{"id":229103,"date":"2026-06-26T20:30:11","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T20:30:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/229103\/"},"modified":"2026-06-26T20:30:11","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T20:30:11","slug":"song-premiere-scranton-punk-rockers-old-daggers-sing-of-sentimental-trouble-in-curbside-choir","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/229103\/","title":{"rendered":"SONG PREMIERE: Scranton punk rockers Old Daggers sing of sentimental trouble in ‘Curbside Choir’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Old Daggers<\/a> may be weathered, a few noticeable knicks in their blade, yet when it counts, they\u2019re just as sharp as they ever were, cutting right through the rust to leave another mark on the Northeastern Pennsylvania music scene.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been nearly six years since the jagged group formed in Scranton, though each member \u2013 vocalist\/bassist Se\u00e1n Carey, guitarists Chris Wilbur and Anthony Magraner, and drummer Gabe Fasciana \u2013 has decades of good times and memorable scars to speak of from various other bands, all spilling out through their classic sound that they\u2019ve dubbed \u201cheartland punk rock.\u201d<\/p>\n

NEPA isn\u2019t exactly the Midwest, but the hard labor, long hours, circle pits, boozing, brawls, and brutal sincerity feel the same to any working class punk. The only thing that surprises Carey at this point is \u201cthe fact that we\u2019re still here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLife changes pretty fast. Jobs, families, responsibilities, and all the things that come with getting older can make it difficult to keep a band together. Our respect and love for each other defines us. Through all of that, we\u2019ve continued writing music and finding reasons to keep moving forward. Releasing our debut album [in 2023] was a huge milestone, and seeing people connect with our songs has made all the hard work worth it,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe record was really a Polaroid of where we were in life. A lot of the songs dealt with growing older, uncertainty, friendships, relationships, anxiety, loss, and trying to find purpose when things don\u2019t always go according to plan. We weren\u2019t trying to write anthems \u2013 we were just trying to be honest about what we were going through and what we were seeing around us.\u201d<\/p>\n

That continues today with a new single full of nostalgic sing-a-long gang vocals called \u201cCurbside Choir,\u201d premiering today on NEPA Scene as it shoves its way onto the stage of all major streaming platforms<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018Curbside Choir\u2019 is probably one of the most straightforward songs I\u2019ve written,\u201d Carey acknowledged.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s partially a biographical story. It\u2019s about leaving home, chasing something bigger than yourself, and finding someone to share the ride with. The song starts with a kid leaving a small town and heading to the city with no real plan. Along the way, he falls in love, gets into trouble, dreams big, and tries to make the best of whatever life throws at him. It\u2019s about young love, uncertainty, late nights, road trips down the shore, and believing that hard times are easier when you\u2019re not facing them alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

And they are far from lonely these days, gathering friends old and new throughout the rise of Old Daggers, especially when their self-titled album arrived.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe response was really positive. The feedback that meant the most came from people who connected with the lyrics. We\u2019ve had people tell us certain songs reminded them of periods in their own lives, and that\u2019s always been the goal \u2013 to let people know you\u2019re not alone, you have never been alone, and you\u2019ll never be alone, even when the world caves in around you. Locally, we\u2019ve always felt supported by the Scranton and Wilkes-Barre music scene. There is something unique in the Northeast that you don\u2019t find anywhere else. Some of us have been doing this since the early \u201990s. The venues, faces, and bands might change, but the love and support you feel in our area is unparalleled and never changing. It\u2019s steadfast. It will always be no matter the weather,\u201d he emphasized.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are proud of it. Every record becomes a time capsule, and when we listen back now, we hear exactly where we were as people and as a band. Of course there are things we would probably do differently today, but that\u2019s growth. More than anything, we are glad we captured that moment honestly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since then, they put out a single last year titled \u201cWho\u2019s Punk? What\u2019s the Score?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018It\u2019s a song about burnout, frustration, and trying to navigate a world that feels increasingly divided and exhausting. The lyrics came from a place of feeling worn down by constant noise and expectations. Lines like \u2018I keep waking up on the wrong side\u2019 and \u2018My world\u2019s on fire\u2019 reflect that feeling of carrying a lot of weight while trying to keep moving forward. It\u2019s about knowing when to fight, when to let things go, and learning to survive the chaos around you,\u201d he shared.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve never stopped writing since the first record came out. Some ideas have been floating around for years, while others are brand new. Then you have the ones that you work on for a month, just to toss out. The process, however, feels more natural now because we\u2019ve already gone through making a full-length record together. There\u2019s less pressure and more confidence in trusting where the songs want to go, where we want them to go. The first album taught us a lot about ourselves and about working together. We understand each other\u2019s strengths and weaknesses better now, and there\u2019s more trust in the process. We spend less time second-guessing ourselves and more time focusing on making the songs as strong as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

He noted that both these singles \u201crepresent where the band is heading creatively and fit naturally alongside the newer material we\u2019ve been working on. However, their place may just be the stepping stone to the house we are building.\u201d<\/p>\n

That means focusing on themselves and where they are in life, not just on another record.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want the songs to be a complete statement rather than rushing out a collection of songs. We\u2019re taking our time and making sure every song earns its place. There will definitely be another single. A new album is still in its infancy. We may be taking our time at the moment with new material and a new album, but there is a reason. The reason is simple \u2013 if we don\u2019t care about these songs, why would or should you?\u201d<\/p>\n

When it does finally arrive, Carey believes \u201cit\u2019ll still sound like Old Daggers, but I think it\u2019s a more mature version of the band.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe songwriting feels more focused and the themes feel even more personal. There\u2019s still plenty of angst-riddled punk rock kid in us, but we\u2019ve become more comfortable letting melody, storytelling, and emotion drive the songs. If the first record was about figuring things out, this one will feel more like taking stock of where we\u2019ve been and where we\u2019re headed,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur biggest priority now is writing towards what may be our epilogue \u2013 life is fast, it\u2019s short, and you never know. The fact of the matter is we plan on leaving our mark. We are looking forward to getting back on stage. We have a few things we\u2019re working on and hope to announce some shows soon.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the cruel dichotomy of punk rock \u2013 living on the edge of that knife inspires the music as much as it threatens to slash it all apart.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you to everyone who\u2019s stuck with us over the years. We\u2019ve never been a band that\u2019s followed a straight line. There have been setbacks, long gaps, and plenty of moments where life got in the way. The fact that people care about what we\u2019re doing means everything to us. We\u2019re excited about this next chapter and can\u2019t wait for everyone to hear what\u2019s coming next.\u201d<\/p>\n

Learn more about Old Daggers and their debut album in Episode 178 on the NEPA Scene Podcast:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Old Daggers may be weathered, a few noticeable knicks in their blade, yet when it counts, they\u2019re just…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":229104,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[58428,34485,178,180,179],"class_list":["post-229103","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-scranton","tag-premiere","tag-punk","tag-scranton","tag-scranton-headlines","tag-scranton-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/229103","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=229103"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/229103\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/229104"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=229103"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=229103"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=229103"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}