NOFX White Trash, Two Heebs And A Bean CD

NOFX: El Hefe (vocals, guitar, trumpet); Fat Mike (vocals, bass); Eric Melvin (guitar); Erik Ghint (drums).
Additional personnel: Pet Cameron (guitar); Mike La Vella, Jerry Riddle (background vocals).
Engineers: Donnell Cameron, Joe Peccerillo, Bob Geller.
Recorded in August 1992.
Composer: Fat Mike.
Personnel: El Hefe (vocals, guitar, trumpet); Fat Mike (vocals); Eric Melvin (guitar); Erik Ghint (drums); Mike Lavella (background vocals).
Recording information: CD Studios, San Francisco, CA (08/1992); Westbeach Recorders, Hollywood, CA (08/1992).
Photographer: Dan Winters.
Unknown Contributor Role: Erik Ghint.
The title of NOFX's White Trash, Two Heebs and a Bean is a pretty fair indicator of what's going on in the grooves -- specifically, tongue-in-cheek, politically incorrect forays into America's pancultural society. A SoCal punk band that recalls both the eclecticism and attitude of Camper Van Beethoven, NOFX rips through much more than standard-issue thrash; they transform Minor Threat's "Straight Edge" into a blues song with fake B.B. King vocals, go ska for the wry character study "Bob," and examine lesbian lifestyles with surprising maturity on "Liza and Louise." Not quite so understanding is "Johnny Appleseed," which pokes fun at the very concept of cultural diversity and is sung in a Hispanic accent by guitarist El Hefe. ~ Jason Ankeny
NOFX preceded the 1990s explosion of bubblegum pop-punk by nearly a decade (they formed in '83). But with the addition of guitarist Aaron Abeyta (who goes by the moniker El Hefe), the band emerged near the top of the heap, churning out consistently fun, well-constructed rock with plenty of punch. 1992's WHITE TRASH, TWO HEEBS AND A BEAN marks the Abeyta incarnation of NOFX, and is one of the band's better efforts, overflowing with catchy hooks, air-tight playing, and satiric, silly humor.
The music favors jackhammer bass and drums, searing guitar leads, and crunchy power chords over sneering but melodic vocals. But NOFX distances itself from most punk acts with light, tongue-in-cheek attitude. Playful stylistic mix-ups, like the jazzy, faux-lounge treatment of Minor Threat's "Straight Edge," or the ska-flavored "Johnny Appleseed" (sung in a goofy accent by El Hefe), are paramount. "Please Play This Song on the Radio," the album's single, is a self-referential plea for commercial acceptance, complete with shameless pop hooks and "oos" and "ahs," but the song subverts itself with a string of non-radio-friendly obscenities at the end. Such playful undermining is true to form for NOFX, and is one of the things that make their music enjoyable.Alternative Press (4/93, p.72) - "...WHITE TRASH...carries on [NoFx's] adolescent pogo party with all the exuberance of a rollercoaster ride..."