Government Issue
Encyclopedia
Government Issue was an American hardcore punk
band from Washington, D.C.
active from 1980 to 1989. The band experienced many changes in membership during its nine-year existence, with singer John Stabb as the only consistent member in an ever-fluctuating lineup that at various times included notable musicians Brian Baker
, Mike Fellows
, Steve Hansgen
, J. Robbins
, and Peter Moffett. Government Issue originated from the Washington, D.C. hardcore
scene but added elements of heavy metal
, New Wave
, and psychedelic rock
on later records. Though this has caused the band to be sometimes overlooked in relation to other Washington, D.C. hardcore acts, their stylistic diversity made them influential to later punk rock groups.
John Stabb. As the members of The Stab drifted apart, Stabb and drummer Marc Alberstadt recruited guitarist John Barry and bassist Brian Gay, changing the band's name to Government Issue. They made their live debut at the two-day Unheard Music Festival in December 1980, but not as Government Issue: Alberstadt was sick and unable to perform, so the band invited guest players to fill in on both nights and performed under the name The Substitutes. The band's second performance was shut down midway by the police. Government Issue's debut EP
Legless Bull was recorded with this original lineup and released through local label Dischord Records
in September 1981, after which Gay left to attend college and was replaced by Brian Baker
of Minor Threat
, who were on hiatus at the time. Baker later recalled that "Ian [MacKaye
] and Jeff [Nelson
] were gonna start something with Eddie [Janney] and John Falls, so I joined the DC band I liked the best who needed somebody — Government Issue. They were a great band, especially early on." Government Issue also contributed two tracks to Flex Your Head
, Dischord's 1982 compilation album
of D.C.-area hardcore punk
bands.
." The Stabb/Baker/Lyle/Alberstadt lineup of Government Issue recorded the Make an Effort EP, released in 1982 through Fountain of Youth Records. Baker then rejoined Minor Threat in early 1982, recalling that his departure "was amicable after John Stabb calmed down but everyone else understood and didn't have a problem." Lyle took over the guitar position and Mitch Parker joined on bass for Government Issue's 1983 debut LP
Boycott Stabb, which was produced
by Ian MacKaye. Rob Moss replaced Parker on bass for a time, before Mike Fellows
joined for 1984's Joyride, produced by Brian Baker. Fellows soon moved on to Rites of Spring
and was replaced by John Leonard, and the band recorded 1985's The Fun Just Never Ends. Government Issue changed labels from Fountain of Youth to Mystic Records
in hopes of better marketing, putting out two more releases in 1985: the EP Give Us Stabb or Give Us Death and the live album
Live on Mystic.
ous Government Issue, for which the band returned to Fountain of Youth, and the album was completed with ex-Minor Threat bassist Steve Hansgen
and drummer Sean Saley. Government Issue saw Stabb moving in a more melodic direction, away from traditional hardcore and taking influence from The Damned's gothic rock
sound. Hansgen and Saley subsequently left and were replaced by J. Robbins
and Peter Moffett, respectively, and Government Issue moved to Giant Records
for 1987's You, an album which chronicled Stabb's relationship with an underage girl. 1988's Crash continued the band's evolution into greater musical variety, and Giant reissued the band's Fountain of Youth releases. However, the band broke up in 1989. According to Robbins, a van accident and creative differences were contributing factors to the breakup:
while Moffett joined Wool
, and the two later reunited in Burning Airlines
. Stabb reverted to his given name, playing with several Washington, D.C.-area bands in the 1990s before forming The Factory Incident in 2000.
Over a decade after the band's dissolution, a number of compilation album
s and reissues of their material began to be released. In 2000 Dr. Strange Records
released the career retrospective Complete History Volume One
, followed by Complete History Volume Two
in 2002. Dischord Records reissued Legless Bull in 2002 while Dr. Strange released Strange Wine: Live at CBGB August 30th, 1987 in 2003, consisting of live recordings and studio tracks remastered
by Tom Lyle. 2005 saw the release of the DVD
Live 1985.
