Baltimore’s Double Dagger will be playing an in-store at Crooked Beat today at 7 p.m. The show is free. Expect it to be loud as hell. Double Dagger recently released its stunning third LP, More, on Thrill Jockey. We hope the Adams Morgan record shop has insurance; the band’s sound is all sharp elbows, pointed politics, and brash playing that is sure to rattle CD racks and vinyl displays.

The trio’s fuzzed-bass-and-monster drumming m.o. is a nod to that thinning brotherhood of post-punk musicians who highlight basement shows and fanzines (what are fanzines?), who haven’t thought about wearing guyliner and going emo, who haven’t dabbled in concept albums or made records where you need a Ph.D in Steve Reich to get. It’s a throwback sound; the members modest well be wearing bootleg Fugazi T-shirts. (You definitely hear Fugazi in one of DD’s older songs, “The Psychic”; the Jane Jacobs politics behind “Luxury Condos For the Poor” updates “Cashout.”) All this means is that Double Dagger is the token rock band on just about any bill.

But don’t let my lame comparison to Fugazi fool you. The band’s sound is all it’s own, having come from years of playing together. Double Dagger formed in 2002: bass guitar (Bruce Willen), that monster drumming (Brian Dubin) and singer/songwriting (Nolen Strals). Strals and Willen met in art school. Later, Dubin was replaced with drummer Denny Bowen.

This week we fired off some questions to the band via e-mail. The Q and A after the jump.

Read More “Tonight: Double Dagger To Play Free In-Store @ Crooked Beat” »

Dischord announced that it has more back-in-stock and remastered LPs. Records include Fugazi’s Red Medicine (a must own), Embrace’s self-titled LP, Scream’s Still Screaming album and the Faith/Void split. Some of these have been reissued on colored vinyl!

Don’t call Benjy Ferree’s latest release, Come Back to the Five and Dime, Bobby Dee, Bobby Dee, a concept album. A tribute to Bobby Driscoll (the child actor who inspired Disney’s animated Peter Pan) Ferree’s new album celebrates life, reflects on death, and creates a brilliant sophomore LP in the process.

Black Plastic Bag had a chance to talk to Ferree (now touring) before he returns to D.C. this Saturday, Feb. 28, for his record release show at the Black Cat.

Read More “Interview: Benjy Ferree” »

Dischord folk write:

We are currently stocked on many Dischord titles on Vinyl that have been unavailable for months and in some cases years, including Dag Nasty, Can I Say, which is now available for the first time on blue vinyl. We are also fully stocked on the following releases:

Minor Threat Out of Step EP
Minor Threat, First Two 7″s EP
Minor Threat, Salad Days 7″
Minor Threat, First Demo Tape 7″
Rites of Spring, S/t
Fugazi, Seven Songs
Fugazi, Repeater
Fugazi, In On The Killtaker
Fugazi, End Hits
Fugazi, Instrument Soundtrack
Fugazi, The Argument
Pupils, S/t
Lungfish, Feral Hymns

And notes: “All these Vinyl albums come with a complimentary MP3 download when purchased from our website.”

Kay Bozich Owens and Lynn Owens‘ new book, Lost in the Supermarket: An Indie Rock Cookbook, includes recipes from the likes of Black Dice, Belle and Sebastian, Country Teasers (still keepin’ it classy with a drink called “Red Headed Sluts”), the Mountain Goats, Xiu Xiu, Sonic Boom, and more. I know practically nothing about cooking, and I’d be pretty careful about ingesting anything prepared by a former member of Spacemen 3. But Guy Picciotto’s recipe for rhubarb crumble does sound appealing. Reprinted with permission of Soft Skull Press.

Guy’s Rhubarb Crumble

Serves 6 to 8

Filling Ingredients:

4 cups diced rhubarb, cut into smallish chunks

3 Granny Smith apples

3/4 cup of honey

1-1/2 tablespoons of cornstarch

1/8 teaspoon of cardamom

Crumble Topping Ingredients:

1/2 cup unbleached flour

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into tiny cubes (put butter in freezer briefly till cold and hard)

2 tablespoons of sliced almonds, crushed walnuts, or crushed pecans or all of the above

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Dice the rhubarb into small chunks and peel, core, and cut the apples into thin slices.

3. Combine all the fruit in a big bowl then mix in the honey, cornstarch, and cardamom.

4. Dump the fruit concoction into an 8 x 8 inch baking pan and then smooth out the top with a rubber spatula so it’s nice and even.

5. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon.

6. Take the cold butter and dice it up into little mini butter squares.

7. Toss the butter square tidbits into the dry topping ingredients. Rub the butter bits into the mix with your fingers just till it forms crumblets. Don’t over rub—you want nice crumbs. Add the nuts and then spread the crumble topping over the fruit filling in the pan.

8. Bake for 55 minutes till the top is nicely browned and the fruit filling is bubbling up like a tar pit.

9. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or as is. Refrigerates nicely.