Knievel throw open archives !!

23 August 2003

Not content with releasing three albums already in their short 8 year career, Sydney rock and pop favourites Knievel this week announce the arrival of their fourth album, No one's going to understand in my way.

At a time when bands are content to sit back and repackage and re-release old material, Knievel have decided that they might do that as well.

The result is a collection of unreleased tracks, rarities and willfully obscure b-sides.

The first single from the album "Are you still making progress?" appeared originally as a bonus track on the Japanese release of the band's last album and it has been receiving airplay on Triple J and 2SER. It was described by Time Off magazine as "a gorgeous pop cut that encompasses all that is glorious about Knievel".

Sorting through their archives has turned up some unexpected delights. Wayne found an old Jonathan Richman tape he thought he had lost and Tracy found an old Guitar Player magazine with advice on forming a band. Here's just one of the helpful tips on recording for bassplayers which we reproduce here as a service to all musicians;

"The bass guitar player should be able to use a pick as some engineers feel this is necessary to maintain a constant volume. For the group as a whole, one of the most significant preparations is to tune each instrument meticulously. It is quite expensive to stop the session to retune".

It is helpful information such as this that has helped Knievel to make 2002 a year to remember. In the last twelve months the band have enjoyed an unprecedented run of good luck with record releases in the US, Japan and the UK and a six week tour of Japan and the US taking in SXSW in Austin, Texas. They have also recorded a cover of "your love is the place where I come from" for a Teenage Fanclub tribute album that is being compiled by their Japanese label Painted Sky.

Knievel spend fortune.....

24 July 2003

Sydney rock formation Knievel have been laying low recently with insiders saying they have gone to ground to avoid the blaze of publicity surrounding the enormous inheritance received recently by one of the band members. It is rumoured that one of the members is the great grandson of Lloyd Qwerty and heir to the massive Qwerty keyboard fortune. The keyboards, which are believed to be used a lot, are the ones where the letters are layed out according to the now standard "last place you'd think to look for that" letter formation. It is estimated that somewhere in the world someone is typing on a Qwerty keyboard nearly all the time. The reclusive Knievel will come out of hiding this weekend though to play a rare gig at the Spanish Club. The band is hoping to road test some new material but if they don't have it ready, it may just be a case of them road testing their old material.

Knievel lead running of the bulls

29 March 2003

Sydney electric rock band combo Knievel have organised Sydney's first ever running of the bulls through the streets of the city on Saturday, March 29. In a tribute to the Spanish event of the same name, the bulls will be corralled at Circular Quay and upon release will pursue members of Sydney's indie rock band community along George St until they reach the "safe haven" of the Spanish Club in Liverpool St. Open to all comers, the event will be a chance for all the family to pit their skills against a group of rampaging cattle in a controlled city environment.

The band has admitted that they have had little experience organising events such as this, but are confident that once the bulls are released, they will know what to do. The event will be contingent on bull availability and subject to council approval.

Anyone who has a friend that does public liability insurance or specialises in corralling large numbers of bulls should contact the band immediately. The day will conclude with a gig for the successful participants in the evening at the Spanish Club.

Knievel welcome visitors from shaky isles......

3 March 2003

In early 2001 Australian rock ambassadors Knievel were sent as a special envoy to New Zealand to patch up strained diplomatic relations between the two countries. That legendary tour has born enormous GM fruit since then with many Australians starting to realise that jokes about kiwi's in Bondi just aren't funny any more.

And now Knievel invite you to participate in a traditional cultural exchange ceremony at the Annandale Hotel this Thursday, March 6 when they represent their country in performance along with The Bats and Minisnap from New Zealand. Also representing Austrahlya on the evening will be the fabulous La Huva.

The ceremony will commence with the exchange of cultural artefacts. Knievel will be presenting a package that includes many uniquely Australian items such as a toasted foccacia with bocconcini, a transcript of an Alan Jones radio show, 200 Telstra shares and an engraved Franklin mint plate featuring a photo of Sandra Sully.

In other Knievel news, the band's recently released album "No one's going to understand in my way" was awarded the prestigious 4 star rating by prestigious rock magazine Rolling Stone as well as a prestigious 8/10 rating by the once prestigious but now non-existent Juice magazine. The Sydney Morning Herald also gave it 4 stars. Writer for the Chicago based 'zine "Pop Matters" Jeremy Schneyer nominated "the name rings a bell..." as the best album of 2002.

Knievel throw open archives !!

Not content with releasing three albums already in their short 8 year career, Sydney rock and pop favourites Knievel this week announce the arrival of their fourth album, No one's going to understand in my way.

