JFA (band)
| JFA | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Phoenix, Arizona; Southern California |
| Genres | Skate punk, hardcore punk |
| Years active | 1981–present |
| Labels | DC-Jam Records |
| Associated acts | Black Flag, D.O.A. |
| Website | jfamusic |
| Members | Carter Blitch Brian Brannon Don Pendleton Corey Stretz |
| Past members | Todd Barnes (deceased) Alan Bishop Scott "Sketch" Chasen Michael Cornelius Bob Cox Brian Damage Trace Element Matt Etheridge Jim Moore Don "dred" Pendelton Al Penzone Jaime Reidling Mike "Bam-Bam" Sversvold Bruce Taylor Mike Tracy |
JFA (Jodie Foster's Army) is a hardcore punk band formed in 1981, with roots in Arizona and in Southern California skateboard culture. The original members include Brian Brannon (vocals), Don "Redondo" Pendleton (guitar), Michael Cornelius (bass), and Mike "Bam-Bam" Sversvold (drums). Alan Bishop of Sun City Girls also played bass for a while. The band was pivotal in the development of the skate punk and Skate Rock scenes. Over the years, the lineup has included many bass players and drummers but the core of Brannon and Redondo has remained constant.
Contents
History
Establishment
JFA was formed in April 1981, 19 days after the failed attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan by John Hinckley, Jr.[1] Hinckley, an obsessed fan of Jodie Foster and her portrayal of a teen prostitute in the 1976 Martin Scorsese film Taxi Driver, reportedly attempted to kill the President as a means of impressing the actress.[2] The band's name was thus a dark play on Hinckley's attempt at murdering Reagan — a hated figure in the early 1980s punk rock scene.
Don Pendleton, then in the band The Deez and Cornelius, then in the band Jr. Chemists, knew each other from shows around Phoenix, Arizona and from skateboarding. They began playing together after a D.O.A. concert during the band's Hardcore 81 tour. Bam-Bam later joined after meeting Pendleton at an "Industrial Dance" in Phoenix. Brian Brannon was pulled into the band by Cornelius who met him skateboarding and at punk shows.
The band's first show was opening for Black Flag at an Industrial Dance which was one of a series of early Phoenix punk shows. Their first song of the night was Pipetruck.
Recording history
Placebo Records released their debut EP "Blatant Localism" in late 1981. The band toured the west extensively and played many local shows. Their first national tour was in the summer of 1983 following the release of their first album "Valley of the Yakes".
The original bassist, Michael Cornelius, left the band in the summer of 1984 prior to the nine-week summer '84 tour. Alan Bishop of labelmates Sun City Girls played bass until Cornelius returned for the 1986 release Nowhere Blossoms.
Brian Brannon also currently serves as a Senior Chief Petty Officer in the United States Navy Reserve.
The band received continuing coverage in the influential skateboard magazine Thrasher during the 1980s. Brannon eventually worked on the editorial staff full-time and Pendelton and Cornelius were contributors of articles and photographs.
Current lineup
- Brian Brannon – vocals, keyboard
- Don "Redondo" Pendleton – guitar
- Corey Stretz – bass
- Carter Blitch – drums
Footnotes
- ↑ "JFA," Flip Side Fanzine, whole no. 31 (April 1982), pg. 28.
- ↑ Douglas O. Linder, "The Trial of John Hinckley: Taxi Driver," University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law, 2002.
Discography
- Blatant Localism 7", Placebo
- Valley of the Yakes 12", Placebo
- Untitled 12", Placebo
- Mad Gardens 12", Placebo
- Live 1984 Tour 12", Placebo
- My Movie 7", Placebo
- Nowhere Blossoms 12", Placebo
- Lightnin' Storm/People's Revolutionary Party 7", Buzzkill
- Camp Out/Travels With Charlie 7", Spontaneous Combustion
- Secret Agent Man Split 7" with Jack Killed Jill, NRA
- Only Live Once CD, Hurricane, 1999
- We Know You Suck CD, Alternative Tentacles
- Live in Chicago 7" with the Faction, Spontaneous Combustion
- To All Our Friends CD, DC-Jam
- Speed of Sound CD, DC-Jam
UK releases
- Untitled 12", Fundamental UK
- Valley of the Yakes 12", Fundamental UK
Music videos
- Live at CBGB's (1984)
- Pipetruck (1984)
- Wilson (2010)
- Danny Sargent's Trucks (2010)
- Skateboard Anarchy (2014)
Compilations
- All the Rage, Volume 2, GMD
- All the Rage 2000, GMD
- Amuck, Placebo
- Best of Flipside, Flipside
- Best of Rodney on the ROQ, Poshboy
- Best of Smoke 7, Bomp
- Bite the Bullet, Know
- Blazing Wheels & Barking Trucks, Skate Rock No. 2, High Speed
- Born to Skate, Skate Rock No. 4, High Speed
- Buried Alive, Smoke 7
- Concrete Waves, Disaster Records
- Eastern Front, Enigma/Eastern Front
- Explicit Skate Rock, Skate Rock No. 10, High Speed
- Flipside Vinyl Fanzine, Flipside
- For the Kids, Together
- High Rollers, AZPX
- Meathouse, Meathouse
- More Coffee for the Politicians, Placebo
- Old Skars & Upstarts, Disaster
- Phenis, Phenis Fanzine
- Pogo Strut Slam Swivel & Mosh, Devil Doll
- Rat Music for Rat People, Vol. 2 (CD Presents, 1984)
- Rodney on the ROQ, Volume 2, Poshboy
- Scene Killer, Outsider
- Sudden Death, Smoke 7
- This is Phoenix, Not the Circle Jerks, Placebo
- Thrasher Magazine Skate Rock No. 1, High Speed
- VMLive, Series 2/Volume 2, VML
- We Got Power, Mystic
- Workers Comp, Recess
- Hardcore Breakout USA 1,2,3,..., (New Red Archives 2004)
Soundtracks
- Mt. Baldy Pipe segment, Bluetorch TV
- Nude Bowl segment, Bluetorch TV
- Pow Wow at Powell II, NSA Skate Video
- Risk It, Santa Cruz Skate Video
- Skatopia, Speed-Line Productions
- Speed Freaks, Santa Cruz Speed Wheels Video
- Wheels of Fire, Santa Cruz Speed Wheels Video
Video games
Skateboards
See also
External links
- Official JFA web site
- Maximumrocknroll Interview - JFA interview from 1983
- Scanner zine interview - December 2009
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
