Compared to many of their contemporaries on Dischord Records’ roster, Gray Matter was surprisingly long-lived. Together from 1983 to 1986, and then again for a few years in the 1990s, Gray Matter was a key act for the stalwart D.C. punk label. Formed by Iron Cross members Dante Ferrando and Mark Haggerty, along with Steve Niles (who later became a successful comic book writer) and old friend Geoff Turner, Gray Matter was unafraid to spike their punk with doses of pop melody on their three EPs and two albums. Split up since the early-'90s, they performed a one-off reunion show in 2008 to celebrate the anniversary of Ferrando’s club, the Black Cat.