Articles of Faith was a

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

-based

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (commonly abbreviated to hardcore or hXc) is a punk rock music genre#subtypes, subgenre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots ...

band originally active between 1981 and 1985. The band's later work is credited with superior songwriting and with foreshadowing the

emo Emo () is a genre of rock music characterized by emotional, often confessional lyrics. It emerged as a style of hardcore punk and from the Washington, D.C., hardcore scene, where it was known as emotional hardcore or emocore. The bands ...

sound.

History

Originally a Springsteen/ Clash cover band called Direct Drive, the group changed both its music and name after frontman Vic Bondi visited Washington, D.C., in 1981 and saw a

Bad Brains Bad Brains are an American punk rock band formed in Washington, D.C., in 1976. They are widely regarded as pioneers of hardcore punk, though the band's members have objected to the use of this term to describe their music. They are also an ade ...

show that he describes as an “epiphany.” AoF typically showed funk, reggae and jazz influences, accompanied by lyrics bemoaning the difficulty of finding freedom and fulfillment in consumer society. While the band's influence was blunted by being based in Chicago, it maintained close musical and thematic ties to the Washington DC /

Dischord Records Dischord Records is a Washington, D.C.–based independent record label specializing in punk rock. The label is co-owned by Ian MacKaye and Jeff Nelson, who founded Dischord in 1980 to release '' Minor Disturbance'' by their band the Teen Id ...

scene. Drummer Bill Richman (a.k.a. “Virus X”), a member of the Revolutionary Communist Party briefly left the band in 1984 due to the waning of the band's political emphasis; he returned later to record ''In This Life''. Bondi had already left Chicago by the time AoF disbanded in 1985; ''In This Life'' was issued two years later. The original lineup reunited for a European tour in 1991. The final show of this tour was recorded and issued as part of the ''Your Choice Live'' series. Frontman Vic Bondi was originally a protest singer with decidedly leftist views. He went on to form Alloy, and Jones Very after AoF's demise. At the time of AoF's original breakup Bondi was working as a history instructor at the

University of Massachusetts Amherst The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst) is a public land-grant research university in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Massachusetts system and was founded in 1863 as the ...

. Bondi's subsequent day jobs included working on

Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company, technology conglomerate headquartered in Redmond, Washington. Founded in 1975, the company became influential in the History of personal computers#The ear ...

Encarta Microsoft ''Encarta'' is a discontinued Digital data, digital multimedia encyclopedia and search engine published by Microsoft from 1993 to 2009. Originally sold on CD-ROM or DVD, it was also available online via annual subscription, although ...

as managing editor of the Encarta Interactive English Learning edition (Bondi's ironic take on his software career can be foun
here
. Bondi resurfaced with another politically charged band, Report Suspicious Activity in 2006, and was featured prominently in the documentaries '' American Hardcore'' and '' You Weren't There''. Vicbondi1

In 2010, Articles of Faith reunited for an appearance at

Riot Fest Riot Fest is an annual three-day punk rock music festival held at Douglass Park in Chicago, Illinois. It is known for booking reunions, guest performances, and full album performances. Riot Fest is one of the largest independently-owned music fe ...

in Chicago and recorded a new EP. Virus X-aof

Legacy

Groups who have cited Articles of Faith as a prominent influence include

NOFX NOFX () was an American punk rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983. Bassist/lead vocalist Fat Mike, rhythm guitarist Eric Melvin and drummer Erik Sandin were original founding and longest-serving members of the band, who have appeared on every ...

Heroin Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a morphinan opioid substance synthesized from the Opium, dried latex of the Papaver somniferum, opium poppy; it is mainly used as a recreational drug for its eupho ...

and

Disfear Disfear is a Swedish crust punk band that formed in the early 1990s and recorded sporadically over the years. After releasing the albums '' Soul Scars'' in 1995 and '' Everyday Slaughter'' in 1997, the group did not release another album until 2 ...

.Brandon Stosuy, "Show No Mercy", ''Pitchforkmedia'', March 26, 2008. Access date: September 11, 2008.

Line-up

* Vic Bondi (vocals, guitar) *Dave Shield (bass guitar, vocals) *Bill Richman aka Virus X (drums) *Dorian Tajbakhsh (guitar) *Joe Scuderi (guitar)

Discography

*''What We Want Is Free'' (EP 1982) - Version Sound, re-released on the band's DIY label, Wasteland Records *''Wait'' (EP 1983) - Wasteland (3 song ep) *''Give Thanks'' (LP 1984) - Reflex Records, produced by

Bob Mould Robert Arthur Mould (born October 16, 1960) is an American musician, principally known for his work as guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter for alternative rock bands Hüsker Dü in the 1980s and Sugar (American band), Sugar in the 1990s. Early ...

*''In This Life'' (LP 1987) - Lone Wolf Records, produced by

* ''Fortunate Son'' (EP 2003) -

Alternative Tentacles Alternative Tentacles is an independent record label established in 1979 by Dead Kennedys vocalist Jello Biafra and guitarist East Bay Ray in San Francisco, California, with the intention to release the Dead Kennedys' self-produced single " C ...

(split with Vic Bondi) *''New Normal Catastrophe'' (EP 2010) - Alternative Tentacles

Anthologies and posthumous collections

*''Core'' (CD 1991) – Bitzcore (a collection of EPs, comp appearances, and unreleased tracks recorded from 1981 to 1983) *''Give Thanks'' (CD 1992) – Bitzcore *''Your Choice Live Series 022'' (1994) – Tobby Holzinger /

Your Choice Records Your Choice Records was a German independent record label that was founded in 1988 by producer Tobby Holzinger. The label specialized in independent punk music, including live releases of German and other international acts.http://www.de.wikiped ...

(last night of 1992 European reunion tour) *''AoF Complete Vol. 1'' and ''AoF Complete Vol. 2'' (2002) -

, all AoF vinyl recorded 1981–1983 and 1983–1985 respectively

Compilation contributions

*"Buried Alive" and "False Security" on the ''Master Tape'' compilation LP (Affirmation Records, 1982) *"Five O'Clock" - On ''The Middle of America'' compilation LP (H.I.D. Productions, 1984) *"Up Against The Wall" on the ''P.E.A.C.E.'' compilation LP (R Radical Records, 1985) *"Buy this War" and "American Dreams" on the ''Fortunate Son'' split EP (2 old AoF songs along with a solo Vic Bondi performing one original and one cover song) (

2003) *"Bad Attitude" on the '' American Hardcore - The History Of American Punk Rock 1980-1986'' original documentary soundtrack (Rhino Records, 2006) *"I Got Mine" on the ''You Weren't There: A History Of Chicago Punk 1977-1984'' documentary soundtrack (Factory 25, 2009)

References

External links

Vic Bondi's website

Older Bondi homepage

AoF Photos at Chicago Punk Pix

- Articles of Faith interview from 1984 {{DEFAULTSORT:Articles Of Faith Hardcore punk groups from Illinois Musical groups from Chicago Musical groups established in 1981 Musical groups disestablished in 1985 Alternative Tentacles artists American political music groups