Double Dagger
Encyclopedia
Double Dagger were a post-punk
trio from Baltimore, Maryland composed of only drums, vocals, and a very loud bass guitar
which fills the space a guitar would normally take. Vocalist Nolen Strals and bassist Bruce Willen also comprised the graphic design
team Post Typography, which has done work for some very high profile clients, including the New York Times.http://www.youworkforthem.com/profilemag/0012.php Hence, Double Dagger made a habit of referring to their style of post-hardcore as "graphicdesigncore" early in their career. In September 2011 they announced that they were breaking up after 9 years. Double Dagger played its last show on October 21, 2011 at the Ottobar in Baltimore, fellow Baltimore acts Dan Deacon
and Future Islands opened for the band.
outfit, but later became a hardcore
band.http://www.citypaper.com/music/review.asp?rid=7139 League of Death broke up in 2002 after a final show with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, giving rise to Double Dagger, as a self-described "graphicdesigncore" band, with several songs referencing design and typographic elements on their first releases. Brian Dubin joined the new band as a drummer, and played on the bands' first few recordings, including their self-titled debut album. He left in 2005 and was replaced by Denny Bowen, then of Yukon
, formerly of the band Economist, with whom Double Dagger had released a split single in 2003.
During their 9 year run, Double Dagger played with a number of high profile acts, including Pere Ubu
, Lightning Bolt, The Ex, The Buzzcocks, The Jesus Lizard, and Matt & Kim.http://www.myspace.com/doubledaggersucks They have released several EP
s, 7" singles, and three full length album
s. The band earned considerable critical praise as well, as evinced by positive reviews in publications such as The Washington Post
, Punk Planet
, Baltimore City Paper
and Rolling Stone
.http://www.posttypography.com/doubledagger Citing time restraints and "chaotic personal lifes," Double Dagger announced they would break up following a brief tour of the eastern United States, and a final show in their hometown of Baltimore. They will make one final release, to be determined, in 2012.
Post-punk
Post-punk is a rock music movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and experimental...
trio from Baltimore, Maryland composed of only drums, vocals, and a very loud bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
which fills the space a guitar would normally take. Vocalist Nolen Strals and bassist Bruce Willen also comprised the graphic design
Graphic design
Graphic design is a creative process – most often involving a client and a designer and usually completed in conjunction with producers of form – undertaken in order to convey a specific message to a targeted audience...
team Post Typography, which has done work for some very high profile clients, including the New York Times.http://www.youworkforthem.com/profilemag/0012.php Hence, Double Dagger made a habit of referring to their style of post-hardcore as "graphicdesigncore" early in their career. In September 2011 they announced that they were breaking up after 9 years. Double Dagger played its last show on October 21, 2011 at the Ottobar in Baltimore, fellow Baltimore acts Dan Deacon
Dan Deacon
Dan Deacon is an American composer and electronic musician based out of Baltimore, Maryland. Since 2003, Deacon has released eight albums under several different labels...
and Future Islands opened for the band.
History
Nolen Strals and Bruce Willen had previously been in a group called League of Death, which was initially conceived as a heavy metalHeavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
outfit, but later became a hardcore
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
band.http://www.citypaper.com/music/review.asp?rid=7139 League of Death broke up in 2002 after a final show with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, giving rise to Double Dagger, as a self-described "graphicdesigncore" band, with several songs referencing design and typographic elements on their first releases. Brian Dubin joined the new band as a drummer, and played on the bands' first few recordings, including their self-titled debut album. He left in 2005 and was replaced by Denny Bowen, then of Yukon
Yukon (band)
Yukon is a three-piece experimental band from Baltimore, MD.The band consists of Nick Podgurski , Sam Garrett and Brad Smith . Members of Yukon are involved in/have been involved with Brooklyn's Extra Life, Hex Screw and Charm City Suicides...
, formerly of the band Economist, with whom Double Dagger had released a split single in 2003.
During their 9 year run, Double Dagger played with a number of high profile acts, including Pere Ubu
Pere Ubu (band)
Pere Ubu is an experimental rock music group formed in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1975. Despite many long-term band members, singer David Thomas is the only constant...
, Lightning Bolt, The Ex, The Buzzcocks, The Jesus Lizard, and Matt & Kim.http://www.myspace.com/doubledaggersucks They have released several EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
s, 7" singles, and three full length album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
s. The band earned considerable critical praise as well, as evinced by positive reviews in publications such as The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
, Punk Planet
Punk Planet
Punk Planet was a 16,000 print run punk zine, based in Chicago, Illinois, that focused most of its energy on looking at punk subculture rather than punk as simply another genre of music to which teenagers listen. In addition to covering music, Punk Planet also covered visual arts and a wide...
, Baltimore City Paper
Baltimore City Paper
Baltimore City Paper is a free alternative weekly newspaper published in Baltimore, Maryland, founded in 1977 by Russ Smith and Alan Hirsch. Current owner Times-Shamrock Communications purchased the paper in 1987...
and Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
.http://www.posttypography.com/doubledagger Citing time restraints and "chaotic personal lifes," Double Dagger announced they would break up following a brief tour of the eastern United States, and a final show in their hometown of Baltimore. They will make one final release, to be determined, in 2012.
Past Members
- Nolen Strals: Vocals
- Bruce Willen: Bass
- Denny Bowen: Drums
- Brian Dubin: Drums (2002-2004)
- Lee Ashlin (The Fuses), Sean McGuiness (Pissed Jeans), and Ben Valis (Stars of the Dogon) have all performed with Double Dagger at various live shows
Albums
- Double DaggerDouble Dagger (album)Double Dagger is the eponymous debut full length by Baltimore punk rock band Double Dagger. It features original drummer Brian Dubin, and is markedly more garage rock in feel than the group's more recent work.-Tracklist:...
(Hit-Dat Records 2003) - Ragged RubbleRagged Rubble-Track listing:# "The Psychic"# "Empty Dictionary"# "Luxury Condos for the Poor"# "Form+Function"# "Stripes"# "ITCFGDIY"# "Army vs. Navy"# "Pissing Contest"# "Camera Chimera"# "Camera Chimera "# "Plagiarism"# "Rearranging Digital Deck Chairs"...
(Stationary Heart Recordings 2007) - MOREMoreMore or Mores may refer to:* More , a family name, including a list of people with the surname-Computers:* MORE , a Mac OS outliner application* more , a shell command* MORE protocol, a routing protocol-Film:...
(Thrill Jockey Records 2009)
Singles and EPs
- Alt+0135 (Self Released 2002)
- Art School Girlfriend/Obey the One Trick Pony (Hit-Dat Records 2003, split with Economist)
- Luxury (Self Released 2006, cassetteCompact CassetteThe Compact Cassette, often referred to as audio cassette, cassette tape, cassette, or simply tape, is a magnetic tape sound recording format. It was designed originally for dictation, but improvements in fidelity led the Compact Cassette to supplant the Stereo 8-track cartridge and reel-to-reel...
only) - Luxury (Self Released 2007, CDR of four tracks from Ragged Rubble recordings)
- Bored Meeting 7" (Toxic Pop 2008)
- Sophisticated Urban Living 7" (Terra Firma Limited 2008)
- Masks (Thrill Jockey Records 2010)