Fugazi (band)
Encyclopedia : F : FU : FUG : Fugazi (band)
Fugazi are a post hardcore music group from Washington, D.C., formed in 1987. They were one of the original bands of the genre, and their evolution of the hardcore punk genre, combined with their dedication to touring earned them a international audience by the end of the 1980's, despite little recognition in mainstream circles.
The band name alludes to a Vietnam-era GI slang backronym for a particularly bad combat situation, which stands for "Fucked Up, Got Ambushed, Zipped In". In Our Band Could Be Your Life, the group reported that they chose the name because of its ambiguous and vaguely exotic qualities.
Perhaps just as well known as Fugazi's music is their ethical stance and manner of business practice. They stand as a rare example of a band that have achieved a level of mainstream success while remaining loyal to independent recording and distribution values, following through in the spirit of the original "DIY punk ethic". They have rarely charged more than $5-10 admission to their live shows (and furthermore insist that their performances be open to persons of all ages; MacKaye in particular remembers the sting of being kept out of clubs during his teen years), have kept their album prices at about $10, and do not sell merchandise such as t-shirts or posters. In addition, the band has claimed that they will not conduct interviews with magazines featuring alcohol and nicotine advertisements.
All Fugazi's albums have been released by Dischord Records, co-owned by Ian MacKaye and former Minor Threat bandmate Jeff Nelson.
History
After the seminal hardcore punk group Minor Threat dissolved, Ian MacKaye (vocals and guitar) was active with a few mostly short-lived groups, (notably early emo-core band Embrace) before forming a new trio, Fugazi, with drummer Colin Sears and bass guitarist Joe Lally. Sears eventually left to join Dag Nasty and was replaced by Brendan Canty (earlier of Rites of Spring.)
MacKaye describes his earliest vision of Fugazi as The Stooges playing reggae. They performed as a trio for some months, then added Guy Picciotto (earlier Canty's bandmate in Rites of Spring, Happy Go Licky, and One Last Wish). Picciotto originally only sang; he likened his role for the first two years to that of a toaster, and Azzerad notes that Picciotto was also inspired by Flavor Flav of Public Enemy. But before long, he incorporated his guitar playing into the quartet, quickly becoming a songwriter on the same level as Mackaye.
Fugazi blend elements of punk rock, hardcore soul and noise with an inventively syncopated rhythm section often steeped in dub or reggae influence. Notable is MacKaye and Picciotto's inventive, interlocking guitar playing, which often defies the traditional notion of "lead" and "rhythm" guitars. They often feature unusual and dissonant chords and progressions, sometimes reminiscent of the Tom Verlaine/Richard Lloyd pairing from Television, though filtered through a hardcore punk lens. Comparisons of guitar style have also been made to early Gang of Four. Most of their albums have featured an instrumental song or two.
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. Lally has contributed vocals to a few songs as well. Lyrics and vocals often feature strong emotional intensity. This style has led many critics to call their music post-hardcore and emocore, as it is seen as a progression of and a reaction to the hardcore punk movement.
Fugazi's unusual experimental sound influenced some later punk music groups, and has proven difficult to categorize neatly; they've been classified as post punk and post-hardcore. 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. With Red Medicine, critics Ian McCaleb and Ira Robbins declared that Fugazi combined an "unprecedented dynamic range ... and previously unimagined elements" such as "clattering musique concrète ... piano and sound effects ... murky dub and lancing sax" and "loose-limbed jammy funk ... into an ambitious, experimental format that raises more stylistic questions than it answers."[link]
Fugazi's career is chronicled in Our Band Could Be Your Life, a study of several important American underground rock groups. Mark Andersen and Mark Jenkins' book Dance of Days: Two Decades of Punk in the Nation's Capital also covers Fugazi -- and its contributing members' bands -- at length.
Fugazi are currently on what the band describes as a "hiatus," partly brought on by the recent forays into fatherhood by Canty and Lally, and may or may not reunite in the future. They recently released thirty unmixed live shows that are available for sale exclusively at [www.fugaziliveseries.com]. In the meantime, the members are undertaking side projects, with MacKaye forming the duo The Evens with Amy Farina (formerly of the Warmers), and Canty 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. Canty also appears on Bob Mould's 2005 Album Body of Song, and has played bass live with Mary Timony. Lally has appeared on fellow DC post-punkers Decahedron's debut album Disconnection_Imminent, as well as on a project with John Frusciante of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Josh Klinghoffer of The Bicycle Thief known as Ataxia. Guy Picciotto currently works as a record producer most notably with Blonde Redhead, and he has performed alongside members of The Ex at the Jazz festival in Wels, Austria.
Discography
Albums
EPs and singles
- Fugazi (EP, 1988)
- Margin Walker (EP, 1989)
- 3 Songs (single, 1990)
- Furniture + 2 (EP, 2001)
Compilation Appearances
- State of the Union benefit compilation (Dischord Records, 1989)
- International Pop Underground Convention compilation (K Records, 1991)
Soundtracks
- Instrument Soundtrack (1999)
DVDs and videos
- Fugazi Live Series of DVDs
Books
- Fuck You Heroes, Glen E. Friedman photographs 1976-1991, Burning Flags Press, 1994, ISBN 0964191601
- The Idealist, Glen E. Friedman In My Eyes 1976-2001, Burning Flags Press, 2004, ISBN 0964191652
- Our Band Could Be Your Life, Michael Azerrad Little, Brown and Company, 2001, ISBN 0316787531
External links
- [Fugazi's Page at Dischord] — Discography and related bands
- [Southern distribution page] — More informative page about the band, including current news.
- [Dischord Records] — The band's record label.
- [WorldofFugazi.org] — A Fugazi fan site
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.