Minor Threat

Last updated

Minor Threat
Minor-threat-malcolm-riviera.jpg
Minor Threat performing at the Wilson Center in Washington, D.C., in 1981
Background information
Origin Washington, D.C., U.S.
Genres Hardcore punk
Years active1980–1983
Labels Dischord
Past members
Website www.dischord.com/band/minor-threat

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.

Contents

The band was relatively short-lived, disbanding after only three years together, but had a strong influence in the emerging American hardcore punk scene, both stylistically and in helping to further establish the "do it yourself" ethic for music distribution and concert promotion. Minor Threat's song "Straight Edge" was the basis of the straight edge movement, which emphasized a lifestyle without alcohol or other drugs, or promiscuous sex. [1] AllMusic described Minor Threat's music as "iconic" [2] and noted that their groundbreaking music "has held up better than [that of] most of their contemporaries." [3]

Along with the fellow Washington, D.C. hardcore band Bad Brains and California band Black Flag, Minor Threat set the standard for many hardcore punk bands in the 1980s and 1990s. All of Minor Threat's recordings were released on MacKaye's and Nelson's own label, Dischord Records. The Minor Threat EP and Out of Step EP have received a number of accolades and are cited as landmarks of the hardcore punk genre.[ citation needed ]

History

Formation and early years

The band logo Minor-Threat-Logo.png
The band logo

Prior to forming Minor Threat in 1980, vocalist Ian MacKaye and drummer Jeff Nelson had played bass and drums respectively in the Teen Idles while attending what was then Wilson High School. During their two-year career within the flourishing Washington D.C. hardcore punk scene, the Teen Idles had gained a following of around one hundred fans (a sizable amount at the time), and were seen as only second within the scene to the contemporary Bad Brains. [4] MacKaye and Nelson were strong believers in the DIY mentality and an independent, underground music scene. After the breakup of the Teen Idles, they used the money earned through the band to create Dischord Records, an independent record label that would host the releases of the Teen Idles, Minor Threat, and numerous other D.C. punk bands. [5]

Eager to start a new band after the Teen Idles, MacKaye and Nelson recruited guitarist Lyle Preslar and bassist Brian Baker. They played their first performance in December 1980 to fifty people in a basement, opening for Bad Brains, The Untouchables, Black Market Baby and S.O.A., all D.C. bands. [4]

The band's first 7-inch EPs, Minor Threat and In My Eyes , were released in 1981. The group became popular regionally and toured the east coast and Midwest.

"Straight Edge," a song from the band's first EP, helped to inspire the straight edge movement. The lyrics of the song relay MacKaye's first-person perspective of his personal choice of abstinence from alcohol and other drugs, contrary to most rock musicians at the time. Although the original song was not written as a manifesto or a "set of rules," according to the band members, many later bands inspired by the idea used it as such. [6] Minor Threat band members stated they never intended or viewed "Straight Edge" as a "movement". [7]

"Out of Step", a Minor Threat song from their second EP, further demonstrates the said belief: "Don't smoke/Don't drink/Don't fuck/At least I can fucking think/I can't keep up/I'm out of step with the world." The "I" in the lyrics was usually only implied, mainly because it did not quite fit the rhythm of the song. Some of the other members of Minor Threat, Jeff Nelson in particular, took exception to what they saw as MacKaye's imperious attitude on the song. [8] The line "Don't fuck" sparked widespread debate, to which Ian clarified that the intent was commentary on society's attitude towards predatory or casual sex, not on the act itself. [7]

Minor Threat's song "Guilty of Being White" led some critics to accuse the band of racism, [9] but MacKaye has strongly denied such intentions and said that some listeners misinterpreted his words. He claims that his experiences attending Wilson High School, whose student population was 70 percent Black, inspired the song. There, many students bullied MacKaye and his friends. In an interview, MacKaye stated that he was offended that some perceived racist overtones in the lyrics, saying, "To me, at the time and now, it seemed clear it's an anti-racist song. Of course, it didn't occur to me at the time I wrote it that anybody outside of my twenty or thirty friends who I was singing to would ever have to actually ponder the lyrics or even consider them." [8] Thrash metal band Slayer later covered the song, with the last iteration of the lyric "guilty of being white" changed to "guilty of being right."

