Happy Birthday to Knocky! We are psyched to turn one-year-old and finally do things like eat solid food and walk and talk.  We are even more psyched to announce our two night anniversary party, Friday March 5th and Saturday March 6th at The Delancey (168 Delancey Street), with two amazing and eclectic lineups:

Fri March 5th
9:00pm Ben Franklin - upbeat rockers with a twangy yet punk flair
10:00pm The Nightlights - in-your-face rock-and-roll (shout out to Allston Rock City)
11:00pm The Press - genre-bending with roots in catchy rock
12:00am Paul and The Patients - captivating psychedelic electro pop/rock
1:00am DJ Das Booty takes over and spins until we all fall down

Sat March 6th
9:00pm Crash and Burn - a bluesy duo based in rock
10:00pm Bugs in the Dark - 90s grunge tinged with punk and modern indie
11:00pm The Loom (pictured) - almost orchestral pop/rock with horns, keys, banjos, guitars and waaay more
12:00am FiKus - intricate rock with a jazz-like jamming quality

Doors open at 8. $8 per night or $12 for both.  Get ready to party!

Despite the tremendous winds and early winter chill, last Friday’s Knocks From the Underground New York Compilation release show was a smashing success. Feel free to browse pictures if you want to get an idea of the rocking good time.

The night kicked off with the highly undervalued but absolutely phenomenal Ben Franklin, who took the stage at 7:45. They performed a blistering 30-minute set for the lucky few who arrived early to catch one of New York’s most talented up-and-comers. They have some tunes on their site (linked above) but their live performance is where the band really takes flight.

Yoni Gordon and the Goods fought traffic for hours to get back to New York and triumphantly took the stage next. Yoni preached the gospel of merchandise sales and the Goods helped him get booties swaying with his patented brand of pop punk. His track on the compilation helps embody the raw fervor that pop music often neglects.

The Courtesy Tier was next up to bat. This band took the stage and delivered a blistering (absolutely mind-numbing speed) set of tunes that reaffirmed the gut and grit that blues adds to rock’n’roll. Wow. If you have not seen these guys in action, make the extra effort to catch their live show; it definitely will slap a smile on any face.

The show hit its stride around 9:40 when Carlon took the stage. I am the first to admit I thought this may be a cool down after The Courtesy Tier but no, Carlon brought down the house with an explosion of melodies and harmonies whose energy was both unexpected and delightful. In fact, the crowd from the main stage upstairs (Webster Hall) took notice and actually made their way down to catch the tail end of this impressive set.

The Studio became packed and the anticipation reached a fever pitch with people wondering how the last act could be topped. Leave it to Hypernova to catapult the evening to the next level. The dark, brooding, electronic rock wall of sound that is Hypernova blew the audience away. Loud, fast, thumping music pumped through the crowd triggering an array of reactions from head-banging to club dancing. Ramm had the crowd in the palm of his hand and they were enjoying every minute of the intense set. Let’s all hope Narnack Records (who just signed them) treats them right!

With emotions high, Paul and the Patients took the stage around 11:30 to close out the early night. The bar had been set high by the five previous bands and Paul brought it home in smashing fashion. The no-holds-bar performance was a sweaty, vein-popping mess of beautiful lyrics and tremendous harmonies. Emotions ran wild and everyone present was moved by the fury of their set. What a way to close out the night!

Knocks would again like to thank Ben Franklin, Yoni Gordon and the Goods, The Courtesy Tier, Carlon, Hypernova and Paul and the Patients for a tremendous night of rock. You can download new tracks from all of these bands (and six others) on the Knocks Compilation here. You can also stream the tracks on the Knocks Player to the left of this article. We hope you enjoy. Let us know your thoughts.

Thank you for your continued support of Knocks From the Underground and independent music!

--Will--

Holy crap…we’ve done it!  We’re doing it! Oh my!

Alright kids, this is a huge one. Knocks From the Underground is completely psyched to present our biggest show of the year.  SIX local, underground bands will descend on The Studio at Webster Hall to rock your socks off in celebration of the brand-spanking-new FREE compilation we are putting out. We’ll have more info about that later but be on the look out for a FREE downloadable album (featuring all bands on the bill plus more) on our site very soon.

Below is our lineup for the out-of-this-world showcase:

Paul and The Patients (pictured) 11:20 - Midnight  (Knocks review)  
Hypernova 10:30 - 11:10 (Knocks review) 
Carlon 9:40 - 10:20 (Knocks review) 
The Courtesy Tier 9:00 - 9:30 (Knocks review)
Yoni Gordon and The Goods 8:20- 8:50 (Knocks review) 
Ben Franklin 7:40 - 8:10 (Knocks review)

Doors at 7 pm.

We’ve got it all. Melt your face rock, blues explosion, dance tunes, political satire, head-bobbin’ delight and even some slow jams.  You can buy your tickets in advance here for only $8!  Or you can procrastinate and buy your ticket at the door for $10.  It’s going to be a heck of a night!

Details
When: Friday, November 13th (spooky!)
Where: The Studio @ Webster Hall (125 East 11th Street - map)
Who: Hypernova, Paul and The Patients, Carlon, Yoni Gordon and The Goods, The Courtesy Tier and Benjamin Franklin
Why: Because you don't wanna miss this hell of a party!

Facebook Event: Track who is coming here

Knocks From the Underground paired up with one of our favorite local rockers, Yoni Gordon, to present the Yoni Gordon and The Goods Record Release Party, this Sunday October 11th at Cake Shop. 

What?  A Sunday night rock show?  That's right, 'cause don't forget: no school Monday!  It's Columbus Day!  You'll have plenty of time to sleep it off.

The night begins with catchy folk singers Aly and Randy at 8 pm, followed by Boston's The Diamond Mines at 9 with their upbeat, ska-influenced rock.  Yoni and The Goods take over the stage at 10 pm, playing a mixture of pop, punk and dancey electro from their newest album, Turning Chaos Into a Career (don't forget to buy your copy!).  Psychedelic blues band Big Grin closes out the evening with an 11 pm set of their driving rock-and-roll.

Tickets are only $4 for a killer night! Yup, only FOUR DOLLARS!  Doors at 8 pm.

Details
When: Sunday, October 11th
Where: Cake Shop (152 Ludlow Street, Lower East Side, Manhattan - map)
Who: Aly and Randy, The Diamond Mines, Yoni Gordon and The Goods, and Big Grin
Why: To help celebrate the debut of Turning Chaos Into a Career, and because there's no school Monday!

Knocks is psyched to add soul DJ Naked Under Leather to our Matchless lineup this Saturday, September 19th. He'll be spinning some sweet tracks between sets to keep the pary hoppin'.

The night kicks off with singer/songwriter Jessi Robertson at 8 pm, followed with a 9 pm set by folky rockers Carlon.  The Life and Times Of takes over the stage at 10 with their funky blend of soul, blues and rock, leading into dance party specialists Ladybug Stingray (pictured) at 11. Only $5 for a jam packed night!

Details:

When: THIS Saturday, September 19th
Where: Matchless (557 Manhattan Avenue, Greenpoint, Brooklyn - map)
Who: 8pm - Jessi Robertson, 9pm - Carlon, 10 pm -  The Life and Times Of, 11 pm - Ladybug Stingray, with Naked Under Leather between sets
Cost: $5

Doors at 7 pm.  Get your booty ready!