AFI (band)

AFI is a rock band which was formed in 1991 in Ukiah, California, United States. AFI stands for A Fire Inside.While still in high school in Ukiah, California, Davey Havok (vocals), Mark Stopholese (guitar) and Vic Chalker (bass) formed an outfit called AFI in 1991. At the time, the band did not know how to play any instruments. Stopholese suggested his friend Adam Carson, who had a drum kit, join the band. Stopholese learned guitar and Chalker learned bass, but Chalker was soon replaced by Geoff Kresge and AFI made their first EP in recording Dork (1991) with the now defunct Loose Change, which included future AFI guitarist Jade Puget.

Between 1993 and 1995 they released several vinyl EPs (Behind the Times; Eddie Picnic's All Wet; This Is Berkeley, Not West Bay; AFI/Heckle; Bombing the Bay; Fly in the Ointment;) independently. Their first full-length, Answer That and Stay Fashionable was released in 1995. In 1996, the band released their second album, Very Proud of Ya, on Nitro Records. The songs "Cruise Control" and "Love Is a Many Splendored Thing" from Very Proud of Ya were used in the 1996 independent film Mary Jane's Not a Virgin Anymore, which was first screened in 1997 and also featured Havok in a small role.

AFI record Shut Your Mouth and Open Your Eyes (1997) and was invited to become the full-time bassist. Future AFI guitarist Jade Puget also provided background vocals on Shut Your Mouth and Open Your Eyes, making it the first album to feature all four current members of the band.

In 2002, AFI left Nitro Records and released Sing the Sorrow (2003) on DreamWorks Records. The songs Girl's Not Grey, The Leaving Song Pt. II, and Silver and Cold had some Billboard chart success and exposed the band to even larger audiences. They were nominated in the MTV Video Music Awards 2003 in the MTV2 award category for the video "Girl's Not Grey", which came to be the first VMA they won.

June 2006, their newest album, Decemberunderground, was released on Interscope Records. Reviewers have noted an even progression in sound for AFI in this album, featuring ColdPop and New Wave[5] elements. The album's first single "Miss Murder" reached #1 on the Billboard Modern Rock Charts.

Band members

* Davey Havok – lead vocals (1991–present)
* Jade Puget – guitar, backing vocals, programming, keyboards (1998–present)
* Hunter Burgan – bass, backing vocals, programming, keyboards (1997–present)
* Adam Carson – drums, backing vocals (1991–present)

Former members

* Mark Stopholese – guitar, backing vocals (1991–1998)
* Geoff Kresge – bass, backing vocals (1992–1997)
* Vic Chalker – bass (1991–1992)