Fugazi
Fugazi in concert in March 2002.
Background information
Origin	Washington, D.C., USA
Genre(s)	Punk rock Post-hardcore Indie rock Alternative rock
Years active	1987–present (on hiatus since 2002)
Label(s)	Dischord
Associated acts	Ataxia Embrace The Evens Minor Threat Rites of Spring The Teen Idles
Website	www.dischord.com/band/fugazi
Former members
Ian MacKaye Guy Picciotto Joe Lally Brendan Canty

Fugazi is an American post-hardcore band that formed in Washington, D.C. in 1987. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Post-hardcore evolved from Hardcore punk, itself an offshoot of the broader Punk rock movement Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D The band's continual members were guitarists Ian MacKaye and Guy Picciotto (who both shared vocal duties), bassist Joe Lally and drummer Brendan Canty. Ian Thomas Garner MacKaye (məˈkaɪ born April 16, 1962) is an American singer and guitarist Guy Picciotto is an American musician from Washington DC. He is most widely known for his roles as the guitarist and vocalist for the groups Fugazi and Rites Joe Lally (born December 3, 1963 in Silver Spring Maryland) is a Bass guitar player primarily known for his work with Fugazi. Brendan Canty (born March 9, 1966 in Teaneck New Jersey) is an American Musician, best known as the Drummer for the band Noted for their ethical stance and manner of business practice, the band experienced commercial success during the 1990s while remaining on their independent record label, Dischord Records. An independent record label (or indie record label) is a Record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the Major record labels Dischord Records is a Washington DC -based Independent record label specializing in the independent punk music Fugazi has been on hiatus since 2002.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Formation 1.2 Albums and tours 1.3 Hiatus 2 Musical style 3 Business practice and ethics 4 Discography 4.1 Studio albums 4.2 Compilations/Other Contributions 5 Notes 6 References 7 External links

History

Formation

After the hardcore punk group Minor Threat dissolved, Ian MacKaye (vocals and guitar) was active with a few short-lived groups, most notably Embrace. Hardcore punk (now usually referred to as simply hardcore) is a subgenre of Punk rock that originated in North America in the late 1970s Minor Threat was an American Hardcore punk band that formed in Washington D The guitar is a Musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles For the UK indie rock band see Embrace (band. Embrace was a short-lived Post-hardcore band from Washington D MacKaye decided he wanted a project that was "like the Stooges with reggae," but was wary about forming another band after Embrace's break up. MacKaye recalled, "My interests were not necessarily to be in a band [per se], but to be with people who wanted to play music with me. "^[1] MacKaye recruited ex-Dag Nasty drummer Colin Sears and bass guitarist Joe Lally, and the trio began practicing together in September 1986. Dag Nasty was a Washington DC Hardcore punk band formed in 1985 by Brian Baker ( Guitar) of Minor Threat A drummer is a Musician who plays a Drum or drums particularly a Drum kit ("drum set" or "trap set" Marching percussion Colin Sears is a punk drummer who has performed in Bloody Mannequin Orchestra, Dag Nasty, The Marshes, and currently Handgun Bravado and The electric bass guitar (also called electric bass, or simply bass; ˈbeɪs as in "base" is a Stringed instrument played primarily with the After a few months of rehearsals, Sears returned to Dag Nasty and was replaced by Brendan Canty (earlier of Rites of Spring). Rites of Spring was an early American Hardcore punk band from Washington D One day Canty's Rites of Spring bandmate Guy Picciotto dropped by during a practice session to see how his friend was getting along; he later admitted he secretly harbored the idea of joining the group. But Picciotto was disappointed that there seemed to be no place for him; he said, "It seemed really completed already [. . . ] It had a completely different feel from what I'd been doing with Brendan. It seemed just solid and done. "^[2]