Hiatus

In the time between the release of the band's second seven-inch EP and the Out of Step record, the band briefly split when guitarist Lyle Preslar moved to Illinois to attend college for a semester at Northwestern University. Preslar was a member of Big Black for a few tempestuous rehearsals. During that period, MacKaye and Nelson put together a studio-only project called Skewbald/Grand Union; in a reflection of the slowly increasing disagreements between the two musicians, they were unable to decide on one name. The group recorded three untitled songs, which would be released posthumously as Dischord's 50th release. During Minor Threat's inactive period, Brian Baker also briefly played guitar for Government Issue and appeared on the Make an Effort EP.

In March 1982, at the urging of Bad Brains' H.R., Preslar left college to reform Minor Threat. The reunited band featured an expanded lineup: Steve Hansgen joined as the band's bassist and Baker switched to second guitar.

When the "Out of Step" was re-recorded for the LP Out of Step, MacKaye clearly sang "I don't drink/smoke/fuck", as was the intent of his words all along, in response to what many saw as his imperious attitude on the song. The band also inserted an overdubbed spoken section into the instrumental break before the last chorus with MacKaye stating, "This is not a set of rules, I'm not telling you what to do..." Recording engineer Don Zientara had inadvertently recorded an argument between drummer Nelson and lyricist/singer MacKaye that captured the message perfectly, so this was used. According to Mark Andersen and Mark Jenkins' Dance of Days: Two Decades of Punk in the Nation's Capital, this argument was over exactly what would be said in the message that Nelson wanted MacKaye to record, stating essentially what he said without knowing it was being recorded.

Breakup

Poster promoting what would be Minor Threat's final show. LansburghCulturalCenter showposter 092383.jpg
Poster promoting what would be Minor Threat's final show.

Minor Threat broke up in 1983. According to Baker, a major point of contention was the band's musical direction:

"Did we all want to develop Minor Threat’s sound to be more melodic, but Ian MacKaye didn’t? Yes, Ian was right, and we were wrong. What Ian was doing was not just a band, Ian was building a community. He was so far ahead of his time and was thinking about the idea of Dischord and several bands and having this kind of reciprocating relationship with other artists. He was so big picture. But I was like: ‘I want to play bigger shows, I want to tour more. Minor Threat is a great little punk band, but have you heard the Boy album…?’    I was dumb! And he wasn’t. So Minor Threat fortunately stopped exactly when it did." [10]

MacKaye was skipping rehearsal sessions towards the end of the band's career, and he wrote the lyrics to the songs on the Salad Days EP in the studio. That was quite a contrast with the earlier recordings, as he had written and co-written the music for much of the band's early material. Minor Threat, which had returned to being a four-piece group with the departure of Hansgen, played its final show on September 23, 1983, at the Lansburgh Cultural Center in Washington, D.C., [11] [12] sharing the bill with go-go band Trouble Funk, and Austin, Texas punk funk act the Big Boys. In a meaningful way, Minor Threat ended their final set with "Last Song", a tune whose name was also the original title of the band's song "Salad Days".

Following the breakup, MacKaye stated that he did not "check out" on hardcore, but in fact hardcore "checked out". [ citation needed ] Explaining this, he stated that at a 1984 Minutemen show, a fan struck MacKaye's younger brother Alec in the face, and he punched the fan back, then realizing that the violence was "stupid," and that he saw his role in the stupidity. MacKaye claimed that immediately after this he decided to leave the hardcore scene.[ citation needed ]

Subsequent activities

In March 1984, six months after the band broke up, the EPs Minor Threat and In My Eyes were compiled together and re-released as the Minor Threat album. The Complete Discography archival compilation would follow in 1989, with the additional release of First Demo Tape in 2003. Two previously unreleased songs were featured on the 20 Years of Dischord compilation in 2002.

MacKaye went on to found Embrace with former members of the Faith, Egg Hunt with Jeff Nelson, and later Fugazi, the Evens, and Coriky, as well as collaborating on Pailhead.

Baker went on to play in Junkyard, the Meatmen, Dag Nasty and Government Issue. Since 1994, Baker has been a member of Bad Religion.

Preslar was briefly a member of Glenn Danzig's Samhain, and his playing appears on a few songs on the band's first record. He joined The Meatmen in 1984, along with fellow Minor Threat member Brian Baker. He later ran Caroline Records, signing and working with (among others) Peter Gabriel, Ben Folds, Chemical Brothers, and Idaho, and ran marketing for Sire Records. He graduated from Rutgers University School of Law and lives in New Jersey.

