AFI

The origins of AFI (A Fire Inside) are humble-- four high school students making noise in a garage in the early 90's, looking for some way to alleviate boredom in a small town between skateboard sessions. As they learned to play their instruments with each practice, even they couldn't imagine what the band would become.

On September 26th, the band released their fifth full-length album, entitled The Art of Drowning, which showcases exactly what it is AFI has evolved into-- a band with a sound unlike any other, a sound where chilling melodies collide alternately with furious aggression and somber melancholy. While their music is firmly rooted in both punk rock and hardcore, they have effectively blasted away any distinction between the two and can claim an army of fans from both subcultures as well as virtually every other underground or extreme music genre from goth to metal.

Not just a "studio" band, the intensity of their live performances must be seen and heard to be believed. "Through our bleeding, we are one!" the crowd chants as the band takes the stage, wherein occurs an exchange of energy between band and audience that is much like a lightning storm-- charging and changing the normally genial vocalist Davey Havok into a man possessed. One of the ways the band has garnered the fanatic following they now enjoy is through the plain hard work of many a month spent on the road. They've toured with such acts as The Offspring, Rancid, Danzig/Samhain and Sick Of It All to name but a few, as well as doing a stint on the most recent Warped Tour. Since their first nationwide tour in 1995, they have crossed the continent of North America countless times in their tours of the United States and Canada, done multiple tours of Europe and even paid a visit to Japan in 1998. AFI hit the road in support of The Art of Drowning with punk legends Rancid near the end of 2000 in what promises to be one of their most anticipated and exciting tours yet.

In addition to original members Havok and drummer Adam Carson, the band has seen its share of lineup changes, bassist Hunter (ex-The Force) entered the fold as a tour stand-in before recording on the band's third album "Shut Your Mouth and Open Your Eyes," while guitarist Jade Puget (ex-Redemption 87) joined for the fourth full-length, "Black Sails in the Sunset," as well as the subsequent "All Hallows E.P.," a four-song release that contains the original version of "Totalimmortal" (a song which received heavy radio airplay all over the nation when it was recorded by The Offspring for the soundtrack to the film Me, Myself & Irene). Puget's task was not easy-- in addition to assuming guitar duties he became a primary writer of the band's music. Still, no one better understood where AFI had been musically and where they should go-- he'd known the band since the very beginning and had played guitar on the flip side of their first ever release, a split 7" with Loose Change released in 1992. Things coalesced quickly, Jade the perfect complement to Havok's brooding lyrics and accomplished vocal talents. There's no weak link in this chain-- to say that Hunter and Adam are accomplished in their respective rhythm section duties would be an understatement.

Such lineup changes might have destroyed another band, but the opposite has occurred with AFI -- with each new album and E.P. the band has bravely forged ahead into new musical territory, all the while maintaining their original energy and intensity. The Art of Drowning is no exception to this progression, but while it contains the inevitable musical surprises that avid listeners have come to expect from the band, it is also a distillation of all that has come before, touching on every phase of their evolution, as well as what is to come. Of the new album, vocalist Davey Havok says, "I feel it's our most complete work." It is also the most sonically pleasing, recorded in Berkeley's famous Fantasy Studios with Chuck Johnson and mixed in the familiar environment of Art of Ears in Hayward with longtime associate Andy Ernst. Johnson, a well-respected veteran who's worked with everyone from Nick Cave to Korn, lent his expertise as he co-produced the new album with the band. The days of honing their craft in the garage are now a long ago memory, but one thing has not changed-- the fire inside AFI still burns, more strongly than ever. With each new record, each tour, each show, the flames spread-- ever igniting in new people and places, threatening to someday engulf the world.

Davey Havok(Sept 5,2000)
Taken over the phone
SM=Subliminal Motive
DH=Davey Havok

SM:Lets just start out by you introducing your self

DH:My name is Davey Havok

SM:I had originally heard that AOD was to be titled the Lost souls club whats the deal with that?

DH:I think that was a matter of the lost souls just that song...

SM:Offspring's totalimmortal; how did they come accross doing?

DH:Well um Dexter owns our record label and he had our ep in the first place and he got offered to do a soundtrack and they wanted to do covers and they really liked totalimmortal so they asked us if they could and of course we were really flattered so we said go ahead its cool...

SM:First time you heard it on the radio what was it like?

