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The Knitters

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The Knitters
The band onstage at an outdoor concert in 2005
The band onstage at an outdoor concert in 2005
Background information
OriginLos Angeles, California, United States
Genres
Years active1985-present
LabelsSlash
MembersExene Cervenka, John Doe, DJ Bonebrake, Dave Alvin, and Jonny Ray Bartel

The Knitters are a Los Angeles-based band who play country, rockabilly and folk music. The Knitters' name is a play on the name of the folk group The Weavers.[2]

Background

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The Knitters formed in 1982 as a side project to the band members' primary commitments. Vocalist Exene Cervenka, singer/bassist John Doe and drummer DJ Bonebrake were three of the four members of the punk band X; guitarist Dave Alvin was a member of roots rock band The Blasters as well as The Flesh Eaters; and stand-up bassist Jonny Ray Bartel was a member of blues-rock band The Red Devils.[3]

The Knitters' debut album Poor Little Critter on the Road was released in 1985. It included mainly traditional and cover songs, together with some X songs performed in an acoustic style. The album drew on blues, folk, country and rockabilly influences. In 1999, the label Bloodshot Records released a track-by-track tribute to the album entitled Poor Little Knitter on the Road.[4]

After the debut album's release, all the group members continued to work with their primary bands. Dave Alvin also later pursued a solo career.[5]

Twenty years later, in 2005, the group released their second and ironically-titled album, The Modern Sounds of the Knitters. John Doe has been quoted as saying "The Knitters, like their music, don't do anything hasty.[3] Since our last record's been out for a while and it did pretty good, we figured it was just about time to put out another." The Modern Sounds of the Knitters has been well received by critics.[3]

It's like if the guys at Sun Records dropped LSD and made a record with Lead Belly and the Carter Family. That's what The Knitters sound like.

—Dave Alvin[6]

In March 2024 during the South by Southwest festival, the Knitters reunited for one performance in Austin, Texas, as part of an all-day concert in memory of Mojo Nixon.[7][8][9]

Discography

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Reviews

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  • Klinge, Steve (August 12, 2005). "These critters are punk, country, "anything goes"". Philadelphia Inquirer.
  • "The Modern Sounds Of The Knitters". Blogcritics –. Archived from the original on February 25, 2006.
  • "Review of The Modern Sounds Of The Knitters". Rhino. Archived from the original on June 9, 2007.

References

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  1. ^ "Review of The Modern Sounds Of The Knitters". Rhino. Archived from the original on June 9, 2007.
  2. ^ Lankford, Jr, Ronnie D. "The Knitters". All Music. Retrieved July 2, 2016.
  3. ^ a b c "Beyond and Back with the Knitters". Warped Reality. January 22, 2006. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
  4. ^ "Rhino Recommends – Rzine No. 482". Rhino. Archived from the original on June 9, 2007. Retrieved June 9, 2007.
  5. ^ "The Knitters, The Modern Sounds of the Knitters". Harp. Archived from the original on September 26, 2007. Retrieved September 26, 2007.
  6. ^ "Modern Sounds, a Blast from the Past". All Things Considered. NPR. October 8, 2005. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  7. ^ "In Memoriam: Mojo Nixon (1957-2024), Or "The Life And Supremely Weird Times Of Neill Kirby McMillan, Jr."". Stegall, Tim "Napalm". March 15, 2024. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  8. ^ "Mojo's final mayhem!!". The Continental Club. 2024. Archived from the original on March 30, 2024. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  9. ^ "The Knitters (Full Set) - Mojo's Final Mayhem March 16, 2024". Miller, Thomas. March 18, 2024. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
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