My Musical Heroes: Bent Knee

If I’ve talked about Bent Knee once, I’ve talked about them a thousand times. But when you come face to face with genius, you want to get the word out!

I first became aware of the Boston-based sextet in 2015, while I was working on my first book.They were recommended to me by a music journalist I admire. Bent Knee had recently released their second album, Shiny-Eyed Babies. What I heard was nothing short of a revelation.

I’ve heard a ton of labels from people trying to put Bent Knee into a musical genre. Avant-pop, alternative, progressive rock … all of them fit. And none of them fit. Bent Knee is its own genre. They defy easy definition, which only adds to their appeal.

I saw them live for the first time in a dingy St. Louis club called Fubar. Since then, I’ve seen them at least five more times in St. Louis, Newport, Kentucky, and Chicago. They never disappoint. Bent knee plays with a sense of passion and high energy. Perhaps it’s their relative youth. More likely, it’s the pure belief in what they’re doing.

The band met one another at the Berklee College of Music, which is clearly indicated by their skill level. Courtney Swain (vocals and keys), Ben Levin (guitar), Jessica Kion (bass and vocals), Chris Baum (violin and vocals), Vince Welch (guitar and production design), and Gavin-Wallace-Ailsworth (drums) bring serious chops to their musical efforts.

I’ve had the privilege of befriending the band over the last few years. They’re just as wonderful as people as they are musicians. There are interviews with some of them on my YouTube channel, and they will feature prominently in the follow-up to my first book.

Ben and Jessica left the band a couple of years ago, but the remaining quartet have soldiered on successfully, culminating in their latest release, Twenty Pills Without Water. The personnel changes have made it necessary to rearrange tunes they’d previously played live. Not to worry … it wasn’t as issue.

As I’ve said, I’ve been to a few Bent Knee shows. Which means I have lot of photos. What follows is a few of my favorite shots, taken on various iPhones. I’m not gonna act like I know which shots came from where. So, I’ll identify each musician once, and let things flow from there.

I leave you with this thought: if you have the opportunity to see Bent Knee in person, GO!!!