At a time when bands are content to sit back and repackage and re-release old material, Knievel have decided that they might do that as well.

The result is a collection of unreleased tracks, rarities and willfully obscure b-sides.

The first single from the album "Are you still making progress?" appeared originally as a bonus track on the Japanese release of the band's last album and it has been receiving airplay on Triple J and 2SER. It was described by Time Off magazine as "a gorgeous pop cut that encompasses all that is glorious about Knievel".

Sorting through their archives has turned up some unexpected delights. Wayne found an old Jonathan Richman tape he thought he had lost and Tracy found an old Guitar Player magazine with advice on forming a band. Here's just one of the helpful tips on recording for bassplayers which we reproduce here as a service to all musicians;

"The bass guitar player should be able to use a pick as some engineers feel this is necessary to maintain a constant volume. For the group as a whole, one of the most significant preparations is to tune each instrument meticulously. It is quite expensive to stop the session to retune".

It is helpful information such as this that has helped Knievel to make 2002 a year to remember. In the last twelve months the band have enjoyed an unprecedented run of good luck with record releases in the US, Japan and the UK and a six week tour of Japan and the US taking in SXSW in Austin, Texas. They have also recorded a cover of "your love is the place where I come from" for a Teenage Fanclub tribute album that is being compiled by their Japanese label Painted Sky.

The album "No ones going to understand in my way" will be in stores on October 28th and the band will launch the album at the Annandale Hotel on Saturday, November 2nd with support from the fabulous Cannanes and Sounds Like Sunset.

Knievel play show to celebrate record delay.....

Sydney entertainment act Knievel are about to release their compilation of outakes and extra tracks entitled "No ones going to understand in my way" on Sydney label, Architecture. To celebrate the fact that they nearly have the album ready, the band is playing their first headline show in over 6 months at the Vic on the Park on Saturday, September 28th. Joining them on the bill will be the fabulous Purplene and El Mopa in acoustic mode.

In a perfect world they would have had the album ready for the gig. But perfect is not a word that gets used much in reference to the world these days (except in Queensland) so they will just have to launch it some other time. The band has made a solemn vow that if the album is not released by the end of October, then they will probably have it out in November. In fact a chief adviser has just passed us a note saying that it is set for release on October 28th.

The single from the album "are you still making progress?" has been added to rotation on triple J and has been described by Time Off magazine as "a gorgeous pop cut that encompasses all that is glorious about Knievel".

The band have just completed a fabulously successful tour with Melbourne band Gersey that showed once and for all that the two cities really can get on. In fact the tour was described by band members as "pure David Williamson". Particularly the bit where they travelled north to Brisbane.

In other Knievel news the band is about to release 'the name rings a bell..." in the UK on the Laughing Outlaw label. They have also recorded a cover of "your love is the place where I come from" for a Teenage Fanclub tribute album that is being compiled by their Japanese label Painted Sky.

Knievel orders hand recount

Sydney music band knievel have asked for a manual recount of the last ARIA music award votes to determine if they may have in fact "scooped" the awards instead of Killing Heidi. The controversy flared after band members discovered they hadn't won anything. Critics are asking why the band has waited till now to mount their legal challenge saying that they do not have "a leather trousered, karate kicking leg to stand on".

While the standoff continues, Knievel are still carrying on with their day to day service of supplying music to the people. They play the Hopetoun Hotel this Saturday Oct 25 with Phillipa Nihill and the Decoder Ring supporting. Their album the name rings a bell that drowns out your voice is available now in shops through Quietly Suburban/MGM.

knievel advise of traffic changes for album release

Sydney rock and pop enthusiasts knievel are this week proud to announce that their new album the name rings a bell that drowns out your voice is making its way to the shops. Barring a nationwide factory recall, it will be available to punters courtesy of the fine folks at Quietly Suburban Records on October 16.

Stores will be opening especially at midnight to cater for the anticipated sales rush (probably) and there will be some traffic re-routing to handle the volume of people expected. Knievel fans are advised to use public transport wherever possible and avoid the use of cars in city record store areas. Sydney people just do whatever the hell it was you did during the Olympics.

