Guide Note
AFI is a California based punk rock band who have gradually gained commercial and critical success with their unique brand of Goth-inflected Hard Rock. AFI is an acronym for "A Fire Inside".
The members of the band are Davey Havok, Jade Puget, Hunter Burgan, and Adam Carson.
Fast Facts
- AFI: A Fire Inside
- Years active: 1991 - present
- Origin: Ukiah, California
- Record Label: Interscope
- First DVD released in 2006, I Heard a Coice with live performances in Long Beach, California
Formation of AFI
The band formed in 1991 while singer Davey Havok, former guitarist Mark Stopholese, and former bass player Vic Chalker were still in high school. The members did not know how to play instruments, but they asked a friend with a drum kit, Adam Carson, to join the band. The string players eventually learned how to play, but Chalker left and was replaced by Geoff Kresge. Kresge was later replaced by the current bassist, Hunter Burgan.
Albums
The band released their first EP Dork in 1991. After high school the band split up for a while an the members went to different colleges. After reuniting for a live show they made the decision to leave school and focus on AFI full time. They released six EPs between 1993 and 1995. They released their first full length album in 1995 titled Answer That and Stay Fashionable. In the next four years they released four more full length albums including Very Proud of Ya, Shut Your Mouth and Open Your Eyes, Black Sails in the Sunset and The Art of Drowning.
Mainstream Success
Their first mainstream success came with the 2003 release of Sing The Sorrow under the label DreamWorks Records. The video for "Girl's Not Grey" earned them a nomination for an MTV Music Video Award. In 2006 Decemberunderground was released featuring the single "Miss Murder", which reached the number one spot on the Billboard Modern Rock Chart.
