They are old. Like your dad, but hipper. When Fugazi formed in 1987, they had a plan – to play music regardless of who was listening, paying or talking about them. They were a group of cloppy, moralistic, anti-corporate punks who screamed political rants into secondhand mics for a crowd of saftey pinned, mohawked and snot nosed kids. What they became, was a cultural force who reigned the punk movement along with bands like Sham 69, Black Flag, The Dead Kennedys, The Pixies and Huhsker Du.

In the begiinning, when Minor Threat dissolved, Ian MacKaye refused to give up his musical mission. His anthemic vocals and inventive, interlocking guitar playing attracted Picciotti, Lally and Canty and soon the band was off and running. Fugazi was strictly DIY, even down to promotion. Their tour stops were spread word of mouth and instead of hiring a merch guy, insisted that they be directly one with the crowd, handing out fan fare themselves. Fugazi toured because they lived off the energy, charging only $5 admission to their shows for fear anything more would be price gouging their most loyal punks.

What business do they have at a college party? They fuckin’ rock, that is their business. And while high school chicks still dig the emo, indie crap flooding the radio and polluting our ears, they have no idea what it means to truly be pissed off and bitter about society. You can find Fugazi’s Brothel Creepers or Doc Martens stuck up the arse of some pop princess.