While security around the albums release has been tight, it can now be revealed that the record includes the classic hit Chance Meeting as well as the bands recent single don’t explain which was described by revolver magazine thus;

pulsing, dispassionate and cool…this fantastic conjunction of musical styles has to be one of the better singles I’ve received this year — the single guy

and drum media thus;

Knievel make great pop records, with this an example of the increasing confidence they have in the strength they have in their subtlety. It rings gently, while this nagging dark undercurrent quietly tugs at your shirt-sleeve that something is the matter, somewhere. It is so simple and leaves beautiful spaces — Ross Clelland

The new album was recorded over the last twelve months and sees the band shifting styles again with liberal usage of hypnotic loops and subtle keyboard textures. To avoid evil on-stage miming The band has augmented their live lineup to suit with the addition of Matt Fitzgerald (Jack Lord, Decoder Ring) on keyboards and guitar and the occasional help of Tim Kevin (Hoolahan, La Huva) on keyboards.

The band will launch their new album on October 27th at the Annandale with their new label mates Sea Life Park and Ides of Space supporting and additional special guests to be announced.

There will also be a series of shows along the east coast to celebrate the release of the album throughout November and December.

Chance Meeting sees light of day

If enthusiasm is a crime then world-class rock outfit Knievel stand guilty as charged. The band launched their new single Chance Meeting over a month ago with a series of gigs on the Eastern Seaboard. Critics were quick to condemn the shows as mere "single cover" launches but Knievel have got back at their critics this week by releasing the cover with the disc inside.

The single has already been added to high rotation on the Triple J network.

Fans of the band's earlier press releases will know that Chance Meeting was recorded in New Jersey on the same console used for "In The Air Tonight (Oh Lord)". Having established a psychic connection with Phil Collins, the band are keenly awaiting its effects on their sales figures.

The new single comes with three bonus tracks recorded in the band’s home studio "Pretty Limited Recording Facilities". One of the tracks, "Never Go Till They Call", is about the pitfalls of leaving home to try your luck overseas.

Not famous for taking their own advice, Knievel have just returned from a tour of the US where they played at the Luna Lounge for the CMJ music festival and numerous other hipster nightspots in New York and Boston.

The Village Voice had this to say about the band: "Knievel - 8.30pm".

Knievel up to stuff

Knievel are currently in the studio inching toward the completion of their album with the speed of a tectonic plate. All guitar chords are being completed one string at a time a la Metallica and vocals are being done on a "day to a word" basis.

Knievel will be touring March 7 -11 with Ken Stringfellow of the Posies, as both his backing band and support act. The tour will take in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide.

Without giving the game away, Ken (who recently toured the world playing guitar, banjo, keyboards and singing harmonies with REM) is planning to include a large proportion of Posies material in his set.

Knievel’s new album will be released in June. Their latest single Chance Meeting has catapulted the band to new levels of recognition as evidenced by their inclusion on the new Troy Horse calendar for 2000. The film clip for the single features the band in a whole new series of adventures including rooftop scenes of the recent John Glenn ticker tape parade in New York.

Knievel play with Ken Stringfellow at the former Goldmans, now under the less stylish, but far more obvious moniker "Newtown RSL" on Saturday March 11. Be early to catch Sneeze.

Knievel and Chance Meeting

Knievel this week launch their new single Chance Meeting at the Globe in Newtown with very special guests Glide and Sounds Like Sunset.

Chance Meeting was recorded in Hoboken, New Jersey with Lee Wall from Luna sitting in on drums. The studio, Mutiny ZOO features the original Helios console used on the massive Phil Collins hit "In The Air Tonight (oh lord)". Although the band was initially reticent to use the same equipment that was used to quietly usher in a whole decade of stadium rock, they soon realised they were just being silly.

The single is said to be an aural tour de force (tour of force) and un homage (a homage) to the frisson (not sure) of the serendipitous encounter. It also pays tribute to the modern urban notion that you don’t have to bother being civil to anyone as you’ll probably never run into them again.

The extra tracks are a collection of songs recorded in the bands own studio Pretty Limited Recording Facilities.

The single will be available soon through Citadel Records.

Knievel, Glide and Sounds Like Sunset will be appearing at the Globe in Newtown this Thursday July 29.

Knievel close to greatness

Knievel, a band sometimes noted for their aversion to rigorous rehearsal and a band with a special fondness for "winging it" are this week going through a period of re evaluation after three full days of rehearsal with Ken Stringfellow.

Band members have reported sore fingers, tired legs and some bruising of their delicate pride after discovering that their unique "near enough is good enough" vocal style might not have broad international appeal.

Without giving the game away, Ken (who recently toured the world playing guitar, banjo, keyboards and singing harmonies with REM) will include a large proportion of Posies material in his set as well as several songs from his brilliant new band Saltine.

As well as playing as Ken’s backing band, Knievel will be playing their own set with their classic lineup and a newfound desire to be "good".

