When singer Ian Svenonius and guitarist James Canty were part of the Washington, DC-based band Nation of Ulysses, they were hardcore punks who wove radical politics into their music and performances, releasing their 1991 debut album *13-Point Program To Destroy America* on legacy label Dischord. Although they broke up soon after, their influence on post-rock, hardcore and oddball strains of American emo have been seismic, inspiring bands like Thursday, At the Drive-In and Refused. When they shifted gears and formed The Make Up (along with Nation of Ulysses bassist Steve Gamboa) in the mid-‘90s, they were inspired by the performative and social aspects of gospel music, specifically the idea of the audience being “the fifth member of the band,” and breaking the rock-star fourth wall to develop a closer relationship with the crowd.
