steve Lillywhite, the record's sweeping, atmospheric but edgy sound was unlike most of its post-punk contemporaries, and the band earned further attention for its public embrace of Christianity; only Clayton was not a practicing Christian. Through constant touring, including opening gigs for Talking Heads and wet T-shirt contests, U2 was able to take Boy into the American Top 70 in early 1981. October, also produced by Lillywhite, followed in the fall, and it became their British breakthrough, reaching number 11 on the charts. By early 1983, Boy's "I Will Follow" and October's "Gloria" had become staples on MTV, which, along with their touring, gave the group a formidable cult following in the US.

Released in the spring of 1983, the Lillywhite-produced War was U2's breakthrough release, entering the UK charts at number one and elevating them into arenas in the United States, where the album peaked at number 12. War had a stronger political message than its predecessors, as evidenced by the UK, college radio, and MTV hits "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "New Year's Day." During the supporting tour, the band filmed their concert at Colorado's Red Rocks Amphitheater, releasing the show as an EP and video title Under A Blood Red Sky. The EP entered in the UK charts at number two, becoming the most successful live recording in British history. U2 had become one of the most popular bands in the world, and their righteous political stance soon became replicated by many other bands, providing the impetus for the Band Aid and Live Aid projects in 1984 and 1985, respectively. For the followup to War, U2 entered the studios with co-producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, who helped give the resulting album an experimental, atmospheric tone. Released in the fall of 1984, The Unforgettable Fire replicated the chart status of War, entering the UK charts at number one and reaching number 12 in the US the album also generated the group's first Top 40 hit in America with the Martin Luther King Jr. tribute "(Pride) In the Name of Love." U2 supported the album with a successful international tour, highlighted by a show-stealing performance at Live Aid. Following the tour, the band released the live EP, Wide Awake in America in 1985.

While U2 had become one of the most successful rock bands of the '80s, they didn't truly become superstars until the spring 1987 release of The Joshua Tree. Greeted with enthusiastic reviews, many of which proclaimed the album a masterpiece, The Joshua Tree became the band's first American number one hit and its third straight album to enter the UK charts at number one; in England, it set a record by going platinum within 28 hours. Generating the US number one hits "With or Without You" and "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," The Joshua Tree and the group's supporting tour became the biggest success of 1987, earning the group the cover of respected publications like Time magazine. U2 decided to film a documentary about their American tour, recording new material along the way. The project became Rattle & Hum, a film that was supported by a double-album soundtrack that was divided between live tracks and new material. While the album Rattle & Hum was a hit, the record and film received the weakest reviews of U2's career, with many critics taking issue with the group's fascination with American roots music like blues, soul, country and folk. Following the release of Rattle & Hum, the band took an extended hiatus.

U2 reconvened in Berlin 1990 to record a new album with Eno and Lanois. While the sessions for the album were difficult, the resulting record, Achtung Baby, represented a successful reinvention of the band's trademark sound. Where they had been inspired by post-punk in the early career and American music during their mid-career, U2 delved into electronic and dance music with Achtung Baby. Inspired equally by late '70s Bowie and the Madchester scene in the UK, Achtung Baby was sonically more eclectic and adventurous than U2's earlier work, and it didn't alienate their core audience. The album debuted at number one throughout the world and spawned Top 10 hits with "Mysterious Ways" and "One." Early in 1992, the group launched an elaborate tour to support Achtung Baby. Dubbed Zoo TV, the tour was an innovative blend of multi-media electronics, featuring a stage filled with televisions, suspended cars and cellular phone calls. Bono devised an alter-ego called the Fly, which was a knowing send-up of rock stardom. Even under the ironic guise of the Fly and Zoo TV, it was evident that U2 was looser and more fun than ever before, even though they had not abandoned their trademark righteous political anger.

Following the completion of the American Zoo TV tour in late and before the launch of the European leg of tour, U2 entered the studio to complete an EP of new material that became the full-length Zooropa. Released in the summer of 1993 to coincide with the tour of the same name, Zooropa demonstrated a heavier techno and dance influence than Achtung Baby and it received strong reviews. Nevertheless, the album stalled at sales of two million and failed to generate a big hit single. During the Zooropa tour, the Fly metamorphosed into the demonic MacPhisto, which dominated the remainder of the tour. Upon the completion of the Zooropa tour in late 1993, the band took an extended break. During 1995, U2 re-emerged with "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me," a glam-rock theme to Batman Forever that was produced by Nellee Hooper (Bjork, Soul II Soul). Later that year, they recorded the collaborative album Original Soundtracks, Vol. 1 with Brian Eno, releasing the album under the name the Passengers late in 1995. It was greeted with a muted reception, both critically and commercially.

