SKEWBALD:
Ian Mackaye - vocals
Eddie Janney - guitar
John Falls - bass
Jeff Nelson - drums
Minor Threat came to a halt in September 1981 when Lyle, the guitar player, decided to go to college. Ian and Jeff had their hands full with Dischord, but started working on a new band almost right away. They joined forces with Dischord housemate, Eddie Janney, the former guitarist of seminal DC punk band The Untouchables. On bass was John Falls, a long time friend and part of the young DC punk community. While the band wrote songs, practiced regularly, and even managed to record at Inner Ear studios, they never played a show. Jeff and Ian were split on a name for the project...Jeff preferred Grand Union, taken from a nearby grocery store, while Ian was locked on Skewbald, a word he found while perusing a dictionary. As it turned out the debate was a moot point. The new band seemed to loose steam and eventually disolve after Ian left for three weeks in December of '81 to rodie for Black Flag in England. Lyle reentered the picture when he tired of the college life and it was decided that Minor Threat would reform, which they did in April of 1982.
The Skewbald/Grand Union tape was left in the closet for a decade. It was
a favourite listen around the house, but seemed unreleasable since the
band never played out. Ian and Jeff finally decided to put it out as
Dischord #50, a milestone for a label that started with the intention of
only releasing one 7", and as another document of the pair's musical
collaboration. After Minor Threat, Ian went on to play in Embrace as well
as Fugazi. Jeff drummed with Three, Senator Flux, and The High Back
Chairs. Eddie joined The Faith in 1983, and later played in Rites of
Spring, One Last Wish, and Happy Go Licky before turning his attention to
painting. John never really played with any other bands, but became a
photographer and has worked with many bands, and has shot numerous Fugazi
sessions.