Indie or punk records pressed to vinyl were almost always guaranteed to fit onto a single side of a 90-minute cassette. I couldn’t tell you who lent it to me, but I had access to a cassette copy of Fugazi ’s Repeater and dubbed it easily onto the A-side of a blank tape, (the B-side would later be used to fit a copy of Death ’s Individual Thought Patterns , a weird “any port in a storm” decision). I didn’t properly own this record (or really even give it a full, undivided listen) until a little while later, after In On The Kill Taker sold me on the genius of this band. After that, I was all in and listening nonstop. CDs seemed to starve for content, the 70-minutes of allowable space enabling an excess of additional tracks at points. If you purchased CDs in the 1990s, how many of them were overlong and packed full of songs, or featured that “hidden track”? And, if they weren’t, how many music-buyers out there felt ripped off? Surely you weren’t all that thrilled to pay the asked for $...

I was in Ocean City, New Jersey with a friend, sitting outside on a deck with a boombox resting between us. It was 1993. On this particular evening, I had something new that I wanted to pop into the tape deck I’d picked up earlier at the Surf Mall, a boardwalk superstore packed with clothing, posters, and other youth-marketed, alterna-junk. It was a cassette of Fugazi ’s latest release, In On The Kill Taker . I didn’t really know what to expect, but I was eager to hear it. In the song “Facet Squared,” frets are gently tapped, a couple sharp notes are plucked, a relatively understated rhythm gains traction and the sounds gradually build. And then all you hear are guitars cycling through a couple of glorious phrases as all other elements go silent. I felt elated when those riffs peaked, as if triumph had beset my ears, offering assurances that I’d found something for me, something that was going to be important to me for the rest of my life. I’m admittedly romanticizing this ex...

Fugazi First Demo Dischord Records Released: 11.18.14 Rollins Band Life Time 2.13.61/Dischord Records Reissued: 11.18.14 Between The Monkees and hair metal, you could find the 10 year-old me reconciling my want of connection to my father's generation and record collection while attempting to find my own way in the modernity of 1987. This was the year I saw my second concert, Def Leppard at The Spectrum. It was school night and I was a small child caught up in a floating miasma of Aqua Net, pheromone and secondhand smoke. I remember being draped in an oversized concert t-shirt while waiting in line to use the bathroom and being asked if I was snorting lines by some curly-haired Leppard head with an elastic headband. I also remember being convinced that guitarist Phil Collen had waved to me before the band exited the stage and feeling elated, special almost. I told everyone at school the following day, my exhausted and overwhelmed frame ready to fall over on my de...

It was announced months ago that Dischord Recors would be releasing Fugazi 's First Demo , the earliest recordings of tracks that would later comprise the band's eponymous debut EP, the 3 Songs EP and Repeater .  Though never officially released, most of these tracks were recorded onto cassette and distributed at shows.  First Demo will include "Turn Off Your Guns," which had been left off the original cassette. (Cover photo by Andy Perseponko) Dischord has been issuing a lot of demo releases over the last few years, having issued S.O.A. 's First Demo 12/29/80 earlier this year, Rites Of Spring 's Six Song Demo in 2012, Faith 's Subject To Change plus First Demo and Void 's Sessions 1981-83 which were both released in 2011 and Complete Session, Nov '81 by Artificial Peace .  Minor Threat 's First Demo Tape was released in 2003.   With this kind of legacy, there's obviously a wealth of unreleased material to delve into and pu...

The Evens The Odds Dischord Records Released: 11.20.12 No Ripcord review Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

The Evens The Odds Dischord Records Released: 11.20.12 I've gotten through maybe two songs so far and I can't begin to explain how excited I am about this release.  The band's last album, Get Evens , was reviewed in 2006.  Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

It's been so long since I've seen the band name " Fugazi " associated with anything new, I was happy to see something interesting emerge during the band's indefinite hiatus. And, in true Fugazi fashion, there's charity involved. I received an email from No Ripcord editor-in-chief, David Coleman , a couple weeks ago about Chris Lawhorn 's Fugazi Edits , a 22-track mash-up comprised of instrumental snippets from every song Fugazi's ever released.  I can't claim to have heard the complete results of Lawhorn's efforts, other than the two 20-second excerpts he posted on his website and the clips below from Soundcloud , but it sounds like he takes some interesting liberties with the source material and experiments with disjointed soundscapes as well as cohesive blends. The album is available for pre-order .  All info below came from a press release from Lawhorn. Chris Lawhorn Announces Charity Album Based Around Fug...

