The History Of: AFI

AFI (formerly 'Asking For It', but now known as 'A Fire Inside') is one band that can hardly be classified into a single genre. Over the years they've been referred to as punk, hardcore, rock, new wave, goth, you name it. But for the most part, they can be considered a band who have loved their fans, stuck to their roots and always been in it for the music.

The first AFI lineup was in 1991 based in Ukiah, California, and consisted of Davey Havok on vocals, Adam Carson on drums, Mark Blackwelder on guitar and Vic Chalker on bass. The band was formed by the members for something to do during their time when they weren't skateboarding. They were punk-ass teenagers, so school wasn't their favourite place. After playing the off local show, bassist Vic lost interest shortly thereafter and was replaced promptly by Geoff Kresge. The band played a few more live shows at skateparks but eventually split to go to their respective post secondary schools. After reuniting to play a very well received live show, they all made the decision to quit school and focus on the band. They released their first two albums, "Answer That & Stay Fashionable" and "Very Proud Of Ya" in 1995 and 1996 respectively. After the release of their second album, bassist Geoff Kresge left the band for "personal reasons", and was filled in by one Hunter Burgan (goes by simply 'Hunter') for the proceeding tour. Hunter helped record their follow-up "Shut Your Mouth & Open Your Eyes", released in 1997, and soon became the official bassist of the group.

The band recorded the EP "A Fire Inside" in 1998, only to have the guitar player Mark Blackwelder leave after the recording process. He was replaced by Jade Puget, who played a crucial role in the band's gradual change in sound of the proceeding albums. The band continued to release "Black Sails in the Sunset" (1999), All Hallows EP (1999) (boasting the fan favorite 'Totalimmortal"), and The Art of Drowning (2000), which all seemed to give off different musical vibes, while remaining somewhat true to the original sound of their previous albums. They also released the "336" EP in 2002.

2003's "Sing The Sorrow", a love-it-or-hate-it type of album, was the band's first major-label album, which sparked much criticism towards the band with accusations of "selling out". The album bore some familiar sounds, but ultimately showcased a changed AFI with a changed sound. Sing the Sorrow was released as somewhat of a concept, featuring a seperately released photo book and a short film, both titled Clandestine. These two pices of art, along with the album, led fans down a long winding path n trying to decipher what the meaning of the album's concept is. Some theories state that the album's official track order would begin with the chanter "Bleed Black", the album represents a sort of "circle of life", and that the 336 EP goes hand in hand to help tell the story. Based on different religious/zodiac writings, the numbers 336 and 337 have to do with death and re-encarnation. The band has never really put out any incite as to what the album represents, and have just let the fans work it out amongst themselves. They have already spun off a very wide array of "clues" in anticipation of the band's upcoming spring/summer release "Decemberunderground", which include mysterious web pages, word/number clues, bizarre videos, and even some involvement with a famous Toronto newspaper.

The band is ever-gaining success in the music industry, despite the abandonment of some old fans who didn't respect the direction the band has headed. Whether it be through radio-interviews, television play, or their devoted fan base The Despair Faction, AFI is constantly becoming a bigger and bigger deal in the music world.

Key albums to check out: Black Sails in the Sunset and Sing The Sorrow.

Comments

[TeenBite]

It's definitive, well done. However, would it kill to use Spellchecker? Also, the new album is called "December Underground", AFI confirmed it.

[Synyster Gates]

couldve been more in depth butfor a quick read not bad

[Synyster Gates]

and glad to see that you got it submitted

[sucay]

didnt know it was 'asking for it' first lol
they were an alright punk band and i hate punk

[Lord_Xian]

Werent they known as 'all fu**ing idiots' -- coz it was a misfits song

[Guitarist132]

Nice article Jeff

I loved Answer that & stay fashionable.

[HavokStrife]

I read the whole thing cuz I never knew Vic's last name up until this column.... but sadly that was about the only thing that came out of it. Pretty short. Sorry, they're my favorite band.

[AFI_kid]

They could've mentioned that The Art Of Drowning was their best album by far! It didn't even get mentioned in the key albums. And I didn't know that Sing the Sorrow had a hidden meaning.

[yawn]

^ True, the Art of Drowning is an swesome album \m/

[die_kenny_die]

can you still get the 336 ep? i haven't been able to find it... or clandestine. meh. but yeah... well done.

^Both are very rare.

good stuff!

