Dead Fucking Last (also known as DFL) is an American
punk rock band that was founded in 1991 in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
,
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
by Tom Davis, Monty Messex,
Adam (Ad-Rock) Horovitz and Tony Converse.
History
Grand Royal Records
DFL was founded in 1991 by Tom "Crazy Tom" Davis, Monty "Monte" Messex,
Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz and Tony Converse.
Michael "Mike D" Diamond, played drums briefly in DFL’s earliest incarnation.
DFL’s first release ''My Crazy Life'' was recorded at the Beastie Boys' G-Son Studios in
Atwater Village
Atwater Village is a neighborhood in the 13th district of Los Angeles, California. Much of Atwater Village lies in the fertile Los Angeles River flood plain. Located in the northeast region of the city, Atwater borders Griffith Park and Silver L ...
on April 22, 1993.
It was recorded by Beastie Boys producer
Mario Caldato Jr (Mario C) and was released in 1993 on
Grand Royal Records
Grand Royal was the Los Angeles, California-based vanity record label set up in 1992 by rap group Beastie Boys in conjunction with Capitol Records
Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record ...
on 7" vinyl and CD.
Spike Jonze
Adam H. Spiegel (born October 22, 1969), known professionally as Spike Jonze, is an American filmmaker, actor, musician, and photographer. His work includes commercials, film, music videos, skateboard videos and television.
Jonze began his ca ...
shot the photographs for the vinyl release.
DFL’s bass and drum line-up went through a number of changes between 1993 and 1994. Tony Converse left the band and was replaced on drums by Amery "AWOL" Smith, of
Suicidal Tendencies
Suicidal Tendencies is an American crossover thrash band formed in 1980 in Venice in Los Angeles, California by vocalist Mike Muir. Muir is the only remaining original member of the band. Along with D.R.I., Corrosion of Conformity, and Stormtr ...
and the Beastie Boys. Tony rejoined DFL in 1994. Chris "Wag" Wagner, bass player for
Mary's Danish
Mary's Danish was an alternative rock band that was formed in Los Angeles, California in the late 1980s which released four albums, with the last in 1992. Mary's Danish blended a musical mixture of rock, funk, country and soul elements.
Origins ...
, played with DFL briefly in 1993. As did Eugene Gore, violinist on the Beastie Boys ''
Ill Communication
''Ill Communication'' is the fourth studio album by American hip-hop group Beastie Boys, released by Grand Royal Records on May 31, 1994. Co-produced by Beastie Boys and Mario Caldato, Jr., it is among the band's most varied releases, drawing fro ...
'' release.
Brian Baker of
Minor Threat
Minor Threat was an American hardcore punk band, formed in 1980 in Washington, D.C. by vocalist Ian MacKaye and drummer Jeff Nelson. MacKaye and Nelson had played in several other bands together, and recruited bassist Brian Baker and guitaris ...
and
Bad Religion
Bad Religion is an American punk rock band that formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1980. The band's lyrics cover topics related to religion, politics, society, the media and science. Musically, they are noted for their melodic sensibilitie ...
, also played bass briefly during this time. In 1994, Tom Barta joined DFL on bass until the band broke up in 1997.
Epitaph Records
In 1994 DFL signed a recording contract with
Epitaph Records
Epitaph Records is an American independent record label owned by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, most acts signed to the label were punk and pop punk acts, while there are many post-hardcore and emo bands ...
.
In 1995 DFL released their second studio album ''Proud to Be."
''Proud to Be'' was recorded at G-Son Studios and was produced by Adam Horovitz and Mario C. ''Proud to Be'' was released on 7" vinyl as ''Tony’s War''. DFL released one video from ''Proud to Be'' for the song "Home is Where the Heart Is". DFL toured with
Pennywise,
Biohazard
A biological hazard, or biohazard, is a biological substance that poses a threat to the health of living organisms, primarily humans. This could include a sample of a microorganism, virus or toxin that can adversely affect human health. A bioh ...
,
Slayer
Slayer was an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California. The band was formed in 1981 by guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman, drummer Dave Lombardo and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya. Slayer's fast and aggressive musical style ...