On July 17, 2007 John Stabb was assault
ed by five men near his home and required extensive facial reconstruction surgery
. To help pay for his medical bills and lost wages, a benefit concert
was held on September 23, 2007 which featured a reunited lineup of Stabb, Tom Lyle, and Brian Baker, joined by drummer William Knapp, performing as "Government Re-Issue". A portion of the proceeds from the 2007 Riot Fest concert were donated to Stabb to pay for his medical bills, as well as to J. Robbins, whose son had been diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy
. In 2009 DC-Jam Records
released The Punk Remains the Same, an EP of live Government Issue tracks recorded in 1982 and 1983.
Government Issue reunited a second time for a performance in Washington, D.C. on December 11, 2010. The show featured the band's final lineup of Stabb, Lyle, Robbins, and Moffett, and was a benefit to raise medical funds for a local DJ.
act, over time their music evolved to incorporate other styles. Steven Blush
, author of American Hardcore: A Tribal History
, writes that they "vied with Minor Threat
as the top [Washington, D.C. hardcore] band in 1981–1982" and that Legless Bull "best exemplified smartass suburban HC." But by 1982, with Brian Baker and Tom Lyle in the lineup, the band began to develop a sound more akin to heavy rock than pure hardcore. Steve Huey of Allmusic notes that the band "carried the torch for traditional hardcore punk on their early records, but evolved into something more adventurous by adding bits of metal
, new wave pop
, and psychedelia
". By 1986's Government Issue Stabb was moving in a more melodic direction influenced by the gothic rock
of The Damned, and by 1988's Crash the group was at its most musically diverse.
Stabb himself later remarked that Government Issue "proved that we were more than just a hardcore band. We'd graduated from the school of 'bang and howl' and we really bummed out a small portion of our punk audience", and that "we'd moved on from the hardcore world into melodic, well-crafted punk with a decidedly pop edge." Aaron Burgess of Alternative Press notes that the continual evolution in sound over the band's nine-year lifespan made their music more influential to later generations of punk rock groups:
However, though they did have a following in the straight edge
community, Government Issue's stylistic expansion from one album to the next alienated much of their early hardcore audience. Blush writes that "Unfortunately, most who went to see G.I. through the 80s still expected to hear hardcore reminiscent of the first EP. The group was moving into a softer, R.E.M.
direction, and none of their fans gave a shit about such profound maturity." Huey remarks that the band "has remained somewhat overlooked in relation to the rest of the D.C. hardcore bands of their time, in part because their music never really fit the proto-emo
bent of much of the local Dischord stable", while Burgess notes that they nonetheless "made history in their own way by never fitting into the scene most people naturally associated with their city."
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
band from Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
active from 1980 to 1989. The band experienced many changes in membership during its nine-year existence, with singer John Stabb as the only consistent member in an ever-fluctuating lineup that at various times included notable musicians Brian Baker
Brian Baker
Brian Baker may refer to:* Brian Baker , American guitarist for punk bands Minor Threat, Dag Nasty, and Bad Religion, among others* Brian Baker , American actor and former Sprint spokesman...
, Mike Fellows
Mike Fellows
Mike Fellows AKA Miighty Flashlight is an American musician who has performed and recorded with a variety of groups and artists since the early 1980s...
, Steve Hansgen
Steve Hansgen
Steve Hansgen was a bass player in the hardcore band Minor Threat, joining them in the fall of 1982 to allow bassist Brian Baker to switch over to second guitar....
, J. Robbins
J. Robbins
James Robbins is an American rock music artist. He began his career as a bassist for Government Issue, and has also led four of his own bands: Jawbox, Rollkicker Laydown, Burning Airlines, and Channels. He was a touring bassist for Scream and played bass on the debut 7" from Jack Potential, which...
, and Peter Moffett. Government Issue originated from the Washington, D.C. hardcore
Washington, D.C. hardcore
Washington, D.C. has had one of the first and most influential hardcore punk scenes in the United States since the early 1980s.Among the earliest DC punk bands were the Bad Brains, Slickee Boys, Teen Idles, Minor Threat, S.O.A., Chalk Circle, Velvet Monkeys, Void, The Faith, DC Youth Brigade,...
scene but added elements of heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
, New Wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
, and psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues rock bands in United States and the United Kingdom...
on later records. Though this has caused the band to be sometimes overlooked in relation to other Washington, D.C. hardcore acts, their stylistic diversity made them influential to later punk rock groups.
