Bent Knee

American rock band

Bent Knee
2016 promotional image
2016 promotional image
Background information
OriginBoston, Massachusetts, United States
GenresArt rock, avant-garde, baroque pop[1]
Years active2009–present
LabelsInside Out Music, Sony Music, Cuneiform, Take This To Heart
MembersCourtney Swain
Gavin Wallace-Ailsworth
Chris Baum
Vince Welch
Websitewww.bentkneemusic.com

Bent Knee is an American art rock band formed in Boston, Massachusetts, in 2009. The band performs in multiple genres and draws from multiple influences, including pop, industrial rock, progressive rock[2] and avant-garde. The band is known for unpredictable dynamic contrast and the wide vocal range of its singer, Courtney Swain.[3]

Bent Knee has toured with The Dillinger Escape Plan,[4] Haken,[5] Leprous,[6] Thank You Scientist,[7] and Mike Keneally.[8] In 2016, the band signed to Cuneiform Records for the release of its third album, Say So.[9] In 2017, the band signed a deal with Inside Out Music and released a fourth album, Land Animal.[10]

History

Bent Knee was formed at the Berklee College of Music in 2009, when the guitarist Ben Levin and the vocalist Courtney Swain began writing music together.[11] The band's name is a compound of the founders' names ("Ben" + "[Cour]tney").

The band self-released its first LP, Bent Knee, in 2011, and self-released a follow-up, Shiny Eyed Babies, in 2014.[12] In late 2015, the band was signed to Cuneiform Records, an American independent record label,[13] on which Say So was released in 2016.[14] In April 2017, the band was signed by Inside Out Music for the release of a fourth album, Land Animal, which was released June 23, 2017.[15] A fifth album, You Know What They Mean, was released in October 2019 also by Inside Out Music.[citation needed] In November 2021, a sixth album, Frosting, was released by Take This To Heart Records.[16]

An early mix of the song "These Hands" from the album Land Animal was used as free content for Rock Band 4 Rivals in March 2017.[17]

In May 2022, it was announced that Ben Levin and Jessica Kion would leave the band.[18]

Members

  • Courtney Swain – lead vocals, keyboards, bass guitar
  • Gavin Wallace-Ailsworth – drums
  • Chris Baum – violin, backing vocals, guitar
  • Vince Welch – synthesizers, rhythm guitar, sound design, production, bass guitar

Past members

  • Ben Levin – lead guitar, backing vocals (2009-2022)
  • Jessica Kion – bass guitar, backing vocals (2009-2022)

Discography

Studio albums

  • Bent Knee (2011)
  • Shiny Eyed Babies (2014)
  • Say So (2016)
  • Land Animal (2017)
  • You Know What They Mean (2019)
  • Frosting (2021)

References

  1. ^ Michelle Geslani (5 April 2016). "Bent Knee announce new album, Say So, premiere "Leak Water" song/video". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  2. ^ Fusilli, Jim (24 May 2016). "'Say So' by Bent Knee Review". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  3. ^ Davies, Owen. "Bent Knee - Shiny Eyed Babies". DPRP. Archived from the original on 24 March 2016. Retrieved 3 September 2016.
  4. ^ "THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN Announces Fall U.S. Tour". Blabbermouth. 22 August 2016.
  5. ^ "Haken & Leprous Join Forces for North American Tour". Haken. Retrieved 7 December 2018.
  6. ^ Kennelty, Greg (15 July 2018). "Haken, Leprous & Bent Knee to Tour North America This Fall". Metal Injection. Retrieved 7 December 2018.
  7. ^ "Thank You Scientist tour dates with Bent Knee announced". The Prog Report. 10 March 2017.
  8. ^ Mike Keneally (27 May 2014). "School For Robots and Bent Knee open for us tonight in Cambridge, MA". Facebook. Retrieved 3 September 2016.
  9. ^ "Bent Knee". Cuneiform Records. 1 December 2015. Archived from the original on 18 February 2018. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
  10. ^ "Bent Knee". Inside Out Music. 19 April 2017. Archived from the original on 21 February 2018. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
  11. ^ Humphries, Stephen (16 June 2016). "Roach motels and Bill Bruford: Welcome to Bent Knee's crazy world". Louder.
  12. ^ Smith, Steve (24 January 2016). "Bent Knee bids for the big time". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  13. ^ "Bent Knee Signs With Cuneiform Records". Bent Knee Music. 5 December 2015. Archived from the original on 13 August 2016.
  14. ^ Smith, Steve (19 May 2016). "Bent Knee favors songcraft over showboating on new album 'Say So'". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  15. ^ "Bent Knee : Launched Music Video and Announce New Album "Land Animal" Out June 23 via INSIDEOUTMUSIC/SONY". Inside Out Music. 20 April 2017. Retrieved 29 April 2017.[dead link]
  16. ^ "We signed Bent Knee! New music video out now! New Album Nov. 5th!". Take This To Heart Records. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
  17. ^ Gregoire, Nick (28 February 2017). "11 free tracks from local bands headed to Rock Band Rivals". Harmonix Blog. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  18. ^ "Bent Knee on Instagram". Instagram. 27 May 2022. Retrieved 21 November 2022.


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