Embrace | |
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![]() Embrace at Food for Thought in July 1985. From left to right are Chris Bald, Ian MacKaye, and Mike Hampton. Band's drummer, Ivor Hanson, is out of frame. | |
Background information | |
Origin | Washington, D.C., U.S. |
Genres | |
Years active | 1985–1986 |
Labels | Dischord |
Past members |
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Embrace was a short-lived American hardcore band from Washington, D.C., active from the summer of 1985 to the spring of 1986. [6] Along with Rites of Spring, and Beefeater, it was one of the mainstay acts of the 1985 Revolution Summer movement, [7] and was one of the first bands to be dubbed in the press as emotional hardcore, [6] [8] though the members had rejected the term since its creation. [8] [9] [10] The band included lead vocalist Ian MacKaye of the defunct hardcore punk act Minor Threat and three former members of his brother Alec's band, the Faith: guitarist Michael Hampton, drummer Ivor Hanson, and bassist Chris Bald. [6] [9] Hampton and Hanson had also previously played together in S.O.A. [11] The band played their first show on July 28, 1985, at Food for Thought, a former restaurant and music venue located on Washington, D.C.'s Dupont Circle; [12] [13] [14] their ninth and final show was held at the 9:30 Club in March 1986. [15] [16] [17] The only recording released by the quartet was their posthumous 1987 self-titled album, Embrace , [6] being influenced by the Faith EP Subject to Change . [9] [18]
Following the breakup of Embrace, [16] MacKaye and ex-Minor Threat drummer, Jeff Nelson, tried turning their recent one-off musical experiment in England, dubbed "Egg Hunt", into an actual band, [19] but the project never made it past the rehearsal stage. [20] [21] [22] Hampton, for his part, teamed up with former members of Rites of Spring to form the short-lived post-hardcore outfit One Last Wish, while Bald moved on to the band Ignition. MacKaye eventually directed his energy and creativity toward the forming of Fugazi in 1987, [20] [22] [23] and Ivor Hanson would pair up with Hampton again in 1988 for Manifesto. [24]
During the band's formative years, some fans started referring to them and fellow innovators Rites of Spring as emocore (emotive hardcore) bands, a term MacKaye publicly disagreed with. [8] [10]
Minor Threat was an American hardcore punk band, formed in 1980 in Washington, D.C., by vocalist Ian MacKaye and drummer Jeff Nelson. MacKaye and Nelson had played in several other bands together, and recruited bassist Brian Baker and guitarist Lyle Preslar to form Minor Threat. They added a fifth member, Steve Hansgen, in 1982, playing bass, while Baker switched to second guitar.
Rites of Spring was an American punk rock band from Washington, D.C., formed in late 1983. Along with Embrace, and Beefeater, they were one of the mainstay acts of the 1985 Revolution Summer movement which took place within the Washington, D.C. hardcore punk scene.
Embrace is the debut record and the only release by the American post-hardcore band Embrace.
Washington, D.C., hardcore, commonly referred to as D.C. hardcore, sometimes styled in writing as harDCore, is the hardcore punk scene of Washington, D.C. Emerging in late 1979, it is considered one of the first and most influential punk scenes in the United States.
Skewbald/Grand Union, also known as 2 Songs, is the eponymous archival EP featuring the only studio recordings by American hardcore punk band Skewbald/Grand Union.
Fire Party was a band from Washington, D.C. They were together from the autumn of 1986 to the spring of 1990. The band members were Amy Pickering (vocals), Natalie Avery (guitar), Kate Samworth (bass), and Nicky Thomas (drums).
Beefeater was an American post-hardcore band from late 1984 until late 1986. Along with Embrace, Gray Matter, and Rites of Spring, they were one of the mainstay acts of the 1985 Revolution Summer movement which took place within the Washington, D.C. hardcore punk scene.
Soulside, also spelled Soul Side, is an American post-hardcore band from the greater Washington, D.C. area.
Fumble is the fifth studio album by American hardcore band Scream. It was recorded in December 1989 at Inner Ear Studios in Arlington, Virginia, and released in July 1993 through Dischord. It is notable for showcasing the band's expansion in style, towards a more post-hardcore sound.
Salad Days is the final EP by the American hardcore punk band Minor Threat. It was released in July 1985, two years after the band's breakup, through Dischord Records with the catalog number DIS 015. The EP differs somewhat from the band's previous material. All songs are slower, making a slight departure from the group's hardcore punk style. Tracks "Good Guys" and "Salad Days" both feature an acoustic guitar, and "Salad Days" also has chimes. Like many of Minor Threat's recordings, Salad Days has never been released on CD, but all the songs are available on their 1989 compilation album Complete Discography.
Positive Force DC is an activist organization founded in 1985 by members of the punk community in Washington, D.C. It has organized hundreds of benefit concerts for community and activist groups, and worked alongside Fugazi, Bikini Kill, Nation of Ulysses, Girls Against Boys, Q and Not U and other bands arising from the capital’s punk scene. Positive Force has also engaged in many other forms of progressive activism in the D.C. area, and from about 1985 to the mid-1990s there was a Positive Force house in Arlington, Virginia, where various members of the group lived and which the organization operated from.
Alec MacKaye is an American singer and musician best known as a member of the DC hardcore bands Untouchables and the Faith. In the mid-1990s Alec joined the band the Warmers as a vocalist and guitarist. He has also been a member of Ignition and Hammered Hulls. Mondo James Dean, an anthology of poetry and short-fiction edited by Richard Peabody and Lucinda Ebersole, was dedicated to MacKaye.
Mark Andersen is a punk rock community activist and author who lives in Washington D.C. He was born and raised in rural Montana, and moved to Washington D.C. in 1984 to attend graduate school at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).
Bloody Mannequin Orchestra were an influential early 1980s punk band from Bethesda, MD. They formed around a small, but active, scene at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School and were part of the larger D.C hardcore community. The band members were Colin Sears, Roger Marbury, Alex Mahoney, Sharon Cheslow and Charles Bennington.
Three was a post-hardcore band that released music on Dischord Records. The group was active from summer 1986 until its breakup in early 1988.
Inner Ear Studios is a recording studio founded in Arlington, Virginia that has been in operation since the late 1970s. Originally started in founder Don Zientara's basement, the studio spent many years on South Oakland St. in Arlington. The studio is now back in Don's basement, and has been in continuous operation for over 40 years. During that time, virtually all of Washington, DC's most widely recognized and acclaimed bands have recorded there. The studio is known for its association with the Washington, D.C. hardcore scene.
Youth Brigade was an American hardcore punk band from Washington, D.C., formed in late 1980 and disbanded in 1981. They released the Possible EP and appeared on the Flex Your Head compilation, both on Dischord Records. Although active for less than a year, they were nevertheless contributors to the development of D.C. hardcore punk and have influenced many other bands. Several members briefly reunited for performances in 2012 and 2013.
20 Years of Dischord is a three-disc box set compiled by Washington-based record label Dischord Records to commemorate its 20th anniversary.
The single play record "Me and You", also known as Egg Hunt, and 2 Songs, is the first and only stand-alone release by the American experimental post-hardcore duo Egg Hunt.
Revolution Summer was a phrase coined by an employee of Dischord Records in an effort to revive and innovate the hardcore punk scene of Washington, D.C. during the summer of 1985. The bands associated with the effort are retrospectively credited with the development of the punk subgenres post-hardcore and emo.