Dischord Records will be releasing Six Song Demo by Rites of Spring on October 22nd.  All info comes courtesy of Rarely Unable. Rites of Spring were among the most important and beloved bands to emerge from the DC underground music scene in the mid-80s. Formed by Guy Picciotto (vocals/guitar), Mike Fellows (bass), Brendan Canty (drums), and Eddie Janney (guitar) in 1984, the quartet released a self-titled LP and a 7” single before disbanding in 1986. They were central to what came to be known as 'Revolution Summer', a period of redefinition and creative burst from the DC scene in 1985. Before that – before they even played a show -- the band recorded a six-song demo tape at Inner Ear with Don Zientara and Ian MacKaye . After the dissolution of their previous band, Insurrection , in 1983, Canty, Picciotto, and Fellows joined with Faith guitarist Eddie Janney and began writing new songs. Unfortunately, just as they became ready to play out, Fellows announced plans ...

The Evens “Warble Factor” b/w “Timothy Wright” Dischord Released: 11.21.11 After five years of silence, Ian MacKaye and Amy Farina ’s two-person post-hardcore folk band, The Evens , release a two-song single, “Warble Factor” b/w “Timothy Wright.” Anyone familiar with The Evens’ self-titled debut and their excellent follow-up, Get Evens , will know what to expect from the band in terms of tempo, sound and melody. Though there are no surprises, The Evens have an approach to their dynamic that is engaging despite its simplicity and commanding of attention even if the band’s volume never exceeds the capability of acoustic instrumentation. “Warble Factor” begins with a great riff. MacKaye knows how to draw in a listener. Once Farina is activated, the hook is set. She has great presence both as a drummer and vocalist and arguably she could be considered the band’s winning factor. MacKaye doesn’t falter or shrink into any background, his presence better felt in the following “Tim...

If anyone happened to survey last week's Top 100 Debuts List for No Ripcord, then you probably had as many issues, (if not more), as I had.  First off, most 00 releases haven't been in circulation long enough to make any lasting impact.  Secondly, Sabbath was beat out by The Arctic Monkeys and Coldplay .  Do I need a third reason after that? And, because many of the writers felt certain albums that they'd voted for basically got cancelled out for inclusions like James Blake , Neutral Milk Hotel and Fleet Foxes , No Ripcord added an honorable mention feature as a companion piece.  I felt particularly bummed that Fugazi 's Repeater hadn't made the cut, so here is a word or two in honor of one of the strongest debut albums of all time.  In my opinion, of course. FUGAZ I Repeater ( Dischord , 1990) Fugazi released two EPs before their first full-length in 1990, Repeater . Preceding the Alterna-splosion by only a year or so, not to mention all th...

Issue #12 of Kicking Against The Pricks has posted: Find it here . First and foremost for Issue #12, I scored an opportunity, (QUITE an opportunity), to interview the one and only Ian MacKaye . Before the interview even began, MacKaye asked me if I was recording the call and, if so, to please check the device and make sure it was audible. I checked it out and I could hear him. But, because I’m one to be laughed at by technology, the subsequent run that captured the complete interview also captured a ton of static. There are complete paragraphs worth of otherwise perfectly quotable stuff I could’ve used for this interview that were indecipherable. Completely indecipherable. So, I played the Q&A back over and over and over again, got down as much as I could, and shaped an article around it. What you’ll read is my most high profile interview, with an absolute hero of mine, condensed into a fraction of what the interview might’ve been had my recorder not glommed onto a ton of...