After some uncertainty from Canty about what he wanted to do with his future, the trio regrouped and booked their first show at the Wilson Center in early September of 1987. The group still needed a name, so MacKaye chose the word "fugazi" from Mark Baker's Nam, a compilation of stories from Vietnam War veterans, it originally being an acronym for 'Fucked Up, Got Ambushed, Zipped In'. The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, or the Vietnam Conflict, occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia The band began inviting Picciotto to practices. Inspired by use of a foil in hip hop, Picciotto sang backup vocals. Hip hop music, also referred to as rap music, is a Music genre typically consisting of a rhythmic vocal style called rap which is accompanied with After his band Happy Go Licky broke up, he became more involved with Fugazi. Happy Go Licky was an American Post-hardcore group formed in the spring of 1987 and which broke up after their final show at Washington D MacKaye eventually asked Picciotto to become a full member, which he accepted. ^[3]

Albums and tours

Fugazi embarked on its first tour in January 1988. In June 1988 the band recorded its debut EP Fugazi with producer Ted Nicely, and shortly afterwards embarked on an arduous tour of Europe. Fugazi is the EP by the American Post-hardcore band of the same name. ^[4] At the tour's conclusion in December, the band recorded songs for its intended debut album. However, the band was spent from touring and decided that the resulting sessions were unsatisfactory. The tracklist was cut down to an EP and released as Margin Walker the following year. Margin Walker is the second EP by the American Post-hardcore band Fugazi. ^[5] Upon the band's return from Europe, Picciotto, unsatisfied with merely singing, began playing guitar. ^[6]

The band's first album, Repeater, was released in January 1990. Repeater is the debut full-length Album by the Post-hardcore band Fugazi. The band spent most of the year touring behind Repeater and routinely sold out 1,000-capacity shows. ^[7] By summer 1991 the album had sold more than 100,000 copies, a large number for a label that relied on word-of-mouth promotion. While major labels began to court Fugazi, the band decided that Dischord was distributing their records well enough and refused the offers. ^[8]

For the band's second album Steady Diet of Nothing (1991), the band once again asked Ted Nicely to produce. Steady Diet of Nothing is the second full-length Album by Fugazi, released in 1991 Nicely had become a chef and had to reluctantly turn down the job, so the bandmembers decided to produce the record themselves. ^[9] Fugazi recorded its third album In on the Kill Taker (1993) with Steve Albini in Chicago; however, the results were deemed unsatisfactory and the band rerecorded the album with Ted Nicely. In on the Kill Taker is the third full-length Album by Fugazi, released in 1993 Steven Frank Albini (born July 22, 1962) is an American Audio engineer, singer songwriter Guitarist, and music journalist ^[8] With the breakthrough of alternative rock in the ealry 1990s, In on the Kill Taker became the group's first record to enter the Billboard album charts. See Billboard (Turkish magazine Billboard is a weekly American Magazine devoted to the Music industry

By Red Medicine (1995), Fugazi were on the road less frequently, due in large part to other professional and personal commitments. Red Medicine is the fourth full-length Album by Fugazi, released in 1995 Their music had evolved far from their hardcore roots, with strong art rock leanings. Art rock is a term describing a subgenre of Rock music that tends to have "experimental or avant-garde influences" and emphasizes "novel sonic texture Their most recent album, The Argument (2001), featured the first extensive contributions from outside musicians, most notably longtime roadie and sound engineer Jerry Busher, who added percussion or a second drum set to most of the album's songs. The Argument is the sixth studio album from the Post-hardcore band Fugazi, and their last before going on indefinite hiatus in 2002 Jerry Busher is an American drummer and Multi-instrumentalist.

Hiatus

Fugazi is currently on what the band describes as a "hiatus", partly brought on by Canty wanting to spend more time with his family.

