KNIFE THE SYMPHONY

2006-present

Andy Perkins -  bass, vocals
Jeff Albers -  guitar, vocals
Jerry Dirr -  drum kit, percussion
Robyn Roth -  bass, vocals (2006-2009)

Hometown - Cincinnati, Ohio

Formed in January 2006, Knife The Symphony quickly began writing and recording. Within months, the band recorded a five-song EP and played a string of tour dates. In true DIY spirit, no time was wasted and there wasn’t any waiting around.

Featuring former members of Ampline and Theraphosa, as well as current members of Mala In Se and Autumn Rising, Knife The Symphony’s sound has evolved over the years. The band’s self-titled EP, Knife The Symphony (2007) was of a more mid-tempo approach with huge drums and bass and layers of sound—reminiscent of Unwound. Their full-length follow up, Crawler (2008) was a full-on, pedal-to-the-floor, sonic assault—more in line with Husker Du, Jawbox and a lot of early nineties Dischord bands. On the band’s second LP, Dead Tongues (2009), KTS combined both schools of thought from each of their previous releases, but matured to explore a more mellow/contemplative as well, frequently delving into stretched-out moments of the spacey, shoe-gazer variety. And all three releases featured an interesting male/female vocal dynamic. With the release of the LKN (Phratry) / Knife The Symphony Split in 2010, you can throw maturity out the window. Just a few months after the release of Dead Tongues, Knife The Symphony experienced a lineup change, resulting in a more aggressive, energetic and dirtier approach to the music.

Knife The Symphony is influenced by art, skate culture, film and music. Musically, the band’s influences range from punk, post-punk and post-hardcore of the 1980’s and 90’s to world music and straight-ahead rock. Now in their thirties, the band members grew up listening to anything they could—from the first sounds ever heard on MTV in the early 80’s to metal, reggae and anything ever released by Dischord, SST, Touch & Go (and everything in between). It all comes out in their own music, but their energy and passion is their own.

PTR 24 LKN/Knife The Symphony Split 12”
PTR 20 Dead Tongues
PTR 09 Crawler
PTR 06 Knife The Symphony