,
7 Seconds,
Sick of It All
Sick of It All is an American hardcore punk band formed in 1986 in Queens, New York City. The band's lineup consists of brothers Lou and Pete Koller on lead vocals and guitars respectively, Armand Majidi on drums, and Craig Setari on bass. Sick ...
and
Sublime, among others.
DFL recorded two songs for a series of compilations: one for ''
Punk-O-Rama Vol. 2'' called "ThoughtControl" and one for ''Generations I – A Punk Look at Human Rights'' called "Health Care for All Americans."
In 1997 DFL released their third full-length studio album, ''Grateful''
The album was recorded and produced by DFL at New Belleview Studios. ''Grateful'' included an instrumental track by
Girl
A girl is a young female human, usually a child or an adolescent. When a girl becomes an adult, she is accurately described as a ''woman''. However, the term ''girl'' is also used for other meanings, including ''young woman'',Dictionary ...
pro-skateboarder Paulo Diaz. ''Grateful'' was released on cassette tape as ''The Tape Show''.
''The Tape Show'' included ''Grateful'' outtakes and alternate tracks, plus fan covers of DFL songs and other ephemera. After ''Grateful’s'' completion, DFL toured
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
and
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
. In April 1997 DFL broke up.
Hiatus
In 2009 Tom Davis, skateboard icon
Tony Alva
Tony Alva (born September 2, 1957) is an American skateboarder, entrepreneur, and musician. He was a pioneer of vertical skateboarding and one of the original members of the Zephyr Competition Skateboarding Team, also known as the Z-Boys. The ...
and Amery "AWOL" Smith started the hardcore punk band General Fucking Principle (also known as GFP). Nick "Bigg Nick" Treviṅo played guitar from 2009-2010. In 2011,
Greg Hetson
Greg Hetson (born June 29, 1961) is an American guitarist. He was born in Brooklyn, New York and has lived in the Los Angeles area since he was 2 years old. Active since 1979, Hetson is best known as the guitarist for the influential hardcore pu ...
of the Circle Jerks and Bad Religion joined GFP on guitar. GFP recorded material with Beastie Boys producer Maria Caldato Jr. that was released in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
, called "Best at its Worst" - a 12" split with
Scheisse Minnelli
Scheisse or Scheiße may refer to:
* "Scheisse", 1981 song by Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön was a Swedish punk band formed in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1977. Ebba Grön consisted of Joakim Thåström (lead vocals, guitar), Gunnar Ljungstedt (drums) and ...
.
In 1999 Monty Messex started a punk/hardcore band called The Family Dog. The Family Dog played in the same genre as DFL. In 2000 the Family Dog released "So Cal Hardcore" on the
Voodoo Glow Skulls
Voodoo Glow Skulls are an American ska punk band formed in 1988 in Riverside, California, by brothers Frank, Eddie, and Jorge Casillas and their longtime friend Jerry O'Neill. Voodoo Glow Skulls first played at backyard parties and later at Spa ...
' El Pocho Loco label. He also recorded acoustically under the name Montgomery Messex, releasing music for the
David Lynch Foundation
The David Lynch Foundation for Consciousness-Based Education and World Peace (or simply DLF) is a global charitable foundation with offices in New York City, Los Angeles, and Fairfield, Iowa. It was founded by film director and Transcendental Me ...
's Transcend Music Label in 2013.
Tony Converse went on to play drums in the hardcore band Massengil. Massengil provided a track on DFL's Epitaph release ''Grateful''.
Reunion
In 2013 Tom Davis and Monty Messex reunited DFL. Nick Manning of Circle One and
Final Conflict
Final Conflict is an American hardcore punk band from Long Beach, California, United States, formed in 1983. They have gone through various lineup changes with the only constant member being original guitar player (and founder) Jeff Harp.
Final ...
was recruited to play drums with Nick "Bigg Nick" Treviṅo on bass. Bigg Nick quit DFL in 2016 due to internal differences. David "Whitey" Andrews, from The Family Dog, covered bass while DFL looked for a permanent member. In 2017, Edgar Jaramillo from Union13 was recruited to play bass.
In 2015
Epitaph Records
Epitaph Records is an American independent record label owned by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, most acts signed to the label were punk and pop punk acts, while there are many post-hardcore and emo bands ...
(vinyl) and
Burger Records
Burger Records was an American independent record label and record store in Fullerton, California, United States. The label was founded in 2007 by Sean Bohrman and Lee Rickard, members of the power pop band Thee Makeout Party. The record/video s ...