Knievel will then return to the studio where they are inching toward the completion of their album with the speed of a tectonic plate. Knievel’s new album will be released in June (don’t use ink if you are putting this in your diary). Their latest single Chance Meeting has catapulted the band to new levels of recognition as evidenced by their inclusion on the new Troy Horse calendar for 2000.

Knievel play with Ken Stringfellow at Adelaide Uni Bar Tuesday March 7, The Punters Club in Melbourne on Thursday March 9 and Goldmans in Sydney on Saturday March 11.

Knievel play all ages

At Knievel, we believe that children are our future — teach them well and let them lead the way…

So this weekend Knievel will be playing an all ages show for all the chimney sweeps and sooty little ragamuffins and street urchins of old Sydney town. Spirited whistling of Knievel songs will be encouraged and will be rewarded at the end of the evening with second helpings of gruel and cold swill. The band are keen to stress that pick pocketing will not be tolerated.

Knievel play the Newtown Theatre in Sydney this Saturday evening with Moler, Noogie, Berth and Sodium.

Their new single Chance Meeting is in stores now.

Knievel end of year stocktake

Sydney rock act Knievel will be having an end of financial year stocktake at the Lansdowne Hotel this Wednesday June 30. The band will be making an inventory of all their material and offering hard to shift items at crazy bargain prices.

The band is currently in the studio recording their third album under the working titles "Lone Whip-o-will", ‘‘Harry’s Cafe de Wheels", "The Internet", "Pattern Book", "Penfolds Bin 128", "Stairmaster", "Silence is Olden" and "The Climate it is a Changin'".

The band will be road testing new material from their album which will involve them playing the songs whilst manoeuvring in and out of witches hats.

The first single from the album will be released in the next few weeks.

Knievel play with Golden Rough and Twelve 24 this Wednesday June 30 at the Lansdowne Hotel.

Knievel - an open letter

Dear _______________

Please wield your massive influence and get us on the _______________ festival. We will play anywhere on the bill as long as our name is at the top of the poster. We are an up and coming Sydney band and we have been together eight months (or thereabouts). We all met at school and we are fresh-faced chancers trying our luck in the big city. We play an electrified music style known as pop / rock. Our influences are the reformed Cold Chisel, Telstra hold music and fax/modem noises. Here’s what reviewers had to say about our new album Steep Hill Climb:

"When an album like Steep Hill Climb comes along, it makes you wonder how you defined a perfect pop song before you heard all ten tracks contained on it. It is melodic and dreamy, heart fell and exhilarating. It has been a long time since guitar bass and drums sounded this good, and it is unlikely that something will "out pop " this album this year. This is one album that takes you on a ride you do not want to miss." — Natalie McPhee, Inpress

"…track after incredible track of deceptively simple, stripped back acoustic guitar and pedal steel fills the air …an exhilarating downhill run which is right on course." — Andrew McUtchen, Herald Sun

"An instant classic that opens with the single "Something Good Must Come" and maintains it’s momentum throughout ten very good pop tunes It takes a record like this to remind you what it’s all about.... effortless, timeless.... songs you want to hear again and again" — Form Guide, Melbourne

"Cruisey, beautiful, sweet, a little bit country…Steep Hill Climb is an album that has an element of longevity, that can be listened to in various moods.... one of the finer cruisier albums this year." — Peter Blythe, Drum Media - CD of the Week

"Knievel unleash an elegant, unassuming collection of songs.... Steep Hill Climb rises above comparisons with an uncanny sense of melodic progression and resolution. 9/10" — Louisa Williams - Beat Magazine

"If Wayne Connolly flew in the Welcome Mat, with Knievel’ he soars. Steep Hill Climb travels along clean, solid lines while still managing interesting diversions. An assured clever album." — Tracy Grimson, Rolling Stone

"... a positive handle on melodic structure that never resorts to guitar tossing, tub thumping mayhem combined with some beautifully woven melancholy." — Iain Shedden, The Australian

KNIEVEL • single release

Flaunting conventional record industry wisdom, music group Knievel go out this week with a new single entitled Something Good Must Come from an album set for release in the pre Christmas period usually referred to as the "Bermuda Triangle of retailing".

Industry pundits (the same ones who always crop up in Knievel press releases) have called the move "brazen", "daring" and "certain commercial suicide". inside sources close to the band say that Knievel will relish the chance to take on some of the giants of the industry and are also keen to have somewhere to lay blame in the event of disastrous retail figures.

Representatives of several music giants had not heard of the Knievel plan when contacted this week, but one of them described it as "...a contemptible attempt to sully the Christmas charts with music that has no discernible Christmas theme or value as a greatest hits collection. They are clearly not entering into the spirit of Christmas retailing".

