I wasn't able to attend the Ink & Daggers shows over Halloween weekend, but my old friend Justin Moulder was there. He was kind enough to send me the following recap of the festivities.
Justin has a deep connection with Ink & Dagger going back to their time together in the Philadelphia hardcore scene. If you haven't done so already, I recommened this excellent piece he wrote on the band back in 2019.
Enjoy,
Carlos (No Echo)
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I knew it was coming back at the end of February — Don had let me in on the plan: the reunion of Ink & Dagger. But let me back up for a second. I went to the Frail reunion show at the Church on February 28th to see Don, Mike, Derek, and Justin. I’ve liked those dudes since the mid-'90s, when they were wide-eyed suburban straight edge kids trying to express how fucked up the world is — even if their worldview was still limited by their age and experience.
After the show, Don grabbed me by the arm, looked me dead in the eye and started to unfold the I&D, 2025-26 master plan. He mentioned his grand ideas for the legacy of I&D. A box set, reunion shows, a video he was producing and a billboard.
A fucking billboard.
I’ve known Don long enough to know he’s a big dreamer and an even bigger believer in himself. As someone that for better or worse had his hands all over I&D since before they were even a band, I was very skeptical of the initial reunion shows years ago.
I will say what a lot of my friends said: "Ewww… Geoff? Was he even around then? Had he even known Sean?"
It took me years to realize that me liking (or not liking) Geoff’s singing wasn’t really the point—it wasn’t about me. With I&D, it’s always been about the community. Sure, it started as Sean and Don’s brainchild, but when they played that first show on South 6th Street, I started to see what they were going for. No one’s an outsider. That’s what makes it a community. This time, it was going to be different.
Wednesday. October 29th
The weekend for me began in earnest that Wednesday. I received a text from one of the masterminds behind the scenes; that Evan Weiss. A SoCal dude whose resume includes being a touring member of Sparks and Orville Peck as well as being an admitted “huge fan” of The Dagger. He had asked what days I wanted to come to the shows and I asked him to get our oldest daughter and a friend in on Thursday night. She wanted to see Paint It Black. I asked to get in on Friday (Halloween) and Evan made sure we were covered.
Thursday, October 30th
Our 19-year-old daughter, Lilian (Lils), arrived at the show and decided it was a good idea to stand up front on the right side of the stage for both PIB and I&D. I was to pick her up after the show and maybe see some of my old heads.
Right before the Almighty began their set, Lils Facetimes me asking if there is anyone, I wanted to say hi to. She panned to Don, standing on stage in his coat and hat. I said, “say hey to Don for me” and chuckled. She did, he waved and I began my 26-minute drive towards the Church. I parked and walked down to the Church. As I approached, I began to hear familiar tunes and smiled.
How’d they sound?
Amazing
How was the vibe?
Eerily comforting.
Crowd?
Seemed to be having an absolute blast.
I listened to the rest of the set while catching up with Mike Parcells (Frail, AM/FM, Mandela Strike Force, a guy that gets things done). I was eager to get his take, having done several bands with Don over the years. He was stoked. His wife? Stoked. Given the history Don and Mike shared, that reaction, really said it all.
I connected with a few other friends, including the architect of the book / box set / records and the shirts that I&D were slinging, Jeremy Dean. I joked that I ruined his life like I had done to Dave Wagenschutz and Ashli State (but that is a story for a different day). We laughed and promised to catch up Friday.
My daughter emerged from the show breathless with her homegirl with the largest smile on her face. I asked her how it was, and she responded “It was fucking awesome, Dad!” I beamed with pride. She then proceeded to tell me she was up front all night, singing along. Such a proud moment for me as a dad, that Lisa and I raised a daughter that really loves the music we do. We drove home and she told me about how she was getting dove on and elbowed but remained up front. Some friends posted pics and I was able to see, she was indeed, upfront.
Friday, October 31st, Halloween
Today, was my turn to re-enter the world that I had been involved in for the length of the band. The last time I had seen them, was the ill-fated Drexel University show in the fall on 1998. I brought my girlfriend, at the time (and future wife) Lisa. The show was a disaster. We left early because, well some things are best left unsaid.
I knew, to steal a line, this time was going to be different.