I will be spending the weekend in Washington D.C. this weekend, so in recognition of the trip, here's some of D.C.'s finest. Enjoy. Bad Brains — "Banned In DC" Minor Threat — "Screaming at a Wall" S.O.A. – "Public Defender" The Untouchables – "Nic Fit" Government Issue – "Rock 'N Roll Bullshit" One Last Wish – "Hide" Rites Of Spring – "End On End" Jawbox – "68" Beauty Pill – "Quote Devout Unquote" Fugazi – "Furniture" Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

Some recent vinyl purchases. Amazon Purchase: Queens Of The Stone Age s/t Domino/Rekords Rekords Originally released: 9.22.98 Reissued: 5.17.11 The long overdue reissuing of Queens Of The Stone Age' s self-titled debut album, which spent way too much time out of print and hard to find, was something I'd been waiting on for some time.  Plans for the reissue spanned months and labels, (both Ipecac Recordings and Dangerbird were partnering with Josh Homme 's Rekords Rekords label before Domino wound up the big winner), and I, being the salivating fan, was tired of false promises. Nudity everywhere! But, the album finally came out:  A sweet double-LP featuring three bonus tracks, which were incorporated within the album's original sequencing.  It must be said that "The Bronze" fits in pretty well with the original flow and feel of the album, but "These Aren't The Droids You're Looking For" and "Spiders And Vinegaroons...

Through Exploding In Sound , I found an article on Pitchfork about Fugazi ’s developing archive of live music, which may be available by the end of 2010. This is in addition to the volumes of live shows available at Dischord Records . I’m very excited to find out if the show I attended in 1995 made the cut. Photo by Jem Cohen And, of course, whenever I read any news of Fugazi , I basically launch myself into an all day listening party. I managed to get through End Hits , the Furniture EP and In On The Kill Taker today, and am about halfway through the underrated Instrument soundtrack. I know I’ve established my love of this band on more than a handful of occasions, but Fugazi is as essential to a record collection as anything Dylan , Sabbath , Zeppelin or Stones related and, for whatever weak links those bands were unfortunate enough to offer the world, Fugazi’s output is nearly perfect. Debate that all you want; you’re wrong. Actually found a live clip from ‘95 Particula...

Don’t you miss Fugazi? In the same roundabout way that you find most things on the Internet, (i.e. “Let’s check out Pitchfork and go from there.”), I managed to find this 40 minute compilation of stage banter from the mighty Fugazi posted at Chunklet . It’s an interesting reminder as to the difficulty of trying to carve out an entirely new niche after pioneering the oft-time violent hardcore scene, Ian MacKaye and crew unfortunately subjected to the antics of children that were entirely too young to experience the spitting and punching when it was the thing to do. When I saw Fugazi in 1995, I remember hearing shouts of “Straight Edge” and “Minor Threat” from every corner of the Trocadero as MacKaye restrung his guitar after popping a high E. It’s probably the best $5 I’ve ever spent. Anyway, hearing this 40 minute clip of Ian and Guy Picciotto either berating, defending or speaking to the crowd, my ears have received nothing other than Fugazi all day. I truly miss this ban...

Crawdaddy , still a force to be reckoned with in terms of content, reviews and general rock knowledge, had an interesting article featuring a Q & A session with Ian MacKaye and Thurston Moore regarding Independent culture in terms of publishing, music and literature. If you're interested in checking it out, click here . I would probably trade ten years of my life to know firsthand what it was like to come up in their respective worlds, where information was sought out and hard won, vinyl and cassettes were precious and the record stores were swelling with enlightened teenagers ready to do damage on their secondhand Strats. The albums back then...It's overwhelming to think about. I find myself sometimes nostalgic for an era or a feeling I was too young to understand or appreciate. With THIS era, I sometimes feel too out of touch to understand or appreciate it. But, at least I'm trying. If there's any consolation to be had, it's that the music still matter...

The Evens Get Evens Dischord Released 11.7.06 Rating: 4 out of 4 Fugazi is one of those bands that I’m thankful to have heard as a teenager. As I type this, I can remember that first piercing riff spill out of my skater buddy’s boombox within seconds after throwing in In On The Kill Taker , the Fugazi tape that I had purchased earlier that day, and exclaiming “YES!” once that tape’s promise had been delivered. I still have that tape. It takes up a small space in my CD tower, living its existence as an enlightening memento of my youth. The second I’d heard “Around the Corner,” the second track on The Evens self-titled debut, I knew Ian MacKaye ’s post-Fugazi career would be worth paying attention to. No longer loud, but no less affecting, MacKaye and ex- Warmer Amy Farina are either this millennium’s answer to the protest band or a slightly rugged return to hippy folk. It’s hard to imagine that MacKaye was once in a band that belted out a quote so memorable as, “The...