Fugazi : A Life Changer

It was 1991. We were both in High School and had a fair amount of experience in the punk / hardcore world. Living in Northern Virgina we had made several evening trips out to the 9:30 Club in Washington DC to see Bad Religion and a few other larger bands. We had even seen Fugazi a few times, crammed in the back of Sanctuary Theater or Wilson Center. At one of these shows I grabbed a flyer for what was being called the 'Punk Percussion Protest' which was to take place on the White House lawn.

Yes, I said the White House lawn. It seems impossible in this post 9/11 world, but back in the 80's and 90's the area around the White House was fairly open. You could drive right by the front and see the large number of protest groups who were essentially camped there. For this particular show the group Positive Force has gained permission to set up their 'percussion' protest group (a large amount of punks banging on old drums, pots and pans, etc) and a small stage. The reason for the protest? The first Gulf War.

It's hard to describe the energy on the stage during that show. It was snowing for part of the set, freezing rain for the rest. Being in the very front was unreal. The drums were spraying water with each hit and the amps were draped in plastic, guitars slick with water. Yet, with all this bad weather just the IDEA that Fugazi would stop playing was impossible. That's why they are one of the best of all time. The message and the music were one in the same...

Askance

Most of the hardcore I gravitate to has some sort of message.  Weather it be about politics, love, tragedy, oppression, prejudice, etc.- I am touched most by music that has a message I can relate to and believe in.  I am also inspired by seeing bands play live.  Few things move me like a powerful, sincere, emotional show.

In the early 90's, Askance embodied both the message and the moving live show.  Hailing from Richmond, they were also somewhat 'local' to the DC area.  Consisting of members from Device, Step Aside, and As It Stands- Askance regularly played shows with the likes of Born Against, Rorschach, Avail, Four Walls Falling, and so on.  They handed out lyric sheets at shows (a practice I still STRONGLY believe in) and talked about song meanings before playing them.  Live, they brought with them an energy and an urgency that could only be pulled off by people that truly gave a shit- which almost always resulted in a floored audience.

Musically they were much more complex than many of the other snare/bass, open E chord bands playing at the time.  No sing-along choruses, no 'mosh' parts, and no guitar solos.  Instead they had complex songs lead by drumming of the likes I'd never heard before (and still haven't).  Anyone who has seen or heard them would agree that the unique, intricate, ants-in-your-pants drumming style is/was the most memorable musical component of Askance.  On the recorded material- the vocals came across much more tame and whiney than in live performances.  At first listen they can be off-putting, but give it a few listens and they grow on you.

Askance was Matt Rankin, Brad Goodwin, Jimmy Anthony, Craig Henry and Jon Bone.  From 1991 to 1993, they put out a four song demo (with Rob Kelshian from Avail, Ipecac, Shadowman on guitar), two songs that showed up on compilations (Old Glory's God's Chosen People and Allied's Emergency Broadcast System), and a four song 7".  The 7" was released on Catheter Assembly, and had a booklet with contributions from all five band members.

Included in each download are scans of the lyric sheets.  I encourage you to read them, as it will give you a better sense of what Askance was about.

Fuck your pride, we stole this.

Demo
Emergency Broadcast System
God's Chosen People
you'll never be the mannequin 7"