Also known as Smelly
Real name Erik Sandin
Born July 29, 1966 (1966-07-29) (age 41)
Genre(s) Punk rock, Ska punk, Skate punk
Instrument(s) Drums
Years active 1983 - present
Associated acts NOFX

Erik Sandin, often called Smelly, is the drummer of the popular California punk band NOFX. The alias of Smelly comes from the flatulence released from him while he did heroin and acid. He was a founding member of the band when they formed in Hollywood, California, in 1983, but moved to Santa Barbara two years later, leaving the band.

In just one year without Sandin, the band had already gone through two drummers (Scott Sellers and Scott Aldahl) and in 1986 the band talked Sandin into rejoining NOFX. He was addicted to heroin since his departure from NOFX, but in 1992 before the White Trash, Two Heebs and a Bean recordings, he checked into a rehabilitation facility and cleaned himself up. According to the NOFX official website: "He [Erik] won't even eat chicken if it has wine sauce on it. He made it clear that NOFX was more important to him than drugs." He has been NOFX's permanent drummer since his return in 1986, and played drums on every NOFX full-length album and EP released.

The band Dogpiss featured a song about him called "Erik Sandin's Stand In" on the Fat Wreck Chords compilation album Short Music For Short People.

Aliases

* Erik Ghint (Arrogant) - White Trash, Two Heebs And A Bean
* Erik Shun (Erection) - S&M Airlines
* Groggy Nodbeggar - Ribbed
* Chris Telmeth (Crystal meth)
* Herb Reath Stinks (Her breath stinks) - Punk in Drublic
* Seymour Butts (See more butts) - The Longest Line EP
* Smelly - So Long and Thanks for All the Shoes, The War on Errorism

Misc:

* Went to rehab in the mid 90's and has been completely sober since
* Only uses a single kick (as opposed to a double bass kick)
* Quit NOFX at one point to attend college, but later rejoined

Birth name Eric Scott Melvin
Also known as Melvin
Born July 9, 1966 (1966-07-09) (age 41)
Genre(s) Punk rockn Ska punk, Skate punk, Pop punk
Instrument(s) Guitar, Accordion
Years active 1983–present
Label(s) Fat Wreck Chords
Associated acts NOFX, Punk Rock Karaoke

ric Scott Melvin, sometimes called Melvin for short, is the rhythm guitarist in the California punk band NOFX. He has been in the band from its beginnings in the early 1980s to the present day. Eric has been known for his dreadlocks that vary in color each time NOFX performs. Though most recognized for his ability to play the guitar, Melvin can also play the accordion.

In the first episode of the NOFX world tour show on the Fuse TV Network, Mike "Fat Mike" Burkett said that although he, El Hefe, and Eric Sanden have all gotten better, Melvin still continues to play at the same level he did when the band first started.

Sings backup vocals on most NOFX songs and wrote guitar riffs on NOFX songs such as the intro for "Seeing Double at the Triple Rock". His vocal style is called the "Mel Yell."

Eric also plays in Punk Rock Karaoke with Steve Soto, Derek O'Brien and Greg Hetson where the motto is "We Play... You Sing!" On Me First and the Gimme Gimmes' tour of Europe in 2007 Melvin filled in for Fat Mike on bass. He recently got married.

Misc:

* Eric is the MC in Punk Rock Karaoke with Steve Soto (bass, Adolescents, Agent Orange, 22 Jacks) Derek O'brien (drums, Social Distortion, Agent orange, D.I.) and Greg Hetson (guitar, Bad Religion, Circle Jerks)
* Plays the accordian in Theme From A NOFX Album
* Played Guitar for the band B.U.G.S. on their track on a compilation called "Generations, Vol. 1: A Punk Look at Human Rights"

Birth name Aaron Abeyta
Also known as El Hefe
Born August 8, 1965 (1965-08-08) (age 42)
Genre(s) Punk rock,Ska Punk,Skate Punk
Instrument(s) guitar, trumpet, and many others
Years active 1991 - Present
Label(s) Epitaph Records, Fat Wreck Chords
Associated acts NOFX

Aaron Abeyta, known as El Hefe or simply Hefe, from el Jefe (Spanish for "the boss"), is the lead guitarist and trumpet player of the California punk band NOFX.

