American Football
| American Football | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Collection | Redacted Remilio Babies |
| Category | Background |
| References | American Football LP1 (1999); The American Football House, Urbana, Illinois |
| Count | 134 |
| Rarity | 1.34% |
American Football is a shirt trait in the Redacted Remilio Babies NFT collection, depicting apparel referencing American Football, a midwest emo band from Urbana, Illinois, and specifically the iconic cover of their 1999 self-titled debut album (known retrospectively as LP1), which features a white Victorian house at night with a single illuminated upstairs window.
Background
American Football formed in Urbana, Illinois in 1997, comprising guitarist and vocalist Mike Kinsella, guitarist Steve Holmes, and drummer Steve Lamos. Their self-titled debut album, released on 14 September 1999 on Polyvinyl Records, received positive reviews on release and performed well on college radio before the band broke up in 2000 when its members moved to different cities.[1] In subsequent years the album gained cult status and is now widely regarded as one of the most important emo records ever made.
The album cover features a photograph of a white Victorian house at 704 W. High Street in Urbana, Illinois, shot at night with a single upstairs window glowing warmly against the dark. The house — none of the band members ever actually lived there, though it was a social hub for their circle — became one of the most recognizable images in the history of the genre.[2] A steady stream of "emo tourists" visit the house to photograph it. In 2023, the band purchased the property along with their label Polyvinyl and several collaborators to prevent it from being demolished by developers.[3]