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31 Knots

31 Knots

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Avg: 4.0 (24 ratings)

  • Formed: 1997 in Portland, OR
  • Years Active: 1990s, 2000s

Biography

31 Knots fuses complex rhythms with jagged guitars for mathematical songs that zigzag through changes and anxious start-stop riffs, calling to mind Sonic Youth, Modest Mouse, the Ex, and even Fugazi's more challenging work. Experimentalists on par with bands like Tortoise, the members of 31 Knots stand apart by playing music that is distinctly rock & roll, though not easily classifiable as prog rock or math rock. Guitarist Joe Haege and bassist Jay Winebrenner have been played under the 31 Knots moniker for years, but it was when they added drummer Joe Kelly in autumn of 1998 that the Portland, OR, band fully came together. From that point, 31 Knots began to gain momentum in the indie rock scene by playing shows with bands such as Modest Mouse, Califone, and the Owls. The Rehearsal Dinner EP was 31 Knots' first record, released by 54°40' or Fight! The label then put out 31 Knots' full-length debut, A Word Is Also a Picture of a Word, in April of 2002. In 2003, the band offered up the aptly titled It Was High Time to Escape full-length, which was their swan song on longtime label 54°40' or Fight! and which also signaled the exit of Kelly and the entrance of new drummer Jay Pellicci. The Curse of the Longest Day EP was released in 2005 (on the band's new label, Polyvinyl) and was quickly followed by another full-length, the excellent Talk Like Blood. After a year of heavy touring and promotion for the album, 31 Knots released the slightly experimental EP Polemics (still on Polyvinyl) in the fall of 2006.
— Charles Spano , All Music Guide

Related Artists Ancestors, Peers and Acolytes

Similar Artists:

Modest Mouse And 764 Hero, XTC, Shiner, No Knife

Roots and Influences:

Sonic Youth, Mats Gustafsson / Sonic Youth, The Clash, Fugazi, Nirvana

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