Many hardcore U2 fans, including drummer Larry Mullen Jr., were unhappy with the Passengers project, and U2 promised their next album, to be released in the fall of 1996, would be a rock & roll record. The album took longer to complete than usual, being pushed back to the spring of 1997. During its delay, a few tracks, including the forthcoming first single "Discotheque," were leaked, and it became clear that the new album was going to be heavily influenced by techno, dance and electronic music. When it was finally released, Pop did indeed bear a heavier dance influence, but it was greeted with strong initial sales, as well as some of the strongest reviews of U2's career. In late 1998, the group returned with Best of 1980-1990, the first in a series of hits collections issued in conjunction with a reported $50 million agreement with Polygram. Three years after the mediocre response to Pop, U2 teamed up with Eno and Lanois once again to release All That You Can't Leave Behind in fall 2000. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

1983/1984

Unquestionably one of the most important and influential death metal acts to have ever emerged from the North American continent, Florida's DEATH came together in late 1983 when guitarist/vocalist Chuck Schuldiner and guitarist Rick Rozz (real name: Frederick DeLillo) got together with drummer/vocalist Barney "Kam" Lee to form Mantas. Drawing musical inspiration from Venom and Slayer, the trio (no bassist had yet entered the picture!) went about composing original tunes and making very rough, crude rehearsal recordings to send out to various tape-traders around the world. Out of these sessions came a completely unproduced five-song "demo" entitled Death By Metal (mid-1984), which --in spite of its primitive nature-- ended up establishing the group as one of most promising contenders for the American death metal throne, a status that at the time was being firmly held by San Francisco's Possessed. The recognition they received, however, was not enough to help Mantas along in their hometown of Orlando, where the group were still not being taken seriously by any of the clubs or fellow musicians.

"The local situation was fuckin' nearly impossible," Schuldiner later recalled. "A lot of people looked down upon us. We got a lot of shit from the local band scene; all the bands from around (Orlando) thought we were pure shit. We were noisy back then, but we were putting out brutal death metal, and it was too much for people to comprehend." This complete lack of local support for the band's music was at least partly to blame for the constant internal turmoil within the group and Mantas' eventual break-up in late 1984.

Vowing to carry on making music that was "faster and heavier" than anything he'd done before, Schuldiner immediately announced his plans to form a new band -simply called DEATH- and relocate to either Tampa or California after his 18th birthday (which was to occur in May of 1985), a move that he felt could improve his chances of securing a stable line-up for the group. Within weeks, however, Chuck reconciled with Rozz and Lee and commenced the writing sessions for what would become the legendary Reign Of Terror demo.

We have gotten so much heav"ier (since reforming), it's almost beyond comprehension," Schuldiner stated on the eve of the demo's recording. Laid down over a five-hour period during October 1984 "in the back room of a music store where they keep recording equipment", Reign Of Terror cost a grand total of $80 and was never properly mixed down due to a lack of time in a proper recording studio. In spite of this, the six-song tape was circulated worldwide through the vast tape-trading network and put DEATH on the map as one of the genre's most extreme and brutal groups.

On December 30th, 1984, DEATH performed with local Tampa heroes Nasty Savage at Ruby's Pub and made an audio recording of the show that they would later release as an "official" live tape. "We're going to trash the (Reign Of Terror) demo, because it sucks compared to our live tape," Chuck was quoted as saying at the time.

1985

Three months later, on March 9th, 1985, Chuck, Rick and Kam finally got the opportunity to record a "proper" studio demo, a three-song recording made specifically for the purpose of finding a record deal. Not an "official" demo release, the Infernal Death tape (as it would later become known) was to be the last recording made with this line-up, as Chuck slowly grew apart from the other members and began to set his eyes on a Michigan bassist by the name of Scott Carlson (then of Genocide, and later of Repulsion).

