Knox Overstreet "Demo-2000" + " I Shot the Clerk"

Just the other night my girlfriend and I were watching Dead Poets Society, which reminded me that when I got back to the blog posting I needed to upload some more Knox Overstreet so without further delay here is the band's "demo" from 2000. And I say "demo" because I am not entirely sure if these songs were ever formally released. When I was putting together The Hope Machine compilation and I asked Knox Overstreet for a track bassist Owen Antku gave me this cd-r saying that "it was their new demo and I can use whatever track I liked". I ultimately chose to use "Take the Ticket", which became the lead off track on The Hope Machine. These songs certainly floated around on tapes and burned cd-rs  among friends but I never saw an official demo at shows. Like I said in my previous post about their 2003 demo, Knox Overstreet were not the type of band that shilled themselves with merch or going out of their way to do anything other than write good tunes and have a good time. While on one hand I found it refreshing on the other I found it absolutely maddening because they were certainly a band that I felt more people should've known about. The three songs captured on this demo showcase the band in their earlier stage where they definitely had a emo/indie rock, Garden Variety-esque vibe to their song writing. In a weird way at times I can kind of hear a guitar sound that I would later identify with bands like Life At These Speeds.

As a bonus I have included the track "I Shot the Clerk" which was recorded around the same time. It came out in 2000 on the It Certainly Was a Grand Piano compilation via the Abominable Records label whom also released Knox Overstreet's "Jammer Failed b/w Coming Around" 7 inch which I shall certainly upload once my vinyl ripping gets up to par. I am almost there and I will certainly be uploading a bunch of rare Long Island vinyl and many more tapes in the coming weeks.

And I just wanted to add a few more thoughts...in looking at the "cover" for the Knox Overstreet "demo" I glanced at the bottom and saw the email contact which was actually for Owen Antku's other band, Flying Train Committee which was a Samiam/Knapsack sounding project that he and Lord Humongous' Ned Overton (guitar) and Mike Simensen (drums) were a part of. Seeing that reminds me of a few things; the first if anyone has any Flying Train Committee recordings PLEASE send them my way (not sure if any of those guys read this blog or not) as I never got any though I recall pestering Ned a few times. And secondly, I absolutely loved going to and playing shows with Knox Overstreet, Flying Train Committee, Music/Casa Negro, Lord Humongous, With Every Idle Hour, and Intransit as there was no scene bullshit or whatever; it was always just good times. All those bands were awesome musically and had some of the coolest, most down to earth dudes. When I look back at shows and especially the early Yes Sensei shows; I feel pretty fortunate to have been able to have one of my projects welcomed into that fold of bands.

Knox Overstreet "Demo-2000" track listing

1. "Take the Ticket"
2. "Pabst Blue Ribbon"
3. "Blast Off"

It Certainly Was a Grand Piano comp
4. "I Shot the Clerk"

Download Here

Knox Overstreet "Demo" cd-r (self released/2003)

Sadly, this is a demo that most people even on Long Island never heard. And to take it a step further I would also have to say that most people whom attended Long Island shows weren't very familiar with Knox Overstreet which is absolutely criminal. Knox Overstreet were one of those bands that wrote great songs, were great dudes but never gave a fuck about belonging to a scene, adhering to trends, playing "cool" shows or whatever nonsense young bands tend to get wrapped up in. This quartet concerned themselves with only one thing and that was writing top notch songs.

My first exposure to Knox Overstreet was seeing them at a show at the Rock Lobster with (if my memory serves me correct) On the Might of Princes, Intransit, The Cotton Weary and Joshua. Immediately the first thing that struck me about them was how loud yet insanely toe tapping melodic they were. Also right off the bat their drummer, Mike Post, was an absolute thrill to watch as he had a contagious energy about him that seemed to rub off on the rest of the band. He had a stage presence and charisma that is usually reserved for front men. Sonically, they reminded me a lot of Garden Variety. At first glance the Garden Variety influence early on was pretty obvious from the melodic clang of the guitars and the vocals of Mike Catanese certainly reminded me Anthony Roman but when you shed away the layers it was obvious that there were a lot more pop sensibilities if you will at work. Over time I got to know the band pretty well and booked them at various shows over the years. Heck, I even had their track "Take the Ticket" be the lead off track on a cd compilation I did called The Hope Machine. Knox Overstreet and my band played together a bunch when we first started playing and it was really amazing seeing how they progressed from that first show I saw at the Rock Lobster.

From 2000 until the cease of the publication I wrote for Under the Volcano and a part of what I tried to accomplish there was write about DIY bands from all over the world that I was being exposed to via my label trading with other labels but a part of that for me was to also review releases from local bands. And as a result one night at a show at Saints & Sinners (which I do believe ended up being band's last show), drummer Mike Post handed me a copy of the latest Knox Overstreet demo to consider reviewing. Like I had to consider... I was blown away as the band on this 4 song demo grew in leaps and bounds from their earliest incarnation. That aforementioned Garden Variety element was only faintly there, now I was hearing elements of Superchunk, Big Star and The Replacements to create a very smart,  hook laden brand of indie rock. It was so good that I was appalled to see that the demo was #1 in an edition of only 30! And that was the kind of band that Knox Overstreet was-one that never realized how good they were. Or even took themselves too seriously. Or heck even had a thought to share their music with anyone outside of their circle of friends. For better or worse as an outside looking in very few bands operated the way Knox Overstreet did. I have done everything in my power over the years to share with people the great music of this band that in my mind was sorely under appreciated.

Knox Overstreet did have decent amount of recorded material all of which I shall post here over the course of time. For those interested here is a run down of their discography (as far as I know of):

-"demo" (not sure if this was officially released. i just have a burned cd-r w/ 3 tracks)
-"Take the Ticket" on The Hope Machine cd comp (Rok Lok Records)
-"I Shot the Clerk" on It Certainly Was a Grand Piano cd comp (Abominable Records)
-"Coming Around/Jammer Failed" 7 inch (Abominable Records)
-split 7 inch w/ Radio Raheem (Pony Collision Records)
-"demo (2003)" cd-r (self released)

Knox Overstreet "demo (2003)" track listing
1. Out of the Van
2. Shake That Tree
3. Fast Women
4. Not At All

Download Here