The Faith (American band)

The band formed as a four-piece in the summer of 1981 and featured Alec MacKaye, former vocalist for the Untouchables, on vocals, Michael Hampton and Ivor Hanson of Henry Rollins' first band, State of Alert on guitar and drums respectively, as well as Chris Bald on bass. They called themselves the Faith and played their first show at H.B. Woodlawn High School in November 1981. Alec described the name as "a positive kind of sound, not negative like so many others". Filling part of the void left by Minor Threat's hiatus, the Faith quickly became one of the most popular bands in D.C. After recording a demo in December 1981, the band released a split LP with fellow D.C. hardcore band, Void. It was released by Dischord Records, a local independent label founded by MacKaye's elder brother Ian MacKaye and Jeff Nelson of Minor Threat. The first pressing of the record sold out in two weeks. The addition was made because they wanted to get some more complex guitar ideas into the songs and soften the impact of guitar malfunctions, which were a constant threat during good shows. They also wanted a fuller sound and liked the way Eddie played. After the Faith broke up, guitarist Eddie Janney formed Rites of Spring with Guy Picciotto; while Hampton, Bald, and Hanson went on to join Embrace with Ian MacKaye on vocals. When Embrace broke up in early 1986, Chris Bald rejoined Alec MacKaye in Ignition (with Alec on vocals); meanwhile, Janney reunited with Michael Hampton for One Last Wish following Rites of Spring's breakup (later reformed as Happy Go Licky). Finally, Hampton and Hanson reunited in Manifesto in 1991, while Alec MacKaye sang with the Warmers during the mid-'90s. ==Musical style==

The Faith took hardcore punk to new places in the early 1980s. Even during their existence, their music hinted at what was to come, softening the standard-issue hardcore approach somewhat with better-developed melodies and a more inward-looking perspective. To be sure, it was high-energy, high-velocity punk, but its subtle deviations from the norm opened up new vistas for the D.C. scene. By the time they recorded the Subject to Change EP – which was first released in late 1983, shortly after they disbanded – the Faith had adopted a more melodic and emotional approach, perhaps owing to the addition of a second guitar player. The two guitars together seem to chime, creating an unusual – for hardcore – sense of melody. And instead of employing hardcore's usual strangled bark, Alec MacKaye makes sure his words are clear and easy to discern: the Faith's musicality often trumps their rage. ==Legacy==

The music the Faith created remain among the most acclaimed not just in D.C. hardcore, but with hardcore as a whole. Writing for the Guardian, Craig Finn of the Hold Steady referred to the Faith / Void Split as “one of the most vital hardcore records ever released” and continued: “It's a reminder of hardcore at its finest: angry and dangerous without being cartoonish”. The split is regarded as a hardcore classic, and the album has proven highly influential on the Punk-Metal crossover that would develop throughout the 1980s. They have been cited as a favorite or an influence by Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam, Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth and Kurt Cobain of Nirvana, who ranked their split album in his top 50 albums of all time. Moore would later comment, "At the time, I thought of them as the most potent distillation of what 'D.C. straightedge hardcore 1980' was all about, in a way, because they were the youngest." ==Band members==

• Alec MacKaye – vocals (1981–1983) • Michael Hampton – guitar (1981–1983) • Edward Janney – guitar (1982–1983) • Chris Bald – bass (1981–1983) • Ivor Hanson – drums (1981–1983) ==Discography==

Studio albums • Faith / Void Split (Dischord, 1982) EPs • Subject to Change (Dischord, 1983) Compilations appearances • 20 Years of Dischord (2002) – "Subject to Change" and a demo version of "No Choice" ==See also==