"Scott sent us a tape of himself jamming, and he absolutely kills," Chuck enthused. By the time Scott relocated to Orlando (replacing Rozz), he brought along with him Genocide guitarist Matt Olivo, and the two joined Kam and Chuck in a short-lived incarnation of DEATH that ended when Lee finally exited, leaving the remaining three members drummer-less. Several frustrating months followed during which Chuck, Matt and Scott atempted to find a replacement for Kam, but the task proved impossible, ultimately causing Scott and Matt to return to Michigan and leaving Chuck the daunting task of finding an entirely new line-up.

In September of 1985, Chuck relocated to San Francisco at the urging of ex-D.R.I. drummer Eric Brecht, and the pair soon hooked up in yet another version of the band, this time with the intent of their band "being the fastest ever". Ultimately, however, Chuck realized that a full-speed assault did not allow for the different musical shades and colors which made DEATH such an import muscial entity, and in December of that same year, he returned to Florida, bandless once again. It was around that time that he got a phone call from Toronto death metal upstarts Slaughter, who -just a few short weeks prior to entering the studio to begin recording their debut album, Strappado-- asked him to move up to Canada and join their ranks. Frustrated with his local environment.

1986

Chuck accepted their offer and in January of 1986 moved to Toronto to start rehearsing with the group. Although initially enthusiastic about the prospect of being in an actual "band", Schuldiner quickly realized the need to pursue his own vision and not follow somebody else's lead, and promptly left Canada to return to Florida, where he started plotting his next attack. Within weeks he was back in San Francisco where he hooked up with a promising young drummer by the name of Chris Reifert, and in April of that same year, the pair entered a California studio to record the infamous three-song Mutilation demo. By far the best-recorded tape Chuck had laid down up until that point, Mutilation rapidly made the rounds in metal circles, and the demo soon found its way in the hands of Combat Records, who proceeded to snap up the group to a multi-album deal.

In July of 1986, Chuck and Chris entered a Florida recording studio to start work on their debut album for the label, but due to various technical problems, the sessions didn't go past the initial basic tracks and the whole project was moved over to Hollywood's Music Grinder Studios. Paired up with producer Randy Burns, DEATH spent only a few days recording the LP before Chuck and Chris returned home, leaving Randy to mix the album. While waiting for the album to be mixed and mastered, Schuldiner and Reifert came in contact with a young Californian guitarist by the name of John Hand, whom they welcomed in the band, even going so far as to have his photo included on the back cover of the upcoming record. It was a decision that would later haunt the group, as Hand would leave the group prior to the recording of their second album and thus never recorded so much as a single note with DEATH.

1987

Released in May of 1987, DEATH's debut record Scream Bloody Gore was immediately met with praise and accolades, with magazines and fans hailing it as one of the most important death metal releases of all time. However, with Chuck once again having returned to Florida and Reifert basing himself in San Francisco, Schuldiner --in yet another surprising move-- decided to join forces with three-fourths of Florida's Massacre (including Rick Rozz). This marked the first touring incarnation of DEATH, which made its first major live appearance at that year's Milwaukee Metalfest. During the successful club tour that followed, DEATH aired three brand-new numbers ("Born Dead", "Open Casket" and "Pull The Plug") that Chuck had written for the group's sophomore outing, which showcased a more mature, focussed direction for the band while retaining the brutality that had become the group's trademark.

1988/1989

By April of 1988, DEATH had returned to the recording studio (Tampa's Morrisound facility) and, under the guidance of Dan Johnson, laid down their much-anticipated second album. A polished-yet-savagely-heavy effort, Leprosy, like it's predecessor, had its roots firmly in the Slayer/Venom/Hellhammer school of songwriting, but with an increased emphasis on the kind of melodic passages that would later become central to the group's sound. Not surprisingly, this powerful combination was an instant "hit" in the metal underground and became a major influence on hundreds of bands that emerged during death metal's "resurgence" in the late '80's, including groups such as Entombed and Napalm Death (who ended up recording their Harmony Corruption album at Morrisound Studios in an attempt to recapture Leprosy's distinctive production).

Although the DEATH line-up would change once again, the band had made an indelible impression with their first two releases. Indeed, it was albums such as Leprosy that help to forge a path for the hundreds of death metal bands which would soon rise in subsequent years, although none of them would be able to erase the importance nor savagery of tracks such as "Pull The Plug". The fact that some of these songs remain fan favorites even to this day speaks of their time-tested craftsmanship and the importance of the band, not only in the American metal scene but with an impact whose influence would soon be witnessed throughout the world.

