Marginal Man was an 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 from Washington, D.C., that formed in 1982. Three of its members—Steve Polcari (vocals), Pete Murray (guitar), and Mike Manos (drums)—had previously played together in the

Bethesda, Maryland Bethesda () is an unincorporated, census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland. It is located just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House (1820, rebuilt 1849), which in ...

hardcore band Artificial Peace,Righi, Len (April 12, 1986).
Marginal Man: Discontent On The Punk Border
, ''

The Morning Call ''The Morning Call'' is a daily newspaper in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1883, it is the second longest continuously published newspaper in the Lehigh Valley, after '' The Express-Times''. In 2020, the newspaper permanently closed its ...

'', p. 60. a notable part of D.C.'s early hardcore scene, appearing on

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. ...

' "landmark" ''

Flex Your Head ''Flex Your Head'' is a sampler album featuring early hardcore punk bands from the Washington, D.C. area.Curd, Zach"''Flex Your Head'': AllMusic Review by Zach Curd" ''AllMusic''. Retrieved April 20, 2016. It was originally released in January ...

'' compilation. After Artificial Peace disbanded, the trio would join up with Andre Lee (bass) and Kenny Inouye (guitar) to form Marginal Man. The band's first performance occurred on November 19, 1982 at a basement show with

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, Insurrection, Double-O, United Mutation, and others. According to Polcari, the name 'Marginal Man' referred to the concept of "having friends in two or more groups, but not being part of any individual group. Kind of like 'outside looking in.'" Marginal Man was one of the first D.C. hardcore bands, in addition to The Faith and

Minor Threat Minor Threat was an American hardcore punk band, formed in 1980 in Washington, D.C. by vocalist Ian MacKaye and drummer Jeff Nelson. MacKaye and Nelson had played in several other bands together, and recruited bassist Brian Baker and guitar ...

, to feature two guitars. According to Minor Threat drummer and Dischord Records co-founder Jeff Nelson, "Marginal Man made the best use of two guitars of all the bands in D.C." The band toured and recorded frequently before giving a "final" performance at the 9:30 Club on March 24, 1988. The band subsequently reunited for several shows—the 9:30 Club on August 29, 1991 and December 30, 1995 (the second-to-last show at the 9:30 Club's original location) and at the Black Cat on August 20, 2011. Guitarist Kenny Inouye is the son of the late former

Representative Representative may refer to: Politics * Representative democracy, type of democracy in which elected officials represent a group of people * House of Representatives, legislative body in various countries or sub-national entities * Legislator, som ...

, Senator, and

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valo ...

recipient Daniel Inouye, D-

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

Discography

Releases

* ''Identity'' 12" EP (Dischord Records, 1984)/CD EP (Dischord, 1997) * ''Double Image'' LP (Gasatanka/Enigma Records, 1985)/CD (In Your Eye, 2000) * ''Marginal Man'' LP/CS (Giant Records, 1988)

Appearances

* "Marginal Man" on the "Alive And Kicking" 7" compilation (WGNS Recordings, 1985) * "Stones Of A Wall" on the "State Of The Union" LP compilation (Dischord, 1989) * "Friends" on the "Going Nowhere Slow" LP compilation (Double A Records, 1990) * "Mainstream" and "Tell Me" on the "...And The Fun Just Never Ends" CD compilation (Lost And Found Records, 1993) * "Missing Rungs" and "Manipulator" on the "20 Years Of Dischord" 3xCD compilation (Dischord, 2003)

Members

* Steve Polcari - Vocals * Pete Murray - Guitar, Vocals * Kenny Inouye - Guitar * Andre Lee - Bass * Mike Manos - Drums

References

;Other sources
Southern Records web site biography

Dischord Records

Interview with Kenny Inouye on Dissonance Radio

External links

Official Website

Digitized Marginal Man fliers and fanzine coverage from the University of Maryland's D.C. punk collections
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marginal Man Dischord Records artists Hardcore punk groups from Washington, D.C. Musical groups established in 1983 Musical groups disestablished in 1988