Ionrock Dot Org

Lately I have been listening to the most recent Fugazi record, The Argument. If you are unfamiliar with Fugazi, they are truly an amazing band. Fugazi is, in fact, how I became interested in punk music. I had 13 Songs on tape when I was a kid (I think I was 11 or so). When I heard it, I was blown away and listened to "Waiting Room" over and over while skateboarding. I always loved Ian McKaye's voice and as a kid I always wished I could find a "faster" Fugazi. Eventually I found Minor Threat and that was it. For those who don't know, Minor Threat was a band from DC who coined "straight edge" and more importantly, established the concept of punk as rebellion with responsibility (that last statement is my own by the way, so if you go up to your punk friend with a mohawk and mention rebellion with responsibility, you might get funny look). Minor Threat was fronted by Ian McKaye, who later started Dischord Records and essentially one of the most truly punk people I have ever heard of.

History aside, I have always seen Ian McKaye as a pioneer in punk music because in addition to his rebellion against establishment, he dedicated himself to humanity. When I first saw Fugazi play, kids were trying "mosh". He actually stopped playing and told them to stop. The reason for asking them to stop was not that he had anything against moshing. What bothered him was that he saw that others at the show were not able to enjoy things because they were moshing. This happened a few times throughout the show and someone ended up spitting on him. Ian responded by informing the person that he was a human being and that no one deserves to be spit on. The spitter was escorted out and returned his money for the show.

Fugazi has also been a great example of how to tour and be a band. When I first read about Fugazi in Transworld Skatboarding, they mentioned that they always kept the ticket prices low. Sure enough, when I was old enough to see them, the ticket was only $8 and I believe some of that was a service charge. In order to keep ticket prices down they don't have tour managers, booking agents or buses. They take a van or two and have specific plans on how to pack them (I saw the actual sheet of paper with the equipment placement specification) along with setting up and breaking down equipment. The guy that set up the show also mentioned that Ian would call him a couple times a day everyday for a few weeks before the tour. Overall, they are just great examples of how to be in a great band.

The whole point here is that sometimes after listening to a band like Fugazi and seeing the example they set, it is good to compare to see how you are doing with the peripherals of being in a band.