An appearance at the Ultimate Revenge II video shoot (a live video/CD which also included Dark Angel and Forbidden, among others) took place in October, 1988, followed by more touring through much of 1989. By the end of that year, the volatile relatiosnship between Chuck and Rick had gotten virtually intolerable for Schuldiner and a parting of the ways became inevitable. "Rick was basically kicked out of the band due to the fact that we were all into progressing as a group and getting better as musicians, and he simply was not," Chuck was quoted as saying a few months later. "He was stopping me from writing the kind of material I wanted to write due to his inability to play the songs, and we all knew it was time for a change."

1990

In Rick's place, DEATH enlisted James Murphy, a Florida resident who'd previously spent time in Agent Steel and Hallows Eve, and began work on the all-important third album, entitled "Spiritual Healing". Produced by Scott Burns, Spiritual... represented yet another step forward in Chuck's quest towards incorporating an increased level of musicality into the group's songwriting, while at the same time shying away from the Satanic and low-budget gore movie-type lyrics that were becoming commonplace in the genre. "I think that Spiritual Healing is very much representative of what death metal can sound like when it's done with strong emphasis on musicality and less so on hyper-speed and stupid Satanic lyrics," Chuck said after the album's release. "We believe that we can turn a few more people into death metal with this record and change a lot of people's minds about what death metal is supposed to sound like."

In spite of some of the early criticism from the die-hard death metal fans who viewed the musical progression on Spiritual... as a negative one, the album went on to be a highly successful one for the group, with DEATH doing more touring and in front of larger crowds than ever before. Unfortunately, it also marked the last time the group would record with this line-up, as pressure in Chuck's personal life and internal band disagreements caused Murphy to be dejected from the group first, followed by drummer Bill Andrews and bassist Terry Butler a few months later.

In the decade that followed, DEATH issued several more critically-acclaimed releases while gradually gravitating towards a much more technical musical approach, one that would inevitably alienate some of the group's longtime fans. Along the way, Chuck came to be rightfully regarded as one of the pioneers of the death metal genre, while Spiritual Healing came to earn its place in the annals of death metal history as one the finest albums ever released under the banner.

1998

Exactly what does it take to be a pioneer? For some, it can simply be the result of releasing one, maybe two, influential records, never to be heard from again. For others, however, it is an ongoing endeavor which continues long after the initial wound is made on life's jugular.

Guitarist/vocalist/songwriter, Chuck Schuldiner, first set the heavy metal underground aflame in the early 80's with his seminal metal outfit, Death, a band that has achieved unparalleled status as one of the genre's most respected and influential acts. Despite the early acclaim and attention, Chuck had no interest in resting on his laurels and the musical prowess and originality he had already become known for were pushed further and further, consistently remaining ahead of the times. And now, in 1998, having seen fourteen years and six albums of setting new standards for metal, Schuldiner has proven yet again with no room for debate, that his reputation as a pioneer is no fluke.

Death's history dates back to 1983 when Chuck formed Mantas together with a couple of high school friends and started gaining much notoriety within the underground tape trading circuit. Soon after the band's name was changed to Death and several more self-released tapes followed. It was the blistering 3-track Mutilation demo that drew Combat Records' attention and Death was subsequently inked to the label. The debut album, Scream Bloody Gore, surfaced in '87 and has since then become a metal classic. Even now it is impossible to get through a live Death performance without hearing the crowd chant for incredible songs like "Zombie Ritual". The following year saw the release of their second album, Leprosy. Though certainly not lacking ferocity in any manner, Leprosy contained material which was much bolder and musically adventurous, foreshadowing progression to come. Over the course of the band's next four albums (Spiritual Healing - 1990, Human - 1991, Individual Thought Patterns - 1993 and Symbolic - 1995, through Roadrunner), the musical and lyrical boundaries continued to expand while the gap between brutality, progression and tradition started to close. It was at this time, primarily around Human, that Schuldiner had truly captured Death's essence and distinctive style; a style that major publications like Guitar World (ranked amongst the top 100 most important guitarists in rock), Bass Player and Modern Drummer have stood up to recognize. Death's rabid fan base is in no way confined to The United States, though. Their headlining tours have dominated world-wide for many years now, touching upon mainland Europe, Japan, South America, etc...

