CHUBBY KNUCKLE CHOIR
chubbyknucklechoir.com
Some bands are content to remain within the rigid confines of their musical comfort zones. The Chubby Knuckle Choir is not one of those bands. Nobody gleefully shatters genre boundaries like this frenetic sextet, who play everything from bongos to banjos onstage.
The Chubby Knuckle Choir officially formed in 2009 in Bastrop, Texas, a town which each band member has called home at one time or another. The band is made up of Luke Adair, Perry Lowe, Tres Womack, Josh Droegemueller, Dave Gould and Rory Smith, singer-songwriters and multi-instrumentalists who all come from varying musical and geographical backgrounds; the result is a freewheeling live sound which blends country, bluegrass, R&B, and blues. “It’s a marriage of all genres,” explains Lowe, who plays guitar, drums and keys, and contributes vocals, while Smith describes it as “folk music from a place that doesn’t exis...
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CHUBBY KNUCKLE CHOIR
chubbyknucklechoir.com
Some bands are content to remain within the rigid confines of their musical comfort zones. The Chubby Knuckle Choir is not one of those bands. Nobody gleefully shatters genre boundaries like this frenetic sextet, who play everything from bongos to banjos onstage.
The Chubby Knuckle Choir officially formed in 2009 in Bastrop, Texas, a town which each band member has called home at one time or another. The band is made up of Luke Adair, Perry Lowe, Tres Womack, Josh Droegemueller, Dave Gould and Rory Smith, singer-songwriters and multi-instrumentalists who all come from varying musical and geographical backgrounds; the result is a freewheeling live sound which blends country, bluegrass, R&B, and blues. “It’s a marriage of all genres,” explains Lowe, who plays guitar, drums and keys, and contributes vocals, while Smith describes it as “folk music from a place that doesn’t exist … but should.”
In the past five years, this creative group has earned comparisons to acts like The Gourds, the Wood Brothers, and Asylum Street Spankers, and has steadily built a dedicated fan base that’s drawn to the Choir’s joyful noise. In 2014, the band was awarded the Bugle Boy Talent Trust, which assists promising, up-and-coming artists (previous recipients include Grammy-nominated Americana singer-songwriter John Fullbright). They also appeared on syndicated radio shows “Real Life, Real Music,” “Texas Music Countdown,” and television program “Songwriters Across Texas,” bringing their eclectic sound to a whole new audience.
Now based in Austin, the Chubby Knuckle Choir released their debut album, Reveille (the title being a sly nod to Bugle Boy), March 2015. Recorded live in Austin’s Congress House Studio and produced and engineered by Andre Moran (Hot Club of Cowtown, Eliza Gilkyson), the record sizzles with the high-spirited energy of a Chubby Knuckle live show. The band plans to celebrate Reveille, which includes guest appearances by Glenn Fukunaga and Sons of Fathers’ David Beck, with an album release tour as well as their second appearance on “The Texas Music Scene,” a regionally produced TV music series hosted by the legendary Ray Benson (performing first on the show in 2013).
Their new EP “Six”, features songs, instrumentation, and vocals from new members Adair and Droegemueller along with the original group. “Six” was produced by David Beck (Sons of Fathers, Haley Cole) and packs six new songs from the five writers and lead vocalists onto one disc. The group praised Beck for capturing the energy of the new line-up and providing listeners a glimpse of what they can expect from Chubby Knuckle Choir going forward.
While other musicians stay beholden to genre and specific song arrangements, The Chubby Knuckle Choir’s music changes with every performance. It’s this spontaneity and constant willingness to experiment musically that makes them one of the most unique and compelling bands in Texas today.
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