Hello True Believers!
         An article written about our last show at Fest 08 has surfaced in a diy music magazine called MORA and you can relieve the great times over and over by reading it here: http://www.mora.fm/ and downloading the pdf and turning to page 17. If you want, you can print off the magazine, staple it together, and sell/give it away at shows and parties. Feel the DIY spirit! Anyway, I wish everyone a Happy New Year and wonderful 2010.

Vic

You can check out the first review of our 7" split with How Dare You! Check it out!!

Seems like this thing was announced eons ago, but now we're finally able to hold this split 7" featuring How Dare You and the Knockdown in our hands (and ideally, eventually place on our turntables). And once the needle drops, it's one that most fans of either band will have a hard time removing from their rotation.

How Dare You's side of the wax is a solid showcase of the band's ability to stay versatile while maintaining their anthemic core. "Still Young" errs on the side of urgency, with driving verses and some of the best-placed 'whoa's one will ever hear in a punk rock chorus. "Brothers on the Back Porch," on the other hand, is a slower number which sees the band employing a more methodical (but not less interesting) approach to finding the hook, and doing so admirably once the chorus truly kicks in. The extended interludes found in many of the band's songs on 2008's Comfort Road are completely absent here, and in this case the brevity and leanness helps augment How Dare You's strengths as musicians and songwriters instead of distracting the listener with an unnecessarily wonky and potentially momentum-killing exercise. Besides, there's only so much room for rock on these 7" records, right?

The other side of the split features what are likely the last recorded songs we'll hear from the Knockdown (vocalist Vic Alvarez recently relocated from downstate New York to St. Petersburg, Florida) and if this is indeed the end of the road for these guys, the two songs here are a memorable way to go out. "Relocator" features copious amounts of both melody and punch, along with some excellent backup vocals and a few 'whoa's that top off the song's climax nicely. In lockstep with the dichotomy of How Dare You's side of the record, "Yeah, Kyle Gets It" is the slower and more melodic tune of the Knockdown's side, featuring a solid chorus topped off with impressive vocal harmonies.

Overall, an above-average release with plenty of standout moments from both bands. And of course, the vinyl is on pretty colors, too. Bonus.

http://www.punknews.org/review/8907

As some people may know, we're going on hiatus for a bit. With me in Florida and the rest of the guys in New York, we just can't be the kind of band we want to be. To say that this band affected my life in a positive way would be a gross understatment. Traveling with my best friends and meeting so many amazing people over the years has enriched my life greatly and it's sad to have to hang it up for now. This isn't to say that The Knockdown is completely done. Don't write us off yet!

In the meantime, Jay, Eric, Natoli, and Fatman have been hard at work getting TIMESHARES ready and will be playing their first shows next month. If you haven't already, head over to their myspace and check them out. It rules! www.myspace.com/timesharesmusic

As for me, I am writing new songs and starting an online store called Landslide Distribution. Look for more info on that over the next few months.

Thanks to everyone who has been with us over the last five years. Thanks for listening.

We have two new songs up from our 7" split with How Dare You! I have posted the lyrics to the songs below. Enjoy.

RELOCATOR

I’ve spent the night on kitchen floors

And on the couch inside your porch

They call me Relocator

Hanging on to nothing

I work to pay my bills and rent

I’ll pay forever for a kiss

Let me drink forever

I’m as lonely as I’ve known

But there’s a will that rose inside me

That wants to take you by the hand

And kiss your lips till you say you want me

I will stop for no one else

I’ll put myself inside this hell

If you say yes!

Jesus cries for my fellowship

I want to say I give a shit

I’m looking for a savior

Hiding in the shadows

When I say coming home again

I mean the way things should have been

I’m looking for a maker

To ask him what he’s done

But I believe in something greater

And I will wait for something true

A crack of light of sweet redemption

So I’ll keep on singing loud

So I’ll have to hide my doubt

That I’ll be fine

Seeing as the Knockdown is slowing down due to geographic reasons, Eric, Mike, Fatman, and Jay have started a new band called TIMESHARES. They rule hard and you can check them out at www.myspace.com/timesharesmusic. Eric sings in this band! Get Stoked!

Today, an interview I filled out last winter has been posted on Absolutepunk.net. You know, that site that is really more about pop rock instead of punk. Anyway, you can check out the interview and post a reply. I hope to have the new songs up for listening by next week so people can hear them before Fest.

Check out the interview here.

http://absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?p=56018531#post56018531

New Office and 30 Rock tonight! Nice!

Vic

We are playing from 8:30 to 9:00 at The Venue (233 West University Ave) in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, Oct 31st! It's Halloween!!! We are playing after Less Than Jake! They are on the Main Stage and we are on the Side Stage! Holy Shit! I used to listen to Hello Rockview everyday on my way to school in 10th grade. I left a high school volleyball game early so I could go see Less Than Jake. I also used to do mail order for them...but now I work with kids. Anyway, I am stoked for FEST!! SO STOKED!!

Vic

Yes we are! We play the Fest this year and I am excited. I know we've been quiet the last few months and that bums me out but I promise we have some good stuff for you guys in the near future. We have new songs we'll be sharing with you this fall that I am excited about. Keep checking up!

-Vic

Our friend Jena Kehoe from Chicago wrote this article about us for her online music column. The website that she writes for won't publish her so we are posting it here where everyone can read it. Enjoy!