1980–1981: Formation and debut
Government Issue originated in 1980 as The Stab, from which lead singer John Schroeder derived his pseudonymPseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
John Stabb. As the members of The Stab drifted apart, Stabb and drummer Marc Alberstadt recruited guitarist John Barry and bassist Brian Gay, changing the band's name to Government Issue. They made their live debut at the two-day Unheard Music Festival in December 1980, but not as Government Issue: Alberstadt was sick and unable to perform, so the band invited guest players to fill in on both nights and performed under the name The Substitutes. The band's second performance was shut down midway by the police. Government Issue's debut EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
Legless Bull was recorded with this original lineup and released through local label Dischord Records
Dischord Records
Dischord Records is a Washington, D.C.-based independent record label specializing in the independent punk music of the D.C.-area music scene. The label is co-owned by Ian MacKaye and Jeff Nelson, who founded Dischord in 1980 to release Minor Disturbance by The Teen Idles...
in September 1981, after which Gay left to attend college and was replaced by Brian Baker
Brian Baker
Brian Baker may refer to:* Brian Baker , American guitarist for punk bands Minor Threat, Dag Nasty, and Bad Religion, among others* Brian Baker , American actor and former Sprint spokesman...
of Minor Threat
Minor Threat
Minor Threat was an American hardcore punk band formed in Washington, D.C. in 1980 and disbanded in 1983. The band was relatively short-lived, but had a strong influence on the hardcore punk music scene, both stylistically and in establishing a "do it yourself" ethic for music distribution and...
, who were on hiatus at the time. Baker later recalled that "Ian [MacKaye
Ian MacKaye
Ian Thomas Garner MacKaye is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, musician, label owner, and producer. Active since 1979, MacKaye is best known for being the frontman of the influential hardcore punk bands Minor Threat and The Teen Idles, the post-hardcore bands Embrace and Fugazi, as well...
] and Jeff [Nelson
Jeff Nelson (musician)
Jeff Nelson is best known as the drummer for the hardcore punk rock band Minor Threat. He and friend Ian MacKaye formed their first band, The Slinkees, in 1979. Their next band was The Teen Idles. Nelson and MacKaye founded Dischord Records in 1980, whose first record was the Teen Idles. They...
] were gonna start something with Eddie [Janney] and John Falls, so I joined the DC band I liked the best who needed somebody — Government Issue. They were a great band, especially early on." Government Issue also contributed two tracks to Flex Your Head
Flex Your Head
Flex Your Head is a punk rock compilation album. It was originally released in January 1982, and was re-released on CD in August 1995. A remastered CD version was released in 2002...
, Dischord's 1982 compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
of D.C.-area hardcore punk
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
bands.
1981–1985: Lineup and label changes
Lineup shuffles ensued as Barry left the band and Baker moved to guitar, with Tom Lyle joining in late 1981 as the new bassist. Baker later commented that his guitar style did not mesh well with the band's sound: "I wasn't a bass player and Government Issue was a chance to play guitar. They were better with John Barry on guitar but they were biggest when I was in the band. Their whole sound was his insane guitar playing, which I played nothing like. I played like Ace FrehleyAce Frehley
Paul Daniel "Ace" Frehley is an American musician best known as the lead guitarist of the rock band Kiss. He took on the persona of the "Spaceman" or "Space Ace" when the band adopted costumes and theatrics...