A Knievel spokesperson said that retail visibility was a priority for the band and that the promotional campaign would include enough cardboard to build a small shanty town. The stores will be so thick with life size ‘standees’ of the band that there’ll be no room for customers!

The retail onslaught is being bankrolled by Knievel’s new label Treadmill Records (through MDS) who are based in Perth and Minneapolis and have lined up US distribution for the band.

The single is the first release from the new album Steep Hill Climb and is a stylistic leap forward from their last album We Fear Change. The use of more frilly stuff such as pedal steel and cello has enabled them to create a lush, multi tracked, primped and polished sound stage experience that is the 3-d IMAX dolby surround sound film equivalent to the last albums black and white security camera footage.

And what press release would be complete without a bit of influence citing — Verlaines, built to spill, GBV, blah blah blah, insert cool band here, put slightly touch and go but nevertheless safe band here, claim to have put new spin on old stuff here, claim to not really be influenced by anything here...

So, waddaya say tastemakers? Let's boogie!

KNIEVEL RELEASE NEW PRESS RELEASE

Seminal Sydney press release-writing band Knievel have this week unveiled what is being widely touted as their most important press release work so far. At a launch for the press release this week at Sydney’s Imperial Peking Afloat restaurant, a spokesman for the band said that the release reflected a worldwide trend away from music and towards a more publicity driven music industry.

The press release is said to contain information about the long awaited second single from the band which will be the title track from their album Steep Hill Climb. Whilst the release contains allegedly amusing material it is also said to feature factual material about the extra tracks on the CD which were recorded in the bands own Scant Regard for Sound studios. A source close to the band said that what the extra tracks lack in terms of sonic perfection they more than make up for with overall running time.

The release also contains information about the Treadmill Records junket to the United States on an Australian export initiatives grant which involved members of Knievel. The company has denied allegations of travel rorting and has promised to provide receipts for meals and drinks consumed with taxpayers money.

Knievel will be playing at the Iron Duke Hotel on Easter Thursday as part of their "Stun Them With Volume" tour. Also appearing on the night will be Peabody, Lodestar and Frankenbarry.

Knievel send last minute press release

Hail damaged, Arial font using rock/pop act Knievel are a last minute addition to the squad of bands playing this Saturday the 8th of May at Goldmans Casino Lounge in the heart of Newtown. The band will be supporting Big Heavy Stuff in what promises to be a night of several bands playing music. So tighten up those thousand dollar tarpaulins and get out and drink to forget.

In other Knievel news the band’s album Steep Hill Climb was last week made album of the week on the Paris, France radio station Radio DIO.

Knievel announce small club tour

Sydney rock favourites Knievel this week announced that they are planning a tour of the small club circuit as a way of getting back in touch with their fans. Band members are said to be tired of the lack of intimacy of large stadiums and glad to be back playing the places where they first cut their so-called teeth.

Critics of the band are alleging that the band would not have any choice but to play smaller venues. A spokesperson for the band said that these people should "get their facts straight’’.

The "Chord Changes and Playing to Strangers" tour 98 is a staggeringly extensive (for them) tour of the Australian eastern seaboard. It is the largest tour ever staged (by Knievel) in this country. The band will be playing all your favourite hits from their recent smash album Steep Hill Climb. Joining them on the tour will be Perth song players Flanders who have a new ep "Mud and five ways to serve it" and Sydney singing and playing group Hoolahan who have a new ep entitled "Drag".

The tour kicks off on Friday June 26 at Bizzo’s in Caringbah and continues on to The Gypsy Bar Canberra on Sat June 27. Sunday June 28 the bands play Madison’s in Wagga Wagga. A full list of tour dates will be available at the Citadel Records website.

Knievel

Things have been going right for rock band Knievel recently with their successful application for a patent on "rock music played with an insistent drum beat and vocal melodies sung over repeated chords patterns".

While the band have been busy with litigation for infringement of their patent by other bands, they have found time to record a new album which goes under the name Steep Hill Climb.

The album is what you might call a stylistic leap forward were it not for the fact that every album released these days is a "stylistic leap forward". Careful not to make a stylistic leap backward, the band has augmented their sound on the new record with cello, pedal steel, celeste and a host of other instruments that sound better than they read.