Abeyta was given this moniker by his fellow band members for his superior mastery of the instruments he plays, and because at the time he joined the band there were already two "Erics", and that an "Aaron" would just be too much. El Hefe plays a 1978 Fender Telecaster Guitar that has been fitted with EMG-T pickups through a Jim Dunlop 535Q Crybaby Wah pedal. He uses a Mesa/Boogie mark III amplifier head. He also contributes vocals.

Contrary to a popular myth among NOFX fans, Abeyta did not play Miguel Aguilar in the movie The Bad News Bears and its sequels in the 1970s (that actor's name is George Gonzales), nor in the CBS television series The Bad News Bears. Charles Nunez was the young actor who played Miguel in the TV series.

Known for his self-effacing sense of humor, charisma, and many voice impersonations (Beavis and Butthead, Yogi Bear, and other well-known cartoon characters), El Hefe has been with NOFX since 1991. His first recordings with NOFX contributed to NOFX's EP, The Longest Line. He once owned a night club called 'Hefe's' in Eureka, CA and lives in McKinleyville, California. He has one child and is married to Jennifer Abeyta.


Misc:

* Plays in Manic Hispanic's song Gilligan's Island from the compilation Show and Tell
* Divorced, has a child
* Used to own a night club called Hefe's in Eureka, CA
* Was in a band called Crystal Spere with Mark Curry
* Played guitar on a Mark Curry album in 1992
* Is now engaged to "Jen", and is due to be married later this year (2006)

Birth Name Michael John Burkett
Aliases
* Fatty
* Fat mike
* Mike Rakhabit
* Mike Roskope
* Pills
* Fat Bastard
* Fat Guy In A Tub
Born January 31, 1967 (1967-01-31) (age 41)
Origin Los Angeles, California
Genre(s) Pop Punk,Skate punk,Ska punk
Instrument(s) Vocals, Bass
Years active 1983-Present
Associated acts NOFX,Me First and the Gimme Gimmes

Michael Burkett, more commonly known as Fat Mike, is the lead singer and bassist of the California punk band NOFX, as well as bass player for Me First and the Gimme Gimmes. As Misfit Mike, he played in a band called False Alarm before founding NOFX in 1983 with Erik Sandin and Eric Melvin. He is also the owner of Motor Studios in San Francisco, California. Mike lives in San Francisco with his wife for 14 years, Erin, and their young daughter, Darla.

The nickname "Fat Mike" originated as a misnomer - when the somewhat thin Mike went away to San Francisco State University he returned having gained a few pounds. He was slightly heavier than the broomstick-thin punk rock crowd, and the nickname stuck. Today Mike regards himself as "Not that fat.

In 1990 Mike founded a record label called Fat Wreck Chords. It is one of the largest and most financially successful punk-affiliated record labels in the United States. The label is mainly run by Fat Mike and his wife Erin.

Fat Mike was the main organizer of the Punkvoter website (founded in 2003) and the Rock Against Bush project (in 2004). Both of these were created to promote political involvement within the punk community. They aimed to increase voting to get George W. Bush out of office, and to make issues close to the punk community known to politicians.

In addition to being known for political cynicism, for many years Fat Mike has been a vegetarian and supporter of PETA.

In 2005 he started a magazine called Punk Rock Confidential which distributes 4 issues a year.

Also in 2005 he introduced Jello Biafra on his 8th Spoken Word Album: In the Grip of Official Treason.

He played bass on the Real McKenzies album 10,000 Shots.