." The Stabb/Baker/Lyle/Alberstadt lineup of Government Issue recorded the Make an Effort EP, released in 1982 through Fountain of Youth Records. Baker then rejoined Minor Threat in early 1982, recalling that his departure "was amicable after John Stabb calmed down but everyone else understood and didn't have a problem." Lyle took over the guitar position and Mitch Parker joined on bass for Government Issue's 1983 debut LP
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
Boycott Stabb, which was produced
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
by Ian MacKaye. Rob Moss replaced Parker on bass for a time, before Mike Fellows
Mike Fellows
Mike Fellows AKA Miighty Flashlight is an American musician who has performed and recorded with a variety of groups and artists since the early 1980s...
joined for 1984's Joyride, produced by Brian Baker. Fellows soon moved on to Rites of Spring
Rites of Spring
Rites of Spring was an American post-hardcore band from Washington, D.C. in the mid-1980s, known for their energetic live performances. A part of the D.C. hardcore punk scene, Rites of Spring increased the frenetic violence and visceral passion of hardcore while simultaneously experimenting with...
and was replaced by John Leonard, and the band recorded 1985's The Fun Just Never Ends. Government Issue changed labels from Fountain of Youth to Mystic Records
Mystic Records
Mystic Records is a record label and music production company that was based in Hollywood CA one block south of Hollywood and Vine and later moved to Oceanside, California...
in hopes of better marketing, putting out two more releases in 1985: the EP Give Us Stabb or Give Us Death and the live album
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
Live on Mystic.
1986–1989: Final lineup and breakup
Leonard and Alberstadt left the band during the recording of 1986's eponymEponym
An eponym is the name of a person or thing, whether real or fictitious, after which a particular place, tribe, era, discovery, or other item is named or thought to be named...
ous Government Issue, for which the band returned to Fountain of Youth, and the album was completed with ex-Minor Threat bassist Steve Hansgen
Steve Hansgen
Steve Hansgen was a bass player in the hardcore band Minor Threat, joining them in the fall of 1982 to allow bassist Brian Baker to switch over to second guitar....
and drummer Sean Saley. Government Issue saw Stabb moving in a more melodic direction, away from traditional hardcore and taking influence from The Damned's gothic rock
Gothic rock
Gothic rock is a musical subgenre of post-punk and alternative rock that formed during the late 1970s. Gothic rock bands grew from the strong ties they had to the English punk rock and emerging post-punk scenes...
sound. Hansgen and Saley subsequently left and were replaced by J. Robbins
J. Robbins
James Robbins is an American rock music artist. He began his career as a bassist for Government Issue, and has also led four of his own bands: Jawbox, Rollkicker Laydown, Burning Airlines, and Channels. He was a touring bassist for Scream and played bass on the debut 7" from Jack Potential, which...
and Peter Moffett, respectively, and Government Issue moved to Giant Records
Giant Records
Giant Records was launched in 1990 as a joint venture between Warner Bros. Records and Irving Azoff, who had sold his companies to MCA Records for $15.7 million. Azoff initially intended for the label to be called Big Records, but that name had been taken....
for 1987's You, an album which chronicled Stabb's relationship with an underage girl. 1988's Crash continued the band's evolution into greater musical variety, and Giant reissued the band's Fountain of Youth releases. However, the band broke up in 1989. According to Robbins, a van accident and creative differences were contributing factors to the breakup:
The end of G.I. was in summer '89. After looking at the situation objectively, having done monster tours of the US and Europe, and after a terrible van accident in England where Pete shattered his ankle, we felt we were beating our heads against the wall. It was clear that all four of us had different ideas of what we wanted to do. I think those guys just got tired of working with each other. We booked one last show at 9:30 Club9:30 ClubFoo Fighters Promise to come back to D.C. and play the 9:30 ClubNightclub 9:30 is a nightclub and concert venue in Washington, D.C. Originally located at 930 F Street, NW, Washington, D.C., in the 1970s it was called the "Atlantis Club", and hosted primarily rock, New Wave, and punk bands...
, which was massive, ridiculous, and fun. That was it.
Post-breakup activity
Following Government Issue's breakup the members moved on to other musical projects. Lyle released a solo album titled Sanctuary in 1992. Robbins founded JawboxJawbox
Jawbox was an alternative rock band from Washington, D.C., U.S.. Its original members were J. Robbins , Kim Coletta and Adam Wade...
while Moffett joined Wool
Wool (band)
Wool were a rock band from Washington, D.C. , specialising in a rough-hewn but melodic brand of punk-based hard rock from 1990-1996.-History:...
