It was a public event with a relatively low admission price: ten dollars in advance or at the door. To the dismay of many latecomers, the show sold out about an hour after its starting time of 8PM. It was an age 18+ show, too, which heeded the curfew to make sure young kids under 18 were safe at home and not out late on the streets of downtown Minneapolis.

With punk rock as the standalone genre of the event, Dillinger Four headlined with special guests Scared of Chaka, Off With Their Heads, Birthday Suits, and The Dynamiters. The order was the reverse of this listing, with The Dynamiters kicking off the night at eight. All of the bands except Scared of Chaka originated in Minneapolis, which most likely accounted for the great turnout.

The audience was somewhat divided in their style and preferences. The majority was made up of stern, punk-rock enthusiasts, silently relaxing and enjoying the music. These people stood around for the most part, swaying to the rhythm and conversing with others. A small portion of the crowd was actively listening to the music, pushing and dancing wildly. However, some of the more laid-back attendees came out of their shell and let loose as soon as a band they liked took the stage. Most of the audience was made up of young adults, seemingly between the ages of 18 and 25. Occasionally you would bump into an “old rocker�, standing in back with a drink in hand and having loud conversations with his buddies.

Clothing and hair styles were similar throughout the audience. The majority of attendees dressed in “punk� style. This consists of mostly black clothing, band tees, long hair for men, and multiple facial piercings. Some other audience members dressed in a more carefree, uninhibited style. In other words, they threw on the first thing in their dresser and walked out the door. The performers shared similar styles with the audience.

Behavior at the show was relatively unrestrained. This mostly had to do with the fact that alcohol was ever-present among the audience and even among the performers. Behavior was mild at first and gradually got worse as the night progressed. This probably had to do with the evident fact that the audience was getting more drunk. Despite the moderately bad behavior, the audience showed respect to the lesser-known bands; no booing or heckling occurred. Those who preferred not to listen to a band simply went outside to converse, smoke, or just get fresh air and cool off.

There was a generally positive response to each band’s performance. Applause followed each song, regardless of individual like or dislike. This, along with whoops and yells, naturally increased as the night wore on and more well-known bands took stage. Applause also welcomed bands to the stage, having a similar increase in magnitude with the progression of the night.

As far as organization goes, the precursor to the show was set up well, but the performance was open to unfold as it did. The show was announced when the tour began, and advertising soon followed on the Internet and on flyers and posters. The event was divided into five performances of increasing duration, one by each band.

Potential attendees were given several ticket options. They could buy online at Ticketmaster.com, after which they would receive the tickets in the mail or put them on will call. They could also buy the tickets at the door, but this increased the risk of the show being sold out. At the door, staff members checked IDs to make sure each guest is at least 18 years old. If someone was under 21, the staff member uses a black marker to put X’s on their hands, signifying that the attendee cannot buy alcohol. All guests were given a hand stamp that allowed them to go in and out of the venue as they pleased.

Each band had an approximate start and end time, which they regarded less and less through the course of the night. Scared of Chaka went far over their allotted time when they decided to do a multiple-song encore, pushing Dillinger Four’s performance further into the night. The guys in Dillinger Four were given as much time as they wanted since they performed last. However, no one opposed or interfered with the lengthiness of any band’s performance. Time seemed to have no restraint on the progression of the show. The set times were apparently more of an optional guideline to the performers.

What went on through the course of the night was also an interesting experience. As the excitement and appreciation of the performers increased, movement on the dance floor followed suit. Focus and attendance also evidently increased as the night went on. All the bands that took the stage that night showed a lot of passion and intensity in their performances, and the audience response varied with each individual’s feelings about that particular band.

When Dillinger Four eventually took the stage, the energy and excitement levels came to a peak. Some of the people started “thrashing�, which is essentially a great deal of pushing, shoving, and knocking other people around, trying to act tough. The energy that was let loose on stage propagated throughout the thrashing pit. There was also a good amount of crowd-surfing and stage-diving going on. Yet despite all of the violent dancing, there was no hesitation in helping someone up off the floor that had just been knocked down or fallen from crowd-surfing.

