No Use for a Name
No Use for a Name |
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No Use for a Name (sometimes abbreviated NUFAN) is a punk rock band from San Jose, California, United States, formed in 1987 by Tony Sly, Steve Papoutsis, Rory Koff, and Chris Dodge. The band's sound has evolved considerably through its career, taking on a much lighter and poppier brand of melodic punk as the years passed.
The band was first featured on Maximum RocknRoll's 1987 Turn it Around compilation, with the song "Gang Way." A year later the band's self-titled debut EP was released on Woodpecker Records. Their second EP, Let 'em Out, was released a year later through Slap A Ham Records. Chris Dodge left the band after the release of "Let 'em Out".
NUFAN's debut album, Incognito, was released in 1990 through New Red Archives. Chris Dodge rejoined on second guitar, and they released their second album Don't Miss the Train in 1992 before signing up with Fat Mike's label Fat Wreck Chords in 1993. During this year Chris Dodge left the line-up, and was replaced with guitarist Robin Pfefer, who took over on lead guitar so Sly could concentrate on singing and stick to rhythm. No Use for a Name also released its first record on Fat this year, The Daily Grind, which turned out to be a highly successful album.
Ed Gregor replaced Robin Pfefer on lead guitar soon after the release of The Daily Grind. In 1995, after the release of Leche Con Carne, their fourth full-length, Chris Shiflett and Matt Riddle joined the band to play guitar and bass, replacing Ed Gregor and Steve Papoutsis respectively. With the punk music breakthrough in 1994, NUFAN received a larger audience after releasing this album, compliments of their video for the song "Soulmate" which found its way onto MTV's video rotation. This was the first video on Fat Wreck Chords to ever be aired on MTV. In 1997, after the success of Making Friends, the band went on a worldwide tour through the U.S., Europe, Australia, Canada, and Japan.
After releasing More Betterness!, Chris Shiflett left the band in 1999 to join the successful Foo Fighters, being replaced by Dave Nassie. Two years later, the band contributed to Fat Wreck Chords with the release of their live album, Live in a Dive: No Use for a Name and during the following year in 2002 NUFAN released it's seventh studio album Hard Rock Bottom.
The band released their 8th full-length studio album titled Keep Them Confused June 14, 2005. It takes a more political position than earlier releases.
A greatest hits collection titled All the Best Songs was released on July 10, 2007.
A new fourteen song full-length studio album entitled The Feel Good Record of the Year will be released on April 1st 2008.
Current Lineup
- Tony Sly: Vocals, Guitar
- Dave Nassie: Lead Guitar
- Matt Riddle: Bass Guitar
- Rory Koff: Drums
Discography
- Self-titled (Woodpecker Records, 1988.)
- Let 'Em Out EP (Slap-a-Ham Records, 1989.)
- Incognito (New Red Archives, 1990. Re-released Fat Wreck Chords, 2001)
- Don't Miss the Train (New Red Archives, 1992. Re-released Fat Wreck Chords, 2001)
- Death Doesn't Care EP (New Red Archives, 1993)
- The Daily Grind (Fat Wreck Chords, 1993)
- Leche Con Carne (Fat Wreck Chords, 1995)
- Split 7" with Soda (Session Records, 1996)
- Making Friends (Fat Wreck Chords, 1997)
- More Betterness! (Fat Wreck Chords, 1999)
- NRA Years (Golf, 2000)
- Live in a Dive: No Use for a Name (Fat Wreck Chords, 2001)
- Hard Rock Bottom (Fat Wreck Chords, 2002)
- Keep Them Confused (Fat Wreck Chords, 2005)
- Black Box EP (Fat Wreck Chords, 2005; never released)
- All the Best Songs (Fat Wreck Chords, 2007)
- The Feel Good Record of the Year (Fat Wreck Chords, 2008)
Sound samples
- Download sample of No Use for a Name's cover of Bob Marley's "Redemption Song"
External links
