Pitchfork: Fugazi Release Shitload of Live Material, MacKaye Starts New Label

Fugazi Release Shitload of Live Material, MacKaye Starts New Label
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Punk legends Fugazi may be on hiatus, but that doesn't mean they can't release new albums. How about 20 of 'em? You read right: The band has decided to make pretty much every performance from their 17-year live history available to fans via Dischord's official website.

As some Pitchfork diehards may recall, Pitchfork's Chip Chanko sat down with Fugazi guitarist and vocalist Guy Picciotto in January of 2002. As the two discussed that Fugazi have recorded nearly all of their live shows, Picciotto offhandedly revealed that he was entertaining the idea of releasing some, if not all, of the recordings:

Pitchfork: The Internet would be a great way to [release the live material]. You said once that you'd love for someone to be able to send in, "I was at this show," and be able to get a copy of it.

Picciotto: I would love the stuff to go out and be really reliable and not glitchy and funky sounding. Once it becomes kind of a ubiquitous technology and everyone has it, then I think we definitely will do that. That would certainly be the easiest way to do it. It would be better than having to sit around and be burning CDs for everyone. But that's also an option-- like make just really a generic sleeve and have people send in for the shows. I just think that's a cool idea.

More than two years later, Fugazi have begun the process of releasing their live performances on the burn-by-request basis Picciotto suggested above. As an experiment in fan interest, the band have made 20 of their recordings available for purchase online. Included are shows spanning Fugazi's entire career, documenting dates in the U.S., Malaysia, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, and Brazil. Among these are Fugazi's first-ever live show, from September of 1987 at D.C.'s Wilson Center, and the group's 10th Anniversary performance at the same venue, which is sadly now closed.

"These are very much the original recordings without any attempt to correct for things like volume changes, strange mixing effects, or the occasionally out-of-tune guitar," reads a statement on the Dischord website. "Though the sound quality on these tapes does vary, if a show was too poorly recorded it didn't make the cut." Each performance is burned upon order, at a price of $8 or $10, depending on whether the performance fits on one CD or two. Each order comes complete with a generic sleeve and tracklist. For more details on these individual performances, follow the Fugazi Live CD Series link below. Current available shows:

01 09-03-87 Washington, D.C. - Wilson Center, (First Show, State of the Union Benefit)
02 12-28-87 Washington, D.C. - D.C. Space, $1.99 Show
03 10-08-90 Beilfeld, Germany - PC 69
04 11-06-90 Nancy, France - Terminal Export
05 08-17-91 Calgary, Alberta, Canada
06 06-28-92 Berlin, Germany - Tempodrome
07 02-14-93 Fort Lauderdale, FL - The Edge
08 08-07-93 Washington, D.C. - Sylvan Theater
09 09-04-93 Detroit, MI - Plaza Amphitheater
10 11-17-93 Canberra, Australia - Anu Bar
11 08-26-94 Curitiba, Brazil - 92 Degrees
12 10-09-95 Peoria, IL - Expo Center
13 10-27-95 Seattle, Washington - DV8
14 10-30-96 Sapporo, Japan
15 11-16-96 Kuala Lampur, Malaysia
16 05-02-97 New York, NY - NYU Loeb Center
17 07-01-97 Dunedin, New Zealand
18 09-03-97 Washington, D.C. - Wilson Center (10th Anniversary Show)
19 07-24-98 Fredericton, N.B. Canada
20 05-07-99 Kilkenny, Ireland - Frairy Hall

Additionally, Ian MacKaye has started a brand new record label, called Northern Liberties, as a subsidiary of Dischord. A statement on the label's website reveals that the new imprint is "dedicated to the release of work that may seem obscure, but in MacKaye's opinion speaks clearly to the point of music and expression." "I just want it to exist," MacKaye told Tiny Mix Tapes. "I don't give a fuck about sales. I just care about documenting it, and if people can find some inspiration in it, that's great."

The label has already issued the debut album from longtime Inner Ear Studios engineer Don Zientara, as well as a solo record by Lungfish frontman Daniel Higgs and the debut release from a new band called Et At It. Each release is limited to 500 copies.