September 2012 issue of Relix Magazine - Brian Robbins preview the latest release from Knick Knack Records artists Lonesome Shack

"It sounds like a cross between Robert Johnson going down to the crossroads and Sonny Rollins going up on the bridge. About 10 years ago, Ben Todd burrowed into the isolation of New Mexico’s Gila Wilderness with not much more than his guitar and a copy of Harry Smith’s Anthology of American Folk Music. Todd went into the experience as a veteran of the Seattle punk scene; he emerged from it as a serious bluesman. When he and jazz drummer Kristian Garrard happened to cross musical paths in 2007, magic happened and Lonesome Shack was born. Think Ginger Baker-meets-R.L. Burnside and you’re getting close to the greasy grit of the duo’s 2010 release Slidin’ Boa. And the addition of bassist Luke Bergman on Lonesome Shack’s upcoming City Man album infuses things with an even deeper, darker groove. What Cream did with rock and roll? That’s what Lonesome Shack is doing with electric country blues. “We’re definitely moving away from the traditional style and exploring more,” says Todd." 

click here for the full interview text

We're throwing a party at the Salmon Bay Eagles Club and we'll be featuring almost all of the Knick Knack Records bands!

below are a few photos from the event.  Click here for additional photos

Knick Knack Records artists GravelRoad and Mystery Ship will both be performing on September 21 at Cafe Solstice in Seattle's University District.

This is an ALL AGES show!  So happy to be putting on something for everyone this time.  You can even buy beer at this place.  It's an early show, so you'll still

be able to hit up the club shows later.

The Foghorns will be performing twice at Reverb Fest on October 6, and then throwing in another performance down the street at the Knick Knack Records showcase.  Probably the hardest working band on this night.  

Mystery Ship announce their 2012 West Coast tour in support of their most recent release on Knick Knack Records

Mystery Ship sets sail with Knick Knack Records
Four-song vinyl EP release to be followed by West Coast Tour this autumn

SEATTLE – Knick Knack Records is pleased to announce the signing of Seattle rock band Mystery Ship and the Aug. 14 release of the band’s four-song debut EP.

With a live sound described as the “aftermath of Led Zeppelin, Widespread Panic and Velvet Revolver staging a sloppy three-way on a beer-soaked dive-bar floor,” by the Seattle Weekly, Mystery Ship sought to capture the essence of that sound by turning to legendary Pacific Northwest producer and engineer Dave Hillis (Pearl Jam, Afghan Whigs, Mark Lanegan, Alice in Chains) who produced, engineered, mixed and mastered the EP at his own Starlodge Studios in Seattle.

“Mystery Ship is a good fit for Knick Knack Records because they are a band that is dedicated to live sound,” Knick Knack Records owner Joe Johnson said. “They are a band that can deliver a high level of intensity in their live performances and bring that same energy into the studio. They make records that can compete not just in Seattle but anywhere in the world. Mystery Ship’s songwriting, musicianship, technical skills and performances are the complete package.”

The four-song EP is available on 45 RPM, 150 gram, 12-inch vinyl, accompanied by a digital download card. The vinyl EP, featuring the songs “Lady From Alexandria,” “Medusa,” “Wide Eyed Girl” and “King Frog Blues,” was cut by Jeff Powell (Big Star, Stevie Ray Vaughn) at Ardent Studios Memphis and boasts artwork from legendary artist and former Playboy art director Kerig Pope who’s art has been featured on albums from legendary artists Art Blakey, Chet Baker, and Dizzy Gillespie.

Mystery Ship will embark on a West Coast tour on Oct. 12, with stops scheduled in Washington, Oregon, California and Nevada.

Currently the band – lead guitarist/vocalist Michael Wohl, drummer Travis Curry, rhythm guitarist Josh Kupferschmid and bassist/vocalist Alex Hagenah – are in the studio at Seattle’s Soundhouse Studio, recording their full-length debut with legendary producer Jack Endino (Nirvana, The Sonics, Blue Cheer). The album will be mixed by Hillis.

The EP is available online at www.knickknackrecords.com/store/Mystery-Ship.html.
For more information on Mystery Ship visit their Web site at www.mystery-ship.com.

