Introduce yourself...
Brian Brannon, singer for JFA. Skateboarder, surfer, punk rocker.
How did the band start?
We started in March 1981 in Phoenix, Arizona. There was a diverse punk scene with all kinds of bands but nothing hardcore. Our guitarist Don and our original bass player Michael Cornelius saw DOA play its Hardcore 81 tour and that inspired them to start a band that played hard and fast to give all the locals something to skate to. They knew Bam Bam from High Roller Skaterpark and got him as our original drummer. Me, I was just a punk skater kid who had run into Michael at a ramp I helped build. He saw me a couple weeks later at a party and asked if I could screamed. I yelled my head off into his ear and then we had a band..
How did you come up with the name?
Don and a friend were watching the news when John Hinckley attempted to assassinate President Reagan and his Hinckley told the police that he did it for Jodie Foster. Don's friend said Jodie Foster has her own gun club. And Don said no, she's got her own Army. So Don wrote a song as a satire on the event and it eventually became our name.
In 1980, the U.S. Punk scene was still really new, who would you say your influences are?
DOA, TSOL, Circle Jerks, the Germs, the Damned, the Jam, early Black Flag.
What was the punk scene like back then?
The punk scene in Phoenix was thriving. We had all types of bands: International Language was kind of arty/industrial, Killer Pussy was a band with a girl singer that sang songs like "Teenage Enema Nurses in Bondage," the Meat Puppets were just plain crazy, the Nervous was kind of new wave. We had a kinds of things going on... We were a definite minority back then and dressing like a punk was an ass-kicking offense. Everyone hated you: cops, cowboys, hippies, old ladies, teachers, parents, vagrants... So when you saw another punk on the street you felt a definite kinship. There weren't many posers at that time because of what you had to go through just for being a punk. It was really a great scene.
How do you feel it has changed?
Without a doubt, it's become way more popular, which is good and bad. I'm glad to see that it's stayed alive and that there are vibrant scenes around the world, carrying it on. Of course, there's more posers and sell outs and people trying to cash in on pretending to be punk, but that's what happens with anything that's successful these days... Everyone wants a piece of it... But I like to look at the positive side and I think it's great to see all the new bands and all the new fans coming up.
What was the song writing process back then?
It varies depending on the song or who wrote it. We all write songs and we all contribute so if someone comes up with something and someone else thinks of a way to make it better, then we'll add a little something to it.
Describe the song writing process now...
Still the same. And we still write about pretty much the same things...
Your first show was with Black Flag, tell us about the show...
This was back when they had Dez Cadena singing for them and the whole Phoenix punk community turned out for the show. All our friends from High Roller Skatepark were wearing green bandanas with JFA on them wrapped around their steel-toe engineer boots and the slam pit was intense. None of this ring around the roses that passes for moshing these days, it was pure anarchy, no direction, just fists and kicks coming from every which way during the show. Good times for sure.
Tell us about your first EP 'Blatant Localism'...
We put that out about three months after we started, so it definitely captured all our youthful angst and enthusiasm. “Beach Blanket Bongout” has always been a crowd favorite with an anthem singalong on the chorus and “Cokes and Snickers” was pretty much about our staple diet.
Your first album was 'Valley of the Yakes', tell us about the album...
It kind of continued on where the EP left off. Lots of fast and hard songs with a few surf tunes thrown in to mix it up.
How do you feel the 2nd and 3rd differed?
Untitled was a little more experimental and psychedelic but still fast and hard and included our version of Pipe Truck which was a combination of Pipeline by the Ventures and Police Truck by the Dead Kennedys.
As a band you guys have a close relationship with the skateboarding scene, tell us about your ties to the skateboarding community...
We’ve always been skaters and always will so if we show up in your town and you got a good spot to take us to, we’re there!
What caused the band to split?
Who said we split up? We’ve been going steady since 1981 playing select dive bars, parties, gigs and empty swimming pools all over.
What sparked you guys to start doing shows again?
Like I said, we’ve never stopped. We always said we’d quit when it wasn’t fun any more and we’re having more fun now than ever.
Your last album was 'Speed of Sound', tell us about the album...
It’s fast and intense, like our roots. “Danny Sargent’s Trucks” is a tribute to one of the most grindingest skateboarders of all time. “Party Like the Amish” is about the Amish rite of passage where when you turn a certain age, Amish teens are sent out of the church to see what life is like on the outside so they can decide if they want to come back and the kids having lived a very sheltered life, typically go pretty crazy. “Wilson” is about all the different ways you can eat shit on a skateboard. And “16 Hippies” is about 16 different kinds of hippies.
What is it like working with DC-Jam Records?
It’s been great. Darron is a great guy. He’s very hard working and dedicated.
Where have you toured?
Mostly just the US and Canada.
Who are some of the band you have done shows with?
You name ‘em, we’ve played with ‘em.
Is there a favorite band you like to do shows with?
Always liked playing with the Big Boys and the Bad Brains back in the day.
Is there a favorite place you like to do shows at?
We used to have a place in Phoenix called the Mad Gardens which was a wrestling ring where they let bands play. So you’d set up in the middle of the ring and people would go crazy bouncing off the ropes and having fun. Definitely a great scene and a great place to play.
What do you see is the future of JFA?
We’re just going to keep doing what we do: play punk rock, skate pools, pipes and ditches, meet new people, play for old friends and have fun.
How can people contact the band?
Hit us up on our Facebook page!
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