One of my all-time favorite bands. They put out a few excellent records before lead guitarist and singer D. Boon died. Mike Watt and George Hurley regrouped as fIREHOSE (not Firehouse!) which was also great, but not the same thing.

Punk rock had its moment in the 80s, and while these guys were not anything resembling hard core, they embodied the punk rock ethos as well as anyone. I can’t imagine how many bands they inspired. Here’s a great song with a mildly political theme:

And you might recognize this one from the MTV show Jackass:

I highly recommend getting your hands on the album “Double Nickels on the Dime” for a solid Minutemen primer. You don’t need much more history – the music says plenty.