A similar ethic is applied to the bands releases and live performances, where the lowest possible price is charged for releases, door prices are rigidly fixed and the band will not perform at venues that add high booking fees or enforce age restrictions. Press interviews are also shunned, meaning that Fugazi's success and relatively large following has been built up exlusively by word-of-mouth and support from the fanzine community. Another singularly influential stance the band have taken is against the macho ritual of 'slam-dancing' at gigs, which has in recent times been taken up by acts such as Rage Against the Machine and the Beastie Boys.
Although initially parts of the music press seemed to concentrate on Mackaye's previous musical history, fellow band member and guitarist Guy Picciotto (ex-Rites of Spring) is arguably more gifted and expressive as a vocalist, and his less direct lyrical contributions provide a counterpoint to Mackaye's realistic anger. Other band colleagues Brendan Canty (drums) and Joe Lally (bass) had been involved in pre-Fugazi band Egghunt with Mackaye (releasing a one-off single), and all members continue to work with other bands on their Dischord label, both as musicians and producers, creating a strong sense of community and mutual support that is unusual in the mainstream music industry.
Mixing up influences such as hardcore punk, staccato guitars (influenced by UK bands such as Wire & Gang of Four), funk bass, tight but sometimes unusual rhythms, topped off with tinges of reggae and dub, Fugazi have consistently managed to progress musically without becoming stale, and this is reflected by the sales of their albums easily reaching beyond 100,000 copies with each new release.
Mackaye's stance on the current crop of US Corporate label punk bands such as Blink 182 is typically damning, 'They'll be forgotten, 'cos they're the fucking Ugly Kid Joe's of the 90's', reminding us that in America 'punk' was an attitude as well as a musical genre, and part of the philosophy was to remain loyal to your fans rather than 'selling out' to multinational capitalist organisations in pursuit of fame and fortune.
IF YOU LIKE THESE, YOU'LL LIKE FUGAZI: Minor Threat, Dead Kennedys, Wire, Gang of Four, Bad Brains, Bikini Kill, Nation of Ulysses, The Make Up, No Means No, Rage Against the Machine, The Minutemen, Black Flag, Rites of Spring, Egghunt, Shudder To Think.