The crowd became much more energetic as a result to the music. It was mainly loud and driving, with a constant series of snare hits and a steady kick drum pulse. Standing in the crowd you couldn’t keep yourself from tapping your feet or nodding to the rhythm. The guitar’s quick-strummed power chords and the raspy vocals perpetuated the flow of energy in the room, which in turn kept the audience moving. The deep, extremely loud bass guitar hammered a pulse into every audience member’s body. Since I happened to be leaning on the subwoofer for a good portion of the show, I felt the full force of the bassist’s playing. On the downside, however, there was no dynamic range to the music, which can be said for most punk rock material. It was constantly loud and driving and rarely changed tempo or feel. Altogether, Dillinger Four’s musical performance could be best described as high-energy but low variety.

Later in the performance, random people started to jump on stage and start singing along with the performers, essentially becoming performers themselves. At one point between songs, one of the band members thought it would be a great idea if someone got up and “took a shit� on the stage. Within a matter of seconds, a man, very large and very drunk, climbed on stage ready to perform the disgusting act. Fortunately (or unfortunately, for some), the man claimed to have a “shy butthole� and left the stage as it was before. The rest of the performance was filled with energetic punk songs and breaks in between in which the lead singer made a lot of sarcastic remarks about various aspects of the music industry. Unremarkably, some of his drunken comments made little to no sense, but much of his ranting fell to the topic of auto-tuning in the recording studio. This could definitely be considered a crazy show.

The show seemed to be a way for an individual to unleash energy and let off steam while listening to music they enjoy. The most common cases of this were the young male and female fans that thrashed and shouted out the lyrics with the performers. It also allowed people to have a good time with their friends and share musical tastes. The audience was generally pleased with the performance, given that they requested an encore. Dillinger Four gave it to them, serving as a great conclusion to an energetic night. Fans of the band left relatively satisfied and fairly new listeners, like me, exited with different interpretations of the performances. In my case, none of the guest bands particularly kept my interest, but I found Dillinger Four very entertaining.

The performers, depending on how drunk they were, must have left feeling relieved and accomplished. Their show was done and they were getting paid for doing what they love; of course they’re going to be happy afterwards. There was not much interaction with the fans afterwards, however. The bands mostly just packed up their gear and left.

The whole experience for me was quite an interesting one. Having not heard much of Dillinger Four beforehand, I approached the show with the feeling that I didn’t belong. I initially felt like I was standing out in the crowd, so I tried my best to blend in. But the longer I stayed, the more welcome I felt in that environment. It seemed as if many others experienced the same feelings. When the night began, some level of discomfort could be felt in the venue, but people eventually started to get comfortable with their surroundings. At this point the whole place became more like a community. This community was made up of individuals who shared an interest in punk rock music. At the beginning of the show, people would cling to the groups they came with and avoid others. Later on, these same people started to interact with others in further development of this new community. By the end of the show, this community came together to applaud and appreciate the common tie its members share. In those final moments, everyone drops their judgments and prejudices and welcomes their fellow audience members into this punk rock community. Unfortunately, when it’s all over, the community will break apart and things will return to the way they were. But the memory of the experience will surely live on in many of the attendees’ hearts…unless they were too drunk to remember anything at all.

As a result of punk rocks abrupt emergence into music culture, many sub-genres of it have been formed. The most popular include Emo, Pop Punk, and Hardcore Punk. Hardcore punk, in particular, had a notable rise to popularity. It first began in the late 70s and early 80s on the opposite ends of the U.S. Black Flag in Los Angeles and Minor Threat in Washington D.C. first established this sub-genre, distinguishing it from typical punk with a faster, heavier sound. With the exception of the sound, hardcore punk is perhaps the most varied sub-genre of punk, with lyrics pertaining to a wide range of topics. The topics of songs range from partying and drug abuse to religion and abstinence. Popular artists in the genre of hardcore punk include Black Flag, Dead Kennedys, and, in Minneapolis, Dillinger Four. (1, 2)

Black Flag, a band from southern California, formed in 1977 and is known as one of the pioneers of hardcore punk. At the forefront of the band, Greg Ginn created a sound that was unique to the genre of punk music but could still be classified as punk. It retained styles similar to the Ramones but also incorporated periodic tempo changes. The music also contained melodies that were influenced by heavy metal, and later records included instrumentals that used elements of free jazz and contemporary classical. The lyrics mostly deal with despair, loneliness, poverty, and paranoia and were primarily written by Ginn. Black Flag also heavily influenced a new “do-it-yourself� movement. As a result of this, numerous underground record labels and self-promoted tours popped up all over the country. And due to almost continuous touring, fans of Black Flag were extremely loyal and dedicated. Black Flag helped to create and shape the beginnings of hardcore punk. (3)

