Posts Tagged ‘ Yr Knives ’

Yr Knives are the best band you’ve never heard of. You’ve definitely heard of the players in the band, but unless you’re a Chicago-area native, you’ve probably never heard the music. They haven’t played much outside of the Chicago area and, aside from a tour-only CD at the merch desk, currently have no recorded output. But when a band like The Messthetics hand-selects a group to open an East Coast run, you should probably pay attention.

Yr Knives is essentially a supergroup made up of a few of Chicago’s best: Andrew Trim and Brian Sulpizio on guitars, Douglas McCombs on bass, and Quin Kirchner on drums. Readers of this site may recognize Quin and Brian from their work with Ryley Walker, and everyone knows Doug’s work. This project, however, is truly better than the sum of its parts.

I had never heard of these guys before this show and, honestly, didn’t even know there was going to be an opening band for The Messthetics. It’s always a good sign when venue staff start telling you the opening band is good—but when the sound guy tells you the opening band is really good, you’d better pay attention. Opening with “Double A (Start Yr Singing),” the band’s thesis became apparent: tightly orchestrated guitar parts layered over a wide-reaching, free-roaming rhythm section. Did I mention the guitars sound HUGE, too? Giant and overdriven, with interwoven parts that had people bobbing their heads immediately. The set closed with a ripping version of Sonny Sharrock’s “Many Mansions.” Unbelievable.

While speaking with the guys after the set, I was happy to learn they have a debut record finished that will be coming out on Western Vinyl later this year. I’m super excited to see what these compositions turn into with full studio treatment. Sadly, this run of shows is over, but maybe this recording will get them on your radar for the next one.

I recorded this from my normal spot in the back with the Schoeps MK22s and an excellent board feed from Tubby’s FOH engineer Wil, who had the room sounding great all night. If you listen real closely at the end of the recording, you might even hear me turn to Wil and say, “That was fucking good!”; followed by Wil replying, “Yeah, I told you it would be.” Always trust the sound guy.

Download and stream from the Live Music Archive here!

YR Knives
2025-05-04
Tubby’s
Kingston, NY

Source: Scheops MK22 > KCY > PFA + SDB > SD MixPre 3 > SD (24/48) > Adobe Audition/Izotope 9 > Audacity Flac (lvl8) > Mp3Tag

Thanks to Tubby’s FOH engineer, Wil Wright, for the board patch!

Recorded and produced by kliked for nyctaper.com

1. intro
2. Double A (Start Yr Singing)
3. Trimnopedie
4. Yr Water
5. These Chords
6. Fear & Trimbling
7. Stretch Bath
8. Many Mansions *

*Sonny Sharrock

Yr Knives is:
Douglas McCombs – Bass
Andrew Trim – Guitar
Quin Kirchner – Drums
Brian Sulpizio – Guitar

Support this excellent artist!
https://yrknives4u.com/

Support the venues bringing you interesting music!
https://www.tubbyskingston.com/music-calendar