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Can I Say

From time to time, I like to update things I covered in POST but had no way of updating since the book came out two years ago.

This little item came from John Davis, formerly of Hoover, Corm, and Q and Not U. He was someone I had to pleasure of getting his perspective on growing up around Dischord in the eighties and nineties. Since I keep in touch with many of the people I interviewed these days via Facebook, I noticed this link today on John's page.

After years of availability as a bootleg, Shawn Brown's very brief tenure with Dag Nasty is finally getting a proper release. Back then, the band was set to release a 7-inch with Dischord, but Shawn left the band and the band got Dave Smalley to sing on what became Can I Say. Since guitarist Brian Baker wrote most of the lyrics in the band, what Shawn sang was almost exactly what Dave sang on the record.

For the collectors and hardcore folks, this is a great snapshot of a band in its infancy. Although Dave's tenure with the band wasn't very long either, the power of Can I Say is still greatly felt. Hearing the anger and frustration in the lyrics and the singing, along with the band's intensity, is something I keep coming back to, whether I'm happy or not.

This new release might be redundant for people who are accustomed to Dave's time with the band, but I'm glad relics from the past have found a release.

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