J-Card Press Releasing AFI Book on December 12th

J-Card Press is very pleased to announce that the third release in their series of short-form biographies will be released on December 12th, 2024. Written by 33⅓ author Andi Coulter, AFI charts the career of the influential punk band. (Pre-order now here.)

Huge stylistic changes are usually reserved for pop stars. Few bands have successfully waded into uncharted musical territory, yet AFI has managed to take deep genre swings without alienating their fan base. From MTV to MySpace, this book explores AFI’s groundbreaking role in shaping online fan culture and their journey as musical chameleons.

J-Card books are not listicles or clickbait blog entries. They’re also not academic think pieces or a purely critical take on just a band’s recorded output. AFI covers the entire arc of the group’s career: how they formed, why they’re important, and how they fit into both their regional scene and a larger historical context.

Formed in 1991, AFI cut their teeth as part of East Bay’s Gilman Street scene before breaking into the mainstream with their major-label debut, Sing the Sorrow. With the current lineup solidified in 1998, AFI consists of Davey Havok (lead vocalist), Adam Carson (drummer), Hunter Burgan (bassist and keyboardist), and Jade Puget (bassist/keyboardist). From their humble punk roots to their experimental electronic era, AFI’s ability to reinvent themselves while maintaining their artistic integrity is a testament to their enduring influence.

Author Andi Coulter spent over twenty years in the live music industry, a decade of which as the Director of Marketing at the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C. The author of the 33⅓ book about Suicide’s debut album, she is currently an Assistant Professor of Business Administration at Washington and Lee University. She lives in Charlottesville.

J-Card Press is a new independent publishing company with one focus: to produce short biographies of the best alternative, indie rock, hip-hop, and riot grrrl groups of the past twenty to thirty years. Every band has a story. J-Card tells a few each year.

J-Card Press ‘AFI’ cover