Minor Threat is a group of music Straight edge of American Punk hardcore.

Members of the group

• Ian MacKaye - singer
• Lyle Preslar - guitarist
• Brian Baker - bass player
• Jeff Nelson - beater
• Steve Hansgen - bass player (when Baker chooses to play of the guitar)

----

Minor Threat is a group Punk hardcore, originating in Washington DC, founder of the movement “Straight Edge”. This group deeply marked the history of the punk music in spite of the short duration of its existence (1980-1983). However, Ian MacKaye refused later to be regarded as the “leader” of the scene “Straight Edge”.

Minor Threat defined the musical form which will adopt of many groups hardcore punks the Eighties and Nineties: they produced songs of short duration, sometimes with an astonishing speed, but always of excellent quality. Minor Threat was independent of the large recording companies: all their CD left on the label Dischord Records which was founded by Ian itself.

History of the group

When they were still at the school, Ian MacKaye and Jeff Nelson belonged to the group of hardcore punk cd. The Teen Idles. After their separation, Mac Kaye decided to sing rather than to play of low and created the group Minor Threat with Nelson and two young people of the school Georgetown Day: the bass player Brian Baker and the guitarist Lyle Preslar.

Their first albums, Minor Threat and In My Eyes , left in 1981. The group became popular in the area and played in concert on the east coast of the United States.

By inadvertency, Straight Edge , one of the songs of their first album, inspired the movement same name. The song seemed to preach the abstention from consumption of Drogue S and alcohol as well as the abstinence. This speech was unusual for the rock'n'roll.

Another song of the first album of the group, Out off Step , left its trace in philosophy Straight Edge: “ Don' T smoke/Don' T drink/Don' T fuck/At least I edge fucking think/I can' T keep up/I' m out off step with the world. ” (“does not smoke/wood not/does not kiss/At least I can p*tain think/I cannot follow/I am out of the blow with the world. ”). “I” in these words, let suppose that some members of the group - in particular Jeff Nelson, which would have sometimes smoked of the Marijuana went against the opinion of MacKaye.

Minor Threat was also shown of racism for the songs Guilty off Being White and Straight Edge . Ian MacKaye affirmed with vehemence that it had never had this kind of intention and that people had badly had to interpret its words. Later, the group Slayer took again off the song Guilty Being White , but in a very different spirit by finishing the song by " Guilty off Being Right".

Among all the factors of the rupture of the group, there were nuisances on the musical direction of the group: in particular, Lyle Preslar, the guitarist, admired more and more the music of U2.

MacKaye thus left to be formed within other groups of which Skewbald, Embrace, obscure the Egg Hunt then later Fugazi and The Evens, in addition to collaborating with Pailhead. The label of the group Dischord Records distributed the products of many groups of Washington DC and its surroundings, such as Rites off Spring, Gray Matter and Dag Nasty and became a very respected independent label.

In 2005, the cover of the first album of Minor Threat was copied by manufacturing Sport clothing Nike for the promotional poster of a demonstration of skateboard called " Major Threat". Nike also copied the distinctive logo of Minor Threat (drawn by Jeff Nelson) for this same publicity campaign. MacKaye was addressed to the press to condemn the actions of Nike and said that he wanted to discuss the means to implement with the other members of the group. Thus the fans of the group, under the encouragements of Dischord, created a protest campaign written to express their dissatisfaction against the infringement with Nike. June 27th of the same year, Nike made excuses with Minor Threat, Dischord Records and their fans for the countryside Major Threat . All artistic works of the countryside were withdrawn from circulation and were destroyed. Nike proposed money with MacKaye, but this one refused preferring to be made pay in balloons foot which it then redistributed at the schools of Washington DC.

Music, and to a certain extent the philosophy of Minor Threat continue still today to influence many groups hardcore Punk Diy of share the world. Among those:

• Career Commits suicide (Canada)
• Customers (France)
• Direct Control (the United States)
• Government Warning (the United States)
• Hjertestop (Denmark)
• Ken Park (France)

Discography

• Minor Threat 7"

• In My Eyes 7"
• Out off Step LP
• First two 7" '' on a 12"
• Salad Days 7"
• Live VHS/DVD
• Complete Discography CD
• First Demo Types 7" /CD

Compilations

• Flex Your Head LP/CD
• Dischord 1981: The Year in 7" S LP/CD
• 20 Years off Dischord 3xCD

External bonds

• Minor Threat Profiles by Dischord Records
• Minor Threat Profile by Southern Records

Simple: Minor Threat