I tend to spend a lot of my time on Facebook nowadays. I don't know why. I don't really pay attention to most pages I follow, I can't stand the condescending political views of many of my friends on Facebook, and I don't like seeing high school classmates going on to do bigger and better things compared to me.
However, one thing that recently caught my attention is Dischord Records' Facebook page has recently been promoting a string of shows by the band Dag Nasty as well as a new single. Curious, I checked out the samples that were posted of the new songs and... they're okay. I guess. I'm not a big fan of Shawn Brown's voice compared to Dave Smalley or Peter Cortner, but it should please fans of the group's hardcore output. While I personally wasn't enthralled with it, it did make me want to go back and listen to some of their earlier works, and reminded me of how much I liked the group.
Dag Nasty was a punk rock band that was led by guitarist Brian Baker. Musically, the group initially carried on the hardcore stylings of Baker's former band, Minor Threat. However, with each album, the group incorporated more and more melody in their music and because a revolving door of musicians with Baker being the only core member throughout all the lineups. The group only lasted from 1985 until 1988, however, the lineup that recorded their first album, Can I Say, reconvened in the studio for two more albums in 1992 and 2002. Since 2015, the original lineup has been performing shows and is the lineup that recorded the new single.
It is an interesting experience to listen to the group and hear its sound evolve. In the group's three year run, we see the band start out as a hardcore group that had a touch of melody, and go on to experiment with softer elements and incorporate other styles such as heavy metal, pop, and blues. While their reunion albums more or less follow a straightforward melodic punk approach, it is neat to see the diversity of the songs released under the band name.
The very first thing I knew about the band was from the fact that the "Can I Say" tattoo on Travis Barker's chest was made in reference to an album by them. Other than that, I had never really listened to them until 2014, when I came across their second reunion album, Minority of One at the record store I go to. Once I saw it, I was curious, looked it up briefly on iTunes, and decided to check it out once I liked what I heard. I grew to really love that album and was happy to see that same record store got a shipment of Dischord vinyls, which included Can I Say and Wig Out At Denko's. After getting those, I then got the first reunion album, Four on the Floor. However, I was really happy when I got Field Day. To my knowledge Field Day has been out of print for more than 15 years, and I was able to find a copy for ten dollars, including shipping. As of now, the cheapest price on Amazon is $30. This is unfortunate, because not only is it out of print, it is also not on iTunes and, in my opinion, is one of their best works.
Much like Jawbox, I feel an attachment to Dag Nasty simply for how close to home they were. From what I have been able to gather, the original bassist and drummer, Roger Marbury and Colin Sears, respectively, were originally part of another group called Bloody Mannequin Orchestra, which had its beginnings at my alma mater, Bethesda Chevy Chase High School, even playing in the school's talent show (something I would do as well 28 years later). Also, I came across a letter Brian Baker from the mid-'80s. On the band's stationary, I noticed the street the band lived on was five blocks away from where my childhood best friend grew up. It's not much, but it's kind of a special feeling when you find out how close to home one of your favorite bands really was.
My transparent blue copy of Dag With Shawn
A Breakdown of My Collection
1. Can I Say (1986, CD, Vinyl) - This album is by far the group's most hardcore-influenced studio album. It's slower and has a greater reliance on melody than some of their contemporaries, but only hints at the melodic nature of the band's music on future albums and still draws most of its sound from standard hardcore energy and rage. I'm not a tremendous fan of hardcore, however, I do enjoy this album. I first bought it on vinyl in 2014 with Wig Out at Denko's and later bought at CD that combined the two a year later.
Highlights: "Values Here", "Circles", "Under Your Influence", "Never Go Back"
2. Wig Out At Denko's (1987, CD, Vinyl) - The first album with the group's third vocalist, Peter Cortner brings an even stronger sense of melody to the music. While the songs retain elements of hardcore, the emphasis on melody brings the group's sound closer to the Descendents or Husker Du than early Government Issue or S.O.A. This change is evident from the get go when we hear the melancholic guitar riff open up "The Godfather". The music was slower and more emotive than the material on Can I Say, and Peter Cortner's vocals were far more tuneful than Dave Smalley's barked vocals.
Highlights: "The Godfather", ""Wig Out At Denko's", "Safe", "Dag Nasty"
3. Field Day (1988, CD) - This album is a long forgotten gem. It's as simple as that. By this point, the group had abandoned the standard hardcore punk approach and crafted a fantastic collection of songs that span various influences and sounds such as blues on "The Ambulance Song", Latin music on "La Penita", and metal on "You're Mine". Aside from these songs, the band continues to push their material into further melodic territory, crafting a number of catchy pop punk tunes such as "Field Day", "Things That Make No Sense", and "Here's to You". In some ways, it's hard to imagine that this is the same group that put out Can I Say two years before, but at the same time, there was only member from that lineup still in the band. One song I want to highlight is the song, "Dear Mrs. Touma", which is about the death of a friend and how the narrator reacts to it. Not only do I think the music is some of the best the band composed, the lyrics really hit home to me. About a month before I bought this album, a childhood friend of mine died of a drug overdose. We hadn't spoken for years, but we were close as children and I could still relate to the lyrics. I don't normally relate to lyrics or even pay that much attention to them in general, but that may be why this song sticks out to me so much. It's a shame this album is so scarce, because if I had to recommend any of Dag Nasty's albums, this is the one I'd recommend.
