''Minor Disturbance'' is the debut
EP by the American
hardcore punk
Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier p ...
band
the Teen Idles, released in December 1980. It was the first release by
Dischord Records
Dischord Records is a Washington, D.C.-based independent record label specializing in punk rock. The label is co-owned by Ian MacKaye and Jeff Nelson, who founded Dischord in 1980 to release ''Minor Disturbance'' by their band The Teen Idles. ...
. Comprising eight songs, ''Minor Disturbance'' referenced a number of issues pertinent to the band, from being turned away at local concerts due to their age ("Too Young to Rock") to what they felt was the increasing complacency of many first wave punk bands ("Fleeting Fury"). Upon its release, ''Minor Disturbance'' received positive reviews from local fanzines and gained airplay on local radio stations.
Background
The Teen Idles were a
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
hardcore punk band that formed in 1979. Comprising vocalist Nathan Strejcek, guitarist Geordie Grindle, bassist
Ian MacKaye
Ian Thomas Garner MacKaye (; born April 16, 1962) is an American musician. Active since 1979, he is best known as the co-founder and owner of Dischord Records, a Washington, D.C.-based independent record label and the frontman of hardcore punk ...
and drummer
Jeff Nelson, the band evolved out of the Slinkees. After original vocalist Mark Sullivan left for college, the Slinkees first tried to recruit Henry Garfield (later
Rollins) before Strejcek joined. After renaming themselves the Teen Idles, the band toured locally; they played at a range of venues, including opening for
Bad Brains
Bad Brains are an American rock band formed in Washington, D.C. in 1976. Originally a jazz fusion band under the name Mind Power, they are widely regarded as pioneers of hardcore punk, though the band's members have objected to the use of this t ...
at an art gallery called
Madam's Organ.
The Teen Idles recorded two demo sessions at a local studio in February and April 1980, despite the engineer and a visiting band openly laughing as they recorded. They chose not to release the recordings, and instead embarked on a tour of the
West Coast in August 1980. Upon their return to Washington D.C., the Teen Idles met Skip Groff, owner of the record store Yesterday and Today, to discuss a studio recording of their songs.
[Azerrad, 2001. p. 126]
Recording and production
The group entered
Inner Ear Studios
Inner Ear Studios is a recording studio founded in Arlington, Virginia that has been in operation since the late 1970s. Originally started in founder Don Zientara's basement, the studio spent many years on South Oakland St. in Arlington. The s ...
in September 1980 to record a number of songs, with owner
Don Zientara
Don Zientara ( ) is an American record producer and musician. He owns and runs Inner Ear Studios in Arlington, Virginia, located just outside Washington D.C., and is most widely known for his production work with Fugazi, Minor Threat and various ...
engineering and Groff producing. Inner Ear was merely Zientara's house; he owned a
four-track recorder and some home-made gear. The mixing board was on the porch, and was connected to the basement of the house where the band played. Zientara later noted that "everything was held together with clothespins". Inner Ear was useful to the Teen Idles, as at the time there were few options available to an American independent band between recording on a
boombox or at a professional studio.
Zientara, a
folk music
Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...
enthusiast, usually engineered recordings of
Celtic folk and harp music and was about 14 years older than the Teen Idles, yet appreciated their recording zeal. He later commented: "It was them against the world, and they played music with that in mind. This music, it was 'Let's give it 100 percent, for a minute and a half and then drop out of sheer exhaustion, then shove it out of the way and get on to the next one. It wasn't like we were taking the time to archive this for posterity". Seven tracks were recorded in total. However, the band had not thought of what to do with the tapes, and shelved them.
Music
Like the Teen Idles' other material, ''Minor Disturbance'' features mainly standard hardcore punk melodies and rhythms. Many of the album's songs feature Strejcek shouting over a fast one-two hardcore beat, with MacKaye and Grindle providing short and speedy riffs. On ''Minor Disturbance'', the band drew inspiration from local punk band Bad Brains, as well as Californian hardcore bands such as
Black Flag and
Germs.
Release and reception
After deciding not to release the recordings, the Teen Idles continued to tour locally. However, by October 1980, they had decided to break up, mostly because of Grindle's disillusionment with the band. In their year of touring, they had earned a total of $600. The members gave themselves two options; either divide the money between each member, or press the Inner Ear recordings. MacKaye later recalled, "We just said, 'Let's document overselves'. We figured that having a record would be pretty cool". Nelson added: "I don't remember thinking it was going to be anything more than just one record". Choosing the latter, MacKaye and Nelson founded Dischord Records with Groff's help to release the recordings.
[Azerrad, 2001. p. 132]
''Minor Disturbance'', an eight-song EP which included a live version of "Too Young to Rock", was released in December 1980. Dischord organized the pressing and printing, and ordered an initial run of 1,000 7" vinyl discs. However, the packaging of the EP had to be cut, folded and glued by hand; Nelson, Strejcek and MacKaye and friends spent many days assembling the packaging. The EP's front cover was designed by Nelson and featured a photo of MacKaye's younger brother
Alec
Alec or Aleck is a Scottish form of the given name Alex. It may be a diminutive of the name Alexander or a given name in its own right. Notable people with the name include:
People
*Alec Aalto (1942–2018), Finnish diplomat
* Alec Acton (1938– ...
's hands, crossed across his chest, with large under-age Xs (which would later become a symbol of the
straight edge movement).
The EP's back cover included a photograph of the Teen Idles and a number of friends and fans, outside their penultimate concert at the Chancery in Washington on October 31, 1980.
In October 1984, ''Minor Disturbance'' was reissued as part of the ''Four Old Seven Inches'' compilation, which combined the EPs of four early Dischord bands. The ''Four Old Seven Inches'' compilation and the EP itself fell out of print during the 1980s, so ''Minor Disturbance'' was unavailable until October 1995, when the compilation was re-released on
compact disc
The compact disc (CD) is a digital optical disc data storage format that was co-developed by Philips and Sony to store and play digital audio recordings. In August 1982, the first compact disc was manufactured. It was then released in Oc ...
.
Track listing
Personnel
* Nathan Strejcek −
lead vocals
* Geordie Grindle −
guitar
The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...
*
Ian MacKaye
Ian Thomas Garner MacKaye (; born April 16, 1962) is an American musician. Active since 1979, he is best known as the co-founder and owner of Dischord Records, a Washington, D.C.-based independent record label and the frontman of hardcore punk ...
−
bass
*
Jeff Nelson −
drums
Production
* Skip Groff –
producer
*
Don Zientara
Don Zientara ( ) is an American record producer and musician. He owns and runs Inner Ear Studios in Arlington, Virginia, located just outside Washington D.C., and is most widely known for his production work with Fugazi, Minor Threat and various ...
–
engineer
Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the limit ...
* Jeff Nelson – graphic design, sleeve
* Susie Josephson – front cover photo
* Jay Rabinowitz – back cover photo
Notes
*
Azerrad, Michael. ''
Our Band Could Be Your Life
''Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground, 1981–1991'' is a book by Michael Azerrad. It chronicles the careers of several underground rock bands who, while finding little or no mainstream success, were hugely ...
''. Little, Brown and Company, 2001.
References
{{Authority control
1980 debut EPs
The Teen Idles albums
Dischord Records EPs