"CLOAK/DAGGER is what punk rock needs right now." - Pastepunk
"We Are is dirty. It’s sloppy and raucous. It’s fast and raw. But with Cloak/Dagger, I wouldn’t want it any other way." - Absolutepunk
"The evil treble riff in “Kamikazes” sounds more frantic every time it pops up. “New Year’s Resolution” busts out the time-honored drums/bass/guitar-noise jam in the middle of the song and still wraps it up in 1:48. And “Walk the Block” may be the best thing on the album just for making some fairly stock “no future”/”fighting on the streets” rallying sound convincing." - Decibel Magazine
"Punk kids might have turned punk rock into just another facet of crappy American culture, but the style isn't going to be assimilated without a fight. Consider Cloak/Dagger and We Are frontline soldiers in that battle." - Aversion.com
Three of the four members of Richmond, VA's Cloak/Dagger did not initially start playing music together. Before they were a band, they were vandals, wasting the humid Richmond hours away by smashing windows at an abandoned warehouse. But the misplaced aggression would eventually find a home. Caught between the sincerity of crowded basement shows and a hail storm of falsified melodrama from the music industry, the collective members of the band joined forces to create a sound that, according to the band, "Recognized the spirit of the music we wanted to play without repeating the devices bands before us have used." It was jagged, energetic and simple; an anti-approach to perfection and presentation. It was Cloak/Dagger.
Following a demo and a 4-song 7" for Grave Mistake Records, Cloak/Dagger signed to Jade Tree in the summer of 2006. In between song writing and live stints alongside the likes of The Loved Ones, Fucked Up, Big Business, The Vicious, Fifth Hour Hero, New Mexican Disaster Squad and Lifetime, the band, comprised of Colin Kimble, Jason Mazzola and brothers Aaron and Colin Barth, released Pinata Breaks, Demo Takes, on Jade Tree. The release, spanning the band's two and a half year history, combined tracks from their original 4-song 7" release together with their original demo tracks. Taking hints from a variety of influences between both hardcore and punk, Pinata Breaks, Demo Takes combined the jagged aggression of bands like Swiz and Black Flag with the spastic urgency of Drive Like Jehu. Shortly after the release of Pinata Breaks, Demo Takes in the summer of 2007, Cloak/Dagger traveled to Louisville, KY to record 'We Are.'
On their debut full length LP for Jade Tree, Cloak/Dagger keep it fast and simple. No looking back, no regrets. Produced and recorded at Headbanging Kill Your Mama Music Studios by Chris Owens (Lords), 'We Are' is a bombastic, rough around the edges approach to minimalist hardcore. No track reaches the three-minute mark and no sentiment is overloaded in detail. The 14-track, 25-minute debut embraces a lyrically raw directness that transcends the false conceptions and misgivings of modern punk, offering up honest commentary on the balance between life both with and without excess. In the end, We Are Cloak/Dagger embraces the long lost art of disposability, steering away from the culture of celebratory fake aggression, into a new era of raw, incendiary punk music. A chaotic mess of a "Fuck you," if you will.
And though Cloak/Dagger fails to underestimate the poignancy of playing a dirty basement show in their hometown, the band will be touring both the U.S. and Europe following the release of We Are. Look for the trail of smashed windows, leave your cliches at the door and listen for the call of Cloak/Dagger.
Cloak/Dagger is:
Vocals: Jason Mazzola
Guitar: Colin Barth
Bass: Aaron Barth
Drums: Colin Kimble
"We Are" Track listing:
1. Bended Knee
2. Sunburnt Mess
3. Runways
4. Kamikazes
5. New Years Resolution
6. Walk the Block
7. J.C. Pays the Bills
8. Hollywood Hills
9. Generato
10. Red Hair
11. Set the Alarm
12. Last Call
13. Quit Life
Cloak/Dagger Live!
Sep 28 2007 TROOPS OUT NOW protest in DC w/ STRIKE ANYWHERE
Sep 29 2007 Guzmans Harrisonburg, Virginia w/ STRIKE ANYWHERE
Sep 30 2007 The Basement Colombus, Ohio w/ STRIKE ANYWHERE
Oct 1 2007 Rhino’s Bloomington, Indiana w/ STRIKE ANYWHERE
Oct 2 2007 Charm City Art Space Baltimore, Maryland
Oct 3 2007 Brooklyn TBA Brooklyn, New York
Oct 4 2007 Welfare Records Haverhill, Massachusetts
Oct 5 2007 Cleveland TBA Cleveland, Ohio
Oct 6 2007 The Static Age Romeo, Michigan
Oct 8 2007 Omaha TBA Omaha, Nebraska
Oct 9 2007 Sox Place Denver, CO Denver, Colorado
Oct 11 2007 West Seattle Legion Hall Seattle, Washington
Oct 12 2007 418 Project, Santa Cruz, CA Santa Cruz, California
Oct 13 2007 Biko House, Isla Vista, CA Isla Vista, California
Oct 14 2007 Tj arte & rock cafe Tijuana w/ Hour Of The Wolf
Oct 15 2007 CA tba TBA, California
Oct 16 2007 CA tba TBA, California
Oct 17 2007 Prescott AZ tba Prescott, Arizona
Oct 18 2007 The Living Room Tuscon, Arizona w/ Hour Of The Wolf Oct 19 2007 Cafe Revolution San Antonio, Texas
Oct 20 2007 The Compound Corpus Christi, Texas w/ Hour Of The Wolf
Oct 21 2007 Red Blood Club Dallas, Texas w/ Hour Of The Wolf
Oct 22 2007 Eagles Lodge Wichita, Kansas w/ Hour Of The Wolf
Oct 23 2007 Fort Gondo St. Louis, Missouri w/ Hour Of The Wolf
Oct 24 2007 The Muse Nashville, Tennessee w/ Hour Of The Wolf
Oct 25 2007 Cave 9 Birmingham, Alabama w/ Hour Of The Wolf
Oct 26 2007 The FEST Gainesville, Florida
Oct 27 2007 The FEST Gainesville, Florida
Oct 28 2007 The FEST Gainesville, Florida
Oct 30 2007 Asheville, NC Asheville, North Carolina w/ Shook Ones
Oct 31 2007 HALLOWEEN!!! RVA Richmond, Virginia w/ Shook Ones
For more information, visit:
www.myspace.com/wearecloakdagger
www.jadetree.com
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