The Evens are a Washington, D.C. indie-rock duo, formed in the fall of 2001, comprising partners

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 ...

(

baritone guitar The baritone guitar is a guitar with a longer scale length, typically a larger body, and heavier internal bracing, so it can be tuned to a lower pitch. Gretsch, Fender, Gibson, Ibanez, ESP Guitars, PRS Guitars, Music Man, Danelectro, Sc ...

vocal The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal tract, including talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, shouting, humming or yelling. The human voice frequency is specifically a part of human sound production ...

s) (of

Fugazi Fugazi (; ) is an American post-hardcore band that formed in Washington, D.C., in 1986. The band consists of guitarists and vocalists Ian MacKaye and Guy Picciotto, bassist Joe Lally, and drummer Brendan Canty. They are noted for their sty ...

, formerly of

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 (musician), Jeff Nelson. MacKaye and Nelson had played in several other bands together, and recruited bassist Br ...

) and Amy Farina (

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair of matching drumsticks ...

s) (formerly of

The Warmers The Warmers were an American post-hardcore band based in Washington, D.C., United States, active from 1994 to 1997. The band was a trio featuring former Faith vocalist Alec MacKaye (guitar and vocals), Juan Luis Carrera (bass and vocals), and ...

). After Ian MacKaye's band

entered a hiatus, The Evens began practicing extensively, and eventually played a few shows and recorded a self-titled

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...

, released in March 2005 on MacKaye's label,

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 ...

. The Evens are known for their unusual choices in venues for performances and the stylistic change from what many have dubbed the "D.C." or "Dischord" sound. ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...

'' has described the sound as "what happens when

post-hardcore Post-hardcore is a punk rock music genre that maintains the aggression and intensity of hardcore punk but emphasizes a greater degree of creative expression. It was initially inspired by post-punk and noise rock. Like post-punk, the term has be ...

becomes post-post-hardcore."

History

The Evens first gained notice in late 2003 when they created a video for their original children's song "Vowel Movement", which was made for

Pancake Mountain ''Pancake Mountain'' is a children's television show created by filmmaker Scott Stuckey (of the famous Stuckey's family). Described as an “alt-rock guerrilla kids' dance party, forged in the crucible of Washington, D.C. cable-access televisio ...

, a Washington, D.C. internet-based children's program. The clip fueled furthered rumors of

's breakup amid their hiatus, while adding speculation as to MacKaye's new musical direction. The song featured sing-along lines and upbeat music in the vein of

Sesame Street ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Workshop until June 2000 ...

and other children's educational programs, while the video showed dancing children and colorful vowels. In June and July 2006, MacKaye and Farina recorded new music that they wrote earlier in that year. On November 6, 2006, they released their second album entitled ''

Get Evens ''Get Evens'' is the second album by indie/punk duo The Evens. It was released on November 6, 2006. Track listing # "Cut from the Cloth" # "Everybody Knows" # "Cache Is Empty" # "You Fell Down" # "Pushed Against the Wall" # "No Money" # "All Yo ...

'', which featured this new music. The band released their last album ''

The Odds Odds are a Canadian alternative rock band based in Vancouver, British Columbia. They perform music with a power pop style. They were nominated for six Juno Awards in the 1990s. As of 2014, they are on their fifth record label. History Odds (1987� ...

'' would on November 20, 2012. The album was listed 45th on

Stereogum ''Stereogum'' is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine. ''Stereogum'' was one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several awar ...

's list of top 50 albums of 2012.

Discography

* ''

The Evens The Evens are a Washington, D.C. indie-rock duo, formed in the fall of 2001, comprising partners Ian MacKaye (baritone guitar, vocals) (of Fugazi, formerly of Minor Threat) and Amy Farina ( drums, vocals) (formerly of The Warmers). After Ian Mac ...

'' LP (2005) * ''

'' LP (2006) * '' 2 Songs'' 7" (2011) * ''

'' LP (2012)

References

External links

The Evens
at

Bandcamp Bandcamp is an American online audio distribution platform founded in 2007 by Oddpost co-founder Ethan Diamond and programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt and Neal Tucker, with headquarters in Oakland, California, US. On March 2, 2022, Bandcamp ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Evens, The Dischord Records artists Indie rock musical groups from Washington, D.C. Rock music duos Musical groups established in 2001 Punk rock groups from Washington, D.C.