Deadguy opened the show and well, they raged as always. They were in rare form, even for them. They definitely rose to the occasion. It was really great to see they have not lost a step in the 30 plus years from that first show in Bordentown.
Tim and the crew paid tribute to Sean showing the reverence I&D deserved. Smiles were had, fists were raised… carnage was dispensed.
After a brief break, the Almighty Ink & Dagger took the stage. Halloween. How fitting.
Their set began with a spoken word diatribe by Sean. Fuck, I miss hearing that dudes voice. The crowd rose as one and when the first song began? Chaos and love rained down. So did blood. It was majestic. My The Last Dinner Party shirt was soaked in blood. I laughed.
Geoff, absolutely brought. It. And, as I stated from the start, I was a huge skeptic so this meant a lot. He wasn’t trying to cosplay as Sean, he was channeling what Sean was. Surreal.
Their set was flawless. Fake blood, strobe lights, shit talking. It had it all, with that one obvious exception… The show was also a reconnecting point for a lot of us that dare not attend our high school reunions. As I’ve said many times, “This is the high school reunion I would want to attend!” I stole that saying from Geoff D’Agostino who first said that to me outside the Insted reunion at CBGB’s in the early '00s, and if you’re reading this Geoff, I always credit you.
Midway through the second song, I get a tap on the shoulder and when I turn around, I was greeted by a face I hadn’t seen in 25+ years. It’s wild that as many things change, a lot stays the same. Hugs were exchanged and connections reestablished! So, hi Sammy! And that’s what we do as hardcore folks. We connect, we hug, we celebrate. But I digress.
The rest of the set was filled with tributes, noise, love, and respect. They sound absolutely awesome. I was making a video with my phone and mid song; Don gripped the phone out of my hand and tossed it in the pit. Thanks, man [laughs].
The set wrapped up with as much anticipation as it started with. Vision realized. We all left exhausted after the show. Tomorrow is a new day. My head spinning, my heart full… Man, today was as good as it gets.
Saturday, November 1
I woke up the next day, I shook off the cobwebs of being dove on and shooting bands from up front like I used to. I mean, Robby Redcheeks had offered me a spot-on stage, and I declined. I wanted to be where the action was… So, I paid the price.
Midday, I bid my family adieu and headed to the “Pop Up” at Launderette Records in the Port Richmond section of Philadelphia (3140 Richmond Street, support them please!). I was stoked to hear about how the I&D book came together. How friends Erik Bader (author) and Jeremy Dean (fry cook and chief bottle washer) mashed years of anxiety, pride, and myth into a digestible, tactile book. The exclusive merch was to be seen to believed (there was no exclusive merch).
I ran into several more friends that I was briefly able to catchup with from years gone by. And as great as the show was on Friday night, this was better.
Jeremy was up first and he talked about the process for getting the book together. Let me backtrack briefly here. When their initial designer flaked, Erik had reached out to me in a panic asking who I’d recommend for the job. I knew immediately it needed to be someone familiar with I&D but not directly involved enough to cloud their judgement. There was one choice. I am just glad he made the time to make this happen.
Jeremy talked about his process and how he kept discovering piece after piece to add to the story. It evolved; it grew… It took on a life of its own.
True story, Jeremy was texting me about how the book felt haunted. How at every turn, a file would disappear, a picture would go missing. He couldn’t save it. When he was able to save it, the files were gone. I was standing in my kitchen at home and told him I’d say a word to Sean, to “knock it off. Jeremy is doing this for us. Leave him the fuck alone already. I miss you dude, now let him get back to work already, sheesh!”
The problems ended immediately and Jeremy was able to finish the layout.
Sean Patrick McCabe, mischief maker from beyond… Not shocked.
Jeremy shared some slides of the layout, and I’ll just say everyone will be pleased. He did this project justice.
Erik started by reading from the Almighty Book of Dagger. He really knows how to tell a story. I suppose it’s easy to write about what you’ve lived through? Bader, seemingly avoided the pitfalls of writing about subjects we know too well: the trap of glamorizing or excusing the past. I really can’t put into words how much Erik’s words really transported us in the room, that lived through it, back to the late 90’s.
Fuck that was trippy.
When you read the book, you’ll see what I mean.
Erik’s words brought someone from the band to tears. Enough said.
