Know Lyfe

Singer talks about local metal-core act's evolution

There are few better ways for a band to achieve a solid fanbase than by having a killer live show.

And when that live show happens to entail a bunch of energetic musicians with a gift for speedy guitars and emotive, ubiquitous lyrics, well, that fanbase is bound to grow. Fast.

Such is the case with Know Lyfe. The Lansing gents first got together in 2000, blending chugging metal-core with manic tonal sweeps and the sometimes-screamy, sometimes-melodic vocals of Alfonso Civile. It's a bit of Underoath, with Taking Back Sunday thrown in for melody. And the live show is killer enough to keep drawing fan after fan.

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The guys have played with a mind-numbing list of bands. (Atreyu, Lacuna Coil and Demon Hunter, to name some.) And they've played the Vans Warped Tour. Next up: A live DVD taping of their current full-length, "On Cold Hands and Dark Waters," at Mac's Bar Saturday. Civile took some time to chat with us.

• LSJ: The lineup for this weekend's DVD shoot looks great: Bloodlined Calligraphy, Farwell, Versus the Ocean, Arms of Automation and Born. And they're all Michigan bands.

• Civile: Yes, it's important that this show isn't just about us. That's not the point. The honest-to-God point of this show is to promote local musical talent, and also the Michigan music and metal scene. We're proud to be from Lansing and if we can make a dent in the scene, then that's great.

• You guys have been a band since 2000. Do your fans feel like family at this point?

• Absolutely. When we go to shows, especially here in town, it's like getting together with a lot of old school friends.

• As Know Lyfe works on a new album, do you think your sound is evolving into a heavier direction?

• The truth is, with this new record, we didn't say, "Let's go this direction or that direction." We said, "Let's just write music and see what happens." But this is turning into a heavier and darker album, and I think it's more cryptic. A lot of the material I'm writing about is darker. A lot of it has to do with religion, not in a bad way, it's just that I've never written about that stuff and it's something I wanted to delve into because of my faith. So it's definitely heavier.

• Show details: Know Lyfe, Bloodlined Calligraphy, Farwell, Versus the Ocean, Arms of Automation, Born, 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Mac's Bar, 2700 E. Michigan Ave., 484-6795; $7, all ages.

- Lansing State Journal

With no hesitance in combining pop chords and heavy breakdowns, Know Lyfe is a band that has all the makings to become a mainstream success beyond the metal circuit. However, for now, the band is content in riding a newfound wave of success and appreciation from a national audience. I was given the opportunity to send the guys a few questions about what we can expect for the future of the band and how they got to the point where they are at. Keep on reading for one of AMR’s most honest interviews to date.
AMR: Thanks for taking part in this interview first and foremost. My first question would be to have you tell our readers who may not be familiar with Know Lyfe, a little bit about the band. What should fans expect to hear?
NL: The band has been around for about 8 yrs and in that time has played with everyone from Veruca Salt to Fairl To Midland, to Dimmu Borgir, to 36 Crazy Fists. People should expect a heavy band, but melody, and also some different approaches to mixing sludgy, bouncy breakdowns with 80’s pop chorus approaches. We are a unique band, we apply what we love to our music by our influences.
AMR: You guys are finally beginning to reach out beyond your regional scene and make waves. How does it feel to have your hard work justified?
NL: It feels good man. I mean it takes a lot of hard work to get the little we have, it feels good but its no where near where we want to be. We don’t settle for anything less than meeting each one of our goals as human beings that play in a band. It’s sad really, now a days all these bands are hearing of bands like Forever The Sickest Kids, Panic At The Disco, Fall Out Boy getting signed after a year, a month, a week after getting together…. trust us, that shit doesn’t happen that often. Not hating on any of those bands, but dude look at the statistics, being in a band is no easy task and its work…a lot of sacrifice and work. You don’t just start a band, sound amazing, and get a million dollar record deal. Having a deal most of the time eats your band alive from the inside. You have to have a business approach to your music as well as a love for what you do and your art.

