Walter Schreifels: It sure did take me a while but I like to think of the album as worth the wait. I’ve been writing songs on my acoustic and playing solo shows for years, I think the album reflects some of that journey. I think it tells a kind of story, sets a mood that is open to interpretation.

WS: I think it’s my most original work. I’m still ripping people off but I’ve really nailed my own way of doing it. I had to work harder with my family name on the line.
-
IRR: United By Walter is an online community that has been around for the last six years in celebration of your music and career.  How do you feel about such a group honoring you and your influence?
WS: Firstly it’s very flattering and as I’ve met members of the community, humbling. There’s some great people there and many friendships have formed as a result.

WS: I moved to Berlin for fun, adventure and to escape the Bush administration. I love the city and have many good friends there, it’s become a second home for me.-
-

WS: Someone should update my Wikapedia because I moved back to NYC last year. I still have an apt. there, and will be in Berlin this summer as well. I decided to move back to be close to my family, plus I wanted to make a second Rival Schools record.
-

WS: I was intensely into hardcore for a few years, mostly high school, it still shapes me as a person and certainly as a musician but my interest in music has always been pretty wide. I brought those influences ito hardcore with GB. I suppose Walking Concert and my solo work is bringing my hardcore influence into the classic sixties pop, reversing it.

IRR: What touring have you done in the last year and for what projects?
WS: In the last six months I’ve played in Australia, Japan, The U.K., Europe, The east Coast and West coast of the U.S.. I need to get up to Canada of course but it’s been a busy time for me.
- -
IRR: Any future plans to hit the road in support of your solo project or Quicksand?
WS: I plan to do as many solo shows as I can this year. I’ve even completed a new solo album for next year. I don’t have any Quicksand plans, although I do a version of “Thorn In My Side” during my live sets that goes over really well.
-

WS: I have many excellent memories of those times and I’m very proud to have been a part of all of that. I certainly had no idea that those bands would be viewed the way they are now, I think that’s great. That period of time certainly meant a lot to me and the songs still hold power.
-

WS: Love it, as it should be. Digital music is convenient but vinyl has soul.
-

WS: No plans, it’s all pretty available already far as I can tell.
-

WS: I’ve been very lucky to work with such good bands. I’ve never had a bad experience producing, I’ve made some great friends doing it too.
-

WS: I don’t look for it, sometimes people ask me and if I have the time and feel I can add something I’ll do it. I’m usually to wrapped up in my own music but as I said I do enjoy doing it when it comes up.
-

WS: The band just ran it’s coarse, we weren’t having much fun.
-

-Hey, have a visit with Walter Schreifels
Buy his new album An Open Letter To The Scene

1. Tell us about the band?

Double Dagger is a rock band from Baltimore that has been functioning for about 8 years now. We are loud.

2. Have you ever been fed up with playing music or with band members, why?

I wouldn’t say “fed up” but definitely frustrated at times with playing music or band members. With band members it’s often just petty things that come from the grumbling of touring. As far as playing music goes, the fact that it seems like less people are getting together and starting bands and instead opting to only have solo projects is mildly irritating. If anything, this motivates me/us to be a better musician/band in hopes that someone else will see us and do the same.

3. What was your first concert experience? Do you remember how you felt once the concert was over?

My first concert experience was King Crimson on their THRAK tour in 1995. My parents took me and I remember being pretty blown away from Bill Bruford, and not just his loud looking canary yellow drum kit.

4. Did you grow up wanting to play music, or when did the whole making albums thing come about and how?

I definitely grew up wanting to play music as young as I can remember. I was definitely raised on a healthy, diverse diet of music thanks to my parents. I got myself involved with playing in bands in high school and never quite looked back.

5. What qualifies you guys to be in a band?

We are weird dudes.

6. Do you have a favorite song you have ever written? Why?

“Vivre…” is one of my favorites because its so fun to play and has a few explosive build-up parts that I enjoy.

7. What is your greatness weakness as a band?

Not existing during the 1990s.

8. What qualities should a successful label or manager have?

Allowing the artist to have input and a final say is always important. If you carry that outlook with your practices, I think it results in a healthy relationship and a greater quality of output from the artist.

