Forming Minor Threat

Prior to forming Minor Threat in 1980, vocalist Ian MacKaye and drummer Jeff Nelson had played bass and drums respectively in the Teen Idles while attending what was then Wilson High School . During their two-year career within the flourishing Washington, D.C. hardcore punk scene , the Teen Idles had gained a following of around one hundred fans (a sizable amount at the time), and were seen as only second within the scene to the contemporary Bad Brains . MacKaye and Nelson were strong believers in the DIY mentality and an independent, underground music scene. After the breakup of the Teen Idles, they used the money earned through the band to create Dischord Records , an independent record label that would host the releases of the Teen Idles, Minor Threat, and numerous other D.C. punk bands.