After the release of Symbolic, for the first time in Chuck's adult life he was free of any/all contractual obligations with record labels. It was truly a new beginning; a time for decisions to be made and doors to be opened. At that time a bold choice was made to write music for another metal project Chuck had wanted to pursue appropriately named Control Denied. The musical direction in C.D. was even more melodic than Death and most notably, Chuck was not the vocalist. Instead a more traditional style (ala Iron Maiden, Queensryche, Nevermore) was incorporated. After an album's worth of material was laid to tape Chuck surprised the metal masses again by announcing that he was putting C.D. on hold so he could complete a new Death album, which he had started working on right around the time Symbolic was released.

Schuldiner explains, "Timing is everything when it comes to music. I was feeling music bubbling to the surface that was unmistakably Death and the fans have always been so supportive of what I have done, it just felt right. It was time to seek out a new recording contract for the band. I haven't given Control Denied up and I plan to release material in the future, but only after everything with the new Death album is done."

1999

Some listen to music. Others create it. Still others sculpt sounds of intriguing distinctiveness; of startling creativity instinctively creating new orders, classes and entirely new genres of music fit for others to idyllically mimic. And if there were some universal time line dedicated to metal's most cogent ring leaders; the ones who've unwittingly branded their ingenuity into the minds of all those who listen; it would unquestionably touch on Black Sabbath bleed into the more bombastic realm of Slayer and inevitably wash itself into the sole manipulators of extreme music: Death. Founded by guitarist/ vocalist/ song-writer Chuck Schuldiner, Death blended mature, structured musicianship with assaulting aggression, an influential style of precision and an infinite frontier of thought provoking subject matter from their very inception in 1983.

Lyrically thought provoking and extreme in every way, Death proved that "brutal" could indeed travel beyond the conventional blast beat-pit riff-growl motif. The band's potency instantly earned them respect worldwide. With seven LP's each capitalizing upon the last, and a planet of dedicated Death devotees, Schuldiner had an entirely new musical agenda; an extension of the larger-than-life blue prints drawn up during his years with Death.

The concept of CONTROL DENIED materialized in '96 following Death's Symbolic LP. Schuldiner sought a more traditional path of metal; a bit more melodic with cleaner vocalization while still maintaining Death's patented precision, intensity and depth. The line up features guitarist Shannon Hamm, bassist Scott Clendenin (both of whom joined Death for The Sound of Perseverance LP), drummer Richard Christy, vocalist Tim Aymar (formerly of Psycho Scream) and of course, Schuldiner as the leading guitarist. Eventually legendary bassist Steve DiGiorgio was added completing what is today's CONTROL DENIED.

Much like Death, CONTROL DENIED is fully carved by the song writing expertise of Schuldiner. Leaving the vocalization in the hands of Aymar, The Fragile Art of Existence is the purest form of guitar wizardry planet earth has to offer. Recorded alongside Jim Morris at the legendary morrisound Studios, CONTROL DENIED, with its all-star line up, expels a rich, explosive amalgam of vigor, emotion and unbridled power complete with a subtle, classic metal edge; an ultimate progression of Death. A new realm of trend-free metal fit for the sounds of a new millennium.

Band History
Here's a great idea, let's get the guy in the band who smokes the most pot to write a band history. That's me. The guy who couldn't remember what was said five minutes ago if his life depended on it. You try and write down the last 16 years of your life and make it seem relevant…


First Practice 1983
Here's what I do remember. I was sitting with a kid named Dillon in our usual spot with the other punkers during lunchtime at Fairfax high school. He was a drummer, and we were dissatisfied with the bands we were in. My band consisted of me and my one and only Punk Rock friend both playing guitar and singing and that was it. Neither one of us had finished any songs. Not quite a recipe for success.

So I sez to my friend, let's start a band. A real band, a band that does stuff. A band that writes songs, practices, puts out records, and goes on tour. We talked about who else we wanted in this band. We knew lots of good people from going to punk gigs around LA. He knew a Bass player named Mike who used to be in a band called False Alarm. We both knew a guy named Steve from Orange County who we agreed would make a great front man. We made some calls and arranged to meet and have a first practice.