Trivia

* Was taught how to play Jazz bass.
* First got into punk rock by listening to the Misfits.
* His father is a famous Jazz clarinetist.
* Met his fellow band members in high school.
* Had his first band tour at age 16.
* Wrote the song, "Please Play this Song on the Radio" which was banned from radio stations for hidden vulgarity.
* Bassist and lead vocalist to California punk band, NOFX.
* Wrote the song, "The Decline" which is an 18 minute long song about America.
* Owns the record label, Fat Wreck Chords.
* Plays with the cover band, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes.


Misc:

* Had his nickname since college days when he kept getting fatter
* Started out in a band called False Alarm as Misfit Mike
* Owns Fat Wreck Chords, Honest Don's and Pink & Black Records
* Publishes the magazine Punk Rock Confidential
* Runs the Punk Voter website
* Went to college majoring in Political Science and minoring in Human Sexuality
* Writes almost all the music and lyrics for NOFX, even for the trumpet
* Sings on Screeching Weasel's song Peter Brady from their album Anthem For A New Tomorrow
* Sings on the Randy song Beware
* Sings on Lagwagon's song Lazy from their album Trashed, and the song Mr. Coffee from their album Duh
* Plays bass on Swingin' Utters song Unpopular Again from their album Five Lessons Learned
* Plays bass in Me First and the Gimme Gimmes with Spike Slawson (vocals, bassist from Swingin' Utters), Chris Shiflett (a.k.a. Jake Jackson, guitar, No Use For A Name, Foo Fighters), Dave Raun (drums, RKL, Lagwagon), Joey Cape (guitar, Lagwagon, Bad Astronaut)
* Plays guitar on a Bracket album, When all Else Fails song #3, No Brainer on Fat Wreck Chords (#607)
* Mike and Erin changed their names a few years ago from "Burkett" to "Dagger"
* Has one child, a daughter, named Lila Vodka Dagger (if we are to believe what he says in his interviews)
* His greatest fear in life is "being tied to a bed when an earthquake hits".

The Beginning (1983-1988)

Misfit Mike with his devilock in highschool

NOFX is a punk rock band formed out of Berkley, California in 1983, moving to Los Angeles, California soon after. A band diverse in their sound, some songs could be classified as pop-punk, ska, hardcore, rock, and more. They got the name NOFX while Mike and Eric were trying to think up a cool 'punk' band name. There was an old Boston hardcore band called Negative FX that broke up after the first record and Mike and Eric thought No FX was a cool name. Despite rumors, the name does not mean No Fucking Straightedge. In 1983, Eric Melvin (guitar) and a friend, trying to start a band, got Fat Mike (Mike Burkett, vocals/bass) to leave his old band False Alarm and practice with them. Melvin's friend didn't like the situation and quit. Mike knew Smelly (Erik Sandin, drums) cause they skated together in Hollywood and Erik liked Mike's Black Flag skateboard. At the time, Erik was in a band called Caustic Cause and NOFX was supposed to be a side project for him. Another guitarist named Dillon practiced with the band but quit when Mike, Eric and Erik played their first show without him. After playing some more shows, they recorded their first demo with the help of Don Bolles, drummer of The Germs, who agreed to record them if they filled up his car with gas. They put an ad in Flipside magazine, but according to Fat Mike sold no copies of the demo. They toured the western United States playing garage gigs and keggers. They recieved no money for playing most of the shows and usually ended up sleeping in the tour car or on the floor of the person who hosted the gig. In 1985, Smelly quit because he was moving to Santa Barbara and was replaced by Scott Sellers. With Scott, they released two 7"s, NOFX and So What If We're On Mystic on Mystic Records, both to later be compiled on The Album 12" and again on the Maximum Rock N Roll 12". Scott then quit and moved to San Diego. He was replaced by Scott Aldahl. In 1986 Dave Allen joined NOFX as a second guitarist and vocalist but ended up dieing in a car accident two months later. The band was put on hold. Mike went to college in San Francisco and Scott quit. Melvin went to city college in Santa Barbara and talked Erik Sandin into joining NOFX again. Dave Casillas was recruited to play gutiar and they were back to being a 4-piece. They then toured extensively, including Europe. After continually getting ripped off by Doug Moody (Owner of Mystic Records) they left the label to create their own label, Collosal Wassail Records. In 1987, The PMRC Can Suck On This 7" was recorded and released. The next year they released their first LP, Liberal Animation, on Collosal Wassail along with a 7" split with the band Drowning Roses.

