Marginal man
OriginWashington, D.C., United States
GenresHardcore punk
Years active1982 (1982)–1988 (1988)
1991, 1995, 2011 (reunions)
LabelsDischord, Gasatanka, Enigma, Giant
Past membersSteve Polcari
Pete Murray
Mike Manos
Andre Lee
Kenny Inouye

Marginal Man was an American hardcore punk band from Washington, D.C., that formed in 1982. Three of its members—Steve Polcari (vocals), Pete Murray (guitar), and Mike Manos (drums)—had previously played together in the Bethesda, Maryland hardcore band Artificial Peace,[1] a notable part of D.C.'s early hardcore scene, appearing on Dischord Records' "landmark"[2] Flex Your Head compilation. After Artificial Peace disbanded, the trio would join up with Andre Lee (bass) and Kenny Inouye (guitar) to form Marginal Man. The band's first performance occurred on November 19, 1982 at a basement show with Scream, Insurrection, Double-O, United Mutation, and others.[3] According to Polcari, the name 'Marginal Man' referred to the concept of "having friends in two or more groups, but not being part of any individual group. Kind of like 'outside looking in.'"[4]

Marginal Man was one of the first D.C. hardcore bands, in addition to The Faith and Minor Threat, to feature two guitars. According to Minor Threat drummer and Dischord Records co-founder Jeff Nelson, "Marginal Man made the best use of two guitars of all the bands in D.C."[5] The band toured and recorded frequently before giving a "final" performance at the 9:30 Club on March 24, 1988. The band subsequently reunited for several shows—the 9:30 Club on August 29, 1991 and December 30, 1995 (the second-to-last show at the 9:30 Club's original location) and at the Black Cat on August 20, 2011.[6]

Guitarist Kenny Inouye is the son of the late former Representative, Senator, and Medal of Honor recipient Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii.[7]

Discography

Releases

Appearances

Members

References

  1. ^ Righi, Len (April 12, 1986). "Marginal Man: Discontent On The Punk Border", The Morning Call, p. 60.
  2. ^ Azerrad, Michael (2002). Our band could be your life : scenes from the American indie underground 1981-1991 (First Back Bay paperback ed.). Boston. p. 133. ISBN 0316787531.((cite book)): CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  3. ^ "Marginal Man and Shudder to Think concert flier, 9:30 Club, Washington, D.C. - March 24, 1988". Special Collections in Performing Arts, University of Maryland Libraries. hdl:1903.1/43920. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  4. ^ "Marginal Man Interview". Independent Viewpoint (2). 1984 – via Internet Archive.
  5. ^ Crawford, Scott (2017). Spoke : images and stories from the 1980s Washington, DC punk scene. [Brooklyn, New York]: Akashic Books. p. 60. ISBN 978-1-61775-500-2.
  6. ^ Marginal Man Reunion At Black Cat Aug 20th, Dischord, June 6, 2011.
  7. ^ Freed, Benjamin R (2012-12-18). "Late Sen. Daniel Inouye Was the Biggest Punk in Congress". DCist. Archived from the original on 2015-01-02. Retrieved 2014-09-06.
Other sources

External links


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