By: Liv Hauck
Rating: 6/11

Alternative rock band Low vs Diamond calls themselves "an American band;" members Lucas, Howie, Anthony, Johnny, and Tad settled in Los Angeles from all over the country to make music together. Since forming in 2002, they released their debut self-titled in April 2008, followed by appearances on The Late Show with David Letterman and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno during that summer. Furious, driving guitars and drums behind sincere and beautifully written lyrics are just two of the many qualities listeners can expect from Low vs Diamond.

One such song that particularly exhibits the aforementioned traits, "Don't Forget Sister" (number 59 in Rolling Stone's list of the 100 best songs in 2008), is magnificently crafted, offering highs and lows, drama and nostalgia, lush vocals and gritty instrumentation. The song opens with Lucas Field's vocals over an unrelenting drum foundation and a sweet piano line. The lead singer's crooning is reminiscent of Brandon Flowers; however, it is quickly revealed that the Low vs Diamond singer is far more passionate and less pretentious sounding than the Killers' frontman. Underneath Field's heartfelt singing, the song gains momentum propelled by the exuberant coupling of keyboard with drums and bass. Just when the listener thinks the song is going to burst into the rock hysteria, the band pulls back for the thoughtfully quiet chorus with a sing-a-long melody, "Don't forget sister/She'll always be true/We come from a good home/We won't forget you." The drum never ceases its steady motion, which constantly builds tension even through the restrained chorus. Finally the band explodes with aggressive guitar and lively vocals that continue to intensify into a sumptuous rock anthem worthy of becoming a classic.

Check out their website for downloads and more info on their Idaho/Washington tour.

Article and Photos by: Aldo Morazán

Two blocks east from Whittier College, at the 6747 Bar, over-boisterous Lakers fans cheered Kobe Bryant's ability to put a ball through a basketball hoop. Tonight was definitely not the night to stop in for a pre-gig beer. Unbeknownst to these obnoxious bar flies, John Carpenter and his band quietly prepared to rock the socks off a handful of the school's musically savvy down the street. Club 88 is itself one of Whittier's newest, biggest, little secrets. The small hall can easily be mistaken for one of Hollywood's more upscale clubs, as people too dressy for rock-and-roll dance no less than ten feet from the stage to the band's catchy riffs, vocals, and guitar solos. The only telling feature of the club's location is the free-flowing IPA beer, which the school generously supplied for the graduating class.

Individually, the band members seemed to play their instruments with their bare bones. The bassist used no pick, drummer Joey a simple four-piece set, and singer John appeared to know from where all good rock music evolved – the blues. It's a rare and refreshing contrast to the music with which the populace at large is constantly bombarded. With songs like “Rollaway,” Carpenter and company brutally attempted to kick the listeners’ mind into raging against the musical insults MTV and the like spoon feed daily to millions. Their set was a musical rollercoaster that ensnared the audience from its catchy offset, until they were released in a daze from John's final, soloing notes, leaving them to wonder what he meant by “I can't make the flame bend to the moth.”

“The Night is Young,” “All That Glitters is Gold,” and “Haunt My Home” all shared one element: they were equally haunting. “The Night” was Carpenter's middle finger pressed hard against the faces of all who claim blues music has no place in rock. The main riff was a solemn salute to all the bluesmen before him, while the chorus, coda, and solo were collectively a nod of the head to those who still venture to place a piece of their band's well-being in the hands of the blues. “Gold” crept in with a chilling set of synthetic strings. And, by the first chorus, it was reminiscent of something by The Verve or any other one of England's finer pop bands. The driving bass line and all around feel of “Haunt” can only be described as something that was lodged in the back of the audience's head which has now come loose and made wild by the chiming of soft, twinkling piano keys.

By the end of their set, a sense of sadness set in. The source was hard to pin down. Was it that there aren't more musically savvy folks attending Whittier College? Was it that the band may never play these parts again in such an intimate setting? Or was it that some of the IPA beer may go to waste? Good God, no! But, the evening was yet to be over, as Elizabeth Power Robinson graciously arranged an interview with John.


