Now as you have a lot of time over the break, I recommend killing some of it by watching 1991: The Year Punk Broke, which is available to watch in full on Google Video via the link. In addition to some incredible performances by Sonic Youth, Nirvana and Dinosaur Jr. in their prime, we get to see things like Kurt Cobain running around in a lab coat, Bob Mould cooking, and Thurston Moore engaging in general tomfoolery for pretty much the duration. Despite the fact that whether or not "punk" actually "broke" in 1991 is highly questionable (most people would probably say it broke in 1977, there's a case to be made for '91 due to Nevermind, and some would say that it never broke at all), it still makes for good watching and a great way to take up an hour and a half (Picture from Sonicyouth.com).
If it seems like I'm a blathering fanboy over Double Dagger, it's because, quite frankly, I am. Simply put, they are one of the few truly relevant and forward-thinking punk bands out there right now, and they're only getting better. They played the Lo-Fi Social Club up in Baltimore (my hometown as well as theirs) on February 23rd, and debuted some new material. I played "No Allies" from this set on the Afternoon Fix today, and its available here. It's not a perfect set: The bass drum pedal breaks during the first song and takes six minutes to fix, but the new material is quite possibly even better than Ragged Rubble. Bruce Willen's bass work is becoming increasingly articulate and melodic as he continues to turn perceptions of the bass guitar in rock and roll on their sides, Denny Bowen's drum work is as powerful as ever, and Nolen Strals explores more inward territory as a lyricist for really the first time. Again, the set isn't pristine, and nothing compares to the experience of actually seeing Double Dagger live, though it's piqued my interest in the upcoming 7"s from them even more. Act quickly though, these live sets aren't usually online for long (picture from posttypography.com/doubledagger).
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