AFI have unleashed the fire inside with a strongly-worded statement levelled at their former bassist Geoff Kresge, who they’ve accused of dodgy dealings.
In a Facebook post today, the alt-rock legends slammed their ex-slapper for allegedly selling unauthorised reissues of their previously-limited edition records and keeping all the profits for himself.
“While we remain proud of every era of our 26 year existence, and certainly do not begrudge Geoff feeling reflective towards the four years he spent with us before he quit, we are confused why he has taken it upon himself to assume control of the shared Key Lime Pie label and release these records without notifying or consulting us,” the band writes.
Just as a bit of background for the non-diehards — Kresge founded Key Lime Pie back in 1992 and AFI released three extremely limited edition releases on the label: Dork, Behind The Times and Eddie Picnic’s All Wet.
“We had always loved the fact that these releases were special limited edition items, pieces of history that we wanted to keep rare,” AFI’s statement continues.
“Geoff has begun accepting pre-orders of the Dork EP and is including on it an unreleased song which he wrote no part of, without getting permission from the co-owners and songwriters.
“Geoff has never paid anyone in the band… their share of the proceeds of these sales, despite our repeated requests that he do the right thing and pay our shares.”
The band end their statement with a well-reasoned tongue-lashing: “While we do feel for what we can only assume is Geoff’s financial need, it simply is not fair for one person – a person who left the band willingly in 1996 – to benefit to the exclusion of the other owners of these recordings and writers of the songs.
“As fans, of course, we support your right to buy as you please, but we wanted you to know that we do not support these sales.”
Dick move, Geoff. Mess with A Fire Inside and you’ll probably get burned.
In happier news, Aussie AFI fans can catch the band touring Australia this September off their freshly released self-titled (AKA ‘Blood’) album.
Read their full statement about Geoff Kresge, below.
AFI Statement (Via Facebook)
Our former bass player, Geoff Kresge, is selling reissues of original AFI recordings. While we remain proud of every era of our 26 year existence, and certainly do not begrudge Geoff feeling reflective towards the four years he spent with us before he quit, we are confused why he has taken it upon himself to assume control of the shared Key Lime Pie label and release these records without notifying or consulting us. We had always loved the fact that these releases were special limited edition items, pieces of history that we wanted to keep rare. Geoff has begun accepting pre-orders of the Dork EP and is including on it an unreleased song which he wrote no part of, without getting permission from the co-owners and songwriters. Geoff has never paid anyone in the band, including Mark Stopholese, their share of the proceeds of these sales, despite our repeated requests that he do the right thing and pay our shares. While we do feel for what we can only assume is Geoff’s financial need, it simply is not fair for one person – a person who left the band willingly in 1996 – to benefit to the exclusion of the other owners of these recordings and writers of the songs. As fans, of course, we support your right to buy as you please, but we wanted you to know that we do not support these sales.
17 Noughties Rock & Metal Tours We’re Psyched For In 2017
17 Noughties Rock & Metal Tours We’re Psyched For In 2017 (ver 2)
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Placebo
Sucker love is heaven sent, and so are British alt-rock ledgehammers Placebo, who are coming down under for their 20th anniversary tour this September! Brian Molko and co. will be performing all your faves from across their seven-album catalogue, and if that's not enough to change your taste in men then we don't know what is. -
The Getaway Plan
Allow these Melbourne lads to transport you back to your scene kid glory days with the 10-year anniversary tour of their beloved debut album Other Voices, Other Rooms. The noughties alt-rockers are hitting the road for a national jaunt this September, playing two huge sets at each gig, including a performance of their seminal LP in full (featuring classics like ‘Shadows’ and ‘Where The City Meets The Sea’). Get amongst it! -
At The Drive In
Send transmission from the one-armed scissor because post-hardcore heroes At The Drive In are heading to our shores this September for a headlining tour. It's to spruik their first album in 17 years, in • ter a • li • a, but we'll contend that there's ~Non-Zero Possibility~ of them playing any classics off their seminal 2000 LP Relationship Of Command. -