That's when I first met Mike. Mike was a huge Misfits fan. He looked like a Misfits fan. His hair was long in front and it was all hairsprayed together to a point down the middle of his face in what was called a "Devilock". Mike had some songs for us to play. I had written a song called "Take Part". It sounded an awful lot like Minor Threat's version of the Monkees' Stepping Stone. Steve didn't go to that first practice, he couldn't get a ride up from Orange county. After that first practice Dillon quit and Mike called up Erik. Mike and Erik had met a couple of years earlier while skateboarding around Hollywood. Erik liked Mike's Black Flag skateboard. It was Punk. Mike had asked Erik to join False Alarm back then, but Erik's mom wouldn't let him do it 'cuz he had no driver's license yet. Later on, when we asked him to play drums with us he was in a band called Caustic Cause. Erik joined us but his other band would have to have priority. We were supposed to be a 4-piece but practiced as a 3-piece, Steve hadn't made it to one practice yet.

The Name
Mike and I use to hang out at his house and listen to all of his punk rock records. We tried to come up with good band names. I said No FX after a band who had put out one record and broken up called Negative FX. Mike agreed that it was the best one so far. There seemed to be a lot of gimmicky bands around at the time. We like to think that our name meant we were against that shit. In 1983 three of the four members were into the straight edge movement following Minor Threat's first single, but we were never a straight edge band, OK?

First Gig
There was a club on Selma and Argyle in Hollywood called Cathay de Grande. Some of the bands we would go see there were D.R.I., the Stains, Reagan Youth, Minor Threat, Black Flag before Henry, the Bangs who later became the Bangles, and Social Distortion. On Tuesday nights new bands would play and it was one dollar to get in. Some friends of ours from Pomona had a band called Justice League. They were having their first gig one Tuesday and we asked them if we could use their gear and play after them. We were all there, except for Steve. We played all 4 songs we knew. For years after, those Justice League kids swore that was our best show ever. When Steve found out that we had played without him, he quit the band that he was never really in.

So we were a 3-piece. Mike and I were going to trade off singing, but I could barely even play guitar, let alone sing at the same time, and that's how Mike became our singer.

First Demo
It was time to record our songs and put out a tape. By some freak act of destiny, Don Bolles, of Germs fame said he would produce our demo for us if we filled up his car with gas. We made flyers advertising our Demo release and placed an ad in Flipside to send your own cassette and a self addressed stamped envelope and we would copy it for you and send it back.

First Tour 1985
We got letters back from people who had heard our demo. A guy named Brad wrote from Boise. If we played a gig in his garage he'd pay us $200. So we started making a lot of phone calls and got other gigs in Reno, Portland, and Ashland, Oregon. I asked Mom and Dad if we could use the Country Squire station wagon to go on our first tour, they said O.K. I had broken the rear window a month earlier, so we taped some plastic over it, threw our amps in the back, and took off for Reno. We stayed at some guy's house after the Reno gig. He wouldn't let us invite any girls back to his apartment. Someone snuck a girl in anyway and in the morning snuck her out again. The guy found her underwear, got mad and kicked us out.

In Boise we played Brad's garage. He made flyers and all the Boise punkers were there. There was a keg of some cheap beer. If I remember correctly, there was always a keg of some cheap beer. After the show Brad gave us all $50 he collected and said sorry about the rest of the money, he was broke.

We played in Portland at a club called the Satyricon. The other band was called the Oily Bloodmen. Rich, the singer said that we could crash out at his place. As soon as we got back to his house, he started telling us stories about fucking little boys with baseball bats and crazy murders. Erik was scared of his house so he slept in the car. Rich turned out to be a good friend who for years would come see us when we would play in Portland. In Ashland we played with a band called Society Threat. All 40 punks from the town showed up and then we all went to someone's house for an after gig party. That was the first time of what became a customary let's-play-get-drunk-and-take-hallucinogenics trip to Ashland.

That was the last show of that tour. We had no gig, but stopped anyway in San Francisco on the way back to LA. A cop hassled us for taking up a parking spot and just hanging out on the sidewalk. Our roadie at the time explained that it was our first time in 'Frisco'. The cop said first of all, it's not 'Frisco', it's 'San Francisco', and we don't want to get off to a bad start with a ticket so we'd better move along.

