Photo via Wikimedia Commons
I sometimes browse my music collection in an effort to see if I’m giving equal time to each and every artist/band. Obviously, as most avid music lovers tend to do, you tend to wonder if you’re in a rut or not.
Most of the time I self-check and realize I’ve been leaning one way or another and I try to change my focus. One of the things I love most is that there are no barriers to what type of music you should listen to. I know, I know, I do have to make excuses sometimes or at least encourage whomever is listening with me that all music is not for everybody, but you’ve got to at least remain open to listening to extraordinary music every once in a while.
Soooo, once upon a time I ran across a rather unique band called 31Knots. I’m guessing I’d stumbled down the YouTube Rabbithole in search of that elusive artist/band that I’m sure I haven’t listened to yet and stumbled across these guys.
Formed in Chicago in 1997 by guitarist/vocalist Joe Haege, bassist Jay Winebrenner, and a drummer who was soon replaced by Joe Kelly, 31Knots moved to Portland where they began playing shows as well as writing and recording their self-released debut Climax/Anticlimax which was released in 2000.
Music Genre identification can hobble a band as easily as lift them up for the masses to enjoy their collective talents. I have a hard time identifying them as a Math Rock band (listen to Don Caballero, CHON, Delta Sleep?). Because their sound style varies so much, I’d toss them toward the Indie Rock influenced side of music in spite of a glimmer of Math Rock shining brightly here and there.
After 31Knots released their second full-length album, A Word Is Also A Picture Of A Word (2002) others began to take notice as well. Critics were amazed by the technical prowess displayed not only by the band’s rhythm section, but also by Haege’s frenetic guitar playing.
They’re definitely up there as one of the most criminally underrated bands in my music collection. It seems that locally they were beloved and they toured with some of the hottest bands (Modest Mouse, Califone, and Owls.) Have the rest of you ever heard of them? 🙃
Here’s an interesting set of cuts from them off The Days And Nights Of Everything Anywhere (2007) (Haege lets it loose…with bit of Math Rock on the second cut to keep it honest?)
31Knots – The Days And Nights Of Lust And Presumption
31Knots – Imitation Flesh
