Skewbald/Grand Union (EP)

Background and band history

Commonly known as simply Skewbald, Skewbald/Grand Union was a short-lived hardcore punk band from Washington, D.C., founded by Ian MacKaye and Jeff Nelson, after their previous band, Minor Threat, broke up for their first time in September 1981. Their lineup was rounded out by guitarist Edward Janney and bassist John Falls.

The band's strange name was a result of a friendly dispute between MacKaye and Nelson. The four-piece was initially named Grand Union, after a nearby grocery store. MacKaye then found the word "skewbald" in a dictionary, and thought it was a better name. Nelson, however, still preferred Grand Union. The two were unable to favor either title, and the disagreement was never settled.

In November 1981, the band recorded three untitled demo songs, not originally intended for release, in a self-produced session, engineered by Don Zientara at Inner Ear Studios in Arlington, Virginia. After recording, the rehearsals came to a halt and Falls left the project. Eventually, MacKaye moved from vocals to bass and the band practiced as a three-piece a few more times in early 1982, but Skewbald/Grand Union, who never came to play a show, was dissolved upon the reformation of Minor Threat in the spring of 1982.

Release

In 1991, the demo received a proper release, on 7-inch clear vinyl, when Dischord Records issued the one-sided EP Skewbald/Grand Union to commemorate the label's 50th release. Two out of the three songs were merged on the first track.

Reissues

Skewbald/Grand Union was reissued as a CD EP in October 1997. Individual tracks were made also available as digital downloads.

In 2002, the medley "Sorry/Change for the Same" was featured on the 3-CD compilation box set 20 Years of Dischord.

Track listing

All tracks written by Skewbald/Grand Union

1. "Side One" (unofficially known as "Sorry / Change for the Same") (2:54)
2. "Side Two" (unofficially known as "You're Not Fooling Me") (1:13)

Personnel

• Ian MacKaye – vocals
• Edward Janney – guitar
• John Falls – bass
• Jeff Nelson – drums

Production

• Skewbald – production
• Don Zientara – engineering

Notes

References

References

1. [http://www.dischord.com/release/050/2-songs-3 Skewbald, ''2 Songs'']. ''[[Dischord Records. dischord]].com''. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
2. [http://www.dischord.com/band/skewbald Skewbald]. ''[[Dischord Records. dischord]].com''. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
3. [[Mark Andersen. Andersen, Mark]]; Jenkins, Mark ([[Soft Skull Press]], 2001). ''Dance of Days: Two Decades of Punk in the Nation's Capital''. Fourth ed., 2009. [[Akashic Books]]. {{ISBN. 9781933354996. p. 95.
4. {{usurped
5. [[Michael Azerrad. Azerrad, Michael]] ([[Little, Brown and Company]], 2001). ''Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Rock Underground 1981-1991''. First e-book ed., 2012. [[Hachette Book Group. Hachette]]. {{ISBN. 9780316247184. pp. 368-369.
6. Huey, Steve. [http://www.allmusic.com/artist/skewbald-grand-union-mn0001829849/biography "Skewbald/Grand Union: Artist Biography by Steve Huey"]. ''[[AllMusic. allmusic]].com''. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
7. [[Mark Andersen. Andersen, Mark]]; Jenkins, Mark ([[Soft Skull Press]], 2001). ''Dance of Days: Two Decades of Punk in the Nation's Capital''. Fourth ed., 2009. [[Akashic Books]]. {{ISBN. 9781933354996. p. 132.
8. [[Steven Blush. Blush, Steven]] (2001). ''[[American Hardcore: A Tribal History]]''. Second ed., 2010. [[Feral House]]. {{ISBN. 9781932595895. p. 159.
9. Khanna, Vish (February 15, 2007). [http://exclaim.ca/Music/article/ian_mackaye-out_of_step "Ian MacKaye: Out of Step"]. ''[[Exclaim!. exclaim.ca]]''. Retrieved August 3, 2015.
10. [[Michael Azerrad. Azerrad, Michael]] ([[Little, Brown and Company]], 2001). ''Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Rock Underground 1981-1991''. First e-book ed., 2012. [[Hachette Book Group. Hachette]]. {{ISBN. 9780316247184. p. 370.
11. [[Mark Andersen. Andersen, Mark]]; Jenkins, Mark ([[Soft Skull Press]], 2001). ''Dance of Days: Two Decades of Punk in the Nation's Capital''. Fourth ed., 2009. [[Akashic Books]]. {{ISBN. 9781933354996. p. 101.
12. [[Steven Blush. Blush, Steven]] (2001). ''[[American Hardcore: A Tribal History]]''. Second ed., 2010. [[Feral House]]. {{ISBN. 9781932595895. p. 160.
13. [http://www.allmusic.com/album/skewbald-grand-union-mw0000052883 ''Skewald/Grand Union'' (EP)]. [[AllMusic]]. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
14. [[Steven Blush. Blush, Steven]] (2001). ''[[American Hardcore: A Tribal History]]''. Second ed., 2010. [[Feral House]]. {{ISBN. 9781932595895. p. 140.
15. [http://www.allmusic.com/album/release/skewbald-grand-union-mr0001345948 ''Skewbald/Grand Union'' (EP), 1997 reissue]. ''[[AllMusic. allmusic]].com''. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
16. [http://www.dischord.com/release/125/20-years-of-dischord Various artists, ''20 Years of Dischord'']. ''[[Dischord Records. dischord]].com''. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
17. [http://www.allmusic.com/album/20-years-of-dischord-mw0000226437 Various artists, ''20 Years of Dischord'']. ''[[AllMusic. allmusic]].com''. Retrieved September 30, 2015.