KNUCKLEHEAD CD Release Parties
Friday, December 6
Auxiliary (All-Ages)
Saturday, December 7
The Night Gallery
Seven might be the lucky number for standby local punk rockers Knucklehead.
With the release of their latest EP, Hostage Radio (featuring seven new tracks and their new music video), they'll have seven releases under their belts. They've completed seven tours across North America since their inception in 1994, and they're looking forward to the next seven tours now that they have a new tour van (a ’91 Dodge one-ton with new bunks and a CD player – "We're cruisin' in comfort," beams bassist Matt Young).
After opening for legends such as the Misfits, Face to Face, Propagandhi, Swingin' Utters and Offspring, and chugging along as they have, you'd think that they (a) may be getting tired of the scene, (b) would have already broken up and formed four offshoot bands or (c) moved to Vancouver or Toronto by now.
"I don't think we overwork ourselves," says Kyle Hegel (lead vocals), causing a couple of snickers around our café table.
"Seriously. We don't get to the point where we're sick of it. There are so many bands that go 'We're going to move to Vancouver and make it big.' In a year, they all hate each other. Or you'll hear about the bands that go on a four-month tour in Europe. They come back and can't stand each other."
It's common knowledge that Knucklehead is one of the hardest working bands in Calgary. (They're also one of the most polite.)
"If so, Calgary's in sad shape," continues Kyle. "We work hard. We've been touring since we were 18, we try to record every year, we play probably around 50 to 60 shows a year. Some years it might be 30 or 40, but some years it's more. To us, that's not overkill. Some bands really do work like, 'Let's go on tour for two months and play every shit-hole between here and Toronto.'
"Not into that," he says, shrugging.
That kind of attitude has definitely played a part in the longevity of Knucklehead, aside from the tight bond between Kyle, Matt and Clayton MacNeill (guitar), who grew up together. In 2000, they added drummer Kris Leasak to the band so Kyle wouldn’t have to drum and sing at the same time. Most recently, they've acquired Joel Diemer (rhythm guitar).
One thing that hasn't changed too much is Knucklehead's dedication to lyrics about social issues. The wonderful thing is that they're not likely to run out of song material. Unlike people who have to find new words to rhyme with love, Knucklehead have their eyes locked on alternative news sources and are ready to incorporate whatever they learn into a song. They say their songs are about your average person and vivid political issues – without the overkill.
"We're just really opinionated, I think," says Kyle. "We're fairly well informed of events. (We're) lifelong learners as well…. Basically, school teaches you how to educate yourself and spend the rest of your life doing it. That's what we all try and do is educate ourselves. By no means are we the most intelligent people or the most educated people around."
For more information on Knucklehead go to www.knucklehead.ca. |