[5150man]

wow that's weird...11 comments and not a single one is about how much AFI sucks...but then again look at the user names

personally I like AFI...an i must admit I am pretty selective and look down on bands like them...(but hey,, most of us here are)...
anyway sing the sorrow is still one of my favourite albums (which is strange since some of the others are floyds WYWH, axis bold as love, blonde on blonde...)..i think it's just cause it takes me back to the old days when i was a punkie wannabe

[DownbëloW]

You said nothing about how much their first albums sucked!

[dain84]

Should mention how Offspring caused a lot of their sucess...

[Skater2000]

Good job!
Easy and good to read, doesn't take so long.

AFI rocks !!!

[rancidbass220]

You said nothing about how much their first albums sucked!

the only album i like by them is answer that and stay fashonable. their first on i believe...

[Obie]

jade puget is a good guitarist but i dont like afi, at all really. in fact i dont even know why im leaving a comment about this

DownbëloW wrote:

You said nothing about how much their first albums sucked!

That's because that's your stupid opinion that not everyone subsribes to.

[Ignite]

You've got something wrong. They weren't called Asking For It. They've never confirmed that... They said that if you wanted to mail them something, to mail it to "Asking For It", (in the "Very Proud of Ya" booklet) but that wasn't their band name. (I believe.)

But other than that, it was great.

I've liked EVERY SINGLE AFI album to date. From VPOY, to STS, and the EP's.

But:

Answer That and Stay Fashionabe OWNS Very Proud of Ya. And Sing the Sorrow OWNS all their albums.

[strat_strummer]

sing the sorrow is their best album in my opinion, but i reckon the lost souls is their best song
they have cool artwork hope they keep up the good work on December underground" (cant wait)

[NZ_Rocka]

hey nice and quik i liked it

[mint_car]

it could be cool if you got any details that most people didnt know before..

[cheshirescream]

on the album answer that and stay fashionable, they use a clip from a movie in the beginning of the song 'don't make me ill' does anyone know the movie?

[A Lost Soul]

great article, but yea pretty quick
does anyone have the 336 EP??
i haven't ever heard of it...how depressing
someone should help me out with some info
i love afi

[Darkflame]

personally, i think that sing the sorrow is far from being their best. but nice history :

[VolucrisExNox]

I agree with Skater 2000,it was a good article. Learned a few things about AFI,too.

[mysteryguitar]

[quote][/quoteDownbëloW wrote:

You said nothing about how much their first albums sucked!

]

your first album sucked too...*******

[innerfirex]

Key Albums: Very Proud of Ya, Black Sails in the Sunset, The Art of Drowning, Sing the Sorrow

This sequence of albums directly illuminates this band's musical evolution. =)

Sing the Sorrow BY FAR holds the most musical complexities of all albums, but for the "best" in terms of AFI's unique sound: The Art of Drowning.

AFI is a strange band in that most people either love em or hate em... But I personally have seen that those who hate them are usually (not alwyas) "metalheads" or "punks" who don't stray far from their predetermined preferences.

[smile_man]

Some said something about them using a movie clip on Answer That And Stay Fashionable. Im not sure of the movie, but It's porbably a Quentin Tarantino film. It could be Resivoir Dogs because the movie cover is the same as the album cover

[g-unitie]

punk rules

[Death Bat]

afi doesn't appeal to me that muchm but thy're alright i guess.. a good story though.

[vanceboy]

AFI...not the greatest. Their lead singer looks like a chic. Alright music I guess, not real fond of it, and I don't really like the crowd that comes along with it. Fairly detailed article, gave me a decent understanding of their history.

[SkinnyWhiteBoy]

Ignite wrote:

You've got something wrong. They weren't called Asking For It. They've never confirmed that... They said that if you wanted to mail them something, to mail it to "Asking For It", (in the "Very Proud of Ya" booklet) but that wasn't their band name. (I believe.)

But other than that, it was great.

I've liked EVERY SINGLE AFI album to date. From VPOY, to STS, and the EP's.

But:

Answer That and Stay Fashionabe OWNS Very Proud of Ya. And Sing the Sorrow OWNS all their albums.

Wow, those are some idiotic statements

Very Proud Of Ya is a great album and Sing the Sorrow is their worste to date. It's just a bunch of mallcore songs mashed into an album. But, it still kicked the ass of every other album that came out that year.

Black Sails and Art of Drowning are their best albums in my opinion.

