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Last week, numerous outlets \u2013\u00a0such as\u00a0Stereogum<\/a>, NME<\/a>, Consequence<\/a> and Metal Hammer<\/a><\/em> \u2013 reported that Henry Rollins<\/a> and Ian MacKaye<\/a> (Minor Threat<\/a>, Fugazi<\/a>) were collaborating on new music. However, Rollins recently issued a lengthy statement in which he specifies that neither of them are featured on\u00a0the upcoming “great project” he previously mentioned.<\/p>\n This past Halloween, Rollins\u2019 included the following excerpt in a lengthy blog post<\/a> shared on his official website:<\/p>\n Weeks ago, I journeyed it to DC in order to work on a great project. Ian MacKaye and I went to Inner Ear Studios, where we made our first records decades ago and mixed a four song session with the great Don Zientara at the board. . . . As to the tracks, I had them mastered several days ago, and I\u2019m now working on the layout and design for the record. When it\u2019s ready, I\u2019ll let you know. We are extremely excited by this one.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n This would\u2019ve been the first new music made by either <\/em>of them in many years. However, Rollins\u2019 newest post \u2013 made on Nov. 7 \u2013 clarified that those\u00a0songs weren\u2019t created by them. Instead, they were from \u201ca demo, recorded in 1979, by a legendary Punk band,\u201d with Rollins and MacKaye merely getting together to mix the material.<\/p>\n \u201cBefore anything else, I think I need to clear something up,\u201d Rollins began, explaining [paragraph breaks added by Loudwire]:<\/p>\n Last week I told you that I went up to DC and mixed some tracks with Ian MacKaye at Inner Ear Studios in beautiful Arlington, VA. The tracks we mixed were not a collaborative effort, besides the mixing itself. I am not on the tape. Ian is not on the tape. Neither of us are on the tape. What we were working on was a demo, recorded in 1979, by a legendary Punk band that recently came into my possession.<\/p>\n I had the tape baked and transferred by the very capable Pete Lyman at Infrasonic Sound in Nashville and had him send the tracks to Ian so he could take them to Inner Ear and get them loaded in. The mix came together quite quickly because it was only eight tracks on one inch tape and the quality of the sounds were so good out of the gate, very little had to be done. The performances are fantastic.<\/p>\n Ian and I played the mixes over and over days later and kept in touch to see if either one of us had any notes as to anything that needed to be changed and neither of us could find anything wrong with the work. I contacted a member of the band and asked if I could release the tracks. I got permission and started preparing the tracks for release. We sent the final mixes to Pete, who mastered them and they\u2019re really good.<\/p>\n I\u2019m going to be working in collaboration with Larry Hardy at In The Red Records and we\u2019ll be releasing the demo as soon as possible, as a four song 12\u201d. You might already know that Larry and I have been putting out very cool and often extremely rare tracks on 7\u201d and 12\u201d records over the last few years. In fact, we have a great one at the pressing plant right now. Once it\u2019s back, I\u2019ll tell you all about it. It\u2019s super cool.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n So, there you have it.<\/p>\n Were you looking forward to what was ostensibly a brand-new record by the iconic punk rock pair? How do you feel about the reality of the situation? Let us know!<\/p>\n READ MORE: Interview – Henry Rollins Shares Incredible Stories + Memories of Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath<\/a><\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n As genre fans surely know, Henry Rollins and Ian MacKaye were seminal to the rise of hardcore punk in the 1980s.<\/p>\n In fact, they were teenage friends who shared a love for the style, and before long, Rollins formed State of Alert (S.O.A.) with members of The Extorts (who\u2019d lost their singer, Lyle Preslar, to Minor Threat). Their debut EP, No Policy<\/em>, was even released on MacKaye\u2019s Dischord Records in 1981, and around the same time, MacKaye was playing with The Teen Idles.<\/p>\n Obviously, Rollins would go on to have great success fronting Black Flag<\/a>, just as MacKaye would go on to front Minor Threat, Fugazi and a host of other bands (including The Evens<\/a> and Embrace).<\/p>\n However, MacKaye hasn\u2019t made new music in several years (as far as we can tell, he last appeared on the self-titled debut album by Coriky in 2020), focusing instead on behind-the-scenes endeavors in addition to running and archiving Dischord Records.<\/p>\n As for Rollins, he left Black Flag in 1986 and subsequently formed Rollins Band<\/a> (who went on hiatus in 2006). A few years later, Rollins formally announced<\/a> that he was retiring from music, meaning that his final release (including his spoken-word work) was Spoken Word Guy 2<\/em> in 2010. He has guested on a few things since then, though, including Damian Cowell\u2019s Disco Machine\u2019s Get Yer Dag On<\/em> (2017) and William Shatner\u2019s Shatner Claus<\/em> (2018).<\/p>\n Of course, Rollins has done a lot<\/em> of work in film, video games and television<\/a>, too, in addition to creating podcasts, writing books and involving himself in campaigning and activism.<\/p>\n In October of 2024, Rollins joined Loudwire Nights<\/em><\/a>\u00a0and \u2013 elaborating on what he said in a 2023 interview with The Guardian<\/a><\/em> \u2013 told host Chuck Armstrong<\/a> that he\u2019s not \u201cthought lyrically since about the year 2000, 2001.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI’m smart enough to not come back for the encore. Hey, you missed me? I never asked that question. I just leave … I don’t quiet quit. I don’t fade. I just split after every obligation has been met,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Well that’s rad. These 31 rock and metal albums have hit the four decade mark. How many of these 1985 records have you listened to?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Gallery Credit: Chad Childers, Loudwire<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nRollins\u2019 Detailed Clarification<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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More About Rollins + MacKaye\u2019s History + Lack of New Music<\/strong><\/h3>\n
31 Essential Rock + Metal Albums Turning 40 in 2025<\/h2>\n