Record Labels In The Making (1989-1991)

Dave Casillas left NOFX in 1989 and they found guitarist Steve Kidwiller. This guy was their lead guitarist and if you've listened to S&M Airlines or Ribbed you'll know why. He was a great guitarist who could play amazing solos. (I guess he just lacked El Hefe's magic touch) He did come up with the idea for the Ribbed album's title and cover. They couldn't think of anything to call it so he was like "fuck it! let's just put a huge picture of a condom on the cover!" That was the end of that dilemma. About a month after Steve joined they recorded S&M Airlines. Then they toured for 3 months all over the US and Canada. They didn't rest much back then cause they played in such crappy places for almost no money so a couple months later they went back to Europe for a month and a half. The Bad Religion guitarist, Brett Gurewitz, cooked up Epitaph Records and signed NOFX, the second band to join Epitaph. (Bad Religion was obviously the first) NOFX brought out S&M Airlines (1989) on the new label. Anyways, in 1991 Ribbed was released on Epitaph. Mike went to San Fransisco and started up Fat Wreck Chords sometime in 1991. That year Steve left because of problems with where the band was headed (he plays in Speed Buggy now) and also because a couple people in the band were heavy drinkers and one of them was really into heroin. (neither Steve nor NOFX said who it is but everyone knows that Smelly went to rehab and hasn't drank or touched drugs since) and they found El Hefe (Aaron Abeyta, guitar, came from the Mark Curry Band aka Crystal Sphere) to take his place.

Enter El Hefe (1992-1997)

I guess they were really hyped about Fat Wreck Chords or El Hefe's trumpet or something cause they released The Longest Line (1992), and Liza And Louise in the same year. Until The War On Errorism was released NOFX had never released an LP on another label since they joined Epitaph. They have a great relationship with Brett and Bad Religion's own Greg Graffin even sang the harmonies on Ribbed cause they didn't know how back then. They produce all their 7"s and things like The Decline on Fat Wreck Chords and apparently they're not putting out any more records on Epitaph. So they released White Trash Two Heebs And A Bean in 1992 as well, on Epitaph. This record was gonna be called White Trash, Two Kikes And A Spic but Melvin's grandma found out and didn't like the title. There was some mention of like Jewish guilt or something and the title got changed. Later, in 1993, they released a 7" called Don't Call Me White. The year after that they released Punk In Drublic (1994) on Epitaph. On Eurotaph they released an EP titled Leave It Alone (1995). NOFX was pretty popular by now and there were a lot of NOFX bootlegs going around but they all sucked so thy decided to release a live album. I Heard They Suck Live! was the result, released on Fat Wreck Chords. If you've been to a NOFX
show you'll know they're awesome live though. They're funny, energetic, more often than not they're drunk, and have amazing performances. They're better live than on their albums. A true sign of a good band.

They're Over Thirty (1997-1999)

