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Hardcore punk revivalists AFI (A Fire Inside) originally formed in 1991 when its members -- vocalist Davey Havok, guitarist Markus Stopholese, bassist Vick, and drummer Adam Carson were attending high school in Ukiah, CA. Vick was replaced by Geoff Kresge after several months, and the band played a few local gigs and released a split 7" with fellow Ukiah natives Loose Change, as well as an EP titled Behind the Times. The bandmembers then split up to attend different colleges, with Kresge temporarily moving to New Jersey to join Blanks 77, and all assumed AFI was defunct. However, the band reconvened during a holiday break from school to play a one-off reunion show, and audience response was so positive that the bandmembers decided to quit school and concentrate on music full-time. A couple of singles preceded a record deal with the Nitro label, which issued the band's second album, Very Proud of Ya, in 1996. Two LPs followed in 1997, a re-release of the debut, Answer That & Stay Fashionable, and Shut Your Mouth & Open Your Eyes, and personnel shifts ensued; Kresge was the first to leave, being replaced by Hunter, and Stopholese departed in favor of ex-Redemption 87 guitarist Jade Puget. The new lineup recorded an EP titled A Fire Inside in 1998, and issued a full-length album in 1999, Black Sails in the Sunset. Art of Drowning followed a year later. In the new millennium, AFI hooked up with Garbage's Butch Vig for some recording. The end result was Sing the Sorrow, released in March 2003, their major-label debut for DreamWorks. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide |
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