Embrace

Embrace was an emocore band from Washington, D.C from the summer of 1985 to the spring of 1986. The group was primarily noteworthy because of its well-known members, Ian MacKaye of Minor Threat and the Teen Idles, Michael Hampton, Ivor Hanson, and Chris Bald, all former members of the pioneering band Faith. Hampton had also played in S.O.A with Henry Garfield (later known as Henry Rollins). All four members had been involved in popular and influential bands in the nascent D.C. punk scene since the late 1970s. Their best-known album was Embrace.

For hardcore icon MacKaye, Embrace represented a transitional project between the short and fast sound of his youth and the later melodic tones of his current work (after his often maligned Egg Hunt project with Dischord Records cofounder Jeff Nelson, and the Ministry crossover Pailhead, of course). While most fans know that MacKaye eventually teamed up with former members of Rites of Spring to form the perennial punk outfit Fugazi, guitarist Michael Hampton first played with Fugazi’s Guy Picciotto, as well as Embrace’s co-producer Edward Janney, in One Last Wish. Bassist Chris Bald moved forward with the band Ignition, and drummer Ivor Hanson paired up with Hampton again in 1992 for Manifesto.