In 1996 they released Heavy Petting Zoo on Epitaph. There was a ton of controversy about that album because the cover has a picture of a guy feeling a sheep and the LP version has a guy 69-ing a sheep. (if you don't know, don't ask) a lot of people thought this was gross (it's just a cartoon!) and in France (I think) it was even banned. It was probably banned in other places as well. NOFX's argument was that nothing is actually shown, it's all just implied or something like that. Basically they wanted to offend anyone they could in true punk rock style. It worked. On Fat Wreck Chords in 1996 they released a limited edition picture disc called HOFX and another 7" called Fuck The Kids (an awesome album), also on Fat Wreck Chords. Since El Hefe joined NOFX hasn't changed it members. They've just kept on pumping out the killer punk rock tunes. I'm not gonna sit here and name all the albums, if you wanna know that kinda stuff check out the discography. Before So Long And Thanks For All The Shoes (1997) they kinda had a different sound on each album. Since So Long And Thanks For All The Shoes they seem to have found their style they like and it is wicked. They're fast and melodic but still have that gritty punk sound on most songs. And they've always been funny as hell. The cool thing about this new style is they always surprise you with what they bring out next, like The Decline ... most punk bands are notorious for short songs. (ie. the Dead Kennedys's song, Short Songs) and NOFX has its share of short songs (Fuck The Kids) so they came out with a single that's 18 minutes and 21 seconds of hardcore punk rock packed into one song. It seriously is a masterpiece.

Getting Political Again (2000-2008)

TODO: write this!
Well that's it. This is their history. You can find more details in the history of NOFX on their offishal site. It's written by Eric Melvin and it's long as hell so grab a beer (or 6) before you read it so you won't have to get up.

---

NOFX isn't a commercial band, that is, you won't see them on MTV or hear them on the radio. In Canada they're on Much Music but not very often. (I've never seen them on MM before) MTV South America apparently has played them but illegaly. This is just to give you an idea of what they think of being commercial. Ok well now you can hear Bottles To The Ground on the radio but this was kinda a mistake. What happened was that NOFX thought it would be ironic to hear Dinosaurs Will Die on the radio. (The song is about the demise of commercial music industry) Well radio stations didn't play Dinosaurs Will Die but took a liking to Bottles To The Ground. So that's thestory behind that, NOFX has NOT sold out!

Full Length

* 1988 - The Album
* 1988 - Liberal Animation
* 1989 - S&M Airlines
* 1991 - Ribbed
* 1992 - Maximum Rocknroll
* 1992 - White Trash Two Heebs And A Bean
* 1994 - Punk In Drublic
* 1994 - Ten Years Of Fuckin Up
* 1995 - I Heard They Suck Live!
* 1996 - Heavy Petting Zoo
* 1997 - So Long And Thanks For All The Shoes
* 2000 - Pump Up The Valuum
* 2002 - BYO Split Series III (w/ Rancid)
* 2002 - 45 Or 46 Songs That Weren't Good Enough To Go On Our Other Records
* 2003 - The War On Errorism
* 2004 - The Greatest Songs Ever Written (By Us)
* 2006 - Wolves In Wolves' Clothing
* 2007 - They've Actually Gotten Worse Live

EPs

* 1985 - Self-Titled
* 1985 - So What If We're On Mystic
* 1987 - The PMRC Can Suck On This
* 1988 - S&M Airlines EP (w/ Drowning Roses)
* 1991 - OX Fanzine Split
* 1992 - The Longest Line
* 1992 - Liza And Louise
* 1994 - Don't Call Me White
* 1995 - Leave It Alone
* 1995 - HOFX
* 1996 - Fuck The Kids
* 1998 - All Of Me
* 1999 - Timmy The Turtle
* 1999 - Louise And Liza
* 1999 - The Decline
* 2000 - Pods And Gods
* 2000 - Bottles To The Ground
* 2001 - Surfer
* 2001 - Fat Club
* 2003 - Regaining Unconsciousness
* 2003 - 13 Stitches
* 2005 - 7" Of The Month Club
* 2006 - Never Trust A Hippy

Promos

* 1994 - Leave It Alone Promo CD
* 2001 - Bottles To The Ground Promo CD
* 2003 - Franco Un-American Promo CD
* 2006 - Getting High On The Down Low Promo CD

Other

* 199x - E Dagger - Pretty In Punk EP
* 2005 - A Tribute to NOFX: Tribbed For Your Pleasure



NOFX