Black Knots

BLACK KNOTS Along the Ohio River in the heart of Appalachia lye’s a band that on one hand separates themselves entirely from their region and on the other represents everything that demands respect in small town America. In a time where rock is looked at as a commodity rather than an attitude based driving force, our music community has been left cheated. When people speak of the music that summarizes the reason they fell in love with rock, often their conversations are based on memory and nostalgia. Once upon a time rock meant big, it meant caring for things you weren’t supposed to and apathy for what you should. It meant girls, drugs, late nights and fights. It meant tomorrow you might not wake up… “But that was a justifiable risk to follow the party!” In Huntington West Virginia, a small town on the border of three states a band had done something where so many others have tried and fallen short. Remind us why we loved rock again. The Black Knots are a band built on few but valued principles. The ridiculous and over the top for other bands is only the “setting of the bar” for the Black Knots. Rock should be attitude, it should be bigger than life and over the top because that is the ideals that it was built on and ideals perpetuated since its inception. Little has changed because adrenalin does not evolve, it either is or isn’t. Rock is soul, heart, love, addiction, blood, sweat, hate & want. The Black Knots are the hunger for the drug without the “flaccid disappointment” given by other bands that can’t provide it. At bare bones the Black Knots are a rock band. There style is built on power based songs, rooted in blues premise with enough tongue and check undertones to make you question the seriousness of the band in its entirety. That brings us to the other anchor and principle of this band, the idea that well written songs in a party packages is a palatable drink for every rock fan. Just because a song is complicated does not mean it has to be deep and just because a song is simple does not mean it has to be stupid. At root, the Black Knots walk the line of AC/DC, Turbonegro, Danko Jones, Nashville Pussy, Devil Dogs, Zeke, George Thorogood and the New Bomb Turks. Many bands similar but different, uncompromising but the same. There will always be cookie cutter bands regurgitating popular styles and teen movie representations of suburban angst. At least in the reigning rock community there is a level of comfort in knowing that the airwaves are a little dirtier due to the Black Knots doing what so many other bands forgot was possible… Kickin’ it out!“They are a high-energy cross of old punk textures and Social Distortion-esque song writing. Loved them.” Graffiti Magazine, March 2005“They’re fast, aggressive and all-natural, the kind of band that will remind you why you like rock ’n’ roll. ‘Shawn Beckner’ Herald Dispatch, May 19 2005(e-mail: [email protected])