Remember when “indie” represented a proprietary, artistic attitude rather than a healthy majority of guitar-clanging songs lingering on the Top 100 Chart? Michael Azerrad remembers, so well, in fact, that he penned the acclaimed book Our Band Could Be Your Life. The book, released in 2001, documents the colorful careers of 13 bands that coined the term “indie” before it transformed into the cliched umbrella genre that it is today. While these bands established their own unique styles, they were all united by a prevailing do-it-yourself spirit. From booking their own shows to lugging their own equipment and clacking out their own fanzine write-ups, these bands have paid their dues in blood, sweat, tears, and killer songs and earned the title of indie trailblazers.
Black Flag
One of the first hardcore punk bands, these California beachcombers spread their non-conformist message with the clang of atonal guitar riffs and indecisive tempos. After 10 years and six albums, the band decided to call it quits in 1986 amidst the turbulence of band disagreements and the stress of teetering along the lines of poverty. Its album My War is acclaimed as one of the most iconic influences of the grunge scene.
Minor Threat
Though short-lived (the band barely lasted three years), Minor Threat left an unshakable impression on the American punk scene, both musically and culturally. The D.C. punks sparked the do-it-yourself movement in the veins of home recording and independent concert promotion. They also pioneered a movement named after their song “Straight Edge.” After touring alongside Bad Brains and Black Flag, Minor Threat bowed out of the scene that it had shaped with its first and only studio album, Out of Step.
Husker Du
Beginning as a hard-hitting punk band relying on thrashing beats and shredding guitars, this Saint Paul trio quickly adopted a more melodic sound, molding the genre of alternative rock. Guitarist-vocalist Bob Mould penned heart wrenching lines while drummer Grant Hart added cryptic one-liners to the band’s arsenal, forging a fruitful songwriting partnership. The band split in 1988 in the midst of drug addiction and budding relationships, but left an influential legacy.
The Replacements
Hailing from the other side of the Twin Cities was punk rock band The Replacements. With a career spanning into the ’90s, The Replacements combined classic rock influences with a raging punk rock slant for an appealing sound with self-deprecating lyrics. Known for its destructive live performances, the band would often perform intoxicated and end shows by trashing its instruments. The turbulent band announced just weeks ago that core members Paul Westerberg and Tommy Stinson have reunited in the studio for a covers EP.
Sonic Youth
This NYC noise rock outfit combined the avant garde influences of the No Wave movement with the underground punk DIY work ethic. From using oddball guitar tunings to re-appropriating household objects as instruments, Sonic Youth shifted the boundaries separating music from noise. Together since 1981, the quintet announced an indefinite hiatus following core members Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore’s separation last year.
Dinosaur Jr.
The super-distorted, high gain, no frills rock styling of Dinosaur Jr. took form in 1980s Massachusetts. The band couples exaggerated crescendos with singer-guitarist J. Mascis’s whirring vocals, churned in a powerful sonic storm into a sound that helped define indie rock. While Mascis is the band’s only prevailing member, that has not hindered its prolific attitude, with recently released album I Bet On Sky rounding out its catalog to an even 10.
Beat Happening
A ray of humming sunshine illuminating the gloomy grunge scene of Olympia, Washington, indie pop trio Beat Happening didn’t allow a lack of musical training and primitive recording methods stop it from spreading its lighthearted themes and cheery melodies. Bringing anti-corporate rock to mainstream approval, the trio touched on a wide span of subject matter in its trademark lo-fi style. The band released five albums in less than a decade but have remained inactive since the early ’90s.