[punkgtrst096]

Good article on a good band. High five.

[hitRewind]

TeenBite wrote:

It's definitive, well done. However, would it kill to use Spellchecker? Also, the new album is called "December Underground", AFI confirmed it.

They did? Because they posted a blog on their myspace saying:

AFI's 7th album will be called.....Decemberunderground.

it will be out June 6th.

Oh yes.

And I've got some of the songs off of 336, and I have the book/dvd of Clandestine, both of which I adore. I made sure all of my friends watched the Clandestine short film when I got that. But, sadly, 336 is incredibly hard to find. There was just a limited pressing and they haven't re-released it since that initial pressing. I really wish they would, though. The album has some wonderful songs on it.

[6al9oy]

This article is useless. I mean who cares about AFI, they're nothing but a bunch of goth-punk wannabes wearing more makeup than any of my sister even if they're drunk. All in all reading this article would be a waste of time.

[vanceboy]

^ouch. True, though.

[Angelic_Demon]

This article is useless. I mean who cares about AFI, they're nothing but a bunch of goth-punk wannabes wearing more makeup than any of my sister even if they're drunk. All in all reading this article would be a waste of time.

You, my dear sir, are an ignorant idiot.

AFI, like 'em or not, you have to admit they make really good music. Anyone who says they don't is in denial. One of my favorite bands, check their new single 'Miss Murder' released on radio yesterday.

[patrick92]

they suck i couldnt even begin to tell you how bad fall out boy is i mean we need more bands like afi so we'll forget about fall out boy

[ac3]

ITS NEVER BEEN ASKING FOR IT..ITS ALWAYS BEEN A FIRE INSIDE .... THAT WAS CLEARED IN AN INTERVIEW WITH DAVEYT HAVOK! AND THAT WAS ACTUALLY JUST THE ADDRESS THAT FAN MAIL WENT TO.

[Junesongtrigger]

I once heard they were called "A First Impression" but I just know them as A Fire Inside. Miss Murder is ****ing awesome, man I enjoy it.

[HmTownHero1007]

sing the sorrow= emo shit. black sails and art of drowning= decent punk tunes

[brake_p]

I like it! Good job Jeff!

[Shadowz_at_Dawn]

Afi rules. I can not wait 'til their new cd comes out. and i never heard they were called "asking for it" but a fire inside is better.

[guitarocker]

awesome article on an awesome band!! AFI freakin rocks! can't wait to get their new cd.

[flozlee]

Theres some pretty nasty posts on this board, calm down guys. I really enjoyed that history of AFI, i had never seen it wrote like that. I got an AFI tattoo on my back and i am totally dedicated to the band AFI ROCK! It scared me to see a article on them on here... i didnt think they were taht well known!

[banaantje]

g-unitie wrote:

punk rules

True, but AFI is no punk. Punkers are against plate societies...I know they call this punk, but it's not...actually almost only underground punk is real punk...(I'm not a punker, but I like punk)
I like AFI sometimes tho... and nice article
GrTz

[Cr3sc3nT]

I started listening to AFI since Sing The Sorrow... sincerely I don't know anything much about AFI. What about their previous albums? Are they great? I need some comments before i go out and buy their previous albums

[triviumrocks]

they could have at least explained that they were straigt edge!!! like me after a really hurting experience at my big bro's 18th B-Day party where i was completely wasted passed out and then got slept on by an entire household of kids. Streight edge for life (next saturday)

AHHHHH!!!!

[RedNovember]

I'm a huge afi fan and I'd never heard of Clandestine.

I have 336 though

[reroute2remain2]

I like AFI a lot, but I guess some people wouldnt call me a real fan considering I really just liked the music off of Sing the Sorrow. The more experimental types of musicianship appealed to me more than punk does... I think they should stick with that type of music.

Anyways, I thought the article was a good quick read.

[Kunami]

I find it funny how no one has mentioned it yet, being that you all are such huge fans... AFI (the acronym) has stood for many things over the years, but "Asking For It" was not where it started, I'm sorry to say.

Go back and grab your copy of Answer That and Stay Fashionable, would you? Now flip that mother over and give it a good stare down. You see that? Yeah... that...? Right there? It says "Anthems For Insubordinates". So you're all wrong.

But notice, this is fact here. I notice quite a few of you are calling each other on the invalidity of one anothers' opinions. If a song sucks to one person, it sucks. If you don't feel the same, it doesn't. Get the **** over it.