, and the two later reunited in Burning Airlines
Burning Airlines
Burning Airlines were an American rock band from Washington, D.C.. J. Robbins and Bill Barbot of Jawbox formed the band with Peter Moffett, formerly of Government Issue...
. Stabb reverted to his given name, playing with several Washington, D.C.-area bands in the 1990s before forming The Factory Incident in 2000.
Over a decade after the band's dissolution, a number of compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
s and reissues of their material began to be released. In 2000 Dr. Strange Records
Dr. Strange Records
Dr. Strange Records is a record label and record store located in Alta Loma, California. It started out as an apartment-based distro in 1988 and became a record label in 1989, run out of the "Doc's" apartment until 1997 when the store was first opened....
released the career retrospective Complete History Volume One
Complete History Volume One
Complete History Volume One is a compilation album by the Washington, D.C. hardcore punk band Government Issue, compiling the band's recordings from 1982 to 1985. It was released March 28, 2000 through Dr. Strange Records, with a companion album, Complete History Volume Two, released in 2002...
, followed by Complete History Volume Two
Complete History Volume Two
Complete History Volume Two is a compilation album by the Washington, D.C. hardcore punk band Government Issue, compiling the band's recordings from 1987 to 1989. It was released January 22, 2002 through Dr. Strange Records as a sequel to 2000's Complete History Volume One. Together, the two...
in 2002. Dischord Records reissued Legless Bull in 2002 while Dr. Strange released Strange Wine: Live at CBGB August 30th, 1987 in 2003, consisting of live recordings and studio tracks remastered
Audio mastering
Mastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...
by Tom Lyle. 2005 saw the release of the DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
Live 1985.
On July 17, 2007 John Stabb was assault
Assault
In law, assault is a crime causing a victim to fear violence. The term is often confused with battery, which involves physical contact. The specific meaning of assault varies between countries, but can refer to an act that causes another to apprehend immediate and personal violence, or in the more...
ed by five men near his home and required extensive facial reconstruction surgery
Oral and maxillofacial surgery
Oral and maxillofacial surgery is surgery to correct a wide spectrum of diseases, injuries and defects in the head, neck, face, jaws and the hard and soft tissues of the oral and maxillofacial region. It is an internationally recognized surgical specialty...
. To help pay for his medical bills and lost wages, a benefit concert
Benefit concert
A benefit concert or charity concert is a concert, show or gala featuring musicians, comedians, or other performers that is held for a charitable purpose, often directed at a specific and immediate humanitarian crisis. Such events raise both funds and public awareness to address the cause at...
was held on September 23, 2007 which featured a reunited lineup of Stabb, Tom Lyle, and Brian Baker, joined by drummer William Knapp, performing as "Government Re-Issue". A portion of the proceeds from the 2007 Riot Fest concert were donated to Stabb to pay for his medical bills, as well as to J. Robbins, whose son had been diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy
Spinal muscular atrophy
Spinal Muscular Atrophy is a neuromuscular disease characterized by degeneration of motor neurons, resulting in progressive muscular atrophy and weakness. The clinical spectrum of SMA ranges from early infant death to normal adult life with only mild weakness...
. In 2009 DC-Jam Records
DC-Jam Records
DC-Jam Records is an american record label founded in 2006 by President Darron Hemann that focuses primarily on the genres of Punk Rock, Ska, and Experimental music. The company was established in 2006, though their first official release didn't happen until early 2008...
released The Punk Remains the Same, an EP of live Government Issue tracks recorded in 1982 and 1983.
Government Issue reunited a second time for a performance in Washington, D.C. on December 11, 2010. The show featured the band's final lineup of Stabb, Lyle, Robbins, and Moffett, and was a benefit to raise medical funds for a local DJ.
Style and influence
Though Government Issue began as a hardcore punkHardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
act, over time their music evolved to incorporate other styles. Steven Blush
Steven Blush
Steven Blush is an American author, publisher and promoter.His book American Hardcore: A Tribal History was released in 2001 through Feral House publishing. The film version, American Hardcore, was released September 22, 2006...
, author of American Hardcore: A Tribal History
American Hardcore: A Tribal History
American Hardcore: A Tribal History is a book by Steven Blush detailing the history of the early hardcore punk music scene.The book was the basis of the documentary American Hardcore directed by Paul Rachman and written by Steven Blush....
