There must be something in the water over in Florida. Not content with giving us Less Than Jake, New Found Glory and The Busdrivers, now another cracking little ska band have popped up out of Gainesville. But unlike some of their peers, The Know How are not sticking to a tried and tested formula in their quest for fame and it’s their unique quirkyness that could be their key to success.
An octet from that ska mecca Gainesville, the band formed in 1998 and have grown in stature ever since. They’ve played on the Warped Tour, had the number seven most downloaded ska song on MP3.com and then there’s the supporting slots for the likes of Reel Big Fish, Mad Caddies, MU330 and The Ataris. For anyone unfamiliar with the band, think Milk2Sugars more than Less Than Jake. The sound is very laid back and is more groovy than anthemic, which is a good thing because there are already enough LTJ clones around. Vocalist Skyler Stone also has a voice which is slightly unconventional, coming across a bit like Dickey Barrett of the Bosstones and this adds to their uniqueness.
The interestingly named ‘happyfunrobotkilltime’ is an interesting album. It’s not straight up pop-ska like, say, The Busdrivers, but still has enough catchy moments to have you skanking like a madman in no time. Opening track ‘In The Key Of Metal’ immediately showcases what they have to offer with a cool instrumental, mixing guitars, brass and their secret weapon, the moog, to create a monster of a track which you know is going to go down very well live. ‘See Her Again’ is very laid back and would go down very nicely on a very hot day – a good, solid track that has a little bit of everything, ditto ‘Lately’ which begins with a great ska riff before the brass kicks in. The vocals I guess may be an acquired taste, but I think they are pretty different to what else is on offer at the minute and this is a good thing.
‘Speak Up’ is as groovesome as it gets, a slow number that really makes you want to get up and dance, and the chorus is really, really good, whereas ‘Same Old Sound’ picks up the tempo and is sure to have the masses moving in a live setting. ‘She Says’ nods briefly towards old-skool Reel Big Fish with the track really showcasing the trumpet, trombone and sax. The brilliantly titled ‘Daniel Larusso Is Going To Fight!’ is the silliest, yet one of the best songs here. “Daniel Larusso is gonna fight, he was hurt now he’s alright,” Skyler sings, and as cheesy as it is, it’s still a fine song.
‘Chiquita’ nods very heavily to early Mad caddies, but seeing as though the Caddies are such a great band, we’ll give them. And anyway, it’s a good song in it’s own right, if a little unoriginal. ‘Outta Breath’ picks up the pace again with the brass again at the forefront whilst ‘I Am Sparticus’ is perhaps the first time where Skyler sings rather than adopts his own vocal identity. Closer ‘Rock My Way’ is another straight-up ska song, which, depending on your views of the genre, you’ll either lap up or want to stamp on…
If you’re a fan of ska music then this is well worth checking out. I don’t think The Know How will quite get the recognition of some of their fellow Gainesville bands, but you really could do a lot worse than to get your hands on a copy of this.
Paul