Double Dagger is a band from Baltimore (2002–2011, 2021) composed of Dennis Bowen (drums), Nolen Strals (vocals), and Bruce Willen (bass).
Sophisticated Urban Living (Contemporary Conveniences Edition) collects eleven rare and unreleased Double Dagger recordings from 2008 on a new digital-format album.
Recorded on a cassette 4-track in our Baltimore practice space in the Copycat Building, the album’s first nine tracks reverberate with the raw noise and energy of a DIY punk show as well as the freshness of the then-newly-written music. With vocals tracked while the lyrical ink was still wet on the paper, these recordings document the band’s songwriting process and include the first-recorded versions of many songs that would later appear on the MORE LP and the Masks EP. (Thrill Jockey 2021)
If We Shout Loud Enough is a documentary film about Double Dagger, directed by Gabriel DeLoach and Zach Kiefer.
About the documentary
If We Shout Loud Enough is an inside look at the Baltimore underground music scene through one of its most pivotal bands, Double Dagger.
This intimate and entertaining portrait follows the band as they complete their final tour and album, tracing the history and growth of the band and of Baltimore’s underground music scene. Meet Nolen, a singer who stutters uncontrollably until he picks up the microphone; Bruce, a bassist who can make his battered instrument sound like an entire rock band; Denny, whose drumset regularly collapses under the force of his pummeling; and dozens of the fans, musicians, and artists who have catalyzed the city’s music community. Along the way, the band reflects on why Baltimore has become such a vital and diverse creative breeding ground for the ethos of DIY music and art.
If We Shout Loud Enough is filled with extraordinary performance footage from Double Dagger’s last tour, much of it shot from amid the sweaty bodies surging around the band. Featuring interviews with: Dan Deacon and members of Wye Oak, Future Islands, Ruiner, Thank You, and many others. Plus: Baltimore music historian Tim Kabara, Bonus Features, and more!
Videos
Tour/show history
Photos (via Flickr)
Discography
Sophisticated Urban Living (Contemporary Conveniences Edition) LP
Thrill Jockey, THRILL-564 (2021)
333 EP
Thrill Jockey, THRILL-333 (2013)
Masks EP
Thrill Jockey, THRILL-239 (2010)
More LP
Thrill Jockey, THRILL-215 (2009)
Sophisticated Urban Living 7" EP
Terra Firma Limited, TFR-09 (2008)
Bored Meeting 7" EP
Toxic Pop Records, TOX-05 (2008)
Ragged Rubble LP
Stationary (Heart) Recordings, SHR-002 (2007)
Luxury cassette EP
Self-released (2006)
Double Dagger S/T LP
Hit-Dat Records, HDR-020 (2003)
Split 7" w/ Economist
Hit-Dat Records, HDR-016