Around the same time, the Dead Kennedys developed a huge underground fan base. Like Black Flag, the Dead Kennedys hailed from southern California, San Francisco specifically. Their music retained the high energy level that is associated with hardcore punk but also incorporated experimental aspects that 70s British punk featured. The Dead Kennedys wrote lyrics that were intentionally shocking, making statements about social issues and politics and criticizing Ronald Reagan and right-wing politics. And, in the true punk rock style, their rebellious lyrics and actions got the Dead Kennedys in trouble with the law. (3)

Finally, Dillinger Four is a locally famous, punk rock band in Minneapolis. They formed in 1994 and have since produced four studio albums. They qualify as hardcore punk with their heavy, strumming power chord riffs and rowdy actions onstage. At a show, lead singer Patrick Costello would often make comments about society or politics or tell humorous anecdotes between songs. They would also drink a lot of alcohol and smoke quite a bit before their set so they can be intoxicated for their performance. Dillinger Four has a rebellious, and carefree attitude, typical to any punk rock group. (4)

The general public response to punk rock, and more specifically its subgenre hardcore punk, has had a huge impact on society. The punk style was first developed in the clothing shop in England called SEX where the Sex Pistols originated. The tone and style the music produces causes people to respond aggressively, usually yelling and thrashing. The lyrics speak of rebellion and “fighting the system� and influence the fans and listeners into having a rebellious attitude. Also, a carefree attitude spawned from punk rock, leading individuals to express themselves more often. Punk rock changed the world’s society. (2, 3)

Overall, hardcore punk embodies many of the ideals of punk rock. Hardcore punk is essentially punk rock with a bad attitude, so to speak. Bands such as Black Flag, Dead Kennedys, and Dillinger Four help to keep the genre “thrashing� and still influence the punk styles that first developed in the seventies. Bands and their fans continue to develop new punk styles and attitudes, but all of them root from what punk started as. Punk has left its mark on the world, and it continues to thrive today thanks to bands like Dillinger Four.

Bibliography
1 Cooper, Ryan. “The History of Punk Rock�.
2 Belsito, Peter. Davis, Bob. Hardcore California: A History of Punk and New Wave. Last Gasp: 2004.
3 Bennett, Andy. Peterson, Richard A. Music Scenes. Vanderbilt University Press: 2004.
4 “Dillinger Four Myspace Page�.

Dillinger Four, a punk band out of Minneapolis, Minnesota, writes songs that definitively fall into their chosen punk subgenre: hardcore punk. One such song, Doublewhiskeycokenoice, has become a recent hit among fans, generating almost 130,000 plays on Dillinger Four’s Myspace page. But what exactly makes that song a hit? Every element of the song has special characteristics that define it as popular in the punk community. Through analysis of the song’s form, texture, rhythm, melody, and timbre, one can discover how Doublewhiskeycokenoice has become such a hit.

In terms of form, Dillinger Four’s Doublewhiskeycokenoice has quite a few unique elements that set it apart from other common songs in the punk genre. It begins with a sample of what sounds like a schoolchild choir song. Immediately following this comes the intro, which in turn transitions well into the main melody of the verse. The melody in the verse consists of three repeated patterns and two bars of a single-strummed A power chord, making a total of eight bars in the verse. Next the chorus comes in, taking up sixteen bars. The melody phrase in the chorus is only eight bars long, but it is repeated to make sixteen. Dillinger Four again plays the verse and chorus, and this stanza-refrain repetition is common in most popular music. After the repeated verse and chorus, an interlude is played, eight bars long, with the same chord progression as one phrase of the chorus. The interlude differs from the chorus in rhythm, dynamics, and style and the addition of another sample, this being from Otis Redding’s Stay In School radio spot. Then the chorus is played once more for sixteen bars and the song concludes with a twelve bar outro ending on a held D power chord. Doublewhiskeycokenoice seems to mirror a common structure among punk songs, which, although lacking some originality and creativity, has become almost a standard for all popular music. One interesting thing about the structure, though, is that no lyrics are repeated for the chorus. But the song still follows a standard structure music-wise. Dillinger Four simply took a popular musical idea and incorporated it into their song to make it popular as well.