Knocks: Whom would you say is your biggest influence?

Carpenter: Scott Walker, Echo and the Bunnymen, Hendrix, Sam Cook, Roxy Music, Teardrop.

Knocks: You are clearly influenced by blues music. Who's your favorite?

Carpenter: Ottis Rush, T-Bone Walker.

Knocks: What's your typical song about?

Carpenter: Loss, passing away, losing time.

Knocks: How long have you been together?

Carpenter: Joey and I have been together three years. I left college after a few weeks to play for a gospel band. Then, I moved around for a while and joined my first band in Providence. I met Joey, in New York, after going through eight other drummers.

Knocks: How many years of musical training did you have?

Carpenter: Zero. My dad taught me a piece on guitar, when I was twelve. After that, I didn't put it down.

Knocks: Where did it begin?

Carpenter: I started playing solo, in 2001. I was singing “nylon” music.

Knocks: Where would you like it to end?

Carpenter: Never. I wanna go out like George Jones.

Live Review: The Wiltern
By: Mike Mullenix

When reflecting on 16 years of being the voice and pioneer of the ska/pop-punk genre, what is it that keeps Less Than Jake on the road, and onstage every night? “Mortgage payments, kids, ex-wives, and arthritis,” replies Chris Demakes.  “Most bands will give you a run around, tell you they’re doing it for a whole bunch of reasons. I just completely took a long story and put it in a blender and gave it to you very concise.”

Wrapped in its own flavor of punk-cynicism, this is an adequate bookmark for where the band is after seven studio albums, two live albums, four compilations, two EP’s, and one DVD. It has definitely been a wild ride for the band as they head into the newest chapter of their career, releasing their seventh album, GNV FLA, on the seventh label they’ve been on, Sleep It Off Records.

Jumping to a new label is nothing new to Less Than Jake.  However, Sleep It Off Records is the brand new label started by the band themselves. At the moment, the label’s primary function is for the release of the album GNV FLA as well as the re-release of the rest of the band’s catalogue, including their DVD, A People’s History of Less Than Jake.

“You just have to do everything yourself. You have to hire someone to do press for ya, and be calling magazines. We’ve had to hire people and we have to work a bit harder, but we don’t have to answer to anybody so it all works out in the end. Like prison, it works out in the end,” explains Demakes.  Though they are the only band on this new label, it is speculated that in the future they will be able to function at a level to support new artists.

On Saturday, July 26^th, the Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles played host to the Shout Out Loud Tour featuring headlining punk veterans Less Than Jake and Goldfinger. The bands were accompanied this time by Boston ska legends Big D And The Kid’s Table, as well as local heatseekers the Suburban Legends. Less Than Jake made it a point to strip their set down to its most basic core: unlike last year’s performance, which parodied The Price Is Right and boasted custom sets (depending on which album audience members picked). This year, the group took matters back into their own hands to deliver the pure Less Than Jake experience. Keeping mostly to the established hits, the band interweaved a few new tracks, like "Does The Lion City Roar" and "Conviction Notice" to keep the repertoire fresh. “We’ll play the new stuff and you watch, the beer lines will get longer, the bathroom lines will get longer,” comments Chris.

Though it was a power-house performance by all bands, the only true flaw of the evening was found with the band playing this type of venue. The acoustics were not quite right for the loud and brash nature of this music, and as a result the vocals tended to be distorted while the horn section typically overpowered the rest of the band. Aside from that, the venue’s reputation and demand for security kept the audience from complete free access to all of the General Admission areas of the venue. Though it is an understandable concern from the venue’s point of view, it was general inconvenient for a group of kids singing about being young, reckless and having no regard for authority. As Goldfinger’s singer, John Feldmann, so elegantly put it: “I like to be able to smell my crowd. I can’t smell you, so we are never playing here ever again.”