JFA
JFA, short for Jodie Foster’s Army, are an American hardcore punk band formed in 1981 with deep roots in Arizona and Southern California skateboard culture.
The original lineup included Brian Brannon on vocals, Don Redondo on guitar, Michael Cornelius on bass, and Mike “Bam-Bam” Sversvold on drums. Over the years, the band rotated through many bass players and drummers, while Brannon and Redondo stayed as the long-running core.
Where the Name Came From
JFA formed in April 1981, 19 days after John Hinckley Jr. attempted to assassinate President Ronald Reagan. Hinckley’s fixation on Jodie Foster, tied to her role in Taxi Driver, shaped the band’s name as a grim, intentionally provocative joke about that moment.
Early Days in Phoenix
Don Redondo, then playing in The Deez, and Michael Cornelius, then in Jr. Chemists, crossed paths through Phoenix shows and skateboarding. After a D.O.A. concert during the Hardcore 81 tour, they started playing together.
Bam-Bam joined after meeting Redondo at an “Industrial Dance” in Phoenix. Cornelius brought in Brian Brannon, who he met through skateboarding and local punk shows.
The band’s first show was as an opener for Black Flag at an Industrial Dance, part of a run of early Phoenix punk events. One early song, “Pipetruck,” blended pieces of “Police Truck” by Dead Kennedys and “Pipeline” by The Chantays.
By 1984, most members were from Arizona, with Redondo originally from Huntington Beach, California, and Cornelius from Bethesda, Maryland.
First Releases and Touring
Placebo Records released the debut EP Blatant Localism in late 1981. The band toured the West heavily and played frequent local shows.
The first national tour took place in summer 1983, following the release of the first album Valley of the Yakes.
Cornelius left in summer 1984 before a nine-week tour. Alan Bishop of Sun City Girls filled in on bass until Cornelius returned for the 1986 release Nowhere Blossoms.
Skateboarding and Thrasher Years
JFA appeared regularly in Thrasher magazine during the 1980s. Brannon landed on the April 1987 cover riding backside at the Love Bowl in Phoenix, and on the April 1989 cover doing a grind at Thrasherland Skatepark in Glendale, Arizona.
In 1990, Brannon joined Thrasher full-time as a staff writer and later became music editor and art director, staying until 1997. During the 1980s, Brannon, Redondo, and Cornelius also contributed articles and photos as freelancers.
Brannon is a Master Chief in the United States Navy Reserve.
Current Lineup
- Brian Brannon, vocals, piano, organ
- Don “Redondo” Redondo, guitar
- Corey Stretz, bass
- Jamie Reidling, drums
Discography
- Blatant Localism, 7 inch (1981, Placebo)
- Valley of the Yakes, LP (1983, Placebo)
- Untitled, LP (1984, Placebo)
- Mad Gardens, 12 inch (1984, Placebo)
- Live 1984 Tour, LP (1985, Placebo)
- My Movie, 7 inch (1986, Placebo)
- Nowhere Blossoms, LP (1988, Placebo)
- Lightnin’ Storm and People’s Revolutionary Party, 7 inch (1991, Buzzkill)
- Camp Out and Travels With Charlie, 7 inch (1995, Spontaneous Combustion)
- Secret Agent Man, split 7 inch with Jack Killed Jill (1996, NRA)
- Only Live Once, CD (1999, Hurricane)
- We Know You Suck, CD (2003, Alternative Tentacles)
- Live in Chicago, 7 inch with The Faction (2003, Spontaneous Combustion)
- To All Our Friends, LP (2009, DC-Jam)
- Speed of Sound, CD (2012, DC-Jam)
- Last Ride, LP (2023, DC-Jam)
