AFI – Dave

Posted on 27th February 2004 in Punk Rock Interviews

this interview was conducted on september 11, 1999 with davey havok, the singer of afi.
afi is a punk/hardcore band out of east bay, CA. they are currently on nitro records and recently released their 4th full length cd entitled black sails in the sunset. they play a very smooth blend of punk and hardcore music, accented by very unique lyrics and daveys singing style. afi is the most amazing band you will ever see play live. they have an upcoming tour with sick of it all, so be sure to see it.

whats afi’s current lineup?
Davey Havok, Adam Carson, Jade Puget and Hunter Burgan

sorry davey, but i have to ask..what does afi actually stand for?
A Fire Inside

did you have a favorite lineup?
The current lineup is my favorite

whats your favorite afi album?
Black Sails is definately, by far our greatest accomplishment as a band so far.

who are your favorite bands?
Some of my favorite bands of all time are The Misfits, Samhain, Danzing,
Minor Threat, Black Flag, The Germs, Janes Addiction, The Cure, Joy Division,
Bauhaus, Dag Nasty, there are more but I could go on forever

whats your favorite song to play
live Currently I think it would have to be God Called in Sick Today

i was looking at the afi message board the other day and some kid posted about how he came up to you at a show and all you did was ask him if he smoked pot and wouldnt anwser his questions, then walked away and hung him the finger, is this true?
100% False, rather humorous, but false.

have you ever heard anything of the “white owl” at afi’s shows?
Yes, the White Owl, on the other hand, is 100% real.
I’ve seen it at a few shows. It was at our record release shows for sure. It
was definiatley there the last time we played Santa Cruz, and I believe I saw
it the last time we played in Seattle. It is said to have been sighted at
other shows, but those are the only ones I can recall.

do you let people video tape your shows?
Yes, we have no problem with people recording our
shows. We just ask that they do not sell them and that they send us a copy.
We have never had a manger nor have we had anyone who works for us discourage
people from taping. Sometimes, if my voice is really worked from having been
sick, I’ll ask someone not to record out of personal embarrassment, but
that’s it.

what do you think when kids say you sold out, or went too much hardcore?
Anyone who does not know us personally, anoyone who does not
know our personal beliefs and values, can not truly say we sold out, for how
would they know if we compromised our integrity? We have in no way sold out,
in fact despite peoples criticism of our increased heaviness, darkness,
introspection, and my personal choice of aesthetics, we continue to do what
we enjoy doing. If people like it great, if not that’s fine to. We are what
we are, and it all comes from the heart.

are you guys going to record anytime soon?
No, we recorded a new EP a few months back, It should
be out on Nitro on Oct 5th I think.

do you belong to any religion?
I do not affiliate myself with any established religion

what do you do when your home and not touring?
well, although you couldn’t tell from looking at me, I go to the gym a lot, I swear I do,
other than that, just the usual. Movies. I don’t skate as much as I should,
I’m always afraid I’m gonna hurt myself before tour.

how do you guys write songs?
Jade or hunter will come up with some progressions. Jade and I will
often sit down and piece together parts and come up with melodies. I usually
end up with a tape of a song, go home with it, create a melody, and then
write words to the melody.

do you think your music will evolve into something new on your next album?
Yeah, probably. I’m sure it won’t be exactly the same, but at
the same time not be drastically different from Black Sails or All Hallows,
One thing I can say is that I can’t imagine it will be happier, but who
knows?

thats all for today, thanks a ton for the interview. is
there anything you would like to say for everyone reading?
Well, first,thanx for doing the interview, and for everyone who’s read this far, thank
you for your interest. To all of you who truly appreciate what we are doing,
you mean everything.


Interview by : Forever Ending

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Gameface

Posted on 2nd September 2003 in Punk Rock Interviews

This is an e-mail interview I did with Jeff of Gameface on October 24th, 2000.

How long has Gameface been together?

Ten long years. Always DIY. Always for the music.

Has the line-up been the same?

No.

How many records has the band put out?

Four full lengths
Four 7″s
Two EPs

What are some of the more memorable moments in the bands history?

This question would take a conversation to answer. There have been many times when I felt like there was a purpose for me being in Gameface. I feel like we’ve touched a lot of people’s lives with the music we’ve made.

What did you listen to growing up?

I liked metal in the mid-80′s. Maiden, Preist, Van Halen. And a lot of classic rock. When I got to highschool I discovered hardcore. 7 Seconds, Uniform Choice, Insted. That led to my true love, melodic punk. Descendents, Big Drill Car… Since then I’ve just about covered all kinds of indie music.

How does the new record, Always On, compare to the earlier stuff?

It rocks with a mightier vengeance. It’s more of a big rock record than a punk rock record. I’m really proud of it. I think it’s the record I’ve been wanting to make all along.

How do you describe your sound?

Rock.

Where do you see yourself as a band in five years?

I see myself in a country band.

What inspires your lyrics and music the most?

Just living. I like to write stories about my life that people can relate to.

Do you plan to tour anytime soon?

No plans yet.

The cover of the new record is different from most because it is just a drawing with no band name or title, what made you want to have a cover like that?

For that reason. It’s not as predictible as our past releases. I wanted to do something really expressive so I staring painting again.

Who are you voting for in the presidential election?

Gore. He seems to have a heart. Bush gives me the idiot shivers.

Do you think Napster is better or worse for bands?

I haven’t completely decided. I just love the idea of going to a record store and being psyched to buy A COMPLETE album instead of just downloading a song but I can’t stop progress.

What was your favorite record of 2000?

Idlewild – 100 Broken Windows

Do you have a favorite book or movie?

I loved ‘Almost Famous’

What do you think of Britney Spears?

Smokin’ hot.

Interview by : Josh Stern – josh@joshstern.com

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