Biography
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Years Active
1981 – 2018 (37 years)
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Founded In
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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Members
- Brent Belke
- Jon Card
- Ken Chinn
- Marc Belke
- Rob Johnson
SNFU is one of the longest running, most popular Canadian punk acts, formed in Edmonton, Alberta in 1981.
The band packed it in 2005 not long after the release of In The Mean Time and In-Between Time. Marc "Muc" Belke went back to school, and the other band members went their own ways rather than try to replace him.
That is, until 2007 when Ken "Mr. Chi Pig" Chinn appeared on stage again fronting a band he was calling "asSNFU" for a small number of shows to celebrate the band's long history.
Allegedly an acronym for Society's No Fucking Use, SNFU initially comprised Chi Pig, the Belkes, bassist Warren Bidlock and drummer Evan "Tadpole" Jones. However, over the next decade the group's rhythm section changed from album to album and tour to tour. As you can see from the list to the left, there are currently 17 people on the SNFU roster that have played at one time or an other with the band.
SNFU's first two releases, 1985's ...And No One Else Wanted to Play and If You Swear, You'll Catch No Fish, were straight- ahead skate punk albums with strongly political lyrics, released on BYO Records. For 1988's Better Than a Stick in the Eye the quintet moved to the larger indie label Cargo Records, for whom they also recorded 1992's mostly live The Last of the Big Time Suspenders, intended to be their final album.
Just as SNFU appeared to be finished, Epitaph Records – the most commercially successful U.S. independent label of the 1990s – offered them a record contract. Along with new bassist Rob Johnson and drummer Dave Rees, Chi Pig and the Belkes returned with 1993's Something Green and Leafy This Way Comes, which, not surprising, had a more typical West Coast/Epitaph sound. Following the release of 1995's The One Voted Most Likely To Succeed, the group returned with 1996's FYULABA (produced by Dave Ogilvie of Skinny Puppy), their first album not to have a seven word title (though it does have a seven letter title). In 1997 Brent Belke and David Rees left the group; SNFU decided to continue on as a four-piece with new drummer Sean Stubbs, recording the Canada-only live release Let's Get It Right the First Time.
In 2000 SNFU released a 5 song EP on Alternative Tentacles titled The Ping Pong EP. Currently (Sept. 2004), SNFU has recorded their 8th full-length album In the meantime and in between time. This future release is set to be released on their own record label, Rake Records. On July 16th, 2020 Ken Chinn pasted away at the age of 57.
Past SNFU Lineups:
SNFU mach 1:
mr. chi pig - vocals
marc "muc" belke - guitar
brent "bunt" belke - guitar
warren bidlok - bass
evan c "tadpole" jones - drums
SNFU mach 2:
mr. chi pig - vocals
marc belke - guitar
brent "bunt belke - guitar
jimmy schmitz - bass
evan c "tadpole" jones - drums
SNFU mach 3:
mr.chi pig - vocals
marc belke - guitar
brent belke - guitar
dave bacon - bass
jon card aka seth hornblend - drums
SNFU mach 4:
mr.chi pig - vocals
marc belke - guitar
brent belke - guitar
dave bacon - bass
ted simm - drums
SNFU mach 5:
mr. chi pig - vocals
marc bellke - guitar
brent belke - guitar
curtis creager - bass
ted simm - drums
SNFU mach 6:
mr.chi pig - vocals
marc belke - guitar
brent belke - guitar
curtis creager - bass
jon card - drums
SNFU mach 7:
mr. chi pig - vocals
marc belke - guitar
brent belke - guitar
ken fleming - bass
david rees - drums
SNFU mach 8:
mr. chi pig - vocals
marc belke - guitar
brent belke - guitar
rob "starbuck" johnson - bass
david rees - drums
SNFU mach 9:
mr. chi pig - vocals
marc belke - guitar
rob johnson - bass
sean stubbs - drums
SNFU mach 10:
mr. chi pig - vocals
marc belke - guitar
rob johnson - bass
chris "cpl. ninny" thompson
SNFU mach 11:
mr. chi pig - vocals
marc belke - guitar
matt warhurst - bass
shane smith - drums
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