It’s time to hit the road again for the Knockdown, but this time they’re packing the van for longer than they ever have before – this Spring, the guys are touring half of the United States over six weeks, the longest tour they have done to date. 
    Over the past 5 years, the Knockdown has dealt with more than one lineup change and countless popped trailer tires, but that hasn’t stopped them and after hearing what the band has to say about what they do, it’s not likely anything will stop them.  They’re stoked to be getting back on the road and are eager to eat at Waffle House, play their favorite songs, and do your dishes if you let them sleep on your living room floor.
    The band is currently comprised of Eric Bedell on drums, John “Fatman” Hernandez playing guitar and singing backup, Jay Mosher also on guitar, Mike Natoli on bass, and singer Victor Alvarez.  They got started when the guys were in college in upstate New York at SUNY Oneonta, in a class called Rock Combo. The lineup changed a couple times due to personal differences among members, but they have since settled in as a 5-piece rock band with influences ranging across many genres, something Bedell says is “one of the best aspects of this band.” For inspiration, the guys listed bands as expected as Hot Water Music, the Lawrence Arms, and Dillinger Four, but also had praise for Bruce Springsteen, Simon and Garfunkel, Motown, Elvis Costello, even Celine Dion. “It’s just an extremely diverse background, yielding one of the most fun and energetic projects I have ever been involved in,” Bedell said.
    With that inspiration in mind, the Knockdown focused on recording tight, interesting punk rock, which comes through on their full length, released on Kiss of Death Records in 2008, Test/Retest.  With catchy guitar riffs and heavy drums, the Knockdown could be passed off as just another punk band, but they bring in different elements to give it a more original sound. “It’s a little outside the box of typical punk rock because the way Jay [Mosher] plays guitar is more blues based,” Alvarez explained. But it’s not just the music that makes the Knockdown a great band to listen to, it’s also their lyrics.  Their songs deal with topics just about anyone can relate to, with themes ranging from getting older and growing up, losing love, and the current economy.  “Ideas for most of those songs [on Test/Retest] came from a dark period in my life when I was sleeping in a closet,” Alvarez said. “I was broken up over a past relationship and was beyond broke, so much of the writing came out through those times.”  The band describes their songwriting as ‘honest’ and honesty definitely comes through, especially in songs like “Graduation Day” and “What’s the Point? It Never Goes Anywhere.”
    In addition to releasing more music in 2009, The Knockdown is planning three tours. “If all goes according to plan, we’ll be traveling further west than we have in the past, playing in Canada for the first time, and making our first appearance at the Fest in Gainesville,” Natoli said. Their live show is energetic and intense, and the band spares no energy when playing their music. But the guys aren’t all business, which is obvious when seeing the guys play.  At 2008’s Halloween show in Indiana, the guys dressed up in overalls with nothing underneath – some too small for their bodies. Having a sense of humor is mandatory when stuck in a van for hours at a time for weeks on end, but the guys make it work. “One thing you can’t deny about this band is that it’s really fucking tough to bum us out,” Hernandez said, “The bad parts are…after bad nights, or when there’s something shitty going on at home and you’re just sitting in a van for eight hours.  Still, the part I’m dreading the most is everyone texting their girlfriends.”
    Hernandez was only inducted into the band as a full time member last fall, but is just as invested as the rest of the band. “The biggest difference in this tour is that I’m not just the substitute anymore [after one member left, Hernandez filled in temporarily, but turned it into a full-time gig]. I’ve gotten the chance to become a big part of the writing process for the band and it’s really starting to feel like my baby rather than one I’m just helping change shitty diapers for,” he said.
    But having such an ambition game plan has sometimes caused worry among the group, since they do the booking themselves. Alvarez said he was both worried and excited about the reception of the band. “We seem to have the best luck or the worst, playing in front of 200 kids or in front of 5.”  While the guys also expressed worrying a bit about gas money and more tires blowing, their focus is still all on the music and the shows.  “I am most worried we will have a ton of show cancellations mid-tour, and blow like 6 more tires on the trailer. Otherwise, I am so pumped.  These are my best friends, and it’s so hard NOT to have the best time,” Bedell said. Alvarez agrees – “The best part of touring is getting to play your music for people who want to hear it.  I love meeting new people and not knowing what the day holds in store. I love basement shows and getting drunk off cheap beer.”
    But despite how lovingly the guys speak about touring, life with the Knockdown hasn’t been all easy.  After graduating college, Alvarez moved home to his parents’ house in Florida and Mosher moved out of Oneonta, which put a strain on the band’s practice schedule. “The distance takes its toll on the band because we have to plan far in advance just to write,” Alvarez said. “I decided to move back to New York so I could pursue a more Knockdown-heavy life.” Natoli added that he hopes they can centralize in the near future and it will be more convenient, but “until then, headquarters seems to be my mom’s basement.”  “Ideally, we would all live five minutes away from our own practice space, but that’s not a possibility right now.  We usually find a spot to jam a day before we go on touring to go over songs,” Alvarez said.
    With tours planned and new music coming out, the Knockdown is not showing any signs of slowing down.  They hope to tour Europe as well as Japan, and with Test/Retest recently being added to iTunes and Interpunk.com, they are hoping to reach more people. “My goal in this band is to make music I’m excited about, see awesome places, meet awesome people and look back when it’s all over and be happy with my time spent in it,” Hernandez said. To find out when the Knockdown is coming through your town and to hear their songs, visit myspace.com/theknockdown.

We are about to head out for a three day weekend with our buds in How Dare You and Stay Sharp. We are beyond excited and we hope to see many smiling faces in the crowd. For the info, check out our shows section on myspace. Get Stoked!!

Vic