American Hi-Fi

[Ivan May]

Along with Green Day and Blink-182, American Hi-Fi was one of those pop punk bands every music critic loved to hate. Personally, I consider American Hi Fi to be as influential as those 2 bands, even if they really are short in the lyrics department.

The group was based out of Boston, MA, and led by Stacy Jones, a guitarist who had previously played drums for Veruca Salt and Aimee Mann. He enjoyed playing a Fender Jaguar, but American HiFi is perhaps well known for their first and only major American hit, Flavor Of The Weak.
 

Jamie Arentzen played a 1970 Gibson Les Paul, a Strat and a sunburst Fender Jazzmaster. American Hi-Fi still records and tours to this day, and they also appeared on the soundtracks of movies such as Little Secrets and Jimmy Neutron Boy Genius, and even guest starred on an episode of All That, which is how I found out about them. I think I also used to listen to American Hi-Fi on a college radio station I used to listen to.

But along with American Idiot and Enema Of The State, you should give American Hi-Fi a spin in the CD player. You’ll thank me.