The thinking person's modern hardcore band, and vocalist/guitarist Ian MacKaye's most permanent institution since his Minor Threat days. More so than Henry Rollins and, arguably, Jello Biafra, Fugazi continued and expanded on the arguments of their antecedents, keeping down album and door prices, shunning mainstream press interviews, and maintaining a commitment to all-age shows. They were also among the first to object publicly to the ridiculous macho ritual of slam-dancing: "We're about challenging crowds, confronting ourselves and them with new ideas and if I was a teenager now, I would not be doing a dance that's been going on for ten years".
It is a shame that Fugazi's press seems to focus unerringly on MacKaye's Minor Threat connections, as the contribution from his co-lyricist Guy Picciotto (vocals/guitar, ex-Rites Of Spring) deserves to be ranked above that of supporting cast. His more abstract, less direct communiqués blend well with his partner's realism. The other members of the band, which was formed in 1987, are Brendan Canty (drums) and Joe Lally (bass), and together the quartet has forged one of the most consistent and challenging discographies within the US underground. Although they have concentrated primarily on touring rather than studio efforts, each of their albums has gone on to sell more than 100,000 copies, produced entirely independently within their own Dischord Records framework. In a rare mainstream music press interview in 1995, MacKaye continued to decry those who would use the guise of punk rock to record for major corporations, commenting on the success of Green Day and Offspring by stating: "They'll be forgotten, 'cos they're the fucking Ugly Kid Joe's of the 90s". Fugazi's own record of the time, Red Medicine, proved just as abrasive and disciplined an exercise as usual. In 1999, the band was filmed by Jem Cohen for the documentary Instrument. The attendant soundtrack album featured several unreleased studio tracks and outtakes. Following the release of one further studio album (The Argument) in 2001 the band was put on temporary hiatus, during which MacKaye concentrated on Dischord and his side project, the Evens. In 2004, fans of Fugazi were rewarded for their patience by the release of the first 20 CDs from the band's extensive live library.