The album is slated for winter release and accordingly the band have made a seasonally adjusted record of warm tones and dark textures, a perfect companion for long winter nights. (Of course if the release is delayed it will be the perfect companion for long summer days.) Here’s what some people have been saying about the new Knievel album:

"This is music for the music listener"
"You’ve reached my voicemail so please leave a message"
"You’ve gotten closer to me than I’d like"
"They seem to have an eye for sound"
"if this record doesn’t sell I’ll hand in my resignation"

For any reviewers who like to provide handy reference points for their readers it would be great if you could use the following: Combines the melodic ambition of Pavement, Matthew Sweet and the Posies fused with the slo-lo-fi musmgs or GBV, The Verlaines, The Flaming Lips and Built To Spill (but don’t say we told you to).

With the debut album We Fear Change establishing them as household names (in the one in nine thousand households that own it), Knievel already has names (in what is known in the biz as "a strong fanbase".

The band are planning a winter assault on Australia’s rock venues, despite each gig requiring more logistical planning than the Biosphere experiment due to the other activities of band members.

Knievel - Last Days of Pompeii Tour 99

Pompeii - ancient civilisation of people. But who were they and what if they had known that the end was nigh? Would they have not chosen to be doing something other than lying around? Would they not have organised their own form of ancient tours?

Sydney rock band Knievel, although not wishing to scare anyone, are this week heading out on tour to farewell their favourite century and, well, if things do happen to go horribly wrong at the turn of the century, to farewell one of their favourite civilisations and get in one last tour before the dawning of a dark post-apocalyptic era (where Sting is standing on flaming piles of rubbish and old tyres with dirt on his face playing a guitar made from a stick).

Who wants to be standing around the morning after the end of the world admitting that they had no idea it was coming? Although it will be a devastating and unimaginably barren place to live, Knievel will at least be able to be a little smug and say they knew it was coming. This will of course be offset by a sense of sadness as the band has recently cracked it for some solid radio play on Triple J.

What will it be like to live in a world with no venues and no punters to come to your gigs? Lets hope that this horrible, unthinkable situation never happens but just in case, why not get along to see the band at the North Bondi RSL Club (at the top end of the beach).

Knievel play the North Bondi RSL this Friday December 3, 1999 with Half Miler, Tug Dumbly and Adam Gibson (spoken word) and Alannah Russack.

Knievel - a biography

In the space of five short years, Sydney music playing group Knievel (a band also known by the Microsoft spellchecker as "knives" or "kindle") have gone from promising unknowns to being a band who are still just as promising but are a bit less unknown.

The band has spent the last few years getting back in touch with their fans by playing smaller venues but this January they will be distancing themselves from their fans when they take to the Festival stage for the Big Day Out.

The band slipped quietly back into the country recently after playing a gig at the prestigious CMJ Music Festival in New York. In attendance were a clutch of record companies who responded favourably to the bands melodic guitar textures by applauding roundly at the end of each song.

A spokesperson for the band said that the band got what could only be described as a very strong whiff of success. The band now has representation from a New York music attorney firm who are shopping the band’s album in the US.

Whilst in the US the band recorded new material at Mutiny Zoo studios in Hoboken with guest drummer Lee Wall from Luna. The studio was equipped with the original Helios console used in the recording of the Phil Collins hit "In The Air Tonight (Oh Lord)". Sources close to the band have said that the new material has a spooky dissimilarity to the Collins hit.

The band’s album Steep Hill Climb has recently been released in New Zealand and Germany to very favourable reviews.

The band has recently released a radio only promo single of the song "Frame by Frame" from their album. A film clip will accompany the release of the single. Shot on location in the Frank Lloyd Wright designed suburb of Pleasantville in New York State it sees the band cast as beat poets in a lost weekend scenario.

Knievel Christmas office party

Sydney rock band Knievel are this week holding their Christmas office party at the Lansdowne Hotel. It will be a joint Christmas office party event held with the offices of Golden Rough and Sounds like Sunset.

All staff of the three bands are urged to attend as well as any clients or major suppliers to the bands over the last 12 months. It will be a great chance to network and drum up business and finally put a face to those anonymous band members you’ve spoken to on the phone throughout the year.

Knievel, Golden Rough and Sounds Like Sunset play the Lansdowne Hotel Thursday, Dec 16.

Don’t forget to vote for Knievel in the JJJ Hottest 100, otherwise we’ll have to do it ourselves.

KNIEVEL ALBUM TANGIBLE

After several months of describing their album as "imminent", industry pundits are this week describing the new album Steep Hill Climb by Sydney rock and roll / pop music combine Knievel as "tangible", "take-homeable", " put-onable" and "turn-upable". The album is in stores now.