Nelson played less-frantic alternative rock with Three and The High-Back Chairs before retiring from live performance. He runs the record label Adult Swim Records (distributed by Dischord) and Pedestrian Press, as well as being a political activist. [13] He resides in Toledo, Ohio.

The band's own Dischord Records released material by many bands from the Washington, D.C., area, such as Government Issue, Void, Scream, Fugazi, Artificial Peace, Rites of Spring, Gray Matter, and Dag Nasty, and became a respected independent record label.

Hansgen formed Second Wind with Rich Moore, a former Minor Threat roadie and drummer for the Untouchables. In 1992, he worked as a producer on the first Tool EP Opiate .

"Major Threat"

In 2005, a mock-up of the cover of Minor Threat's first EP (also used on the Minor Threat LP and Complete Discography CD) was copied by athletic footwear manufacturer Nike for use on a promotional poster for a skateboarding tour called "Major Threat". Nike also altered Minor Threat's logo (designed by Jeff Nelson) for the same campaign, as well as featuring Nike shoes in the new picture, rather than the combat boots worn by Ian MacKaye's younger brother Alec on the original. [14]

MacKaye issued a press statement condemning Nike's actions and said that he would discuss legal options with the other members of the band. Meanwhile, fans, at the encouragement of Dischord, organized a letter-writing campaign protesting Nike's infringement. On June 27, 2005, Nike issued a statement apologizing to Minor Threat, Dischord Records, and their fans for the "Major Threat" campaign and said that all promotional artwork (print and digital) that they could acquire was destroyed. [15] [14]

"Salad Days"

On October 29, 2005, Fox played the first few seconds of Minor Threat's "Salad Days" during an NFL broadcast. Use of the song was not cleared by Dischord Records or any of the members of Minor Threat. Fox claimed that the clip was too short to have violated any copyrights. [16]

Wheelhouse Pickles

In 2007, Brooklyn-based company Wheelhouse Pickles marketed a pepper sauce named "Minor Threat Sauce". [17] Requesting only that the original label design (which was based on the "Bottled Violence" artwork) [18] be amended, Ian MacKaye gave the product his endorsement. [19] A small mention of this was made, where MacKaye commented, "I don't have an occasion to eat a lot of hot sauce, but I also thought the Minor Threat stuff was nice." [18]

Urban Outfitters

In 2013, Minor Threat shirts began appearing in Urban Outfitters stores. Ian MacKaye confirmed that the shirts were officially licensed. Having spent what he described as "a complete waste of time" trying to track down bootlegged Minor Threat merchandise, MacKaye and Dischord made arrangements with a merchandise company in California to manage licensing of the band's shirts, as well as working to ensure that bootleg manufacturers of the shirts were curtailed. In comments that appeared in Rolling Stone , MacKaye called it "absurd" for the shirts to be sold for $28 but concluded that "my time is better spent doing other things" than dealing with shirts. [20] Dischord had previously taken action against Forever 21 in 2009 for marketing unlicensed Minor Threat shirts. [21]

Members

Discography

Original material

Compilation albums

Compilation appearances

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ian MacKaye</span> American singer and record label owner

Ian Thomas Garner MacKaye is an American musician. Active since 1979, he is best known as the co-founder and owner of Dischord Records, a Washington, D.C.–based independent record label, and the frontman of hardcore punk band Minor Threat and post-hardcore band Fugazi. MacKaye was also the bassist for the short-lived band the Teen Idles, and frontman for Embrace, and Pailhead, a collaboration with the band Ministry. MacKaye is a member of The Evens, a two-piece indie rock group he formed with his wife Amy Farina in 2001. In 2015 he formed the band Coriky with Farina and his Fugazi band mate Joe Lally.

<i>Minor Threat</i> (album) 1981 compilation album by Minor Threat

Minor Threat is a compilation album by American hardcore punk band Minor Threat, released in March 1984 through Dischord Records. The compilation consisted of the group's first and second extended plays, Minor Threat and In My Eyes. The 1984 Minor Threat LP featured the same cover as the 1981 Minor Threat EP, depicting vocalist Ian MacKaye's younger brother Alec. The image has been imitated by punk bands such as Rancid on their album ...And Out Come the Wolves and in the Major Threat ad campaign by Nike.

