Ian Thomas Garner MacKaye is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, musician, label owner, and producer. Active since 1979, MacKaye is best known for being the frontman of the influential hardcore punk band Minor Threat, the post-hardcore bands Embrace and Fugazi, as well as The Evens.

He is a co-founder and owner of Dischord Records, a Washington, D.C.-based independent record label.

A key figure in the development of hardcore punk and an enthusiastic promoter of an independent-minded, do it yourself punk ethic, he is credited with coining the term “straight edge” to describe an ideology that eschews drug and alcohol abuse, though MacKaye has stated many times that he did not intend to turn it into a movement.

After feeling creatively limited in the Teen Idles, MacKaye was determined to be the frontman and primary lyricist for Minor Threat (1980–1983). MacKaye cited the dynamic performance of English singer Joe Cocker in the Woodstock motion picture as a major influence on his own animated stage persona.[3] The Teen Idles and Minor Threat were modestly successful in and around Washington D.C., but would later be cited as two of the earliest and most influential hardcore punk groups, and as pioneers of the straight edge philosophy that rejects use of drugs (including alcohol), as well as promiscuous sex. In his early teens, MacKaye saw the negative effects of drug abuse on several close friends and one immediate family member, and he vowed to never use tobacco, alcohol, or other drugs.

In 1987, MacKaye founded Fugazi. Cited as one of the most important post-hardcore groups, Fugazi were active until 2003 and have since been on an indefinite hiatus.

MacKaye co-founded Dischord Records with Jeff Nelson in 1980. The label was originally meant only as a means for distributing the Teen Idles 7 inch EP, but over the years it became a very well-established independent record label, as well as a source for a variety of different Washington, D.C. area artists. Today more than 150 titles have been released by Dischord.

Throughout his career, MacKaye has opted to advertise in independent and underground media and perform in unconventional venues. Such practices keep admission prices low (in the $5–$10 range) and allow fans of all ages to attend performances.

MacKaye has also been known to rebuke concert violence and to confront crowd surfers and other unruly concert attendees who start fights. This is especially true of his days with Fugazi. When audience members became belligerent or violent at a Fugazi show, the band would cease to play (sometimes right in the middle of a song) and MacKaye would tell them to stop. If those people continued their deviant behavior, he would refund their admission price and eject them from the concert facility.

Mackaye currently sings and plays baritone guitar in The Evens with drummer and vocalist Amy Farina of the Warmers. The band pride themselves on playing in non-standard locations, such as community centres, bookshops, or other atypical spaces.The Evens released their self-titled album in early 2005, breaking a three-year silence by MacKaye. Their second album, “Get Evens“, was released in November 2006.

www.dischordrecords.com

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