9. What is the scariest thing that has ever happened to you in your life?

After a show for a band I used to be in, a friend and I were driving home from Allentown, PA at 3 AM on I-95, there was no one else on the road. We could see a set of headlights coming from about a half mile away, then they got closer. We suddenly realized that they were on OUR side of the highway, belonging to a pickup truck headed right towards us. They had to have been coming at about 120mph, so we had about 3 seconds to swerve off the highway into the center median.

This, and the time I was shot at in Indianapolis and ran about 15 blocks to safety.

10. Whatís the first thing you do when the band arrives in a new town while on tour?

Tour dumps. Pretty much goes for any band, anywhere.

11. Have you ever had an audience member give you the willies because they kept looking at you all weird?

Not really with Double Dagger, because Nolen usually weirds out the audience instead of vice versa. But this did happen to me while on tour with the Dan Deacon Ensemble. We were playing a festival in Cherbourg, France. I looked out into the crowd during a song and this one kinda drunk scraggly dude made direct eye contact with me, gave me the middle finger and repeatedly yelled FUCK YOU.

12. Have you ever cried while listening to music? If so what were you listening too?

The Star-Spangled Banner at a Baltimore Orioles game, because its all downhill from there.

13. If you could re-record, or re-write any song of yours what would that song be?

“The Psychic,” just because it would probably sound way heavier now.

14. Who was your first crush and what was it like to feel that way for the first time?

This girl in middle school. It was weird, since it was a private school and the same people from 1st grade to 8th, so it almost seemed like dudes were assigned girls to crush on. Anyhow, I ended up sitting next to this girl in 8th grade and was kinda grossed out by her and just not into it anymore. That actually felt more awesome than crushing on her.

15. In a perfect world how many albums would you have to sell to be happy?

I can hardly answer this question in regards to this world, so I’d rather not tap into parallel universes right now.

16. What do you guys have planned for the future?

Some more writing, some small US jaunts in the fall. I personally will be doing some more work with the Dan Deacon Ensemble, and other musical endeavors.

17. What music do you listen to when you are having a bad day?

Damn, stuff ranging from Boards of Canada, to Karp usually helps me out a lot, amongst many others.

18. If you had your life to live over again, what one thing would you change?

I should’ve hammered through college a lot quicker and spent more time concentrating on music.

Visit Double Dagger (or just watch their live video below that sounds like Minor Threat.)

-
Written by Doodah
7.7/10
Release Date: January 11th, 2010

This Good Shoes album is perhaps one of the best albums I’ve ever heard from a band that I had never previously heard of. The songs had that certain Je ne sais quoi, while being entertaining and slightly edgy. Each song had enough rock to satisfy the animal in me while also providing enough thoughtful composition satiating that wandering artist philosopher inside of me that I only wished was as true in reality as it is in imaginary.

The first thing that jumped out at me is the way the guitarist seems to do his own thing on the side, ignoring the more obvious and typical plodding alongside the drums, obliging us with the standard blues rock riffs. It sort of separates them from Franz Ferdinand (which would be the most obvious comparison right off the bat). There is an unforeseen texture in his guitar work that kept me engaged in where the song is going.

While the music seems to be figured out and polished, there is a feeling that the singer isn’t quite on the same page. His style doesn’t vary much from song to song, and his vocal diction feels so limited that it doesn’t feel like it adds what it should in any single song, much less song after song throughout the entire album. He has this sort of Arctic Monkeys style, but sort of repeats a particular fluctuation over and over that becomes slightly tiresome. It’s possible that I’m being a bit harsh in light of how much I enjoy the music and compositional breakdown; he’s the weak link, yes, but all things considered he’s the king of the weak links.

If you like The Arctic Monkeys, The Strokes, and Franz Ferdinand, you’ll probably like this band. While they certainly have their own sound and don’t deserve to be classified as a “they’re like ______ meets ______”, they certainly are a successful cross section of the three bands. I recommend this, but I recommend even more watching for them in the future, because while this album seems to have it’s foibles, the band’s exciting composition and musicianship has a potential that has me excited.

Visit Good Shoes

Tracklisting:
1. The Way My Heart Beats
2. Everything You Do
3. I Know
4. Under Control
5. Do You Remember
6. Our Loving Mother In A Pink Diamond
7. Times Change
8. A Thousand Miles An Hour
9. Then She Walks Away
10. City By The Sea