Davey Havok no longer has to worry about hair getting in his eyes. It's hard to imagine the AFI frontman — a Rochester native who was born David Passaro — as anything other than the bangs-sporting Goth-character in the video for the 2006 hit "Miss Murder." The video nabbed the band a Video Music Award for Best Rock Video and was retired on Total Request Live after 40 consecutive countdown appearances. These days, however, Havok's taking a more low-maintenance approach to his look.
"I've had some form of bangs since 1996, but not having them now is a relief," the 33-year-old singer told us during a recent phone interview. "And the time that I don't have to spend on my hair is nice."
Along with a new personal style comes the most straightforward rock album AFI has put out in a while — which Havok and crew will bring to Water Street Music Hall on Friday, Oct. 16.
Released last month, Crash Love thumps with the same bouncy, anthem-driven feel of 2003's platinum-selling Sing the Sorrow and its chart-topping 2006 follow-up, Decemberunderground. But gone are the electronic elements, which Havok attributes to finishing a tour with electronica side-project Blaqk Audio right before Crash Love was written.
"At that point we were invigorated to play rock music again," he says. "The interest we had previously in inserting electronic music into AFI wasn't there anymore."
The album was produced by Joe McGrath (Blink-182, Morrissey) and Jacknife Lee (U2, Weezer). Cuts like the punk-fueled "Veronica Sawyer Smokes" and guitar-heavy lead single "Medicate" bring AFI back to the hardcore punk influence displayed on the band's debut, Answer That and Stay Fashionable, released almost 15 years go. Crash Love is AFI's eighth album, but it's the first to follow a No. 1 record. Still, Havok insists there's no pressure.
"The hunger comes from wanting to play music and enjoying that," he says. "The secondary hope is that a lot of people will enjoy that." Perhaps in an effort to remain true to its roots, AFI has pegged the perfect opening act for its fall tour. English band Gallows will kick-start each show with its brand of in-your-face hardcore punk.
"They're just genuine, very focused guys who have similar outlooks on creating music that we had when we were their age," says Havok. "And they're playing hardcore. That's always exciting."