<i>Out of Step</i> (EP) 1983 EP by Minor Threat

Out of Step is the third EP by American hardcore punk band Minor Threat. It was released on vinyl in April 1983 through Dischord Records. Although Out of Step has only been released on CD in limited quantities, it has been repressed on vinyl as recently as 2010. All tracks from the album are available on Minor Threat's 1989 compilation album Complete Discography.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dischord Records</span> American independent record label

Dischord Records is a Washington, D.C.–based independent record label specializing in punk rock. The label is co-owned by Ian MacKaye and Jeff Nelson, who founded Dischord in 1980 to release Minor Disturbance by their band the Teen Idles. With other independent American labels such as Twin/Tone, Touch and Go Records, and SST Records, Dischord helped to spearhead the nationwide network of underground bands that formed the 1980s indie rock scene. These labels presided over the shift from the hardcore punk that then dominated the American underground scene to the more diverse styles of alternative rock that were emerging.

Lyle Preslar is an American musician best known for being the guitar player and songwriter for the hardcore punk band Minor Threat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Baker (musician)</span> American punk rock musician

Brian Baker is an American punk rock musician. He is best known as one of the founding members of the hardcore punk band Minor Threat, and as a guitarist in Bad Religion since 1994. In Minor Threat, he originally played bass guitar before switching to guitar in 1982 when Steve Hansgen joined the band, and then moved back to bass after Hansgen's departure. He also founded Dag Nasty in 1985, was part of the original line-up of Samhain, and has had stints in Doggy Style, The Meatmen, Government Issue, and Junkyard.

Steve Hansgen is an American musician from Washington, D.C. He is best known as a member of the hardcore punk band Minor Threat. He also played briefly in the D.C. hardcore band Government Issue, and joined Youth Brigade for their short reunion in 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Teen Idles</span> American hardcore punk band

The Teen Idles were an American hardcore punk band formed in Washington, D.C., in September 1979. Consisting of teenagers Nathan Strejcek, Geordie Grindle, Ian MacKaye and Jeff Nelson, they recorded two demo sessions and the 1980 Minor Disturbance EP before breaking up in November 1980. The influential independent record label Dischord Records was originally created with the sole purpose of releasing The Teen Idles Minor Disturbance 7" record. They were an early landmark in the D.C. hardcore movement, and MacKaye and Nelson would later form the seminal punk rock outfit Minor Threat.

State of Alert was an American hardcore punk group formed in Washington, D.C., in October 1980, and active until July 1981. S.O.A. was fronted by Henry Rollins, then using his original surname Garfield.

Jeff Nelson is an American musician, graphic designer, and record-label owner. He is best known as the drummer for the Washington, D.C. hardcore punk band Minor Threat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washington, D.C., hardcore</span> Hardcore punk scene of Washington, D.C.

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.

<i>Skewbald/Grand Union</i> (EP) 1991 EP by Skewbald/Grand Union

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.

<i>Complete Discography</i> 1989 compilation album by Minor Threat

Complete Discography is a compilation album by American hardcore punk band Minor Threat, released in 1989 through the band's own Dischord Records. As the name implies, it contains the band's entire discography at the time, including their three EPs, the Out of Step album and Flex Your Head compilation tracks. Some tracks were unreleased at the time and didn't appear on this compilation, but were later released. This includes the songs "Understand" and "Asshole Dub" from 20 Years of Dischord.

<i>Salad Days</i> (EP) 1985 EP by Minor Threat

Salad Days is the final EP by American hardcore punk band Minor Threat, released in July 1985 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.

<i>Flex Your Head</i> 1982 compilation album by various artists

Flex Your Head is a sampler album featuring early hardcore punk bands from the Washington, D.C., area. It was originally released in January 1982 on Dischord Records, with a pressing of 4,000 copies on vinyl record that sold out within one week; an additional 3,000 copies were released shortly after. In 1982, a third pressing of 2,000 copies was released under license in the United Kingdom by Alternative Tentacles. Each of the first three pressings featured a different front cover.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Faith (American band)</span> American hardcore punk band

The Faith was an early American hardcore punk band, from Washington D.C., with strong connections to the scene centered on the Dischord label. Along with Minor Threat, the Faith were key players in the early development of hardcore, with a (later) melodic approach that would influence not just associated acts like Rites of Spring, Embrace and Fugazi, but also a subsequent generation of bands such as Nirvana, whose Kurt Cobain was a vocal fan.

