SNFU

SNFU was a Canadian hardcore punk band from Edmonton, formed in 1981 as Society's No Fucking Use. They relocated to Vancouver in 1992 and went on hiatus in 2018. They released eight albums, two live records, and one compilation amid many lineup changes and several temporary breakups. Vocalist Ken Chinn (credited as Mr. Chi Pig) led the group, which included twin-brother guitarists Brent and Marc Belke for much of its career. With founding drummer Evan C. Jones and early bassist Jimmy Schmitz, SNFU built an international audience and released their debut, ...And No One Else Wanted to Play (1985). They grew in popularity following the experimental If You Swear, You'll Catch No Fish (1986) with bassist Dave Bacon and drummer Jon Card, and the aggressive Better Than a Stick in the Eye (1988) with bassist Curtis Creager and drummer Ted Simm. They disbanded in 1989, however, due to internal tensions. SNFU reformed in 1991, beginning with a reunion tour intended as a one-off. Drummer Dave Rees and bassist Rob Johnson ultimately completed their most lasting lineup. They signed with indie label Epitaph Records, releasing Something Green and Leafy This Way Comes (1993), The One Voted Most Likely to Succeed (1995), and FYULABA (1996). These achieved six-digit record sales as the band toured in support of Green Day and Bad Religion. After leaving Epitaph, the band lost Brent Belke and Rees in 1998 and Johnson in 2001. Following a two-year hiatus, they self-released the critically praised In the Meantime and In Between Time (2004) with bassist Matt Warhurst and guest drummer Trevor MacGregor. They again disbanded in 2005. Chinn and former member Ken Fleming reformed SNFU in 2007. With Card, guitarist Sean Colig, and bassist Kerry Cyr, they released Never Trouble Trouble Until Trouble Troubles You (2013). Beginning in 2014, the band included Chinn, Bacon, guitarists Randy Steffes and Kurt Robertson, and several drummers. They went on hiatus in March 2018, and Chinn died on July 16, 2020. The Belkes led a brief reunion in 2025. SNFU became a formative influence on the skate punk subgenre. Rankings of the best Canadian music have included their work. Ken Chinn met twin brothers Brent and Marc Belke in Edmonton in the late 1970s. The three were teenagers who shared interests in the skateboarding subculture and burgeoning punk rock movement. They formed the punk band Live Sex Shows with drummer Ed Dobek and bassist Phil Larson in 1981, which broke up later that year after a few gigs. Chinn and the Belkes began a new group, Society's No Fucking Use, shortened to Society's NFU. Bassist Warren Bidlock and drummer Evan C. Jones completed the initial lineup. After a few months of gigging, Bidlock departed due to stage fright. The group recorded a two-song demo cassette, "Life of a Bag Lady", with guest bassist Scott Juskiw. Jimmy Schmitz replaced Bidlock late in 1982, and the group adopted the SNFU moniker. Two studio tracks on the It Came From Inner Space compilation LP on Rubber Records followed early in 1983 (songs re-released in 1990 on the Real Men Don't Watch Quincy bootleg 7-inch). SNFU built an audience throughout North America via their aggressive live set, support of touring acts such as Youth Brigade, the Dead Kennedys, Dayglo Abortions and GBH, and a track on BYO Records' Something to Believe In compilation LP. They recorded their debut album, ...And No One Else Wanted to Play, in Los Angeles late in 1984, which BYO released the following year. The album made an impact in the underground punk scene, with noted artist Pushead writing in Maximumrocknroll that the band's "[r]igorous energy push[es] the limits of power with knocking flurry and extreme excitement." Pushead concluded that the album was "a scorcher." Jones left the band due to exhaustion in mid 1985, and Schmitz departed in May. Dave Bacon joined as bassist, while Jon Card (previously of Personality Crisis, and later of D.O.A and the Subhumans) moved to Edmonton and joined as drummer. With the new lineup, the group toured North America. They released the comparatively experimental album If You Swear, You'll Catch No Fish in 1986 via BYO. Card left the band after the album's completion. With drummer Ted Simm, SNFU self-released the She's Not on the Menu 7-inch EP, which also included the "Life of a Bag Lady" recordings from 1982. Bacon departed in early 1987 due to musical differences and health concerns. Curtis Creager (of Urban Holiday), a former roommate of Chinn and Marc Belke, replaced him. The band's popularity steadily increased. Flipside fanzine voted them Best Live Band in 1987 over the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Fugazi, while Metallica singer James Hetfield wore SNFU's iconic 'zombie' T-shirt in The $5.98 E.P. - Garage Days Re-Revisited insert. SNFU toured alongside Voivod and the Dayglo Abortions, and signed to Cargo Records. Cecil English produced their third record, Better Than a Stick in the Eye, which was issued in 1988 and remains influential among hardcore punk audiences. The supporting tour included their first trip to Europe. Due to internal tensions and the Belkes' desire to experiment with playing other kinds of music, they disbanded in late 1989. Simm returned to Winnipeg, while the Belkes and Creager formed the Wheat Chiefs (which the Belkes would keep active until 1998). Chinn moved to Vancouver and led the short-lived groups The Wongs and Little Joe. Chinn also became open about his homosexuality, thereafter being an advocate for queer identity. To satisfy their contract with Cargo, in 1991 SNFU released The Last of the Big Time Suspenders, comprising live, demo, and studio-outtake tracks. The Belkes, Chinn, Creager, and Card reformed the band, initially planning only a supporting promotional tour. The tour was successful, however, and they reactivated the band several months later. The Belkes joined Chinn, Card, and new bassist Ken Fleming (formerly of the Winnipeg-based skate punk band The Unwanted) in Vancouver in June 1992. Card, however, suffered from substance abuse problems, and Dave Rees (formerly of the Wheat Chiefs and SNFU tour mates Broken Smile) replaced him in October. This lineup completed an extensive European tour. The members dismissed Fleming late that year due to personality conflicts, and Wheat Chiefs bassist Rob Johnson joined. In 1993, the band signed a three-record deal with Epitaph Records, an independent label on the cusp of mainstream success through The Offspring and Rancid. SNFU entered a period of heavy activity. They released two demos for their next album as the "Beautiful, Unlike You and I" EP on Hom Wreckerds Music. The album, Something Green and Leafy This Way Comes, appeared in 1993. Their music from this era was increasingly melodic, influenced by new directions in third-wave punk that they themselves had helped to develop. They toured with Green Day and Bad Religion and received opening support from Korn and Tool. In 1995, SNFU released The One Voted Most Likely to Succeed. They hoped the record would sell comparably to other third-wave punk albums, but it did not chart. Nonetheless, critics acknowledge it as a "classic of '90s punk" in which the veteran musicians "handle the record's more difficult material with grace and power." The band released the Dave Ogilvie-produced follow-up FYULABA in 1996, which received mixed reviews. Epitaph did not renew the band's contract after it expired late in 1997. As a stopgap, SNFU issued Let's Get It Right the First Time, a faux-live album co-released by Megaforce Records and their own Rake Records. In March 1998, Rees and Brent Belke both departed to pursue careers in film and television. Despite industry frustrations and lost members, Chinn, Johnson, and Marc Belke opted to continue. Drummer Sean Stubbs (of Numb, Jakalope, and Bif Naked's band) completed their first four-piece lineup. They continued to tour and began sporadic work on a new record, which would ultimately take six years. Chris