In the meantime, the members are undertaking side projects, with MacKaye forming the duo The Evens with drummer and singer Amy Farina (formerly of the Warmers). The Evens are a Washington DC punk duo formed in the fall of 2001 comprising partners Ian MacKaye (of Fugazi, formerly of Minor Threat) The Warmers were an indie-rock band based in Washington DC that recorded and performed from July 1994 through December 1997 In 2004, MacKaye produced the DC EP for Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante, which also featured Jerry Busher. DC EP is the third recording in a series of six that John Frusciante released from June 2004 to February 2005 Red Hot Chili Peppers are John Anthony Frusciante (pronounced) (born March 5 1970 is an American Guitarist, singer songwriter and record producer

Canty has been doing a variety of soundtrack scores and playing bass in the trio Garland Of Hours alongside frequent Fugazi guest contributors Jerry Busher and Amy Domingues. Garland of Hours is a musical group based in Washington DC, and led by cellist/pianist Amy Domingues. Canty also appears on Bob Mould's 2005 album Body of Song, and has played bass live with Mary Timony. Bob Mould (born Robert Arthur Mould, October 16 1961 Malone, New York) is an American Musician, principally known for his work as Body of Song is the sixth solo album from punk / indie / Alternative rock veteran Bob Mould (ex- Hüsker Dü / Sugar Mary Timony (born in Washington DC, 1970 is an American Indie rock singer guitarist keyboardist and violist. He is currently working in the Burn to Shine DVD series which is being released by Trixie DVD. Burn to Shine is an ongoing series of music DVDs created by Trixie DVD a collaboration between filmmaker Christoph Green and ex- Fugazi drummer Brendan Canty

Lally has appeared on fellow DC post-punkers Decahedron's debut album Disconnection_Imminent, as well as on a one shot project with John Frusciante of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Josh Klinghoffer of The Bicycle Thief known as Ataxia. For the Washington DC Post-hardcore band see Decahedron A decahedron is a Polyhedron with 10 faces John Anthony Frusciante (pronounced) (born March 5 1970 is an American Guitarist, singer songwriter and record producer Red Hot Chili Peppers are Josh Klinghoffer (born October 3, 1979) is a Musician and Producer from Los Angeles, California. Bicycle Thief redirects here For the Italian film see Bicycle Thieves. Ataxia was a group formed by John Frusciante of the Red Hot Chili Peppers on guitar Joe Lally of Fugazi on bass and Josh Klinghoffer He also released his first solo album There to Here and is also performing shows under his name, solo and along with producer Don Zientara. His second solo album, Nothing Is Underrated, was released in November of 2007.

Guy Picciotto currently works as a record producer most notably with Blonde Redhead and The Blood Brothers, and he has performed alongside members of The Ex at the Jazz festival in Wels, Austria. Blonde Redhead is an American rock trio comprised of Kazu Makino and twin brothers Simone and Amedeo Pace The Blood Brothers was an Art punk band formed in the Eastside The Ex is an anarchist band from the Netherlands. They formed in 1979 at the height of the original punk explosion and have released more than Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States Wels is the second largest City of the state of Upper Austria, located in the north of Austria, upon the Traun River near Linz Austria (Österreich ( officially the Republic of Austria (Republik Österreich Picciotto also co-produced and contributed guitar on Vic Chestnut's most recent album, North Star Deserter, for Constellation Records.