AFI
Hey, 'Miss Murder' fans. Your girlfriend's fave band from highschool, AFI, are heading down under for their first Aussie headline tour in over a decade this September! They're supporting their new self-titled LP (AKA The Blood Album) but you can bet your long-ass fringes they'll be playing a bunch of your noughties faves to boot. -
Mayday Parade
Florida's Mayday Parade are also bringing their noughties-birthed pop-punkery to our shores this year, with the 10th anniversary tour of their 2007 debut A Lesson In Romantics going down this October. -
Trapt
~Headstrong~ American rockers TRAPT are coming to ~take us on~! They've finally hit Aussie shores for their first tour since smashing us in the eardrums with their ubiquitous nu-metal anthem 'Headstrong' back in '02 (and they've got a brand new album out to boot). Catch their full list of tour dates here. Sydney-siders can also snag discounted tix to their Bald Faced Stag show here. -
Ill Niño
The New Jersey Latin-metal icons are hitting Australia this August to deliver us the Soundwave sidewave that never was with their gore bros in Terror Universal. The trip also comes in honour of their trailblazing debut album, 2001's Revolution Revolución turning 15 last year. Celebratio! -
Me First & The Gimme Gimmes
This punk rock supergroup are bringing their outlandish arsenal of covers back to our shores this year, off the back of their first fresh album since their five-LP assault across the noughties, Are We Not Men? We Are Diva! Yeah, so it was released in 2014 but better late then never. -
The Dillinger Escape Plan
Fans of US mathcore crew Dillinger won't want to miss their Aussie tour this October for what will be their ‘Final Ever’ tour down under. As it's their last hurrah, we can imagine the dudes will be pumping out all the tunes that catapulted them to notoriety throughout the noughties and beyond. -
You Me At Six
Since their formation in '04, English rockers You Me At Six have gone from strength to strength, and we're stoked to have the lads back down under for an east coast tour this September off the back of their brand new LP Night People. -
Hawthorne Heights
Aussie emos will be crying tears of joy (for once) this August and September when US post-hardcore crew Hawthorne Heights arrive to play their first two seminal albums, 2004's The Silence In Black And White and 2006's If Only You Were Lonely in their entirety at venues across the nation! -
GRINSPOON
Yeahhhhh the Grinners! One of the greatest Aussie rock acts of all time have reunited and are in the midst on a monster national tour stretching all the way through til September. -
New Found Glory
If you fancy a dose of up-tempo guitar-fuelled party tunes then you're in luck, because New Found Glory are bringing their 20 Years Of Pop-Punk Tour to our shores this August. According to maths, 10 of those 20 years happened in the noughties, and the band have pledged to perform a rolling cycle of their pre-2010 albums in full at each show (so this one's basically a gimme). -
One OK Rock
The biggest rock band in Japan since '07, One OK Rock are heading down under this October for their first-ever Aussie headlining tour. The Nihon stadium-fillers are still firing after unleashing a brand new studio LP Ambitions in 2017 to mark their eighth album in ten years. #prolific -
Stone Sour
15 years after their 2002 debut LP and Stone Sour are still powering. The Corey Taylor-fronted titans are returning to our shores this August armed with their forthcoming rock monster Hydrograd, but you can bet their set will still be crammed with all your fave noughties gems off Stone Sour, Come What(ever) May and Audio Secrecy. -
Train
Train are back in the atmosphere this July and August and while we'll always remember them for their chart-smashing 2001 hit 'Drops Of Jupiter', the US pop-rockers have managed to keep the hits firing since then. Expect to hear 'em all -- including late-noughties earworms 'Hey Soul Sister' and 'Save Me San Francisco' on the Aussie leg of their Play That Song Tour. -
Queens Of The Stone Age
You probably already knew QOTSA were gonna be in town for Splendour In The Grass, but we couldn't leave them off this list because they released four killer albums across the noughties and we are definitely fkn psyched to see them live. Their Splendour sideshows have pretty much all sold out, but did you know you can still make it wit 3/5ths of the band performing a free DJ set in Sydney while they're here? Who wouldn't want to see QOTSA spin some feel good hits of the summer?
