Fugazi are a critically acclaimed alternative-rock band from Washington, D.C., whose fusion of several musical styles and principled stances won them a cult following over their career. Though they have never charted in the Top 100 of the Billboard Charts, their seven albums are considered highly influential in the evolution of alternative rock.
Their whole career was spent on lead singer Iain MacKaye's independent label Dischord Records, despite numerous offers from major labels that would have earned them far more money. Fugazi were known as a band unconcerned with making money: they insisted on keeping their gigs and CDs at low prices, opened their live shows to all ages, and were uninterested in selling t-shirts or merchandise. They also discouraged violent moshing at their shows, and didn't talk to magazines that they wouldn't read themselves.
Fugazi originally came from a hardcore punk background, but their style evolved to incorporate dub/reggae, post-punk, post-rock and art-rock. Their last album, 2001's The Argument, was even likened to a heavier version of Radiohead's OK Computer. Other notable albums include 13 Songs (1989, a re-release of two early EPs), their proper debut Repeater (1990) and End Hits (1998). In 2002, Fugazi went on a hiatus from which they are yet to return.
