Fugazi (band)

Alternate meanings: Fugazi (disambiguation)

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 Brendan Canty (of Rites of Spring) and bass guitarist Joe Lally. Many of the trio's songs ended up on Fugazi's self-titled EP, including "Waiting Room," a major alternative hit.

Related Topics:
Hardcore punk - Minor Threat - Ian MacKaye - Guitar - Emo-core - Embrace - Drummer - Brendan Canty - Rites of Spring - Bass guitarist - Joe Lally

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They performed briefly as a trio, then added Guy Picciotto, earlier Canty's bandmate in of Rites of Spring and One Last Wish. Picciotto originally only sang, but quickly incorporated his guitar playing into the quartet.

Related Topics:
Guy Picciotto - Rites of Spring - One Last Wish

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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. Most of their albums have featured an instrumental song or two.

Related Topics:
Noise - Rhythm section - Dub - Reggae - Lead - Rhythm - Chords - Progressions - Tom Verlaine - Richard Lloyd - Television - Hardcore punk - Instrumental

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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 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.

Related Topics:
Anthem - Slogan - Post-hardcore - Emocore - Hardcore punk

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Fugazi's unusual experimental sound influenced some later punk music groups, and has proven difficult to catigorize neatly; they've been classified as post punk and post-hardcore. Though clearly rooted in punk and hardcore, there is arguably much beyond 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] declare that Fugazi deliver "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."http://www.trouserpress.com/entry.php?a=fugazi

Related Topics:
Experimental - Punk music - Post punk - Post-hardcore - The Argument - Radiohead - Red Medicine - Musique concrète - Piano - Sound effect - Dub - Sax - Jammy - Funk

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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.

Related Topics:
Our Band Could Be Your Life - Underground rock

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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 have recently put out twenty unmixed live shows that are exclusively available for sale at www.fugaziliveseries.com. In the meantime, the members are currently 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 with frequent Fugazi guest contributors Jerry Busher and Amy Domingues. Lally has 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 known as Ataxia. Canty also appears on Bob Mould's 2005 Album Body of Song.

Related Topics:
The Evens - The Warmers - Garland Of Hours - John Frusciante - Red Hot Chili Peppers - Bob Mould - Body of Song

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