As in many punk songs, the musical texture of Doublewhiskeycokenoice only goes so deep. Dillinger Four has two guitarists, but both play the exact same melody throughout the song. Their unison monophony just creates a thicker and louder sound, emphasizing the melody more and driving it home. Once the vocals come in during the verse, the melody switches to a call and response antiphony between the vocals and the guitars. While the vocalist yells the lyrics, the guitars rhythmically strum their muted strings. Between the vocals, the guitars play a set of three chords. Each call and response line in the verse lasts only two measures. The song contains no harmony or countermelodies, proving that it is a definitive hardcore punk piece.

Punk rhythms tend to have similar characteristics, and Doublewhiskeycokenoice is no exception. The rhythm consists of mainly constantly strummed power chords in a specified chord progression and fast chord changes. The chorus contains the very common power chord strumming, in which each measure contains a quarter note chord followed by six eighth note chords. At about 185 beats per minute, the three main chords in the verse are played as quarter notes, so they change very quickly. In fact, at that speed, the three chords are all played in less than one second. The tempo also causes the eighth note strumming in the chorus to be at a heightened pace. Going back to the intro the listener hears a unique rhythm. The guitars play eighth note chords but change them in an uncommon way. The first and second chords are played three times; the third, fourth, and fifth are played twice; and the last is played once. A similar chord rhythm can be heard in Green Day’s American Idiot. As a matter of fact, the American Idiot riff is rumored to be influenced by the intro of Doublewhiskeycokenoice. Like most punk songs, Doublewhiskeycokenoice uses a lot of repetition. The verse contains a melodic rhythm that is repeated three times in each phrase, and the chorus’ rhythm is repeated in all eight bars of each phrase. The rhythm of Doublewhiskeycokenoice makes it an essential punk rock song, thus causing it to be a hit.

There is quite a distinct melody in each section of Dillinger Four’s Doublewhiskeycokenoice. It is pre-composed, given that both guitars play it, and it never changes in alternate verses or choruses. The shape of the music is quite unvaried as well. The chord range is very small, with a maximum distance of seven notes. The verse melody is very driving, with huge emphasis on the three power chords. The chorus is also driving but very busy with consistent strumming. Overall, the melody centers on an A chord, which begins most phrases. A D chord occurs mostly at the end of each phrase, acting as a resolve for the song. When the vocals come in, the melody continues to drive on, almost overpowering the vocals. The lyrics seem to add extra substance and take up space in the song, but at the same time they move around melodically much more often than the guitar melody. Dynamically, the song is fairly monotonous, maintaining a loud, powerful sound throughout.

Digging deeper into the source of the sounds reveals that Doublewhiskeycokenoice is obviously and purely a punk rock hit. Dillinger Four consists of two vocalists, two guitars, one bassist, and one drummer. In Doublewhiskeycokenoice, both vocalists sing with a grinding, yelling voice while still maintaining some tonal quality. The guitars and bass all use a pick to strike and strum the strings of their instruments, producing a low amplitude sound that resonates into the pickups and then into an amplifier. Out of the guitar amps comes a heavily distorted, loud sound that is common to many punk songs. The bass amp produces a highly amplified, room-shaking boom of a sound so as to create a powerful feel within the foundation of the music. The drummer, like any rock drummer, uses sticks to pound violently on his set, producing a heavy, steady beat to keep the music going. The overall sound of the song Doublewhiskeycokenoice is a power-driven, highly distorted, and chord-heavy series of melodic phrases. The tone is thick and harsh but has some amount of brightness in the chords. As far as punk rock songs go, the process of making sound for Doublewhiskeycokenoice is no different than almost any other punk song.

While it has several characteristics that make it a unique song, Doublewhiskeycokenoice is essentially very similar to most punk rock music. With its driving rhythms, fast power chords, and repetitive phrases, it embodies the standard that nearly every hardcore punk song shares. However, this does not mean that Doublewhiskeycokenoice lacks originality or creativity. The specific rhythms, chord progressions, style of play, and variance of vocals and guitars gives the piece a unique flair. The common elements used adhere the song to the genre of punk and provide listeners with the familiarity they enjoy to listen to while the unique elements bring something new to the table. The fusion of original and borrowed musical properties makes Doublewhiskeycokenoice such a popular song among punk rock fans.