, writes that they "vied with Minor Threat
Minor Threat
Minor Threat was an American hardcore punk band formed in Washington, D.C. in 1980 and disbanded in 1983. The band was relatively short-lived, but had a strong influence on the hardcore punk music scene, both stylistically and in establishing a "do it yourself" ethic for music distribution and...
as the top [Washington, D.C. hardcore] band in 1981–1982" and that Legless Bull "best exemplified smartass suburban HC." But by 1982, with Brian Baker and Tom Lyle in the lineup, the band began to develop a sound more akin to heavy rock than pure hardcore. Steve Huey of Allmusic notes that the band "carried the torch for traditional hardcore punk on their early records, but evolved into something more adventurous by adding bits of metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
, new wave pop
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
, and psychedelia
Psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues rock bands in United States and the United Kingdom...
". By 1986's Government Issue Stabb was moving in a more melodic direction influenced by the gothic rock
Gothic rock
Gothic rock is a musical subgenre of post-punk and alternative rock that formed during the late 1970s. Gothic rock bands grew from the strong ties they had to the English punk rock and emerging post-punk scenes...
of The Damned, and by 1988's Crash the group was at its most musically diverse.
Stabb himself later remarked that Government Issue "proved that we were more than just a hardcore band. We'd graduated from the school of 'bang and howl' and we really bummed out a small portion of our punk audience", and that "we'd moved on from the hardcore world into melodic, well-crafted punk with a decidedly pop edge." Aaron Burgess of Alternative Press notes that the continual evolution in sound over the band's nine-year lifespan made their music more influential to later generations of punk rock groups:
Though they started out playing solid, standard-issue melodic hardcore, Government Issue weren't afraid to let their outside influences, no matter how incongruous, infect their music—or, in Stabb's case, their look, as well [...] So, while Stabb's hairdos and stage clothes got increasingly kookier, so did the band's music draw ideas from pop, goth, psychedelia, Middle Eastern music and beyond. And while changes like these could seem like sellout moves for a group that once wrote a song called "Rock 'N' Roll Bullshit", they were a vital next step in the evolution of [insert whatever eclectic punk CD you're listening to today].
However, though they did have a following in the straight edge
Straight edge
Straight edge is a subculture of hardcore punk whose adherents refrain from using alcohol, tobacco, and other recreational drugs. It was a direct reaction to the sexual revolution, hedonism, and excess associated with punk rock. For some, this extends to not engaging in promiscuous sex, following a...
community, Government Issue's stylistic expansion from one album to the next alienated much of their early hardcore audience. Blush writes that "Unfortunately, most who went to see G.I. through the 80s still expected to hear hardcore reminiscent of the first EP. The group was moving into a softer, R.E.M.
R.E.M.
R.E.M. was an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry. One of the first popular alternative rock bands, R.E.M. gained early attention due to Buck's ringing, arpeggiated guitar style and Stipe's...
direction, and none of their fans gave a shit about such profound maturity." Huey remarks that the band "has remained somewhat overlooked in relation to the rest of the D.C. hardcore bands of their time, in part because their music never really fit the proto-emo
Emo
Emo is a style of rock music and its associated subcultureEmo may also refer to:- Businesses :* Emo , an Irish oil company and filling station chain* Emo Speedway, a racetrack in Emo, Ontario...
bent of much of the local Dischord stable", while Burgess notes that they nonetheless "made history in their own way by never fitting into the scene most people naturally associated with their city."
