Dillinger Four, sometimes abbreviated as D4, is an American punk rock band formed in 1994 in

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

. They have released four full-length studio

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

s. Since 1996, the band's lineup has been Patrick Costello on

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

and

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

, Erik Funk and Bill on

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

s and vocals, and Lane Pederson on

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

.Sutherland, Sa
"The Comforts of Dillinger Four"
''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...

'', November 2008.

History

The group was formed 1994 by guitarist Erik Funk and bassist Patrick Costello. The pair originally played together in a short lived but much beloved hardcore band from Chicago called Angerhouse. Angerhouse broke up after Funk moved to Minneapolis for college. When Costello later followed, Dillinger Four was born. The original lineup, which also included guitarist Sloan Lorsung and drummer Lane Pedersen, released the 1995 debut 7" single ''Higher Aspirations: Tempered and Dismantled''. Lorsung was replaced by Bill Morrisette before the 1996 follow-up EP ''The Kids Are All Dead''. A series of subsequent singles and compilation appearances were later collected on 1999's ''This Shit is Genius''. In June 1998, Dillinger Four joined

As Friends Rust As Friends Rust is an American melodic hardcore band based in Gainesville, Florida. The original line-up, which included vocalist Damien Moyal, guitarist Henry Olmino, bass guitarist Jeronimo Gomez and drummer Matthew Crum, formed in Davie, Fl ...

and Discount on a leg of their American tour. In the mid-'90s, the band was signed to California hardcore label

Hopeless Records Hopeless Records is an American independent record label in Van Nuys, California. History Hopeless Records was founded in 1993 by Louis Posen. The label's artists are generally considered to fall under the genres of punk rock, pop punk, post-ha ...

on the strength of what Hopeless founder Louis Posen called its "international following." The label released Dillinger Four's first two full-length records, 1998's ''Midwestern Songs of the Americas'' and 2000's ''Versus God''. The band moved to Fat Wreck Chords for 2002's ''Situationist Comedy'' and 2008's ''Civil War''. Funk founded and co-owned the influential Minneapolis music venue

Triple Rock Social Club The Triple Rock Social Club was a bar, music venue, and restaurant in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, co-owned by Gretchen Funk and Erik Funk of the punk band Dillinger Four. The club is mentioned in the Motion City Soundtrack song "Bett ...

, which opened in 1998 and closed in 2017. Dillinger Four played the venue's final concert in November 2017.

Honors and awards

Dillinger Four has been honored with a star on the outside mural of the

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

nightclub First Avenue, recognizing performers that have played sold-out shows or have otherwise demonstrated a major contribution to the culture at the iconic venue. Receiving a star "might be the most prestigious public honor an artist can receive in Minneapolis," according to journalist Steve Marsh.

Discography

Studio albums

* '' Midwestern Songs of the Americas'' (

, 1998) * ''

Versus God ''Versus God'' is a full-length album by Dillinger Four, released in 2000. Critical reception The ''Riverfront Times'' wrote that "not since the Monkees has a band been this seriously subversive about the music they play, themselves and the indus ...

'' (Hopeless Records, 2000) * ''

Situationist Comedy ''Situationist Comedy'' is an album by Dillinger Four, released in 2002. The song title "Sell the House Sell the Car Sell the Kids Find Someone Else Forget It I'm Never Coming Back Forget It" is a reference to the film ''Apocalypse Now ''Ap ...

'' (

Fat Wreck Chords Fat Wreck Chords (pronounced "Fat Records") is a San Francisco, California-based independent record label, focused on punk rock. It was started by NOFX lead singer Michael Burkett (better known as Fat Mike) in 1990. The label has released mater ...

, 2002) * ''

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

'' (Fat Wreck Chords, 2008)

Live albums

* ''Live at First Avenue'' (2003) * ''The End. Live At The Death Of The Triple Rock'' (2020)

Compilation albums

* ''

This Shit Is Genius ''This Shit Is Genius'' is a 1999 album by punk rock band Dillinger Four. It collects material recorded from 1995 to 1997 in their EPs of ''Higher Aspirations: Tempered and Dismantled'', ''The Kids Are All Dead'' and ''The Rebel's Choice'' which ...

'' (

No Idea Records No Idea Records is an American independent record label based in Gainesville, Florida which focuses on punk rock and its sub-styles and produces both vinyl records and compact discs. The label also organizes The Fest, an independently operated ...

, 1999)

EPs

* ''Higher Aspirations: Tempered and Dismantled'' (Cerebellum Records, 1995) * ''The Kids Are All Dead'' (Cerebellum Records, 1996) * ''More Songs About Girlfriends and Bubblegum'' (Mutant Pop Records, 1997) * ''D4! The Bootleg'' (Chadwick Records, 2010)

Split releases

* ''The Rebel's Choice'' (split with The Strike) (THD Records, 1997) * Dillinger Four / Pinhead Gunpowder (Adeline Records, 2000) * ''Masters of War'' (credited as "Dylanger Four") with Brother Mark Treehouse and

Atmosphere An atmosphere () is a layer of gas or layers of gases that envelop a planet, and is held in place by the gravity of the planetary body. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A s ...

(2004)

Compilation appearances

* "Farts are Jazz to Assholes" on

Short Music for Short People ''Short Music for Short People'' is a 1999 compilation album released on the Fat Wreck Chords record label. It features 101 bands playing songs averaging approximately 30 seconds in length. With a few exceptions, most of the album's tracks wer ...

(1999) * "Our Science is Tight" and "Maximum Piss and Vinegar" on Hopelessly Devoted to You Vol. 3 (2000) * "Like Sprewells on a Wheelchair" on

Rock Against Bush, Vol. 2 ''Rock Against Bush, Vol. 2'' is the second Rock Against Bush compilation album released on the Fat Wreck Chords record label. It contains a collection of songs by various punk rock artists, some of which were previously unreleased. It also inc ...

(2004)

Videography

* ''Belt Fighting the Man'' (with

Toys That Kill Toys That Kill is a San Pedro-based punk rock band, formed from a previous incarnation known as F.Y.P. (1989–1999). Just after the release of the last F.Y.P. album, also titled ''Toys That Kill'', Todd Congelliere and Sean Cole (vocalists/g ...

and

Rivethead A rivethead or rivet head is a person associated with the industrial dance music scene. In stark contrast to the original industrial culture, whose performers and heterogeneous audience were sometimes referred to as "industrialists", the rivethe ...

) * ''Plea for Peace/Take Action Vol. 2''

References

{{Authority control Fat Wreck Chords artists Musical groups from Minnesota American punk rock groups Hopeless Records artists Punk rock groups from Minnesota American melodic hardcore musical groups Hardcore punk groups from Minnesota