No Use for a Name

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No Use for a Name

Background information
Origin San Jose, California, USA
Genre(s) Punk rock
Pop punk
Melodic Hardcore
Years active 1987-Present
Label(s) Fat Wreck Chords
Website http://www.nouse4aname.com/
Members
Tony Sly
Dave Nassie
Matt Riddle
Rory Koff
Former members
Chris Shiflett
Doug Judd
Steve Papoutsis
Ed Gregor
Robin Pfefer
Chris Dodge
Ramon Gras
John Meyers

No Use for a Name (sometimes abbreviated NUFAN) is a punk rock band from San Jose, California, United States, formed in 1987 by Chris Dodge (guitar), Steve Papoutsis (bass), Rory Koff (drums), and John Meyers (vocals). 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 original line-up of four added Ramon Gras as a second vocalist and Doug Judd as a second guitarist. 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, Doug Judd, and John Meyers left the band after the release of "Let 'em Out". Soon after, Tony Sly entered the band.

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 was played on the MTV show 120 Minutes. 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 was released on April 1, 2008.

[edit] Current Lineup

[edit] Discography

[edit] External links

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No Use for a Name
Tony Sly • Dave Nassie • Matt Riddle • Rory Koff
Chris Shiflett • Doug Judd • Steve Papoutsis • Ed Gregor • Robin Pfefer • Chris Dodge
Studio albums
EPs and compilation albums
You Bug Me (1988) • Let 'Em Out (1989) • Death Doesn't Care EP (1993) • NRA Years (2000) • Black Box EP (2005) • All the Best Songs (2007)
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