Musical style

Fugazi's music was an intentional departure from that of the hardcore punk bands the members had played in previously. Hardcore punk (now usually referred to as simply hardcore) is a subgenre of Punk rock that originated in North America in the late 1970s Fugazi incorporated funk and reggae beats, irregular stop-start song structures, and heavy riffs inspired by bands such as Led Zeppelin and Queen, bands that the punk community largely disdained. Funk is an American musical style that originated in the mid- to late-1960s when African American musicians blended Soul music, Soul Reggae is a Music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s Led Zeppelin were Queen were an English rock band formed in 1970 in London by guitarist ^[10] Picciotto became the group's second guitarist when he realized MacKaye's typically chunky, low-end riffs and Lally's dub-influenced basslines allowed him to focus on high-pitched parts. Dub is a form of music which evolved from Reggae in the late 1960s In both vocal and guitar roles, Picciotto assumed the role of a foil to MacKaye; employing a Rickenbacker guitar for its scratchy single-coil sound in order to "cut through MacKaye's chunky chording like a laser beam. A foil is a character that contrasts with another character usually the protagonist and so highlights various facets of the main character's personality For the American WWI fighter pilot see Eddie Rickenbacker. For the airport see Rickenbacker International Airport. "^[11] Picciotto's assumption of guitar duties allowed all four members of the band to jam together and write songs that way, when previously they had played songs largely as how MacKaye arranged them. ^[12] When writing songs, the band often rearranges them with different structures and different singers. ^[8]

Generally, MacKaye's lyrics and singing are more direct and anthemic (MacKaye admits that he loves audience sing-alongs and writes songs with shoutable slogans), while Picciotto usually favors a more abstract, oblique approach. The term anthem means either a specific form of Anglican church music (in Music theory and religious contexts or more generally a song (or composition of A slogan is a memorable Motto or Phrase used in a Political, commercial, Religious and other context as a repetitive expression of ^[8] Lally has contributed vocals to a few songs as well. Lyrics and vocals often feature strong emotional intensity.

Later, Fugazi more fully integrated elements of punk rock, hardcore, soul and noise with an inventively syncopated rhythm section. Noise rock (also known as noise punk) describes one variety of Post-punk Rock music that became prominent in the 1980s A rhythm section is the Musicians in a Popular music band or ensemble who establish the Rhythmic pulse of a Song or musical Notable is MacKaye and Picciotto's inventive, interlocking guitar playing, which often defies the traditional notion of "lead" and "rhythm" guitars. Lead guitar refers to the use of a Guitar to perform Melody lines instrumental fill passages, and Guitar solos within a song structure Rhythm guitar is the use of a Guitar to provide Rhythmic chordal Accompaniment for a singer or other instruments in a Musical ensemble They often feature unusual and dissonant chords and progressions filtered through a hardcore punk lens. This article describes musical chords in traditional Western styles A chord progression (also chord sequence and harmonic progression or sequence) is a series of chords played in order Hardcore punk (now usually referred to as simply hardcore) is a subgenre of Punk rock that originated in North America in the late 1970s Their guitar work has earned comparisons to New York art-punk icons Television and the early work of the UK's Gang of Four. Television, formed in New York City in 1973 is an American Rock music band Gang of Four are an English Post-punk group from Leeds. Original personnel were singer Jon King, guitarist Andy Gill, bass guitarist Most of Fugazi albums have featured an instrumental song or two. Instrumental rock is a type of Rock music which emphasizes Musical instruments, and which features no or very little Singing. Though clearly rooted in punk and hardcore, there is arguably much more than punk to be found in Fugazi's music; for example, a review of The Argument compared a few songs to Radiohead. The Argument is the sixth studio album from the Post-hardcore band Fugazi, and their last before going on indefinite hiatus in 2002 Radiohead With Red Medicine, critics Ian McCaleb and Ira Robbins declared that Fugazi combined an "unprecedented dynamic range . Red Medicine is the fourth full-length Album by Fugazi, released in 1995 . . and previously unimagined elements" such as "clattering musique concrète . Musique concrète ( French; literally "concrete music" is a style of Avant-garde music that relies on recorded sounds including natural . . piano and sound effects . The piano is a Musical instrument played by means of a keyboard that produces sound by striking steel strings with Felt covered hammers For the album by The Jam see Sound Affects. Sound effects or audio effects are artificially created or enhanced Sounds . . murky dub and lancing sax" and "loose-limbed jammy funk . Dub is a form of music which evolved from Reggae in the late 1960s The saxophone (commonly referred to simply as sax) is a conical- bored transposing Musical instrument considered a member of the Woodwind Jam bands (or jambands) are musical groups whose albums and live performances relate to a fan culture which originated with the 1960s group Grateful Dead and continued Funk is an American musical style that originated in the mid- to late-1960s when African American musicians blended Soul music, Soul . . into an ambitious, experimental format that raises more stylistic questions than it answers. "[1]