The record has apparently divided people into two camps with some people saying they have heard the album and others claiming they haven’t. Others are claiming that the band is incapable of putting any useful information into their press releases. In answer to this the band has come up with ten useful

Knievel "fun" facts:

1. The band has absolutely no money left after paying for their album.

2. The band will never make back the money they spent on phone calls to A & R people's voicemail.

3. The band are losing sight of their dream to have life size standees of themselves in record stores.

4. The album can be played along with the Wizard of Oz and it will mysteriously finish halfway through the movie.

5. The band came up with the title Steep Hill Climb after failing to come up with anything else. Some out-take titles were "Storm a Brewin’", "Still Got the Blues", "Build Your Dream Home" "Three Corkers and Some Filler".

6. The band borrowed the artwork for their album from a 1964 feature on the New York World’s Fair relying on some vague advice about copyright expiring after 30 years.

7. The spoken word sample on the end of the song Frame by Frame is American house building guy Frank Lloyd Wright.

8. The band are doing their bit for cd pricing by setting a RRP of $24.95.

9. The band packaged their album in the more expensive but less bankable digipak in the hope that someone will notice the effort they’ve gone to.

10. The video to Something Good Must Come cost $20 and was directed by Glen Maynard, drummer with Pollyanna. The bands new press photos cost $18 and were taken by Knievel drummer Nick Kennedy.

Knievel have just completed a national tour with Pollyanna, but they will be playing again soon in a town near you (particularly if you happen to live in the town of Sydney). Catch them on; Dec 5 at the Globe with the Fauves Dec 13 the Annandale with Chris Knox Dec 31 the Annandale with Big Heavy Stuff.

Knievel Play Shows!

Knievel, a band who are no strangers to the words "sporadic’’ and "occasional" have stunned music biz pundits recently with a burst of activity that has seen them described as "a band who have forgotten the meaning of the word ‘half-arsed’.

The band has completed work on a new album entitled Steep Hill Climb, signed on with Perth/Minneapolis based management group Treadmill inc., played several gigs in Sydney and without pausing for breath are heading to Melbourne to play two shows this Friday June 20 (Public Bar) and Saturday June 2 1 (Punters Club) with the Black Eyed Susans.

The album has been described by some insiders as a stylistic leap forward and by others as a stylistic leap backward. One thing is for certain though, there are more "frilly bits" and to help them bring their lush’ multi-tracked, primped and polished sound to the stage Dave Orwell (Oliver, Golden Rough, Love Me and Tim Rogers’ Trouser Press) will be fiddling about a bit on a pedal steel.

With their new workperson like attitude, Knievel present their "Chords To Be Struck, Melodies To Be Sung" tour, proudly brought to you by no one in particular.

KNIEVEL NOT AFRAID TO TOUR

Variously described as mysterious, reclusive, impenetrable, unreachable and lazy, Sydney pop and rock and roll band Knievel are currently parading around like a bunch of show ponies to promote their new album "Steep Hill Climb". The record has been described as a "call to arms" for those who like a good call to arms, and a "wake up call" for those who like to sleep in. The album is in stores now. They kick off their "Apparently, this is what you have to do to be famous" tour in Melbourne on January 29.

KNIEVEL release album in time for Christmas

Sydney rock and pop music group Knievel are reeling this week from accusations that the release of their new album Steep Hill Climb into the Christmas market is a cynical attempt to take advantage of traditional consumer extravagance and goodwill. A Knievel spokesperson said this week that the band was shocked by the claims and that the scheduling of the album was timed only to coincide closely with the time they got around to finishing it.

The band are also answering accusations that they are not particularly serious about what they do and that they are really just pissing about. A band member remarked that if they wanted to piss about they would go and rent a video and not waste all their money on recording a bloody album.

In other news, Knievel have taken on ticketing giant Ticketek over what they perceive to be monopolistic price-fixing practices. The band have fallen out over the prices set for their November 6 show at the Annandale Hotel. Whilst admitting that their show is rather good, the band felt that a AUS $75 ticket charge was excessive and that they had been thinking about only charging AUS $6.

The band agreed to answer these five most asked Knievel questions:

Did you get dropped by Murmur?

Sorry, next question please.

Wouldn’t any other majors touch you?

Couldn’t we ask ourselves some easier questions?

What’s the new album Steep Hill Climb about?

Great. Good question. This is better. Let’s see, it’s a conceptual lament for the fantastical past visions of the future that the present never delivered. Why did we never get moving sidewalks, horseless carriages, fantastical boxes with moving pictures of the latest play or news event, craft able to travel through the air with no visible means of support, and daylight available at the mere flick of a switch?

What bands did you steal ideas from for your new record?

The Bats, Verlaines, Flaming Lips, Sandpit, Built to Spill, Go-Betweens, Palace, The Chills. Is that five questions?