Erik quits
Erik moved away to Santa Barbara so he wasn't going on the next tour. We found a drummer named Scott to replace him. Before we left LA we wanted to fill up the tank with gas, so we all reached into our pockets. Scott was leaving LA with only six dollars. What a dumbass.

First U.S. Tour 1985
Mike sold his car and bought a Dodge van for us to tour in. I can't recall how many times that van broke down. We eventually replaced everything under the hood. It was also kind of a cop magnet. We got hassled by cops everywhere we went. Maybe it was the huge NOFX spray painted graffiti style on the side. Lesson learned.

There weren't that many places we could play. If we had a gig at a recreation center in Lincoln and nothing for days until Madison, we would play a basement party at some very nice or naïve person's house the next night, and then sleep on their floor for a week. We would play in front of hardly any people for whatever gas money, beer money or no money we could get. Mike booked us one entire summer tour playing only house parties. You buy the keg, charge two bucks for a cup, and give us the $60 you collected.

Scott joins
We needed another drummer 'cuz Scott moved to San Diego, so we found another guy named Scott to play drums.

Dave joins
We also tried out and took on a singer. His name was Dave Allen.

Winter 1985
We toured the southwestern U.S. with the band Entropy, and played a couple of shows with Scared Straight and the Grim. We were a four piece again, and, with our roadies and girlfriends in tow were 12 people in that Dodge van. One night we all slept in the van and the condensation built up and froze under the ceiling. In the morning when the sun came up it melted the ice and made rain on us inside the van. We played a show on New Year's eve in Dallas and during our set I put down my guitar to fight with a skinhead. That was the end of that show.

San Francisco
After that tour Mike moved to San Francisco to go to school. Dave, who had been our singer for less than a few months, died in a car accident. Scott, the drummer, quit. Erik was living in Santa Barbara and we talked him into rejoining NOFX. I moved to Santa Barbara to go to city college. We were back to a 3-piece again, but we wanted to add second guitar player.

Dave joins
Dave Casillas, formerly of Rat Pack and some other Oxnard area bands, joined us. With him we toured the U.S. twice, and went to Europe for our first time. He played on our Liberal Animation LP, the P.M.R.C. can suck on this EP and the first version of S & M Airlines which was on a split 7"with Drowning Roses.

First Europe tour
We were on the East Coast during a U.S. tour when Mike called a German booking agent we had met at Gilman St. a few months before. He had booked a tour for the Adolescents and they had just cancelled at the last minute. There was a German band called Drowning Roses to play and share a van and gear with, but he still wanted an American band. We weren't anywhere near as popular as the Adolescents but he booked us anyway.

Just before we left the U.S., Dave had his accident. They had been drinking all day with our friends from the band Subculture. There was a man made lake at Bo's house that had been formed by cutting an area of the forest down to stumps and filling it in with water. They were doing long dives off of a short pier. They said to dive to the right, because of a huge stump that lay just under the water's level to the left. I remember that he always had a little trouble with his right and his left. The swelling eventually went down after six weeks in Europe. I think that he had the stitches removed somewhere in Germany.

Dave quits
It became quite apparent that Dave was really more of a fun guy to watch get drunk and fall down at a party than a guitar player who could remember how to play NOFX songs. After Europe Mike, Erik and I talked about what to do. Mike called him up to talk to him, and that's when Dave quit.

Steve joins
Back in the day, there was this band called "New Improved God". Their bass player, Skip, and I had been friends for years. Skip introduced me to this guy Steve at the old downtown Scream. I told him NOFX needed a new guitar player and how Fat Mike would hate his long hair. So about a week later Steve came out to rehearsal. We ran though a couple of songs that were written for the "S & M Airlines" album. Fat Mike hated his long hair and Steve was in the band. "S & M" was recorded a month later almost to the day. Even before the album was out, we embarked on a three month tour of the States and Canada. We were back in town a few months, and then went to Europe for a month and a half. We came back to the states to rehearse (rehearse?), and then record "Ribbed". We were actually drawing a blank on the whole album cover/ name thing, when Steve said "*@!* it! Let's just have a picture of a huge condom on the cover!" What a f*king genius. We headed back out on tour, first the US and then back over to Europe, where we played with real bands like The Leaving Trains, Bad Religion, and Mudhoney.

