The Faith was an early American hardcore punk band, from Washington D. Along with Minor Threat , The Faith were key players in the early development of hardcore, with a later melodic approach that would influence not just associated acts like Rites of Spring , Embrace and Fugazi , but also a subsequent generation of bands such as Nirvana , whose Kurt Cobain was a vocal fan. The band formed as a four-piece in the summer of and featured Alec MacKaye , former vocalist for the Untouchables , on vocals, Michael Hampton and Ivor Hanson of Henry Rollins ' first band, State of Alert on guitar and drums respectively, as well as Chris Bald on bass. Woodlawn High School in November ' We did want something more hopeful and less nihilistic, in spite of our chaotic and sometimes destructive approach to performance. Filling part of the void left by Minor Threat's hiatus, The Faith quickly became one of the most popular bands in D.