Post-Punk Pandemonium

On Friday night, Double Dagger thundered from the walls of the Rock & Roll Hotel like an unexpected electrical storm. Immediately after the Baltimore trio took the stage, lead singer Nolen Strals sparked the crowd by grabbing his crotch as he screamed out his first track. Lumbering through the audience like the eyeless daemon from Pan's Labyrinth, Strals screamed into the faces of any scenester who stood in his path. "Let's build more condos," crooned the swaying Strals. "We're not building a city, we're building a ghost town."



The coarse rage of this group echoed from the nauseating sweat of some dark urban basement where they scowled at the rising shit-glimmer of gentrification. At some point in the fourth song Strals walked up to this writer and head butted my forehead. The swift impact of his skull to mine was enough to thrash around my cobwebbed memories of what the D.C. hardcore scene once was. Suddenly, I had the feeling that this group could be the finest example of searing mid-Atlantic disaffection in this, our most recent republican era. With only two musicians and a vocalist, the over driven bass and drums filled the air with fast, grungy beats and sweeping seductive lulls.



After the show, Double Dagger's bassist, Bruce Willen, told me that they had unsuccessfully searched for a guitarist for the past five years. But the raging sounds that came from Willen's bass and Dennis Bowen's drums, made a good argument for the idiom "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Though, by the sound of it, this crew has plenty of breaking left to do.

The Psychic

A Weekend of Choices

Many, many options this weekend in the area to catch your favorite music. Every night has something definitely worthwhile, all over the region.

Friday

Imperial China is having a CD release party and they want you there! They are with Double Dagger, Zulu Pearls, and the Black & White Jacksons. Catch them at the Rock and Roll Hotel in DC.

One of my picks for Best of Philly '07 (and in serious contention for it this year too), Papertrigger is at World Cafe. They are joined by Drink Up Buttercup, who seem to play somewhere every night.

Also, Gang Gang Dance livens it up at Johnny Brenda's in Philly.

Imperial China - There Is No Translation
Double Dagger - Camera Chimera
Zulu Pearls - Half Hearted
Black & White Jacksons - Racing Horse
Papertrigger - We Are Nations Now!
Drink Up Buttercup - Young Ladies
Gang Gang Dance - Nomad For Love (Cannibal)

Saturday

Hailing from the Twin Cities and supporting a new album, Cloud Cult swing through DC with New Yorkers The Forms and locals Exit Clov and The Beanstalk Library. Catch them at the Rock and Roll Hotel.

Joe and I are heading down to Dewey Beach for Popfest. Really, we are going to see Telograph and The April Skies. All others are new to us. Come on down, it is going to be a great weekend.

Elsewhere:
Hoots and Hellmouth in Harrisburg @ Gulliftys
Birdie Busch/The Weeds/Cowmuddy in Philly @ The Fire

Cloud Cult - When Water Comes To Life
The Forms - Red Gun
Telograph - Eye For An Eye
The April Skies - Long Way Down
Exit Clov - Moving Gaza
The Beanstalk Library - Fake It
Hoots and Hellmouth - It's Close, I'm Undone
Birdie Busch - Mystical
Cowmuddy - On Your Star

Sunday

The Constantines and Oakley Hall are coming through the area. Sunday they are in Philly at Johnny Brendas and spilling over into next week, Monday you can find them at the Rock and Roll Hotel in DC

Elsewhere:
The Shots/Murder Mystery/Canadian Invasion in Philly @ Manhattan Room
Greenland/Prabir and the Substitutes in DC @ Black Cat
Brandon Butler/Revival/Rose in Arlington @ IOTA

The Constantines - Trans Canada
Oakley Hall - No Dreams
The Shots - Do Me Wrong
Murder Mystery - Honey Come Home
Canadian Invasion - Nikita
Greenland - Forward Frame to Frame
Prabir and the Substitutes - Slow
Brandon Butler - Sparks
Revival - Fog Rolling In
Rose - Another Sad Song