Steve quits
Steve and I were at a Burbank Bar-B-Que, when he announced to me that he was leaving the band. As usual we were drunk and stoned, so I thought, maybe me don't hear so good, but this was not the case. He said it was nothing personal, he just needed a break from the band. I found out later that one of the main reasons he left was because of drug abuse (not his) in the band and that he just couldn't take it anymore.

El Hefe joins
Now we needed a guitar player again! What the hell was wrong with us? We were going to practice in San Francisco and try out guitar players. My friend Rob had a guitar, so I asked him for a ride to SF. Erik had a friend named Aaron who played guitar in a band called Crystal Sphere with a drunk named Mark Curry. This other friend of ours, Kevin, from Las Vegas, wanted to try out too. He showed up in S.F. with a NOFX tattoo. By all rights, he should have got the job, but we tried out the other guys anyway. Aaron was a really good guitar player. He played the trumpet too. Definitely too good for us. He was also f*king funny. The only problem was that we already had two Erix in the band, adding an Aaron would be just too confusing. So we gave Rob a try. He was good, but Aaron was the best. We just needed to give him a new name. Since he was the most qualified musician in NOFX, we christened him El Hefe.

"MTV quit bugging us, major labels quit bugging us, commercial radio stations stop playing us. We've been doin' just fine all these years without you so leave us the fuck alone! Assholes". This is what scrawled in the back insert of NOFX's newest CD Heavy Petting Zoo. This message alone sums up the sentiments of America's most upfront punk rock band. NOFX.

Fat Mike is as close as you get to a 'rock star'. Which brings me to a second thing I noticed: 'Fat Mike hates being a 'rock star'.

Just Jinger formed in 1996 and, after gaining a serious reputation as a live act, they hit the studio to record what would be their first album, 'All Comes Round'. Days before the album's release, the band opened as a support act for Def Leppard to a 45 000 strong audience in Johannesburg. 'All Comes Round' was released by BMG Records in February 1997 and went on to become the biggest selling rock album in South African music history - almost double platinum! As Just Jinger's chart success grew, so did their audience... the band played to literally thousands of people per gig!

Just Jinger wanted to strike while the iron was hot, so the band entered the studio again in November 1997 to record a six track EP. It was titled 'Something For Now' because it was originally intended as a teaser for the band's next full length album. When 'Something For Now' hit the shelves in March 1998, it went gold within three weeks and platinum shortly after! Three of the six tracks went on to become top five radio singles, and the band's status skyrocketed. For the remainder of 1998, Just Jinger focused purely on hitting the road and reaching as many fans as possible. Countries toured included Germany, Australia, Canada, America and the UK. Back in South Africa the band supported numerous acts such as U2, Crash Test Dummies, Toto, Hootie and the Blowfish, and co-headlined festivals with acts like Skunk Anansie, Stevie Wonder, Spice Girls, and Chaka Khan... to name just a few!

In 1999, having touring extensively, Just Jinger focused on recording once more. The band's third offering, 'Here's To You', took them into a league of their own with mature songwriting and precisely orchestrated musicianship. It spawned two top five singles and critical acclaim! Just Jinger was growing and found themselves turning their focus internationally.

Between 2000 and 2002, Just Jinger relocated to the UK with hopes of increasing their longevity by cracking the international market. During 2000, the band also managed to record their fourth and final album with BMG Africa called 'Strange World'. Even with limited exposure, the album produced two top five singles. From December 2000 to 2002, Just Jinger recorded over 30 demos... some with Island Records in London.

The band knew that there would always be a huge South African following based on the overwhelming success of their yearly December tours, yet there was a constant yearning to prove themselves internationally. Lead singer, Art Matthews, boarded a plane to Los Angeles in January 2002 to raise awareness on American soil... and succeeded! In October 2002, the rest of the band were flown to L.A. to do a showcase for Capitol Records. It was a huge success and, following two sold out dates in London at the end of Febuary 2003, the band relocated to the East Coast (Virginia) in March 2003 as part of Capitol's development deal. Under the watchful eye of industry icons such as Capitol Records, Scooter Weintraub (manager of Sheryl Crow and Lisa Marie Presley), and booking agent giants William Morris, the band is set for a very exciting future!