Highlights: "Dear Mrs. Touma", "All Ages Show", "Here's to You", "Field Day", "The Ambulance Song"
4. Four on the Floor (1992, CD) - This short album was basically seen by the band as a fun little project the Can I Say lineup did when they all happened to be in Los Angeles at the same time. The music abandons the broader range of influences found on Field Day and plays more basic melodic punk like the Descendents and Big Drill Car. With his experience in All and Down By Law, Dave Smalley now performs with a more melodic vocal style than his bark on Can I Say. The music doesn't really stand out much compared to the past albums, but it's got some decent songs on it.
Highlights: "Still Waiting", "Million Days", "S.F.S."
5. Minority of One (2002, CD) - This was the second of the two reunion albums the Can I Say lineup recorded and was my first Dag Nasty CD. Musically, it follows Four on the Floor in playing straightforward melodic punk, maybe with a tad more hardcore influence in the music. I remember reading someone sum up this album as a cross between Down By Law and Bad Religion, Dave Smalley and Brian Baker's respective bands. The music is powerful, melodic and fast, and overall a very enjoyable album for a punk fan.
Highlights: "Ghosts", "Minority of One", "Twisted Again", "Wasting Away", "Bottle This"
6. Dag With Shawn (2010, Vinyl) - Before recording Can I Say, the band recorded the songs with their first lead singer, Shawn Brown. However, when Brown left, the group redid the album with Smalley. In 2010, Dischord remastered the tapes recorded with Brown and released it as Dag With Shawn. Listening to it, it's more or less the same album as Can I Say, but with slightly rawer production, and an even stronger hardcore sound. As a vocalist, Brown barks and shouts even more than Smalley and has less range as a singer. Again, I am not a fan of regular hardcore and if I wasn't a compulsive buyer at the time, I probably wouldn't have bought this album. However, this is an okay album for hardcore fans and completists for Dag Nasty's discography.
Highlights: "The Godfather", ""Wig Out At Denko's", "Safe", "Dag Nasty"
3. Field Day (1988, CD) - This album is a long forgotten gem. It's as simple as that. By this point, the group had abandoned the standard hardcore punk approach and crafted a fantastic collection of songs that span various influences and sounds such as blues on "The Ambulance Song", Latin music on "La Penita", and metal on "You're Mine". Aside from these songs, the band continues to push their material into further melodic territory, crafting a number of catchy pop punk tunes such as "Field Day", "Things That Make No Sense", and "Here's to You". In some ways, it's hard to imagine that this is the same group that put out Can I Say two years before, but at the same time, there was only member from that lineup still in the band. One song I want to highlight is the song, "Dear Mrs. Touma", which is about the death of a friend and how the narrator reacts to it. Not only do I think the music is some of the best the band composed, the lyrics really hit home to me. About a month before I bought this album, a childhood friend of mine died of a drug overdose. We hadn't spoken for years, but we were close as children and I could still relate to the lyrics. I don't normally relate to lyrics or even pay that much attention to them in general, but that may be why this song sticks out to me so much. It's a shame this album is so scarce, because if I had to recommend any of Dag Nasty's albums, this is the one I'd recommend.
Highlights: "Dear Mrs. Touma", "All Ages Show", "Here's to You", "Field Day", "The Ambulance Song"
4. Four on the Floor (1992, CD) - This short album was basically seen by the band as a fun little project the Can I Say lineup did when they all happened to be in Los Angeles at the same time. The music abandons the broader range of influences found on Field Day and plays more basic melodic punk like the Descendents and Big Drill Car. With his experience in All and Down By Law, Dave Smalley now performs with a more melodic vocal style than his bark on Can I Say. The music doesn't really stand out much compared to the past albums, but it's got some decent songs on it.
Highlights: "Still Waiting", "Million Days", "S.F.S."
5. Minority of One (2002, CD) - This was the second of the two reunion albums the Can I Say lineup recorded and was my first Dag Nasty CD. Musically, it follows Four on the Floor in playing straightforward melodic punk, maybe with a tad more hardcore influence in the music. I remember reading someone sum up this album as a cross between Down By Law and Bad Religion, Dave Smalley and Brian Baker's respective bands. The music is powerful, melodic and fast, and overall a very enjoyable album for a punk fan.
Highlights: "Ghosts", "Minority of One", "Twisted Again", "Wasting Away", "Bottle This"
6. Dag With Shawn (2010, Vinyl) - Before recording Can I Say, the band recorded the songs with their first lead singer, Shawn Brown. However, when Brown left, the group redid the album with Smalley. In 2010, Dischord remastered the tapes recorded with Brown and released it as Dag With Shawn. Listening to it, it's more or less the same album as Can I Say, but with slightly rawer production, and an even stronger hardcore sound. As a vocalist, Brown barks and shouts even more than Smalley and has less range as a singer. Again, I am not a fan of regular hardcore and if I wasn't a compulsive buyer at the time, I probably wouldn't have bought this album. However, this is an okay album for hardcore fans and completists for Dag Nasty's discography.
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