AMR: Whether you hate’em or love’em, members of Slipknot have made it quite clear that many of their lyrics were expressed because of a frustration for having to grow up in rural Iowa, with little to do in such a conservative area of the country. Can you relate to these sentiments being from the general midest area, and if so, how does is it expressed in your music?
NL: Ehh I mean some of us can, but some of us can’t. Our Singer is from Miami, FL. you don’t get much bigger of a city than that. Yet our guitar player was raised in a small Michigan town named Ludington. We can relate, but can’t say we all know the feeling. By the way, LOVE SLIPKNOT!!! AUGUST 26TH CAN’T COME SOON ENOUGH!!!
AMR: You guys are on a major national tour right now in support of your latest release, On Cold Hands and Dark Waters. Is the first full national tour you have done?
Alfonso: No we have done many tours national most have been with friends bands like Straight Line Stitch…check them out! So we are pretty seasoned when it comes to touring.
AMR: What is some of the craziest shit you have encountered on the road?
Alfonso: Some girl drank sweat from a shirt we gave her lol. Ummm, another kid pissed himself for our CD..ON command we may add….lolol.
AMR: What cities are you most looking forward to hitting up?
Alfonso: Miami, FL. Houston, TX…anywhere in Texas really, lol. Charlotte, NC.
AMR: Tell us about the new album. Is this the best material we have heard from Know Lyfe?
Alfonso: We believe its a new heavyier take on us…(cliche we know) but at the same time its a more seasoned and grown up us. Lyrically and musically we are growing up more and more and that makes us happy. Will it make other people who are fans of the band happy? We hope so, but we don’t make music to please anyone. We make music that we hope others can enjoy and take a positive message from. We are not disillusioned, we know our music isn’t for everyone and someone will always hate on you no matter how much success you have. We think this is a great record and we are glad we put it out. Thanks to everyone involved in making it..Bone, our engineer, is a great dude check out his studio online (thresh hold studios.)
AMR: How has the reception to the new material been?
Alfonso: Great! We have been getting some really cool vibes from people, and its selling well at Smartpunk.com, so hey, no complaints we guess lol.
AMR: I have noticed your tour contains dates on the Vans Warped Tour. You guys must be psyched to be able to take on such a well known festival! Are you prepared to slaughter some alternative fans?
Alfonso: haha! Hahaha oh dude you don’t even know! I can’t wait to make some kid’s tight pants rip off due to too much metal!!! lol Nah Kevin Lyman, Ernie Ball and the Vans Warped tour are all super amazing people and we are beyond ho - all metal resource

Know Lyfe. An odd spelling for a fittingly strange band. But before memories of Mudvayne cloud your memories, sometimes a weak grasp of english allows the band to concentrate on their sound.

Tenuous links aside, Know Lyfe are a different slice of metal. To start with, it's almost irritating - their clean, almost American punk-esque vocals are matched up with some clever drumming and guitar work normally found on the most progressive of metals. Indeed, the first time the brutal vocals kick in at around two minutes into the first opus "Veins and Vines", it's a big shock to the system. Imagine The Vines suddenly getting really annoyed mid-song.

However, what really seperates Know Lyfe from their peers is their dedication to variation rather than sheer noise. Whilst there is a clear metalcore influence here, Know Lyfe prefer to use clever bass and drumming to sheer screaming and super fast drumming. The clean vocals coupled with growls sounds typical, but when it comes from these guys it's bizarrly unique.

For those still not convinced, Know Lyfe have an impressive history, supporting and playing with a huge selection of bands, from symphonic black metal juggernaughts Dimmu Borgir, through to goth superstars Lacuna Coil, stopping off with some nods to classic metalcore legends Every Time I Die. It's a strange but fitting selection - this band sound so versatile it works every time.

Know Lyfe's new release is sadly short, clocking in at under twenty minutes. However, the title track and the excellent "Petals for the Ones" make it worth any price. Pick this up now.

11 out of 13 - Room Thirteen Online Magazine

Know Lyfe. An odd spelling for a fittingly strange band. But before memories of Mudvayne cloud your memories, sometimes a weak grasp of english allows the band to concentrate on their sound.

Tenuous links aside, Know Lyfe are a different slice of metal. To start with, it's almost irritating - their clean, almost American punk-esque vocals are matched up with some clever drumming and guitar work normally found on the most progressive of metals. Indeed, the first time the brutal vocals kick in at around two minutes into the first opus "Veins and Vines", it's a big shock to the system. Imagine The Vines suddenly getting really annoyed mid-song.

However, what really seperates Know Lyfe from their peers is their dedication to variation rather than sheer noise. Whilst there is a clear metalcore influence here, Know Lyfe prefer to use clever bass and drumming to sheer screaming and super fast drumming. The clean vocals coupled with growls sounds typical, but when it comes from these guys it's bizarrly unique.

For those still not convinced, Know Lyfe have an impressive history, supporting and playing with a huge selection of bands, from symphonic black metal juggernaughts Dimmu Borgir, through to goth superstars Lacuna Coil, stopping off with some nods to classic metalcore legends Every Time I Die. It's a strange but fitting selection - this band sound so versatile it works every time.

Know Lyfe's new release is sadly short, clocking in at under twenty minutes. However, the title track and the excellent "Petals for the Ones" make it worth any price. Pick this up now.

11 out of 13 - Room Thirteen Online Magazine

Know Lyfe's five song EP, Veins and Vines, is different from what you'll hear from most metal shows in West Michigan or, frankly, anywhere.