After the show, I hung out as long as I was able to. Really soaking it all in. I told anyone that listened, this was the funeral Sean deserved, as thrown by friends and well-wishers. The videos and photos cannot do it justice. It was magic. Special. If only Sean was here, physically…
I asked some of the behind-the-scenes coconspirators to write some things as well…
Evan Weiss (Trust Records; coconspirator of this prospect, along with Joe Nelson; touring member of Sparks and Orville Peck):
"It’s been hard for me to describe The Order to those who weren’t there. All I can say is that The Philadelphia Society of Future Vampires are for real."
Jeremy Dean (Graphic design icon; layer-out of the I&D book; solid human; friend of nearly 40 years):
"The weekend of shows felt like a family reunion and a celebration of life and death. Seeing friends that span over 35 years from all over the country converge in the most sacred of places made me realize even more what this is all about."
Erik Bader (Author of the book that will accompany the I&D box set; Drag Strip Riot frontman; great author and visionary; better friend):
"The wildest thing about the whole experience is that I had just spent the last year+ on the Dagger book attempting to painstakingly re-construct the past piece by piece – not my just own experience but everyone’s, combined into one cohesive living replica that anyone today or in the future could experience like it was 1996 all over again…yet the second I turned the corner on Chestnut and saw everyone out on the sidewalk it all came full circle, the past was no longer the past: everything was happening right now. Sean wrote: 'It’s harder starting from the beginning'…so why not just keep going? Fuck nostalgia, everything that matters is always right now. Important to remember and beautiful to behold.
"Also: enough can’t be said about Don Devore’s total vision for all of this – 'The Order.' Ink & Dagger was always more than just music, and the complete package – four shows, five singers, the insane A/V setup at the Church, the fake blood, ESPO’s mural, a fucking billboard (!!!), the reading and presentation with me and Jeremy Dean, merch, zines…it was art flexing across all mediums, with community at its core.
"There were a million moving pieces and they all miraculously clicked in place, despite endless obstacles. The complete list of ideas was insane; it’s amazing they pulled off the ones they did. At one point we floated the idea of renting the Ionic Street house and turning it into a Dagger-themed art gallery!
"On the fifth day I woke up with a seriously bad cold, but fuck yes it was really worth it. Cough cough, Crud for President 2028."
Steven "ESPO" Powers (World-traveling graffiti artist and underground icon; living legend; leader behind the Sean Patrick McCabe mural):
"Brian McCabe (edit - Sean’s brother) drove around the neighborhood for awhile until he found the wall we were painting. Dan was onsite, and knowing Brian since he was a teenager, called me off the ladder. 'This is Seans younger brother.' Four years younger in fact, close enough in age to fully love and fully fight each other, but now, 25 years in the rearview, Brian can only see the love.
"Brian crashed his motorcycle a while back and woke out of a coma not remembering how to talk, or walk. He even forgot who he was, but he remembered Sean. Thats a better tribute to the memory of a man than I can paint with semi-clogged caps, so this wall is for Brian McCabe (and Mickey McCabe too). Brian's going to the Ink & Dagger show tonight, He's Sean's +1 Family first and last, always and forever. Oh, Dan pulled the punchline out of his pocket and it’s perfect. Keep revolving and you see it all come back full circle. Feliz Dia De Muertos a todos ustede."
(Used with permission from Steve’s Instagram post. Follow him there.)
Steve and I traded some messages after this:
Steve: you gotta shoot that all in the morning around 10am.
Me: I love the BTTS Ups. I teared up. Was that a Dan Murphy addition?
Steve: Nah. But I know the deal haha. Dan found the lyric.
Me: You’re a real one. Somewhere Sean is pumped.
Epilogue of an epilogue
Anyway, some things with reunions are far from perfect. “Scab lineups," the whataboutisms, the lack of awareness in preparing a set list, doing it for the wrong reasons, blatant omissions… Don, and the Dagger fellas avoided that entirely. Erik Bader, Jeremy Dean, Joe Nelson and Evan Weiss really pulled it off.
Fuck. How awesome?
***
The Ink & Dagger reissues are available via Trust Records.
Again, don't forget to read Justin's excellent Ink & Dagger feature from 2019!
Tagged: ink and dagger
