Battle Creek - Live on Spare Room Sessions /  by Chris Baum

Allston Pudding just premiered Bent Knee's live performance video of "Battle Creek", filmed and produced by Fitz Ross Productions in glorious black and white. 

Via Allston Pudding:

"Bent Knee is one of the tightest bands in Boston, combining masterful technical skill and sweeping emotional suites to form a sound that rarely comes through the scene, if ever. Their live act is one not to be missed."

Read more at http://allstonpudding.com/premiere-battle-creek-by-bent-knee/

Video link: https://youtu.be/11Akbo0VEKw

On Being Slightly Obscure & Making Music For Music Lovers /  by Chris Baum

Via Vanyaland:

"Bent Knee scan as perfectly well-adjusted, responsible, healthy, hard-working, productive members of society who pose no physical or psychic threat to anyone. But I don’t buy it. 

Frankly, while Skyping with four of the six Bent Knee affiliates — as they soaked in some downtime from a 50-commitment D.I.Y. cross-country tour at their synth player’s mom’s house somewhere outside Atlanta — I suspected they concealed their true nature, possibly for my own protection. “Normal” people couldn’t play in this band. 

Now, if keyboardist/vocalist Courtney Swain, guitarist Ben Levin, violinist Chris Baum, and bassist Jessica Kion had shown up to this interview decked out as if lately banished from a steampunk convention, and told me last year’s Shiny Eyed Babies was actually written by succubi and essences of long-dead silent film stars conjured during chaos magic rituals… that, I would’ve believed. 

The Boston-based band regularly get tagged with the “genre-defying” cliche — which sorta, kinda fits. But even if they don’t have a genre, they do fall into an aesthetic tradition alongside the likes of Reverend Glasseye, early years Dresden Dolls, HUMANWINE, Beat Circus, and other Boston art rock organizations who refused to make music that could possibly bore anyone. But make no mistake: this ostensibly non-threatening gang of ex-Berklee kids do not color outside the lines. It only sounds that way to the rest of us, because only Bent Knee know what the picture is supposed to look like.

Following their welcome home show Sunday at O’Brien’s In Allston, Bent Knee tell us they’re on their way to Q Division Studios to forge a fresh collection of tunes, tentatively scheduled for mass consumption in the spring of ‘16. The new material has been described as “charmingly incohesive” and “less sad” than Shiny Eyed’satmosphere of amped up melancholia. “[That record] was full of blockbusters, I suppose,” notes Baum, midway through this correspondence. “And this is more like indie films.”

Continued at http://www.vanyaland.com/2015/08/12/interview-bent-knee-on-being-slightly-obscure-living-life-on-the-road-and-making-music-for-lovers-of-music/


VGO Performs at Rooster Teeth Expo /  by Chris Baum

Video Game Orchestra made an appearance at RTX on August 8th, becoming the very first musical guest hosted by the convention. In addition to performing classic repertoire, the ensemble was joined by Jeff (composer/guitarist) and Casey Williams (vocalist) halfway through the set to play songs from the RWBY soundtrack live for the first time. You can read more about the event in The Austin Chronicle, but for now, enjoy a few shots from the evening (photos by Scott Lieberman):



Toothsmile - Live Premiere /  by Chris Baum

"Ecletic... flawless and dramatic. The song contains all of the elements that make the band so impressive, which is only exaggerated in this live take with belting vocals, haunting transitions and striking violin."

http://allstonpudding.com/previewvideo-premier-bent-knee-great-scott-527/

Bent Knee Announces Summer Tour Dates /  by Chris Baum

Additional US/Canada dates coming soon. Keep up with the details at bentkneemusic.com/shows

5/27 (Wed) Great Scott, Boston MA
5/28 (Thu) DV8, Providence RI
5/29 (Fri) Arlene's Grocery, New York NY
5/30 (Sat) SLAM House, Philadelphia PA
6/4 (Thu) The Brick House, Turner Falls MA
6/5 (Fri) House Show, Manchester NH
6/6 (Sat) Studio Collaborative Arts, Dover NH
6/12 (Fri) Relax, It's Just Coffee, Mansfield OH
6/13 (Sat) The Spirited Goat, Yellow Springs OH
6/13 (Sat) Blind Bob's, Dayton OH
6/14 (Sun) Grandma's House, Lansing MI
6/15 (Mon) Louie's Back Room, Kalamazoo MI
6/16 (Tue) Tangent Gallery, Detroit MI
6/17 (Wed) Emporium Arcade Bar, Chicago IL
6/18 (Thu) Bright Red Studios, Madison WI
6/19 (Fri) Circle-A Cafe, Milwaukee WI
6/22 (Mon) recordBar, Kansas City MO
6/23 (Tue) Lion's Lair, Denver CO
6/27 (Sat) The Real Lounge, Missoula MT
6/28 (Sun) The Pin, Spokane WA
6/30 (Tue) Le Voyeur, Olympia WA
7/4 (Sat) Queen's Hotel, Nanaimo BC
7/7 (Tue) The Railway Club, Vancouver BC
7/8 (Wed) The Shakedown, Bellingham WA
7/9 (Thu) LoFi Performance Gallery, Seattle WA
7/10 (Fri) Ash Street Saloon, Portland OR
7/11 (Sat) Black Forest, Eugene OR
7/12 (Sun) Oberon’s Tavern, Ashland, OR
7/13 (Mon) Siren's Song Tavern, Eureka, CA
7/17 (Fri) SLG Art Boutiki, San Jose CA
7/18 (Sat) PianoFight, San Francisco CA
7/19 (Sun) California Institute of Abnormalarts, Los Angeles, CA
7/21 (Tue) Rogue Bar, Scottsdale, AZ
7/24 (Fri) Center of the Universe Festival, Tulsa, OK
7/25 (Sat) Blue Note, Oklahoma City, OK
7/26 (Sun) Moonshine Shack, Denton, TX
7/30 (Thu) Hole In The Wall, Austin, TX
7/31 (Fri) Bottom Bracket Social Club, San Antonio, TX
8/1 (Sat) Notsuoh, Houston, TX
8/2 (Sun) Circle Bar, New Orleans, LA
8/4 (Tue) HangFire, Savannah, GA
8/5 (Wed) Private Event, Atlanta, GA
8/10 (Mon) Orlieb’s, Philadelphia, PA
8/11 (Tue) Machines With Magnets, Pawtucket, RI
8/13 (Thu) Flywheel Arts Collective, Easthampton, MA
8/14 (Fri) Skinny Pancake, Burlington, VT
8/15 (Sat) Empire, Portland, ME
8/16 (Sun) O’Brien’s, Boston, MA