Band members
| 1980–Sept. 1981 |
|
|---|---|
| Sept.–Nov. 1981 |
Brian Baker Brian Baker may refer to:* Brian Baker , American guitarist for punk bands Minor Threat, Dag Nasty, and Bad Religion, among others* Brian Baker , American actor and former Sprint spokesman... – bass |
| Nov. 1981–Apr. 1982 |
|
| Apr. 1982–Summer 1983 |
|
| Summer–Fall 1983 |
|
| Fall 1983–Spring 1984 |
Mike Fellows Mike Fellows AKA Miighty Flashlight is an American musician who has performed and recorded with a variety of groups and artists since the early 1980s... – bass |
| Spring 1984–Jan. 1986 |
|
| Jan.–Summer 1986 |
Steve Hansgen Steve Hansgen was a bass player in the hardcore band Minor Threat, joining them in the fall of 1982 to allow bassist Brian Baker to switch over to second guitar.... – bass |
| Summer 1986–1989 |
J. Robbins James Robbins is an American rock music artist. He began his career as a bassist for Government Issue, and has also led four of his own bands: Jawbox, Rollkicker Laydown, Burning Airlines, and Channels. He was a touring bassist for Scream and played bass on the debut 7" from Jack Potential, which... – bass |
| 2007 reunion show |
|
| 2010 reunion show |
|
- John Stabb – lead vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
(1980–1989, 2007 and 2010 reunion shows) - Marc Alberstadt – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
(1980–January 1986) - John Barry – guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
(1980–November 1981) - Brian Gay – bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
(1980–September 1981) - Brian BakerBrian BakerBrian Baker may refer to:* Brian Baker , American guitarist for punk bands Minor Threat, Dag Nasty, and Bad Religion, among others* Brian Baker , American actor and former Sprint spokesman...
– bass guitar (September–November 1981, 2007 reunion show), guitar (November 1981–April 1982) - Tom Lyle – bass guitar (October 1981–April 1982), guitar (April 1982–1989, 2007 and 2010 reunion shows)
- Mitch Parker – bass guitar (Summer 1982–Summer 1983)
- Rob Moss – bass guitar (Summer–Fall 1983)
- Mike FellowsMike FellowsMike Fellows AKA Miighty Flashlight is an American musician who has performed and recorded with a variety of groups and artists since the early 1980s...
– bass guitar (Fall 1983–Spring 1984) - John Leonard – bass guitar (Spring 1984–Winter 1985)
- Steve HansgenSteve HansgenSteve Hansgen was a bass player in the hardcore band Minor Threat, joining them in the fall of 1982 to allow bassist Brian Baker to switch over to second guitar....
– bass guitar (Summer 1986) - Sean Saley – drums (Winter–Summer 1986)
- J. RobbinsJ. RobbinsJames Robbins is an American rock music artist. He began his career as a bassist for Government Issue, and has also led four of his own bands: Jawbox, Rollkicker Laydown, Burning Airlines, and Channels. He was a touring bassist for Scream and played bass on the debut 7" from Jack Potential, which...
– bass guitar (Summer 1986–1989, 2010 reunion show) - Peter Moffett – drums (Summer 1986–1989, 2010 reunion show)
- William Knapp – drums (2007 reunion show)
Studio albums
- Boycott Stabb (1983)
- Joyride (1984)
- The Fun Just Never Ends (1985)
- Government Issue (1986)
- You (1987)
- Crash (1988)
Live albums
- Live on Mystic (1985)
- Best of Government Issue Live (1994)
- Strange Wine: Live at CBGB August 30th, 1987 (2003)
EPs
- Legless Bull (1981)
- Make an Effort (1982)
- Give Us Stabb or Give Us Death (1985)
- Strange Wine E.P. (1988)
- The Punk Remains the Same (2009)
Compilation albums
- No Way Out 82 (1990)
- Finale (1991)
- Beyond (1991)
- Joyride / The Fun Just Never Ends (1995)
- The Mystic Years (1995)
- Complete History Volume OneComplete History Volume OneComplete History Volume One is a compilation album by the Washington, D.C. hardcore punk band Government Issue, compiling the band's recordings from 1982 to 1985. It was released March 28, 2000 through Dr. Strange Records, with a companion album, Complete History Volume Two, released in 2002...
(2000) - Complete History Volume TwoComplete History Volume TwoComplete History Volume Two is a compilation album by the Washington, D.C. hardcore punk band Government Issue, compiling the band's recordings from 1987 to 1989. It was released January 22, 2002 through Dr. Strange Records as a sequel to 2000's Complete History Volume One. Together, the two...
(2002) - Boycott Stabb Complete Sessions (2010)