<i>Minor Disturbance</i> 1980 EP by The Teen Idles

Minor Disturbance is the debut EP by the American hardcore punk band the Teen Idles, released in December 1980. It was the first release by Dischord Records. Comprising eight songs, Minor Disturbance referenced a number of issues pertinent to the band, from being turned away at local concerts due to their age to what they felt was the increasing complacency of many first wave punk bands. Upon its release, Minor Disturbance received positive reviews from local fanzines and gained airplay on local radio stations.

<i>First Demo Tape</i> 2003 EP by Minor Threat

First Demo Tape is an EP by the American hardcore punk band Minor Threat. It was released on CD and 7-inch vinyl in 2003 through Dischord Records. An archival release of recordings, the EP comprises previously unreleased demo versions of material which appears on the band's subsequent recordings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Youth Brigade (Washington, D.C., band)</span> Punk rock band from Washington, D.C.

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.

<i>Salad Days</i> (2014 film) 2014 documentary film by Scott Crawford

Salad Days: A Decade of Punk in Washington, DC (1980–90) is a documentary written and directed by Scott Crawford. Released on December 19, 2014, the Kickstarter-funded film features early pioneers of the Washington, DC hardcore punk music scene over a decade (1980–1990) including Minor Threat, Fugazi, Bad Brains, Government Issue, Youth Brigade, Teen Idles, Rites of Spring, and others.

References

  1. Hargus, Billy Bob. "Ian MacKaye Interview". Perfect Sound Forever . Archived from the original on June 9, 2007. Retrieved June 9, 2007.
  2. Raggett, Ned. "Out of Step". AllMusic . Retrieved January 6, 2006.
  3. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Complete Discography". AllMusic . Retrieved January 6, 2006.
  4. 1 2 Pappalardo, Anthony (November 16, 2014). "The Influence of Minor Threat 30 Years After Their First Show". Alternative Press . Archived from the original on November 16, 2014.
  5. "Minor Threat" [usurped] . Kill from the Heart. Archived from the original [usurped] on March 10, 2016.
  6. Rettman, Tony. "excerpt from 'Straight Edge: A Clear Headed Hardcore Punk History'". The Wire. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
  7. 1 2 "Minor Threat Interview". Maximum Rocknroll . August 30, 1982. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
  8. 1 2 Azzerad, Michael, Our Band Could Be Your Life , New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2012
  9. Salam, Rahan (December 17, 2014). "What White Privilege Really Means". Slate . Retrieved October 20, 2022.
  10. Burrows, Alex (May 31, 2022). "Bad Religion's Brian Baker: 10 Albums That Changed My Life". Louder Sound. Archived from the original on June 14, 2024. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
  11. Andersen, Mark; Jenkins, Mark (Soft Skull Press, 2001). Dance of Days: Two Decades of Punk in the Nation's Capital. Fourth ed., 2009. Akashic Books. ISBN   9781933354996. pp. 122 and 148.
  12. "Minor Threat at Lansburgh Cultural Center - September 23, 1983". All It Happened. Archived from the original on October 16, 2015.
  13. Webber, Jason (December 3, 2019). "Minor Threats and Jeep Thrills". Toledo City Paper. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  14. 1 2 Pitchfork (June 28, 2005). "Nike Pulls Major Threat Ad, Issues Apology". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
  15. "Major Threat East Coast Tour Poster". Nike. Nike Skateboarding. Archived from the original on May 4, 2015. Retrieved March 17, 2007.
  16. Moyer, Justin "Fox Uses "Salad Days" on NFL Broadcast Archived 2008-09-24 at the Wayback Machine " EconoCulture. Retrieved on March 17, 2007.
  17. "Wheelhouse Pickles". Wheelhouse Pickles. Archived from the original on November 6, 2011. Retrieved October 23, 2011.
  18. 1 2 Del Signore, John (December 14, 2007). "MacKaye Mildly Endorses Minor Threat Hot Sauce" Archived February 20, 2009, at the Wayback Machine . Gothamist . Retrieved October 23, 2011.
  19. "Minor Threat Turns Condiment, But Ian Doesn't Mind". Pitchfork . Archived from the original on March 2, 2009.
  20. "Ian MacKaye Approves Urban Outfitters' Minor Threat Apparel". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on February 5, 2017. Retrieved February 5, 2017.
  21. "Forever 21 Sold Bootleg Minor Threat Shirts". Pitchfork. March 10, 2009. Archived from the original on February 5, 2017. Retrieved February 5, 2017.

Further reading