DH:Yea it was weird i actually heard that it was on the radio before i heard it . It was cool but of course it made it me jealous because it wasnt our version (laughter) damn you know why dont you play the afi version??? When all hallows came out nitro sent it out to all of their people on the list and all of the radio stations were like whatever but when they heard the offspring version they were like this is great.

SM:How do you feel about the growth in your fan base?

DH:Oh its great , really we want nothing more than people to hear and enjoy our music and aapreciate it,I mean this is what weve dedicated our lives to and the more people can hear us, the better it is it makes us feel and the more people that enjoy it the better we feel.

SM:What was it like going through europe and how were the fans?

DH:The kids over there are really really good the kids over there that know us which arent as much as over here but England was amazing we actually played a few shows in england without sick of it all when theyre tour was over and it was just sooo good England and London was great it really amazes me that the kids over
there know us.

SM:Next year makes 10 years for AFI how do you feel about that?

DH:Its really amazing to think weve done what weve done and were still going. It seems like just yestereday we were playing talent shows and at friends parties in Ukiah and in adams garage and in my parents living room, its really amazing.

SM:I heard somthing a while back about bouncers dragging you back into a locker room or somthing...

DH:Oh you mean Toronto...

SM: Yea i think that was it

DH:Well what happend with that ill give you the short story or the long story They didnt drag me into the locker room , the bouncers were being very very rough with the kids and we had to stop the show many times. They continued to rough up the kids and during one song one kid started to shake a kid and he was completly ignoring my requests for him to stop and then he hit him and i was like wow and i flipped out and said some things i shouldnt of said the bouncers all fled the building and it was quite a chaotic atmosphere for a while and the kids kinda governed themselves but then we continued our set and it was really good but after the show i went into the backstage room to get some water and the bouncers were wating for me there and they had a bouncer blocking off the only entrance and exit to the room and noone could get in . They threatend to kill me and threw me around a little bit but luckily the owner of the club was there who was an idiot but also saved my life cause he wouldnt let the bouncers touch me but there was someone in there who was in another band and was just haning out ran out to get my band but finally they unlocked the door and my band mates were right there with the bouncer and they were like are you ok and i was just completly terrified i thought i was gonna die and be beaten to death by these huge idiots and so they brought me downstaris and i was informed by a guy who heard one of the bouncers that was on a cell phone calling his freinds and he heard the bouncer saying he was gonna "Kill me" so took me to his parrents house to hide until the band got me then i left

SM:Bet you wont play there anymore

DH:Weve actually played there since it was years later and all of that security was gone but i was scared to tell you the truth. ....

SM: I was talking to tod youth on AOL yesterday and he mentioned the Son of Sam Project...

DH:Im soo excited about that its gonna be really really fun i just cant imagine anything like that would come about its gonna be cool we are just gonna do one record and put it out . im pretty sure its gonna be on nitro.
its gonna be great working with tod and steve and len .

SM:When do you plan on releaseing it?

DH:Not for a while next year for sure

SM:New fave bands new influences

DH:YEa a pefect circle i love them i think they are amazing with maynard and josh reeves . i like the dillinger escape band at the drive in deftones tiger army of course mostly listen to old stuff i like in flames alot they are a sweedish death metal band.Nine inch nails

SM:Plan on putting out any future eps

DH:Yea i think it will be a possibility we will it will be between the art of drowning and the next full length.

SM:How do you feel about being re-united with rancid again?

DH:Its great well we were never seperated we still see each other and hang out but its great to be re-united in the touring sense.its great i love those guys so much they are one of the best bands ive that weve ever been able to play with, we got to do it once years ago and we get to do it again we love playuing with them each time those guys have done soo much for us we would be no where without them theye helped us so much and they are great guys. well get to see one of the best live live bands ever and hang out and be friends for a few weeks.

SM:This upcoming tour will be mostly big venues how do you feel about that.

DH:Oh its totaly cool in the past weve been able to play the best of both worlds in that regard weve played big big tours and small tours and big theatre tours and to me it doesnt matter just as long as the energy is there it doesnt matter if its five people five hundred or five thousand as long as everyones into it.

SM:Any east coast dates set yet?

DH:Nothings been confirmed yet but all i know is that we have 10 shows on that side and 10 shows on this side.

SM:How do you feel about touring with Indecision last year and now they are split up?

DH:Yea that sucks i was really dissapointed about that . we had just gotten back from europe and we were playing krazy fest and i was looking forward to seeing them in a show at berkley but low and behold artie was at krazy fest and i was like artie what are you doing here so.. but it really sucks they were a really good band.