Ian MacKaye's New Band, The Evens, Finish Debut
Mid-90s alterna-rockers The Odds naturally forgotten after series of crap releases

Fugazi's Ian MacKaye is gearing up to release a new full-length-- but not with the full-time band which brought him to prominence. Last year, he joined up with Amy Farina, the ex-drummer for post-hardcore band The Warmers, to form the duo The Evens. According to reps at Dischord, the record was recorded at reliable old Inner Ear Studios, and was produced by the duo themselves.

As could be expected from any duo, The Evens' setup is reasonably spare: Ian plays baritone guitar, Amy plays drums, and both sing-- usually together. Live, the band put their vocals through amps rather than using a P.A., and even the album was recorded without the use of overdubbing. "The whole idea is to bring it down to an intimate level," says Dischord spokesman Alec MacKaye. But they're not really... folk, are they? "Well, no. They've got some nice quiet songs and some real spirited songs. If you heard some of Ian's stuff on Instrument, it would definitely sound [familiar]. But there are things that Amy does that takes it in a different direction."

To date, the duo haven't released much material; they contributed one song titled "On the Face of It" to the Protest Records website last year, and also played a much-discussed children's song called "Vowel Movement" on an episode of the D.C.-based "punk rock kids' show" Pancake Mountain. Despite the latter song's anthemic, Fugazi-esque chorus, however, the duo seemed to be downplaying it on a recent tour: Blogger Mike F. discussed a March 30th performance on his "Yo! Mike F. Raps" website, expressing that "sadly, the band did not play 'Vowel Movement,' despite the crowd's urgings." Currently, the band have only confirmed one other date-- they're playing the sidestage at (surprise!) the upcoming Coachella Festival in May-- though a tour of the West Coast may be in the works.

Of course, you shouldn't read too much into what this new project may mean for the future of Fugazi: On Friday, Dischord Records stated on their website that the band has not broken up. "Over the years, [Fugazi] has circulated in and out of active recording and touring according to the ebb and flow of their personal lives," read the statement. "Two band members now have families with children and currently their concerns are being put above the band's. As of this moment Fugazi is not actively playing or recording but that doesn't mean the band won't become active again in a year, two or possibly never... such is life."

The label also mentioned that "Members of Fugazi have always made music outside the band and will continue to do so." Which is possibly true now more than ever: In addition to Ian MacKaye's latest outfit, drummer Brendan Canty is a member of Garland of Hours alongside Amy Domingues and Jerry Busher, and bassist Joy Lally is preparing for the April 19th of his full-length debut with his band Decahedron (formerly The Black Sea). No release date has been scheduled as yet for The Evens' debut-- in fact, reps at the label aren't even certain that Dischord will be releasing it-- but of course, we'll let you know what we know when we know it.

Dischord: http://www.dischord.com