Fugazi (; ) is an American post-hardcore band formed in Washington, D.C., in 1986. The band consists of guitarists and vocalists Ian MacKaye and Guy Picciotto, bassist Joe Lally, and drummer Brendan Canty. They were noted for their style-transcending music, DIY ethical stance, manner of business practice, and contempt for the music industry.
Fugazi performed numerous worldwide tours and produced six studio albums, a film, and a comprehensive live series, gaining the band critical acclaim and success around the world. Highly influential on punk and alternative music, the band has been on an indefinite hiatus since 2003, only releasing live compilations and recordings.
History Formation and early years (1986–1989) After the hardcore punk group Minor Threat dissolved, Ian MacKaye (vocals) was active with a few short-lived groups, most notably Embrace. MacKaye realized that he wanted to prioritize making music over being in a band, "because sometimes bands get in the way of music, because you're so focussed on making a band that you forget that it should be about music first." MacKaye had gotten to know Joe Lally, who was working as a roadie for the band Beefeater. After learning Lally played bass, MacKaye asked him if he would be interested in playing together. They soon recruited Dag Nasty drummer Colin Sears, and the trio began practicing around August or September of 1986. MacKaye's original concept for Fugazi was akin to "MC5 plus reggae".
In January 1987, Sears returned to Dag Nasty and was replaced by Brendan Canty, formerly of Rites of Spring. One day, Picciotto, Canty's Rites of Spring bandmate, 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. Picciotto was disappointed that there seemed to be no place for him.Azerrad, p. 385.
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 1987. The group still needed a name, so MacKaye chose the word "fugazi" (which means "false or inauthentic") from Mark Baker's Nam, a compilation of stories of Vietnam War veterans, in which it is a backronym for "Fucked Up, Got Ambushed, Zipped In [a body bag]".Baker, p. 321.
The band began inviting Picciotto to practices. Inspired by the use of a foil in hip-hop, Picciotto sang backup vocals. After his band Happy Go Licky broke up, he became more involved with Fugazi. MacKaye eventually asked Picciotto to become a full member, and he accepted.Azerrad, p. 386.
Fugazi EP & Margin Walker – 13 Songs (1988–1989) Fugazi embarked on its first tour in January 1988. In June 1988 the band recorded its debut EP Fugazi with producer Ted Niceley and producer/engineer Don Zientara (who became a longtime collaborator), and shortly afterward embarked on an arduous tour of Europe.Azerrad, p. 396.
At the tour's conclusion in December, the band recorded songs for its intended debut album, but the band was exhausted from touring and found the resulting sessions were unsatisfactory. The track list was cut down to an EP and released as Margin Walker the next year. Both EPs were eventually combined into the 13 Songs, released in late 1989.Azerrad, p. 398. Upon the band's return from Europe, Picciotto, unsatisfied with singing, began playing guitar too.Azerrad, p. 399.
Repeater and Steady Diet of Nothing (1990–1992)
With Picciotto playing guitar full-time, Fugazi made the transition into jamming and writing new material as a band as opposed to performing songs composed solely by MacKaye. In addition to working on new material, songs they had been performing live were refined, such as "Merchandise" and "Turnover", for inclusion on their first official full-length studio album.^ a b c d Perlah, Jeff. "The Independent". Guitar World. March 2002.
Released on April 19, 1990, through Dischord Records, Repeater did not initially reach the Billboard 200 charts or become a commercial success. But the band spent most of 1990 and 1991 touring heavily behind Repeater, performing 250 concerts between March 1990 and June 1991, routinely selling out 1,000-plus capacity venues throughout the world. By summer 1991, the album sold more than 300,000 copies, a large number for a label that relied on minimal promotion. Major labels began to court Fugazi, but the band stayed with Dischord. It was critically well received and featured an alternative rock sound that predated significant releases such as Nirvana's Nevermind and Pearl Jam's Ten, which unexpectedly broke the genre into the mainstream.
For Fugazi's second studio album, Steady Diet of Nothing, released in July 1991, the band again asked Ted Niceley to produce. Niceley had become a chef and had to reluctantly turn down the job, so the band decided to produce the record themselves.Azerrad, p. 407. After the success of Repeater and its subsequent world tour, Steady Diet was highly anticipated. Six months before its release Dischord had more than 160,000 pre-orders for the album.* p. 304
In on the Kill Taker and Red Medicine (1993–1996) Fugazi recorded its third album, In on the Kill Taker, in the fall of 1992 with Steve Albini in Chicago, but the results were deemed unsatisfactory and the band rerecorded the album with Niceley and Don Zientara. With the breakthrough of alternative rock in the early 1990s, In on the Kill Taker; released on June 30, 1993, became the group's first record to enter the Billboard album charts, receiving critical praise from Spin, Time and Rolling Stone, and becoming the band's breakthrough album.