[whAtsAmAttAyou?]

Well, first of all AFI rocks (One of my Top Favorite Bands *WOOT**WOOT*) and i didn't know that they were known as "All F***ing Idiots" (and I'm not sure if they were) and I don't think that they were known as "Asking For It" either. But you are the publisher so I'm not gonna' completely disagree with you (not that I do). Nice Job tho,bro!

[--YourVillain--]

Ive just discovered AFI so thanks for all the information x) oh well, dont really care about what their name stands for, i guess it remains a mystery like w.a.s.p. (is it "we are sex perverts" btw?! )lol.
I hope Daveys voice doesnt sound that whiny on December Underground than it did on Sing The Sorrow...

[mpioslipknot]

ive always known then as asking for it

[kill_fob]

I've always known them as A Fire Inside and Daveys voice dos'nt sound whiny on Sing The Sorrow ass

[theusedsk8er]

dude everyone in afi is bi but some of their music is "okay" so you don't needa be obbsessed with them there are better bands like a7x and the used and atreyu

BOOM HEADSHOT

[malynsprite]

dude i love afi but i didn't know that they have been around sens befor i was even born!!! they are even cooler now! i first found there sing the sorry cd on my sisters floor so i snaged it and listend to it and i wasn't that into it at first but i really liked that one called **dancing through sunday** but i didn't listen to much more then that then a couple weeks later i herd ** the leaving song** and i was hooked!

[adamkoehler]

dude they used to be called all forever immortal too. i read it in an interview with davey i think. but anyway they played miss murder at the mtv movie awards. it didn't sound as great as it could but it was still awesome!

[aperfectshot176]

innerfirex wrote:

Key Albums: Very Proud of Ya, Black Sails in the Sunset, The Art of Drowning, Sing the Sorrow

This sequence of albums directly illuminates this band's musical evolution. =)

Sing the Sorrow BY FAR holds the most musical complexities of all albums, but for the "best" in terms of AFI's unique sound: The Art of Drowning.

AFI is a strange band in that most people either love em or hate em... But I personally have seen that those who hate them are usually (not alwyas) "metalheads" or "punks" who don't stray far from their predetermined preferences.

im srry to tell you but your stereotype was wrong. not all "punks" or "metalheads" hate them. im OI! punk and i love afi.
sorry to crush ur boner man

[hippiesrchill]

6al9oy wrote:

This article is useless. I mean who cares about AFI, they're nothing but a bunch of goth-punk wannabes wearing more makeup than any of my sister even if they're drunk. All in all reading this article would be a waste of time.

ya well guess what dumbass, you read this article

[Shuviduwaax]

this band is the one that sings "Miss Murder" shit?

just a question.

[Guglet]

This new emo phase that afi is going through. It will die out with the new trend. Bring back the old stuff its way better.

[redsoxxplayer]

I started listening to A.F.I. when i heard "The Boy Who Destroyed The World" song on Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3.

[~Miss.Murder~]

I know I'm a bit late to be posting this... But I've read all the previous comments, and I have to say my opinion.
I learnt about AFI at the beginning of this school year. It has been a huge savior to me. Since that time, I have; bought all AFI albums. I have dedicated a lot of my free computer space to them. They are the greatest band that I have ever heard. my opinion on the albums, favorite to least:
[well, they're all awesome, but if i must put them in order, this would be it]
1. Decemberunderground [every song..speaks to me]
2. Sing the Sorrow [davey does NOT sound whiney]
3. Art of Drowning [who doesn't love this album?]
4. The Weight of Words
and, well? the rest tie at #5. ><
anyway. You guys need any AFI info, pics, or anything, come talk to me. I draw [pretty damn well, if i say so myself] come talk to me, if you want a fanpic.

[aperfectshot176]

Ignite wrote:

You've got something wrong. They weren't called Asking For It. They've never confirmed that... They said that if you wanted to mail them something, to mail it to "Asking For It", (in the "Very Proud of Ya" booklet) but that wasn't their band name. (I believe.)

But other than that, it was great.

I've liked EVERY SINGLE AFI album to date. From VPOY, to STS, and the EP's.

But:

Answer That and Stay Fashionabe OWNS Very Proud of Ya. And Sing the Sorrow OWNS all their albums.

Answer that and stay fashionable said it was copywrited to : Anthems For Insubordinates