The band prides itself on including catchy melodies amongst heavily distorted guitars, and on V&V they succeed. If one could mute the vocals, the result would sound something like Superjoint Ritual eating Jimmy Eat World. It's heavy, yet poppie. Vocally, Alfonso Civile makes similar transitions from clean singing to heavy screams, often within the same song.

It's clear the band has taken the next step as songwriters, but what isn't clear is how many steps they've left to take. The guitars on each track run together a bit, and despite each song being capable of leaving an impression, they don't do so when listened back to back. The last two minutes of track five is the exception. -- Nick Stephenson
- Recoil Magazine. Grand Rapids, MI.

Know Lyfe's five song EP, Veins and Vines, is different from what you'll hear from most metal shows in West Michigan or, frankly, anywhere.

The band prides itself on including catchy melodies amongst heavily distorted guitars, and on V&V they succeed. If one could mute the vocals, the result would sound something like Superjoint Ritual eating Jimmy Eat World. It's heavy, yet poppie. Vocally, Alfonso Civile makes similar transitions from clean singing to heavy screams, often within the same song.

It's clear the band has taken the next step as songwriters, but what isn't clear is how many steps they've left to take. The guitars on each track run together a bit, and despite each song being capable of leaving an impression, they don't do so when listened back to back. The last two minutes of track five is the exception. -- Nick Stephenson
- Recoil Magazine. Grand Rapids, MI.

When hardcore/metal band Know Lyfe went out on tour last month, it didn't just go out on tour. It recorded a whole new CD.

That was no doubt a tricky undertaking. Think of the logistics alone: After playing an Iowa show, the guys drove 22 hours to New Jersey to lay down tracks for the five-song EP. Sessions took place with Max Illidge, lead singer of national metal mainstay 40 Below Summer, at the controls.

According to drummer Nick Killips, the CD, titled "Veins and Vines," is set for an early August release.

Such motivation would foreshadow Know Lyfe's latest triumph: landing a gig on the Detroit date of this year's Vans Warped Tour.

Know Lyfe won a competition to play the stint. Guitar string manufacturer Ernie Ball sponsored the contest, in which local bands from each state posted profiles and songs on the Ball Web site. Know Lyfe was consistently ranked in the top 10 most-played Michigan bands on the site; it peaked at No. 3.

Finalists were selected by how well their music was crafted, and also by their fan base, Web site and touring record. Judges included heavyweights such as Nathan Maxwell (Flogging Molly), Phil Sneed (Story of the Year) and John Feldman (Goldfinger); Feldman is also a proven producer. Know Lyfe was chosen for Detroit's July 31 tour stop.

On top of that, judges will be at the Warped Tour to catch winning bands in action. If they like a band well enough, the band will be flown to California to perform at the Ernie Ball/Vans Warped Tour Battle of the Bands 9 for a slew of record labels.

But first, check out the group's sonic maelstrom - a skillful blend of melodic metal and mosh-inducing rhythms - at Mac's on Sunday.

You can also see Know Lyfe play alongside the much-anticipated Deftones side project Team Sleep at Grand Rapids' Intersection on July 9.

Anne Erickson - Lansing State Journal. Lansing, MI.

When hardcore/metal band Know Lyfe went out on tour last month, it didn't just go out on tour. It recorded a whole new CD.

That was no doubt a tricky undertaking. Think of the logistics alone: After playing an Iowa show, the guys drove 22 hours to New Jersey to lay down tracks for the five-song EP. Sessions took place with Max Illidge, lead singer of national metal mainstay 40 Below Summer, at the controls.

According to drummer Nick Killips, the CD, titled "Veins and Vines," is set for an early August release.

Such motivation would foreshadow Know Lyfe's latest triumph: landing a gig on the Detroit date of this year's Vans Warped Tour.

Know Lyfe won a competition to play the stint. Guitar string manufacturer Ernie Ball sponsored the contest, in which local bands from each state posted profiles and songs on the Ball Web site. Know Lyfe was consistently ranked in the top 10 most-played Michigan bands on the site; it peaked at No. 3.

Finalists were selected by how well their music was crafted, and also by their fan base, Web site and touring record. Judges included heavyweights such as Nathan Maxwell (Flogging Molly), Phil Sneed (Story of the Year) and John Feldman (Goldfinger); Feldman is also a proven producer. Know Lyfe was chosen for Detroit's July 31 tour stop.

On top of that, judges will be at the Warped Tour to catch winning bands in action. If they like a band well enough, the band will be flown to California to perform at the Ernie Ball/Vans Warped Tour Battle of the Bands 9 for a slew of record labels.

But first, check out the group's sonic maelstrom - a skillful blend of melodic metal and mosh-inducing rhythms - at Mac's on Sunday.

You can also see Know Lyfe play alongside the much-anticipated Deftones side project Team Sleep at Grand Rapids' Intersection on July 9.

Anne Erickson - Lansing State Journal. Lansing, MI.