European Tour Dates + Good Girl Video Premiere

Bent Knee is very excited to announce our first ever European tour, in support of our latest studio recording, "Say So". In addition, we're premiering a brand new music video for "Good Girl", filmed in Fukuoka, Japan and starring singer Courtney Swain's mother, Yoshiko.

European Tour Dates:

7/28 @ Burg Herzberg Festival - Breitenbach am Herzberg, Germany

7/29 @ Ballonfabrik Augsburg Fabrik Unique - Augsburg, Germany

7/30 @ La Casa di Alex - Milan, Italy

8/2 @ Exil - Zürich, Switzerland

8/4 @ Eurocentrum - Jablonec nad Nisou, Czech Republic

Details at http://www.bentkneemusic.com/tour 

Live take:

Bent Knee — Say So - Out Now

Bent Knee's new album has arrived via Cuneiform Records! You can stream the record in its entirety at https://bentknee.bandcamp.com/album/say-so

Press for Say So:

"A welcoming call to music fans who savor the very special. An accusation that there are too many ideas in a work of art is dispelled when they are mostly good ones, as is the case with Bent Knee and 'Say So.'” | The Wall Street Journal

"A record that confirms its eloquence and ebullience, while also breaking new stylistic and temperamental ground." | The Boston Globe

"Mind boggling... the grandest and subtlest ideas are on the table." | NPR

"A celebration of creative freedom and unrestricted musicianship. Easily one of the best albums of the year." | Rebel Noise

"Intricately woven, surrealist stylings... a potent sense of urgency tingles the air." | Consequence of Sound

"If you love original, inventive music that defies easy categorization, you simply cannot ignore Bent Knee." | Prog Magazine

"[An] ethereal work of art." | Under The Gun

"Absolutely essential modern music that represents a hard working and creative band at the top of their game." | The Trumpet

"Expansive, genre-exploding avant rock." | Bandcamp "New and Notable"

"Like the best birthday party you’ve had in years." | Goldmine Magazine

"Brilliant! This band will soon be everywhere!" | Nik Bärtsch

"Extraordinary... the greatest discovery since Tori Amos delighted the world a quarter of a century ago." | Streetclip.tv

"Superb, with vocals to die for, an interesting new turn at every corner, and never a dull moment. Highly recommended.” | Bill Bruford

"Breathtaking in its scope and daring in its musical choices, 'Say So' is an album of unbridled ambition that dares to reach for the stars. The best album I have heard thus far in 2016." |The Progressive Aspect

Tour dates at http://www.bentkneemusic.com/tour/

Hands Up - Video Premiere (NPR)

"Mind boggling... the grandest and subtlest ideas are on the table." -NPR

The ARTery has just premiered Hands Up, the third single and live video from Bent Knee's upcoming album, Say So (out 5/20). You can stream the song at https://youtu.be/sa9CXTvz7L4 and watch the live performance (from an upcoming concert film shot at The Space in Boston) at https://youtu.be/BwdUAdc2VcE

Via The ARTery:

"[Say So] is a dark, furiously dynamic album punctuated by moments of maddening virtuosity. Bent Knee’s music writhes with internal suspense; listening, you get the sense that its members are holding themselves barely in check, unleashing considerable technical skill with laser-like focus."

Read the full article at http://artery.wbur.org/2016/05/13/bent-knee-2

Black Tar Water - Video Premiere (Boston Globe)

Bent Knee's new music video for Black Tar Water, the second single from Say So (out 5/20 on Cuneiform Records), was just premiered by The Boston Globe. You can read the article and watch the film at https://goo.gl/vIGsbb.

