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A mandolin, banjo and mystery bag of percussion instruments are just some of the crazy instruments that appear on stage during live performances of the Know Nothings.
"My biggest challenge is the tambourine because it's really hard to look cool with a tambourine," said lead singer Kyle Buckley.
Real quick:
WHAT: The Know Nothings LP release show with The Zou, Chylde and The Attica Heights
WHERE: Robin Hood, 503 E. Main St.
WHEN: Friday, March 13 at 9 p.m.
PRICE: $5 (21+), $7 (under 21)
The band's first LP "For Supper" is set to release tomorrow at the Robin Hood Inn.
The Know Nothings have nothing to do with the 1840s political party or anything political at all for that matter. The band got the idea for the name just joking around, and it just stuck.
The band is made up of Buckley, guitarist David Coffield, bassist Mark Chesnes and drummer Eric Hartzell, who instantly bonded to create an eclectic sound with instruments, lyrics and song styles.
All four members went to Stow-Munroe Falls High School, but they were not friends at the time.
"I used to think Mark and Dave were big dorks," Hartzell said, laughing.
Coffield and Chesnes jammed together in bands here and there, just as Hartzell and Buckley did in other bands.
One day Buckley walked into Bellacino's restaurant where Coffield works. Coffield and Chesnes were trying to start a band and told Buckley they were thinking he could be the singer.
A couple weeks later, Buckley did an "audition." They played "I Want You" by the Beatles while Buckley sang.
"Within probably 15 seconds into the song, Dave looks at me and grins and says, 'You're it,'" Buckley said.
After a couple of drummers did not work out, Hartzell joined the group, and the Know Nothings were born.
The members said the connection the guys have made with one another plays a huge factor in their music. This bond is evident in the band stories, like the time Buckley slipped in fake blood and fell on stage during a show in Athens and breaking the mic at a Halloween show at the Kent Stage.
"I think one of the best parts about our band is the camaraderie we manage to keep," Buckley said.
Long drives and hours spent in recording studios helped the guys connect, even though they have only been friends for a year.
With soft melodic acoustic songs like "California" on "For Supper" leading into the harder electric blues influenced "Boom Shocka Locka," each member of the band brought a different taste of music to the LP.
"It's definitely a collaboration," Chesnes said. "It's not just one person writing the song."
Parts of "For Supper" were written while the recording process was going on because the men only had a week to finish before their producer had to go back to school, making the LP that much more of a collaborative project.
While the band does have a predominate folk side, they said the new LP shows more diversity with rock, psychedelics and blues influences.
The Know Nothings are hoping its LP brings more people out to enjoy the local music scene in Kent.
"We just want to get music out there," Hartzell said. "Hopefully, it's different. Hopefully, it's quality, good to the ear, makes people happy and makes us happy." - kentnewsnet.com Pamela Crimbchin
The Know Nothings
For Supper
Independent
http://www.myspace.com/theknownothingsband
The Know Nothings have a natural gift for creating energetic and infections rock music as displayed on its debut full length release, For Supper. The Kent, OH four piece refuse to rely on one single musical element to build its sound. The band instead focuses on a strong exchange of dynamics and chemistry between its members. Four Supper reaches its apex delivering mid and uptempo numbers with driving rhythms and delightful melody. - Sawkick.com
Discography
The Know Nothings released their first self-produced 9 song album "For Supper" in March of 2009. "Boom Shocka Locka", "Ruby" & "Mr. Hangman" have been featured on Kent State University's music compilation CD this year and on local radio and internet stations. The follow up EP to "For Supper" was released on Jan 7. 2010 titled "For All We Know"!
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Bio
If life were a house party, “The Know Nothings” would be the blackout drunk chick hanging from the chandelier. The raw, raucous sound produced by Kyle, David, Eric and Mark provides a refreshing departure from music's status quo. Take the energy of Nirvana, the punk sensibility of Sublime, the old-school influence of The Black Keys and the polish and talent of an Incubus and put them in a blender with a Goodyear tire and a Robert Johnson poster. Unabashedly blues, inadvertently pop and undeniably Akron, The Know Nothings don't shy away from their roots... rather, they embrace them and add an alternative spin that makes this band's sound modern and unique all at once. Take the name with a grain of salt. These guys know exactly what they're doing.
Kyle Buckley sings with both calculated skill and reckless abandon. Throughout The Know Nothings' first EP “For Supper,” Kyle deftly mixes his smooth vocals with screams, growls and grunts to create a sound that is both intelligent and on the edge of insanity. However, on tracks like “California” and “In Your Eyes” he also proves that he has a pop sensibility that makes this vocalist incredibly versatile.
David Coffield is an analog man in a digital world. His influences play themselves out all over The Know Nothings' EP and help craft their eclectic sound. On “Tell Me Who” David flips between a Hendrix-esque, wah-laced verse and a gritty alt chorus channeled straight from Cobain. These are the two sides of David that help define the band as a whole. He has an ability to take these two influences and meld them into cohesive, well-written songs that seemingly span decades.
Mark Chesnes is a bassist's bassist. Like the rest of the band, he isn't content with sitting in the pocket and playing along. He really pushes to put that extra something behind the leads and adds a driving low end to the band's heady 60's vibe. His skill and funk sensibilities sing on “No Way Out” and “Boom Shocka Locka.” He is one half of a rhythm section that really takes this band over the top and makes The Know Nothings something worth getting excited about.
Eric Hartzell is a punishing drummer with both a brutal rhythmic instinct and an intuitive style. You'll hear his dynamic range on tracks like “Smile” and “Mr. Hangman.” He lulls listeners into a trance with his steady beats on the verses, and then the breakdowns and choruses come and he hits like a Mack truck. His set of diverse styles is the perfect compliment to what The Know Nothings are trying to do. They're able to define their sound moment by moment. They won't be pigeonholed and are eager to occupy the space between blues, rock, pop, punk, folk, funk, metal and whatever else they're feeling at the moment. No expectations. No apologies. No limits.
This is how music was always supposed to be.
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