Who We Are: Minor Threat from Washington, D.C.
We're Minor Threat, a hardcore punk band from Washington, D.C. Here's who we were, how we started, and why our merch looks the way it does.
Where did Minor Threat start?
We formed in Washington, D.C. in 1980. Ian MacKaye sang, Jeff Nelson played drums, Lyle Preslar played guitar and Brian Baker played bass. Before Minor Threat, Ian and Jeff had played together in the Teen Idles.
Who was in the band?
- Ian MacKaye: vocals, 1980 to 1983
- Jeff Nelson: drums, 1980 to 1983
- Lyle Preslar: guitar, 1980 to 1983
- Brian Baker: bass, then second guitar from 1982
- Steve Hansgen: bass in 1982 and 1983, when Brian moved to guitar
What was Dischord Records?
Every record we made came out on Dischord Records, the label Ian and Jeff ran. Dischord started in December 1980, and its first release was the Teen Idles' Minor Disturbance. Our own first EP followed in 1981.
How long did it last?
Not long. We played our last show on 23 September 1983 at the Lansburgh Cultural Center in D.C., with Trouble Funk and the Big Boys on the bill. Three years, a handful of records, all of them on Dischord.
Why does that matter for the merch?
Because the look came from the same place as the music: photocopied flyers, hand-cut lettering, black, white and red. Our designs keep that feel, from the bottle-headed punk in a leather jacket to the scratchy Beach Rats lettering.
Find every design on tees, long sleeves, crewnecks and hoodies, with kids' and youth sizes too, in the shop.