JFA (band)
Encyclopedia
JFA 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 "dred" 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 Pendleton has remained constant.
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 name is a reference to John Hinckley, Jr.
's, attempted assassination
of Ronald Reagan
. Jodie Foster's Army was a song before the band took the title as their name, before that they had been calling themselves the "BREAKERS".
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.
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.
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.
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
band formed in 1981, with roots in Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
and in Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
skateboard
Skateboard
A skateboard is typically a specially designed plywood board combined with a polyurethane coating used for making smoother slides and stronger durability, used primarily for the activity of skateboarding. The first skateboards to reach public notice came out of the surfing craze of the early 1960s,...
culture. The original members include Brian Brannon (vocals), Don "dred" Pendleton (guitar), Michael Cornelius (bass), and Mike "Bam-Bam" Sversvold (drums). Alan Bishop
Alan Bishop
Alan Bishop is an American musician, most famous for being the bassist and vocalist of experimental rock band Sun City Girls. He has also released solo material under the aliases Alvarius B. and Uncle Jim...
of Sun City Girls
Sun City Girls
The Sun City Girls were an American experimental rock band, formed in 1979 in Phoenix, Arizona. From 1981 the group consisted of Alan Bishop , his brother Richard Bishop , and the late Charles Gocher . Their name was inspired by Sun City, Arizona, an Arizona retirement community...
also played bass for a while. The band was pivotal in the development of the skate punk
Skate punk
Skate punk is a sub genre of punk rock, originally a derivative of the West Coast hardcore punk scene, that is named after its popularity among skateboarders and association with skateboarding culture. Skate punk most commonly describes the sound of melodic hardcore bands from the 1990s with an...
and Skate Rock scenes. Over the years, the lineup has included many bass players and drummers but the core of Brannon and Pendleton has remained constant.
History
JFA was formed around March 1981. Pendleton, then in the band The Deez and Cornelius, then in the band Jr. Chemists, knew each other from shows around Phoenix, ArizonaPhoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
and from skateboarding. They began playing together after a D.O.A.
D.O.A. (band)
D.O.A. is a hardcore punk band from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. They are often referred to as the "founders" of hardcore punk, along with Black Flag, Bad Brains, Teen Idles, and Minor Threat. Their second album Hardcore '81 was thought by many to have been the first actual reference to...
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 name is a reference to John Hinckley, Jr.
John Hinckley, Jr.
John Warnock Hinckley, Jr., attempted to assassinate U.S. President Ronald Reagan in Washington, D.C., on March 30, 1981, as the culmination of an effort to impress teen actress Jodie Foster. He was found not guilty by reason of insanity and has remained under institutional psychiatric care since...
's, attempted assassination
Reagan assassination attempt
The Reagan assassination attempt occurred on Monday, March 30, 1981, just 69 days into the presidency of Ronald Reagan. While leaving a speaking engagement at the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C., President Reagan and three others were shot and wounded by John Hinckley, Jr...
of Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
. Jodie Foster's Army was a song before the band took the title as their name, before that they had been calling themselves the "BREAKERS".
The band's first show was opening for Black Flag
Black Flag (band)
Black Flag was an American punk rock band formed in 1976 in Hermosa Beach, California. The band was established by Greg Ginn, the guitarist, primary songwriter and sole continuous member through multiple personnel changes in the band...
at an Industrial Dance which was one of a series of early Phoenix punk shows. Their first song of the night was Pipetruck.
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.
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 – guitar
- Corey Stretz – bass
- Carter Blitch – drums
Discography
- Blatant LocalismBlatant LocalismBlatant Localism is the first EP released by the Arizona-based skate punk band JFA. Upon its release in 1981, it was the major underground release in the punk rock scene to incorporate skate themes, making JFA one of the pioneering skate punk bands....
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
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 #2, High Speed
- Born to Skate, Skate Rock #4, High Speed
- Buried Alive, Smoke 7
- Concrete Waves, Disaster Records
- Eastern Front, Enigma/Eastern Front
- Explicit Skate Rock, Skate Rock #10, High Speed
- Flipside Vinyl Fanzine, Flipside
- For the Kids, Together
- 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 #1, High Speed
- VMLive, Series 2/Volume 2, VML
- We Got Power, Mystic
- Workers Comp, Recess
Soundtracks
- Mt. Baldy Pipe segment, Bluetorch TV
- Nude BowlNude BowlThe Nude Bowl was a popular skateboarding locale from the late 1970s to the early 1990s. The name comes from the fact that the site was once a nudist resort named "Desert Gardens Ranch."...
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
External links
- Official JFA web site
- Maximumrocknroll Interview - JFA interview from 1983
- Scanner zine interview - December 2009