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--