No, that’s only four.

Couldn’t we just change that bit at the top to ‘the band agreed to answer four questions’?

Yes, but it would be like one of those weird time travel things where the guy goes back and changes history but then his parents don’t meet and he’s not born so he couldn’t have changed that thing in the first place.

Knievel launch Steep Hill Climb in Sydney @ the Annandale Hotel on Thurs Nov 6 with special guests Moler.

KNIEVEL MAKE ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT GIG!

Sydney rock and roll and pop music group Knievel are taking to the stage at the Annandale Hotel on New Years eve to bid a fond adieu to the good ship 1997.

In a year that will be remembered mostly as the year in which the Federal Government displayed the kind of behaviour that would make a sewer rat weep with shame, the Olympic city geared up to make sure the fabric of society was cut up, daubed with Ken Done prints and sold off and most people in the music industry directed their energies towards long winded pronouncements on the death of guitar music, it’s time to put on your fakest smile and see the new year in with a brief burst of phoney optimism.

Knievel also see out the year with their new album Steep Hill Climb finally making it into the shops. The album has been hailed as a "wake up call " for those who like to sleep in late and a record "of interest" to people.

Knievel join Big Heavy Stuff and 2 litre Dolby at the Annandale Hotel on New Years Eve.

KNIEVEL MAKE ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT CHANGES

Sydney based rock (and occasionally roll) group Knievel this week confirmed that they have inked a lucrative deal with Citadel/Festival Records. The band has been brought over from Melbourne club MDS for a transfer fee that is said to be between three and five figures.

An unconfirmed story is circulating that the band had mistakenly walked into the Fox Studios lot at Moore Park whilst looking for the Easter Show and had run into Rupert Murdoch who expressed his enthusiasm for the bands savvy chord structures and soaring melodies. He is said to have instigated a takeover bid for the group’s album Steep Hill Climb saying that the band’s pan-global, multimedia approach was "totally awesome". Spokespeople for the band have denied that there is any truth to the story and drew particular attention to Murdoch’s unlikely usage of the words "totally awesome".

A more reasonable account of the story (and one that surely illustrates that truth is in fact often stranger than fiction) is that the band ran out of money, couldn’t afford to pay for a second pressing of their album after the first pressing sold out and consequently had to sell off the rights for a handful of beans.

The band’s new single is the title track from their album "Steep Hill Climb" and its release is timed to coincide with the band finally having it ready. The extra tracks for the album were recorded in the bands own studio Pretty Limited Recording Facilities and they have already been described as "a must for fans of long overall running times".

And now appearing for the first time in a Knievel press release are actual real quotes by real people about the band's new album "Steep Hill Climb".

"Way too good to be the work of a relatively obscure three piece from Sydney... track after incredible track of deceptively simple, stripped back guitar and pedal steel fills the air... Steep Hill Climb is nothing of the kind. It’s an exhilarating downhill run, which is right on course." - Andrew McUtcheon

In the time honoured tradition of other bands who have released records, Knievel are about to peel another single off their long player We Fear Change. The song Let It Go was decided upon because it was the next song on the album, and some people are already hailing it as the "next consecutive thing". All proceeds from the single will be donated to people the band owe money to. Extra tracks on the single include two new tunes called "How Much Good Work Can You Undo" and " Miami Loves Lovers" as well as a cover of the song "It’s Kinda Funny" by Scottish lousy-fi pioneers Josef K.

The band are launching the single at the Annandale Hotel on Friday, Sept. 22 with special guests Oliver and Automatic.

Hey you!

Here’s a tape of some songs for the new Knievel album. At the moment we are not committed to any record label, so we are sending it out to all the grooviest and most important labels. Both Dino and J&B have shown serious interest so please, only come to the table with embarrassingly high, tax bracket dilemma inducing offers.

Or perhaps we could interest you in a share portfolio. Here’s what one satisfied customer had to say after investing in the first Knievel album We Fear Change:

"I invested in the first Knievel album and I got some of my money back." — J. O’Donnell.

Here’s what you get when you invest in Knievel stock:

• one excellent album
• a few b sides
• some artwork
• a bunch of cheap video ideas
• three highly unique artistic temperaments
• enough credibility to launch all the other bands on your label

OK, so around about now you’re probably starting to ask yourself some questions...

How will they reproduce it live? Will they even play live ? How does that band "live" sell so many records? Why so many questions with the word "live"?

To put your mind at ease rest assured that the answer to all these questions is YES.

How do I find out more about this "fantastic" offer?

Phone the Knievel hotline. Our operators are standing by to take your call.