The Know Feature

'The Know' Preps for a Revolution
February 22, 2005

Armed with ‘70s-style Rock and shaggy moptops, Raleigh-based The Know took the helm of antiquated Rock in The Triangle in less-than four months.

Josh Eure

Staff Writer

The Triangle continues to harbor talent on all musical fronts, leaving no genre passed over. From Hip-Hop to Metal, Pop-Punk to Alternative, local venues have nurtured the sounds we crave and have given us almost constant access to them -- often encouraging regrettable fads. Musical trends, whims and rages have always found support in our backyard where a diverse fan-base dictates a patchwork landscape of local music.

One such trend that continues to thrive is the movement to revive older sounds. The Strokes, The Vines, The Hives and now Raleigh’s very own The Know.

Though rekindling ‘70s-style musical themes may be intriguing, it displays little in the way of creativity. Fortunately for the Triangle scene , this classification excludes The Know.

While on the surface, they appear to be card-carrying members of the shaggy-mopped guild of rockers in body-hugging denim, they are, in fact, a group of notable musicians with a very different approach.

Guitarist Willy Wilcox, bassist Wally Neil and drummer Jeremy Bryan found vocalist and guitarist Graham Fontaine through an online ad only four months ago. However, that has not stopped the group’s immediate leap into the local Rock gamut.

“We’ve only been together four months, but we’re serious about our music,” Fontain says.

The band recently finished an 8-track EP with engineer and producer Matt Horton of Raleigh’s PostPro – three of which can be found on their website. Two videos from a recent show are also available.

The Lincoln Theatre has already hosted the quintet, and they will be rocking downtown at Martin St. Music Hall on St. Patrick’s Day.

With traditional rock-n-roll as their engine, The Know’s catchy, eccentric pop-grunge resonance is redefining the movement The Strokes pioneered, and further ensconcing their name in the Triangle scene. Inspired by such innovative acts as Led Zeppelin and The Beatles, The Know have rapidly molded a collection of songs that are not only haunting and somewhat innocent, but that seem to be questing for a ripening aural experience.

“We’re called The Know; as in the carnal sense of the word,” Fontain says.

“We just want to enjoy writing, recording and performing what will hopefully help provide a soundtrack to a revolution,” Fontaine says about the band’s agenda – lyrically and otherwise.

While they are hardly poised to achieve such a task presently, with their unique blend of ‘70s-style rock and clever songs, The Know are undoubtedly on track for a modicum of success, at least. A revolution? Who knows?

-Posted with permission from Laura Wilkinson, Editor-in-Chief of The Technician