By the In on the Kill Taker tour, the group began to sell out large auditoriums and arenas and receive more lucrative major label offers. During its sold-out 3-night stint at New York City's Roseland Ballroom in September 1993, music mogul and Atlantic Records president Ahmet Ertegun met with the band backstage in an attempt to sign them. Ertegun offered the band "anything you want", their own subsidiary label and more than $10 million just to sign with Atlantic. Fugazi declined.Freidman, p. 52. The organizers of Lollapalooza also attempted to recruit the band for a headlining slot on its 1993 tour, which the band considered but ultimately turned down.
Fugazi began writing the material for Red Medicine in late 1994, after touring in support of In on the Kill Taker. The band worked with Zientara but chose not to work with Niceley again. Fugazi opted to retreat from the in-your-face production values of In on the Kill Taker and instead worked to create an ambient sound that displayed greater range and depth. To achieve this, the band handled production duties itself, and in doing so, became more confident with in-studio experimentation. Red Medicine has been seen as an introduction to the art rock aesthetic that would continue in the band's next two studio albums. The band began an extensive worldwide tour in support of the album, playing 172 shows between March 1995 and November 1996.
End Hits and The Argument (1997–2002) After the grueling worldwide tour the band completed in support of Red Medicine, Fugazi took an extended break and also began writing material for a follow-up release. By March 1997 Fugazi had once again returned to Inner Ear Studios with Zientara to begin recording what became End Hits, with the intention of taking a more relaxed approach to recording and a longer amount of time to experiment with different songs and techniques in the studio. The group ultimately spent seven months recording the album. Due to the title, rumors began circulating at the time that it was to be their last release.
Released on April 28, 1998, the album was commercially successful and marked one of the band's highest debuts yet on Billboards charts. Critical reaction to End Hits was mixed. Many critics praised its heavier tracks, while others questioned the inclusion of the group's longer, more experimental songs.Crane, Larry (February 1999). "Fugazi: Brendan Canty & Guy Picciotto on the Recording Process". Tape Op. Fugazi elected to bring in their former roadie Jerry Busher as a second drummer in order to replicate the drum overdub-heavy sound of the album live.
Fugazi began work on The Argument in 1999. This process saw the group taking more time than usual to write and demo material. Each member brought his own riffs and ideas to the band, jammed on them, and then began piecing the songs together into various configurations before deciding on the final versions. The album's recording sessions took place between January and April 2001 at Inner Ear Studios and Dischord House in Arlington, Virginia. The band once again worked with Zientara. During the recording process a considerable amount of time was spent finalizing each song's production, in particular the album's drum tracks, in an effort to give it a unique feel.Perlah, Jeff. (2005). "Brendan Canty". Modern Drummer. Retrieved April 28, 2011. Canty told Modern Drummer, "We recorded them all very differently in terms of the drum sounds. We used a lot of different drum kits, cymbals, snares, and ways of miking."
The Argument was released by Dischord Records on October 16, 2001, along with the EP Furniture. Arion Berger of Rolling Stone called the album "bracing" and "intellectual"Berger, Arion. Fugazi The Argument Rollingstone.com. Retrieved 4/28/11. and Chris True of AllMusic "spine-tingling and ear-shattering all at once", writing, "the band has raised the bar for themselves and others once again." He also wrote that the album had "touched on strange new territory". By this point Fugazi was on tour less, due in large part to other professional and personal commitments. It performed only 32 shows in 2001 and 2002.Perlah, Jeff. "The Independent". Guitar World. March 2002. Even though the number of performances dwindled, during Fugazi's last tour they performed in front of over roughly 70,000 people.
Indefinite hiatus and reunion rumours (2003–present) Fugazi went on what it has called an "indefinite hiatus" after concluding its 2002 UK tour with three sold-out nights at the London Forum on November 2–4.Freidman, p. 11. The hiatus was brought on by the band members' insistence on spending more time with their families and pursuing other projects.Freidman, p. 12.
Since Fugazi went on hiatus in 2003, rumors began circulating about a reunion, with some insinuating that the band might get back together to headline the Coachella Festival. The band has confirmed that it has been offered large sums of money to reunite and headline festivals, such as Coachella, but it has so far declined the offers.
In March 2011, MacKaye reiterated that Fugazi has "been offered insane amounts of money to play reunions, but it's not going to be money that brings us back together; we would only play music together if we wanted to play music together and time allowed it".
In November 2011, when asked by The A.V. Club about the possibility of a reunion and a followup to The Argument, Lally said: "The Argument was a great record that we should try and top. It'll take some time to come together and everything. To do that, we'd have to—the way the four of us are, we would take quite some time, I think, reassociating ourselves musically, and then just letting it come about naturally, because it would have to be a natural thing. So we'll just see."
In August 2014, Dischord announced the official release of First Demo, an album featuring 11 demo songs recorded in January 1988. The announcement included a preview of the demo for the Fugazi track "Merchandise". The album was released on November 18, 2014.