JFA (Jodie Foster's Army) is a hardcore punk band formed in 1981, with roots in Arizona and in Southern California skateboard culture. The original members include Brian Brannon (vocals), Don "dred" Pendleton (guitar), Michael Cornelius (bass), and Mike "Bam-Bam" Sversvold (drums). Alan Bishop of Sun City Girls also played bass for a while. The band was pivotal in the development of the skate punk and Skate Rock scenes. Over the years, the lineup has included many bass players and drummers but the core of Brannon and Pendleton has remained constant.
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JFA was formed around March 1981. Pendleton, then in the band The Deez and Cornelius, then in the band Jr. Chemists, knew each other from shows around Phoenix, Arizona and from skateboarding. They began playing together after a D.O.A. concert during the band's Hardcore 81 tour. Bam-Bam later joined after meeting Pendleton at an "Industrial Dance" in Phoenix. Brian Brannon was pulled into the band by Cornelius who met him skateboarding and at punk shows. The band's name is a reference to John Hinckley, Jr.'s, attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan. Jodie Foster's Army was a song before the band took the title as their name, before that they had been calling themselves the "BREAKERS".
The band's first show was opening for Black Flag at an Industrial Dance which was one of a series of early Phoenix punk shows. Their first song of the night was Pipetruck.
Placebo Records released their debut EP "Blatant Localism" in late 1981. The band toured the west extensively and played many local shows. Their first national tour was in the summer of 1983 following the release of their first album "Valley of the Yakes".
The original bassist, Michael Cornelius, left the band in the summer of 1984 prior to the nine-week summer '84 tour. Alan Bishop of labelmates Sun City Girls played bass until Cornelius returned for the 1986 release Nowhere Blossoms.
The band received continuing coverage in the influential skateboard magazine Thrasher during the 1980s. Brannon eventually worked on the editorial staff full-time and Pendelton and Cornelius were contributors of articles and photographs.