Out of the ashtray, into the ashtray. Out of the ashtray.
from
Everybody Wants Somewhere: A Tribute To Fugazi Volumes I and II,
released April 30, 2017
Recorded & Mixed by Jack Shirley at The Atomic Garden in Palo Alto, CA
Great Apes are Brian Moss (Vox/Guitar), Matthew Kadi (Drums), Ryan Marshall (Bass), Chris Chapel (Guitar)
greatapessf.com
When I was fourteen years old, I had a “This is not a Fugazi t-shirt" that I had no idea was in fact, not actually a Fugazi shirt. It took a couple more years to wrap my adolescent brain around that one. By that point, having collected the majority of the band’s catalog, the ethical and political stances that revealed themselves to me through lyrics, conversations with more educated listeners, and interviews, merely added to my adoration. To my young ears and mind, not only were they operating on a musical level far outside of the guidelines, they clearly used their work as a means of influencing others and attempting to change detrimental pre-existing social, political, and sociopolitical climates and norms. Furthermore, they remained uncompromisingly dedicated to doing things themselves and avoiding the gears of the industry machine.
Now, decades later, after having been lucky enough to see Fugazi twice and unlucky enough to have four copies of Instrument stolen from houses I lived in, they still stand out as the ideal model for what being in a band should entail, musically, and in terms of action. Sure, a five dollar show may not be plausible these days, but reaching beyond limitations and genre expectations in favor of sheer creativity, and remaining dedicated to resistance, community, and the value of people and art over profit should be something we all strive for in such turbulent times. - Brian Moss | Great Apes