EP INFORMATION:
Release date – August 14, 2012
Label – Knick Knack Records
Distribution – Cobraside Distribution, Inc.
Catalog No. – KKR 005

BAND BIO:
Mystery Ship is a rock and roll band. While that may sound simplistic, the band draws primarily on influences from the 1960s and 1970s, when rock and roll was an open book, still figuring out exactly what it was to become. With a firm grounding in their inspirations and influences, and minds open to putting together sometimes seemingly-unrelated elements, they have developed a sound that is fresh yet familiar, and always energetic. There are elements of the passionate, belting and at times rough-hewn vocal harmonies of Neil Young and Crazy Horse or Yardbirds, the big blues rock rhythms and riffs of Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, and wild whirls of lead guitars reminiscent of Jeff Beck Group or Band of Gypsys.
The band’s origins lay in four musicians who ended up in Seattle from completely separate parts of the US. Lead guitarist and vocalist Michael Wohl, from Chicago, found himself in Seattle at the end of a summer of tour vans and road trips and decided simply not to return. Drummer Travis Curry’s desire was to leave his Hawaii home for the mainland where bands could hit the road at all, rather than air or sea. Rhythm guitar player Josh Kupferschmid, tired of the desert of Phoenix, caught a one-way ride up to the Northwest and never looked back. Bass player and vocalist Alex Hagenah left Chicago to come to Seattle for college, but in a musically vibrant city, quickly found himself playing. Finding each other, they turned up the guitars and have been getting loud since.
The band caught the ear of veteran producer and engineer Dave Hillis (Pearl Jam, Afghan Whigs, Mark Lanegan, Alice in Chains) and together they began planning and recording. Mystery Ship’s debut EP is the first record that was recorded by Hillis at his new Starlodge Studios in Seattle. The vinyl was cut by Jeff Powell (Big Star, Stevie Ray Vaughn) at Ardent Studios Memphis. The 12″ vinyl package includes a digital download card and features artwork by Chicago artist Kerig Pope circa 1965 whose artwork and design of that period was used by jazz artists such as Art Blakey, Chet Baker, and Dizzy Gillespie in addition to his work for many years for Playboy as art director.

Classic Rock Magazine asked their writers for their top 5 albums of the year so far and here's where GravelRoad landed on the list:

5.  Gary Clark Jr - Don’t Owe You A Thing

4.  GravelRoad – Psychedelta

3.  Bruce Springsteen – Wrecking Ball

2.  Howlin Rain – The Russian Wilds

1.  Cory Branan – Mutt

http://www.classicrockmagazine.com/music_and_videos/albums-of-the-year-so-far-pt-4-featuring-cory-branan-springsteen-gravelroad-howlin-rain-and-more/4/

Another nod to GravelRoad from Classic Rock Magazine for their album 'Psychedelta'

5.  Ian Siegal & The Mississippi Mudbloods – Candy Store Kid (Nugene)

4.  Joanne Shaw Taylor – Almost Always Never (Ruf)

3.  Ray Wylie Hubbard – The Grifter’s Hymnal (Bordello)

2.  GravelRoad – Psychedelta (Knick Knack Records)

1.  Jack White – Blunderbuss (XL/Third Man)

http://www.classicrockmagazine.com/music_and_videos/albums-of-the-year-so-far-pt-3-featuring-ian-siegal-joanne-shaw-taylor-gravelroad-jack-white-and-more/4/

"Psychedelta, the new album by the Seattle-based trio GravelRoad, is a primal, raw, hard driving, yet accessible album that presents the blues in a new light.  It is rough and tumble psychedelic rocking blues.  The album pushes and pulses from one track to the other, yet it never loses a consistent rhythm that can create a trance or a boogie with the grace of a slide, the thunder of the drums, or the scream of a blistering riff.  With tracks like “Devil Eyes,” Keep on Moving,” and “In the Woods,” GravelRoad offers up sounds that are familiar but unique.  They reach further and break new ground on tracks like “Caves” and “Deep Blues Theme,” while using “Nobody Gets Me Down (original by T-Model Ford) and “Furry” (an ode to the late Furry Lewis) to honor those that have come before them and serve as vital influences."

http://granazi.blogspot.com/2012/08/gravelroad-psychedelta.html