Video of the Week: The Knockabouts
26 05 2010David Baird sent us this video, via Facebook, by the should-be-legendary Huntsville, AL, band THE KNOCKABOUTS. It was made by Phillip Wann in 1983. David’s MySpace page is dedicated to Huntsville DIY history, and it’s worth checking out for his audio intro (I thought it was cool, anyway). Thanks a lot!
Here’s an interesting bit from from the September 1984 issue of MRR, reprinted in the 1995 Prank Records 7″ of The Knockabouts’ 1983 demo, from drummer Greg Sklaka:
We wanted to show that you don’t have to be Jimmy Page to be in a band. We wanted to play something basic but very powerful. We really don’t know what the average person thinks of us because we hear “play sickie sado”, than someone says “boo, y’all suck.” Our first real gig was at the University of Alabama in Huntsville in January of ’83 at a talent show with three other bands. I think we shocked everyone there, especially when we played “Sweet Home Alabama”. It was kinda funny, because after we played it, someone yelled “Freebird!.”
If the people here in Alabama would look closely at our songs, they would probably relate to them. But not very many people want to do that, so we’re labeled as shit and we get fucked with a lot, especially by the cops.
Today, we have a name for ourselves, whether people say we suck or we’re good. “Where’s My Vietnam” is probably our best song. Live it’s the peak of our insanity. “I hate your guts” and “The Beautiful” sum up life in Huntsville. I think people who first liked us now have “grown out” of hardcore or the Knockabouts, but to us it’s a definite way of life.
Wonder where they are now…
If anyone is interested in the current Huntsville diy punk scene let me know! There’s alot of cool bands from around there nowadays too!
davidvanhale [at] gmail [dot] com
Yes, we’re interested! Write us scene report, dude. That goes for you too, everyone else in the world…
<3
MRR
Ken…I’d be up for a Prank/Peer Pressure split release of the Knockabouts!
This Kiwi Punk supports ya!
We took down the comment (and subsequent replies) that contained personal attacks on someone in the Huntsville scene. We don’t want MRR.com to be a forum for that sort of thing, and we apologize for letting the comment post in the first place.
Thanks,
Paul Curran
MRR Web Coordinator
Thanks for the memory – I was in the Knockabouts with Rusty, Greg, Randy, Jeff, various others who came and went. We had to do what we had to do, like everyone else. It was a different time. When things seemed to matter. Maybe they always did, maybe they always will, but it was a time you felt you had to stand up. All I can say to everyone else in the community is NEVER GIVE UP!
Hey-
There’s an interview with long running Huntsville punks Random Conflict in the next issue of MRR (#326…)
the guitarist sure is cute.