Knucklehead is a Canadian punk rock

Punk rock

Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...

 group formed in Calgary

Calgary

Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...

, Alberta

Alberta

Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...

 in 1994. Influenced by such punk groups as Bad Religion

Bad Religion

Bad Religion is a punk rock band that formed in Los Angeles in 1979. Their current line-up consists of Greg Graffin , Brett Gurewitz , Jay Bentley , Greg Hetson , Brian Baker and Brooks Wackerman . Gurewitz is also the founder of the label Epitaph Records, which has released almost all of the...

, Stiff Little Fingers

Stiff Little Fingers

Stiff Little Fingers are a punk rock band from Belfast, Northern Ireland. They formed in 1977, at the height of the Troubles. They started out as a schoolboy band called Highway Star , doing rock covers, until they discovered punk. They split up after six years and four albums, although they...

, Cocksparrer, Billy Bragg

Billy Bragg

Stephen William Bragg , better known as Billy Bragg, is an English alternative rock musician and left-wing activist. His music blends elements of folk music, punk rock and protest songs, and his lyrics mostly deal with political or romantic themes...

 and Social Distortion

Social Distortion

Social Distortion is an American punk rock band formed in 1978 in Fullerton, California. The band currently consists of Mike Ness , Jonny Wickersham , Brent Harding and David Hidalgo, Jr...

, Knucklehead is uses fast tempo rhythms and chant choruses. Knucklehead uses socio-political themes in a number of their songs.

History

Knucklehead played their first show in 1995 at The Night Gallery in Calgary, Alberta and their recording history started almost as soon as the band was formed. They recorded their first demo tape in early 1994, and in 1995 released a 10" EP Ode to the Old Reliables. In 1996 their first full length studio album Another Neurotic Episode was released on the independent Calgary based label Melodiya Records. In 1997 the band released a 7" white vinyl single on Sloth records (Calgary) called "When The Music Hits". It was part of the "Ship and Anchor Cocktail series", a string of 7" records that were themed as drinks (Knuckleheads was a white Russian). After touring eastern Canada and the United States, the band was picked up by Florida based label Far Out Records and released a self titled 7" and their second full length studio album Little Boots in 1998. Knucklehead toured extensively across Canada and the United States in this period.

After the collapse of Far Out Records and the addition of a new drummer, Knucklehead began the recording of their 2001 release Voice Among Us on their own label, Whiskey Voice Records. The album was later licensed to Longshot Music and Belgium's Ghetto Rock Records for re-release in North America and Europe. In 2003 the band released their CD/EP Hostage Radio which contained a video for the song "Plight of the Living Dead". This video received numerous requests and air time on Canada's Much Music program The Punk Show

The Punk Show

The Punk Show is a half hour video block that aired on Thursdays at midnight and Fridays at 4:00 AM on MuchMusic and MuchLOUD. The program usually aired a mix of known punk bands and some underground Canadian groups...

. The band got a new guitarist and drummer in 2003, and with the new members they recorded a cover of the Stompin' Tom Connors

Stompin' Tom Connors

Charles Thomas "Stompin' Tom" Connors, OC is one of Canada's most prolific and well-known country and folk singers.He lives in Wellington County, Ontario.- Early life :...

classic "Canadian Lumberjack" for the Tom Connors tribute CD Bring Your Own Plywood. Knucklehead released another 7" in 2004 on Longshot Music entitled "Cosmetic Youth". Knucklehead released their fourth full length studio album The New Black List on Stumble Records in 2005. The end of 2008 saw Knucklehead release another 7" on Longshot Music, this time a split with some friends from Toronto called Hostage Life.

The new Knucklehead full length album Hearts on Fire is due out in October 2010 on Stumble Records.

Members

From their first show in 1995, Knucklehead has been kept together by its founding three members. Originally a three piece band composed of Clayton MacNeill on guitar, Matt Young on Bass and Kyle Hegel on drums and vocals. The band remained this way up until 1999, when Casie Lewis took over drumming duty until Kris Lesak was recruited as the new drummer for the band. This allowed Kyle to focus primarily on vocals. The look of the group changed again in 2003 when the group added another guitarist named James Gamble and replaced drummer Kris Lesak with Eric Jablonski. This group of five has stayed consistent since then.

Discography

• Keep Your Hands Off My Sister (DIY Cassette Tape, 1994)
• Ode To The Old Reliables (10" - Melodiya Records, 1995)
• Another Neurotic Episode (CD - Melodiya Records, 1996)
• When The Music Hits (7" - Sloth Records, 1997)
• Knucklehead (7" Far Out Records, 1998)
• Little Boots (CD - Far Out Records, 1998)
• Voice Among Us (CD - Whiskey Voice Records [self produced], 2001)
• Voice Among Us/Little Boots (2-CD set - Ghetto Rock Records Europe, 2002)
• Voice Among Us (re-release on Longshot Music, 2003)
• Little Boots (re-release on Longshot Music, 2003)
• Hostage Radio (CD EP - Longshot Music, 2003)
• Cosmetic Youth (7" - Longshot Music, 2004)
• New Black List (CD - Stumble Records, 2005)
• w/Hostage Life (7" Split on Longshot Music, 2008)
• Hearts on Fire (CD - Stumble Records, October 2010)

Films

• Kitchen Party, 1997
• Bad Money, 1999
• Drop In, 2001
• My Son The Pornographer, 2005
• Kayfabe, 2007