(cassette) released a 20th anniversary reissue of ''Proud to Be''.
Vinyl was issued in 12" black and translucent green, and also included two digital download "bonus" tracks: "Follow the Leader" and "Decisions". The bonus tracks were previously released as a promotional flexi-disc in a 1995 edition of Strength Magazine. The reissue was met with positive reviews by Punknews.org and
Noisey
''Vice'' (stylized in all caps) is a Canadian-American magazine focused on lifestyle, arts, culture, and news/politics. Founded in 1994 in Montreal as an alternative punk magazine, the founders later launched the youth media company Vice Media, ...
.
In 2016 DFL recorded their first new song titled "Shut It Down" in 19 years. The song is included on the Punknews.org release "Banned From the P.C. Mixtape." In 2016, a member of DFL bought the rights and master recordings of their first release ''My Crazy Life'' from
GR2 Records.
In 2016-2017, DFL recorded a 7 song EP titled "YRUDFL" produced by
Greg Hetson
Greg Hetson (born June 29, 1961) is an American guitarist. He was born in Brooklyn, New York and has lived in the Los Angeles area since he was 2 years old. Active since 1979, Hetson is best known as the guitarist for the influential hardcore pu ...
. The EP was co-released by SBAM Records and Say-10 Records on August, 27 2021.
Band members
Current members
*Crazy Tom – vocals (1991–1997, 2013–present)
*Monty Messex – guitar and vocals (1991–1997, 2013–present)
*Jordan Jacques – drums (2021–present)
*Patrick Sullivan – bass (2021–present)
Past members
*
Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz – bass (1991 – 1993)
*
Michael "Mike D" Diamond – drums (1991)
*Tony Converse – drums (1991–1993, 1994–1997)
*Chris "Wag" Wagner – bass (1993)
*Eugene Gore – bass (1993)
*
Brian Baker – bass (1993)
*Josh Lingenfelter – bass (1993)
*Amery "AWOL" Smith – drums (1993)
*Tom Barta – bass (1994–1997)
*Nick "Bigg Nick" Treviṅo – bass (2013–2016)
*David "Whitey" Andrews - bass (2016)
*Nick Manning – drums (2013–2018)
*Edgar Jaramillo – bass (2016–2021)
*Adam Gardner - drums (2018-2021)
Discography
Studio albums
*My Crazy Life
– Grand Royal Records, 1993 (7", Cassette, and CD)
*Dead Fucking Last - Grand Royal Records, 1993 (7")
*Hurricane/DFL – America’s Most Hardcore - Grand Royal Records, 1994 (10" and CD)
*Proud to Be
- Epitaph Records, 1995 (CD)
*Tony’s War – Epitaph Records, 1995 (double 7")
*Grateful
- Epitaph Records, 1997 (CD)
*The Tape Show (cassette) – Epitaph Records, 1997 (Cassette)
*Proud to Be/20th Anniversary Reissue (vinyl)
- Epitaph Records, 2015
*Proud to Be/20th Anniversary Reissue (Cassette)
- Burger Records, 2015
*The Tape Show/20th Anniversary Reissue (Cassette) - Burger Records, 2017
*"YRUDFL" - SBAM Records/Say-10 Records, 2021 (Vinyl, EP)
Compilations
*Grand Royal - Mixed Drink, Volume 2 - Grand Royal Records, 1995
*
Punk-O-Rama Vol. 2 – Epitaph Records, 1996
*Generations I – A Punk Look at Human Rights -
Ark 21 Records
Ark 21 Records was a record label established by Miles & Stewart Copeland in 1997, based in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, California, United States.
Artists
*Kathem Al-Saher
* Ragheb Alamah
* Aswad
*The Badlees
*The Beautiful South
* John Berry
* ...
, 1997
*Eventually Everybody Gets an Epitaph - Epitaph Records, 1997
*Banned from the P.C. Mixtape - Punknews.org, 2016
*Slabratory Clothing - Sick Slabs of Sonic Sound 2, 2018
References
External links
Official Facebook page
{{Authority control
Epitaph Records artists
1991 establishments in California
Hardcore punk groups from California
Musical groups established in 1991
Skate punk groups