Ben Gibbard the lead singer of Death Cab for Cutie released a cover of Minor Threat’s song, “Filler” which in its original form is straight-edge punk to its core. Unusual, maybe but if anyone were to derive the core emotion from a song it would be Gibbard who provides a heartfelt rendition with meaningful vocals set against a piano backdrop. The song is available on Soundcloud with comments from Gibbard, “I covered this only once at a solo show in D.C. in 2012. I felt like recording and sharing it today. enjoy! xo, Ben.”
The lyrics are powerful, “What happened to you, you’re not the same. Something in your head made a a violent change and it’s in your head, it’s in your head, it’s in your head. You call it religion, you’re full of shit. Was she really worth it, she cost you you’re life.” Gibbard has such a persuasive style with his vocals that penetrate your soul at the most fundamental level. You get the sense he is singing directly to you. No small wonder the band is still going strong after 20 years of producing music.
Minor Threat formed in 1980 in Washington, D.C. by vocalist Ian MacKaye and drummer Jeff Nelson. The band was hard core punk and their music was widely influential during the 80’s. After the band broke up in 1983, MacKaye went on to found Embrace, Egg Hunt and later Fugazi as well as collaborating on Pailhead.
The band disbanded after four years together, but had a strong influence on the punk scene. They established a “do it yourself” ethic for music distribution and concert promotion. Minor Threat’s song “Straight Edge” built upon the straight edge movement, the lifestyle without alcohol, drugs or promiscuous sex.
The band is made up of Ben Gibbard (vocals, guitar, piano), Nick Harmer (bass), Dave Depper (guitar, keyboards, vocals), Zac Rae (keyboards, guitar), and Jason McGerr (drums). They plan to tour extensively this summer in support of last year’s Thank You For Today. The upcoming schedule includes support from Mitski, Car Seat Headrest, and Jenny Lewis, as well as festival appearances at Firefly in Delaware, Lollapalooza, and Summerfest in Wisconsin.
Death Cab will headline a show in Queens on Saturday, June 15 with support from Jenny Lewis who is a folk-rooted singer/songwriter from San Fernando Valley, California. Lewis was the former lead singer of band Rilo Kiley, which disbanded in 2014.
Their ninth studio album, Thank You For Today, was released in August 2018 and their 2003 Transatlanticism really put them on the map. Death Cab has been nominated for eight Grammy awards and have racked up countless praises for their songwriting and overall craftsmanship of their music.
The band formed by Gibbard in 1997 in Bellingham, Washington originally started out as a solo project but when he got a record deal he expanded the project into a complete band. The four released their debut album, Something About Airplanes, on August 18, 1998. The album was reviewed favorably by the independent music press. In 1998 the band met their manager, Jordan Kurland who was aware of their critical acclaim and met them while touring with a client.
The group’s fourth album, 2003’s Transatlanticism, include songs that have been featured in numerous TV series and films. The band’s major-label debut for Atlantic Records, 2005’s Plans, went platinum. Lyrics from early songs include local references that were important to the band’s development. Many of the early songs were recorded in the basement of a house on Ellis Street in which Gibbard lived with several roommates.
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