Double Dagger

The brainchild of two edgy graphic designers from Baltimore, Double Dagger is a hardcore punk/art-rock trio formed in 2002. Vocalist Nolen Strals and bassist Bruce Willen had previously played together in League of Death and re-formed with drummer Brian Dubin just after the group's final show with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Considering that Willen and Strals worked day jobs in an art firm called Post Typography, it wasn't a big surprise that they decided to name the new group after a typographic symbol. The diesis, or double dagger as its sometimes referred to, utilized a flashy logo (‡), and opened up merchandising opportunities for them to show off their design abilities. The band self-released a few efforts, and after recording their self-titled debut LP, they signed to Thrill Jockey, a surprising label choice, making them the most punky group on the label — before releasing More in 2009. The group toured extensively for the next year. Meanwhile, Strals and Willen released an art book of band flyers as part of Soundscreen Design’s Artist Music Journal series. Their design skills were showcased again on their EP, Masks, which was released in a limited run with metallic ink and three alternate covers in March of 2010.