Via The Globe:

"Bent Knee, a hard-working, stylistically uncontainable sextet of witty virtuosos whose members found one another at Berklee College of Music, is set to release its third studio LP, “Say So,” next week on the respected avant-rock indie label Cuneiform Records. Having performed the entire album at a Jamaica Plain concert in January and releasing a video for lead single Leak Water in April, the band notches up anticipation for the new LP with a second clip, this one for the moody song Black Tar Water. Via e-mail, Bent Knee bassist and backing vocalist Jessica Kion divulged some of the video’s secrets:

'Black Tar Water is about escaping depression and cleaning up the mess it’s made of you. The lyrics circle around thoughts of deflated self-esteem, while the phrase ‘black tar water’ refers to anything evil or poisonous in the world. The music video spawned from the idea of escaping a bad situation and starting anew. The main character sheds his self-made shell and experiences a ‘matrix’-style rebirth as he tears down a barrier to become completed soaked in light.

“The creation of the video was really fun and quite challenging. With a budget under $2,000 and a crew of eight (five of which were band members), we filmed over the course of a 15-hour day inside of a small shed, with videography by Eric Freeman and stunning acting by Jake Brasch. [Bent Knee guitarist] Ben Levin and I acted as writers, directors, set designers, smoke-machine operators, food runners, makeup artists, editors, and producers. My brother Tyler Kion came up from New York just to lend a hand and artistic eye.'"

Album Announcement + Summer Tour Dates

I'm very pleased to announce Bent Knee's new album, Say So, out May 20th on Cuneiform Records. This collection of music has been in the works for quite some time, and I can't wait for you all to hear what the band has been up to in the studio. Preorders are available at https://goo.gl/mJJPwi

A huge thanks to Consequence of Sound for announcing Say So, alongside premiering the video for the record's first single, Leak Water.

"Boston’s Bent Knee proudly occupy the grey area where baroque pop, rock, and the avant-garde meet, but even they are sometimes caught off guard by their intricately woven, surrealist stylings. The element of surprise and desire to fuse disparate sounds was felt throughout their sophomore record, 2014’s well-received "Shiny Eyed Babies". It shines through even brighter on follow-up album "Say So", due out May 20th through new label home Cuneiform."

You can read the article and stream the video at http://cos.lv/10jRJN.

Leak Water was directed by the extraordinary Greg Bowen of Human Being Productions (who also created the album's cover art) and stars the talented Audrey Norwood. Enjoy.

North American Tour Dates

5/1 Brooklyn NY @ Saint Vitus

5/6 Pawtucket RI @ Zabinski Music Studio

5/8 Gettysburg PA @ Majestic Theatre

5/12 Northampton MA @ One Bar

5/13 Worcester MA @ Ralph’s Rock Diner

5/14 Lowell MA @ Hi-Hat

5/19 Somerville MA @ ONCE Ballroom

5/20 Washington DC @ Songbyrd Music House

5/21 Baltimore MD @ Orion Studios

6/2 Portland ME @ Empire

6/4 New Haven CT @ Lyric Hall

6/5 Providence RI @ News Cafe

6/8 Mount Joy PA @ Bube's Brewery

6/9 - New York, NY @ The Bowery Electric

6/10 Wooster OH @ Private Show

6/11 Kalamazoo MI @ Louie’s Back Room

6/12 Dayton OH @ Ladder 11

6/13  Kansas City MO @ miniBar

6/16 San Francisco CA @ Elbo Room

6/17 San Jose CA @ SLG Art Boutiki

6/18 Eugene OR @ Black Forest

6/19 Portland OR @ Twilight Room

6/20 Seattle WA @ Victory Lounge

6/21 Port Angeles WA @ Coo Coo Nest

6/22 Nanaimo BC @ The Vault

6/25 Mayne Island BC @ Campbell Bay Music Festival

6/26 Vancouver, BC @ Franklin Studios

More info at bentkneemusic.com/tour

Guy Mendilow Ensemble April Tour Dates

Guy Mendilow Ensemble's US spring tour, with appearances in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Wyoming, kicks off this Thursday. Dates below:

4/7 Hartford CT @ Charter Oak Cultural Center

4/8 Mansfield CT @ University of Connecticut

4/11 Powell WY @ Park County Arts

4/13 Rock Springs WY @ Broadway Theatre

4/15 Evanston WY @ Uinta County Concerts

4/17 Waltham MA @ Brandeis University

For more information, visit http://www.guymendilow.com/