The Ignobles

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The Ignobles was an indie rock band from Washington, D.C. that was active in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The Ignobles is best known as the childhood band of musicians who later formed the New York City bands Jonathan Fire*Eater and The Walkmen.

The Ignobles was formed in junior high school by students of the D.C. private school St. Albans School and its sister school the National Cathedral School. Three of the original members of the band were Walter Martin, Stewart Lupton, Matt Barrick. Reportedly, the first song the youths ever played together was “Brand New Cadillac” by The Clash. St. Albans classmate Ryan Cheney later joined the group along with Paul Maroon, who was one year older than the other members. The final line-up of the Ignobles was Cheney on vocals, Maroon on guitar, Martin on keyboards, Lupton on bass, and Barrick on drums.

The Ignobles were influenced by Bad Brains, a D.C. hardcore band, and the London ska of The Specials. Cheney grew dreadlocks in the style of H.R. of Bad Brains and the rest of the band sported the two-toned mod fashion favored by the British ska acts of the late 1970s. Their fashion choices were a subtle rebellion of the dress code of St. Albans, which required its students to wear jacket and tie.

The Ignobles performed at school benefit concerts at gymnasiums and auditoriums around the D.C. area and at the free Fort Reno Park summer beginning in 1990. The novelty of the pint-sized Ignobles coupled with their surprising musicianship and compelling compositions won the group opening slots with such noteworthy acts as Lenny Kravitz, Fugazi, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Bim Skala Bim, and Dread Zeppelin at local venues including the original 9:30 Club, D.C. Space, and Club Nocturne.

The Ignobles were managed by Andy Mound, an American University student whose nickname was “Dogbutt.” His principal contribution to the Ignobles was his buying of beer for the underage band members. Barrick was the band’s chauffeur, driving his Jeep Cherokee (XJ) at great speeds down the avenues and back alleys of Northwest D.C.

In 1992, with Maroon in his senior year of high school, the band recorded a self-titled six-song EP that the band released on cassette. The EP demonstrates the band’s influences at the time. Cheney is a reggae Perry Farrell and Lupton takes his cue from the bass lines of Jane's Addiction. Maroon apes the digital delay and multiple guitars of his idol The Edge and Martin offers a vintage organ sound inspired by Ray Manzarek of The Doors. The Ignobles self-titled album cover became the St. Albans School yearbook cover in the summer of 1993.

In the fall of 1993, Lupton enrolled in Sarah Lawrence College near New York City area and Barrick joined Maroon at Columbia University. The band formed a successor to the Ignobles based in New York with Lupton replacing Cheney on vocals. Martin transferred to Bard College, a short train ride from the city, half-way through his freshman year, and Tom Frank, a classmate of Maroon’s at St. Albans and Columbia, rounded out the new line-up on bass. Jonathan Fire*Eater performed for the first time in Washington, D.C. in the summer of 1994. The members subsequently dropped out of college and settled in New York City’s Lower East Side.

Jonathan Fire*Eater imploded in 1998. Martin, Maroon, and Barrick later formed The Walkmen with Martin’s younger cousin Hamilton Leithauser of St. Albans as vocalist and Peter Bauer of the Maret School on bass.