Business practice and ethics

"On their first tours, Fugazi worked out their DIY aesthetic by trial and error. Their decisions were partly motivated by pragmatic considerations that were essentially a punk rock version of simple living: for example, selling merchandise on tour would require a full-time merchandise salesperson who would require lodging, food, and other costs, so Fugazi decided to simplify their touring by not selling merchandise. Simple living (or voluntary simplicity) is a lifestyle individuals choose to minimize the 'more-is-better' pursuit of Wealth and consumption. They were also motivated by moral or ethical considerations: for example, Fugazi's members regarded pricey admission for rock concerts as tantamount to price gouging a performer's most loyal fans. Price gouging is a Pejorative term for a seller pricing much higher than is considered reasonable or fair Their inexpensive target goal of $5 admission was spawned during a conversation on an early tour when the band's members were debating the lowest profitable admission price. At some venues, particularly on the east and west coasts of the U. S. , Fugazi was unable to get ticket prices below about $10. However, they never saw the $5 rule as inviolable, instead aiming to charge a price that was both affordable and profitable. Unlike some similar, small-scale independent rock contemporaries, Fugazi's performances and tours were nearly always profitable, due to their low business overhead costs, and MacKaye's keen sense of audience response in given regions. "

Fugazi's early tours earned them a strong word-of-mouth reputation, both for their powerful performances, and for their eagerness to play in unusual venues. They sought out alternatives to traditional rock clubs partly to relieve the boredom of touring, but also hoping to show fans that there are other options to traditional ways of doing things. As Picciotto said, "You find the Elks Lodge, you find the guy who's got a space in the back of his pizzeria, you find the guy who has a gallery. The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks ( BPOE; also often known as the Elks Lodge or simply The Elks) is an American Fraternal order and Kids will do that stuff because they want to make stuff happen. "^[13]

The group (MacKaye in particular) also made a point of discouraging violent, unwanted slam dancing and fistfights, which they saw as relics of the late 1970s/early 1980s hardcore punk era. Moshing or slamming refers to the activity in which audience members at live music performances aggressively push or slam into each other Hardcore punk (now usually referred to as simply hardcore) is a subgenre of Punk rock that originated in North America in the late 1970s Azerrad quotes Mackaye, "See, [slam dancers] have one form of communication: violence . . . So to disorient them, you don't give them violence. I'd say, 'Excuse me, sir. . . '- I mean, it freaks them out -'Excuse me, sir, would you please cut that crap out?'"^[14] (emphasis in original) Azerrad writes, "[Mackaye's] admonitions seemed preachy to some, but most were deeply grateful. And by and large, people would obey - it wasn't cool to disrespect Ian MacKaye. "^[15] Occasionally, Fugazi would escort an unrepentant slam-dancer from the concert, and give them an envelope containing a $5 refund (they kept a stock of such envelopes in their tour van for these occasions).

Discography

Main article: Fugazi discography

Studio albums

• 13 Songs (1989)
• Repeater (1990)
• Steady Diet of Nothing (1991)
• In on the Kill Taker (1993)
• Red Medicine (1995)
• End Hits (1998)
• Instrument Soundtrack (1999)
• The Argument (2001)

Compilations/Other Contributions

• State of the Union (album) (1991)
• International Pop Underground Convention (1992)
• 20 Years of Dischord (2002)

Notes

References

External links

• Fugazi's page at Dischord
• Southern distribution page
• Dischord Records — The band's record label.
• Interview at The Land Salmon with lead singer Ian Mackaye
• Interview by Loserdom zine with bassist Joe Lally in October 2002

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