We Are Knuckle Dragger

On recording their upcoming album "Tit For Tat"

How did the band form?

Pete and I (Aran) were friends back in Northern Ireland, where we

originate from. We both moved to Newcastle to study music were we met our

good friend Shaun. Our bands shared a practise space, played local shows

together and partied the days away! From the very start we knew the three

of us had a connection, so when our various bands seemed to unravel, at

conveniently close times, we were compelled to start a new project

together. So December 2008 Knuckle Dragger was born ("We Are" got added on

to our name later) . In three practises we had three songs, and after one

more rehearsal we recorded the tracks in our practise room. These tunes

were intended to be just a demo, but ended up featuring on our first

release Doors To Rooms EP (Tracks - Massive When Flaccid, Explanations

With Connotations, I Was A Teenaged Mr Bean).

How was the recording of your upcoming album "Tit For Tat"?

I t was a very special time that none of us wil l forget. We all have been

fans of Steve Albini 's work for years now, so for us to get to fly to

Chicago, stay with him at his studio,and have him engineer our debut

album, was no less than a truly a magical experience. We ful ly immersed

ourselves in Chicago life as well . Saw sights l ike the Wil l is (Sears)

Tower, took in a ball game at Wrigley Field, went to a Converge gig, got

tattoo's, and ate some fine, albeit unhealthy, American cuisine!

What's the concept behind the album?

We stick to a very l ive ethic when recording. We try to as

closely as possible replicate a live gig with this album, which

also goes for the two previous EPs. All the music is played

live, with no multi-tracking and only vocals being

overdubbed. For us this is the only way to do it. A true

honest expression of your music, with nothing to hide behind.

On top of that the overal l production is natural and warm

(Albini 's forte), as opposed to overproduced and lifeless. As

for the concept of the album itself our goal is ultimately the

same as it was in the beginning, which is to create music we

find interesting, challenging, original, but overal l fun.

How does it differ from previous releases?

I t has felt l ike a very natural progression for us. "Doors To

Rooms" was all about us just jumping in and finding our feet,

what we wanted to express, and how we wanted to go about

it. With that foundation in place we were able to get

comfortable with our dynamic and style of writing, and soon

after that tracks from ABCDEP ( our second EP) were

formed. Now onto the album and we feel l ike a finely tuned

engine firing all cyl inders. We have

matured as a unit, and the result is an album pushing our

boundaries, both creatively and technical ly, whi lst sti l l

retaining our punk diy ethic. I think that our current fans wil l

be very happy with what we've created, and new fans wil l

find it a valuable stepping stone to our previous releases.

If your music were to be adapted into film, what story

would it tell?

I t would have to be some sort of brutal comedy. Like Ace

Ventura, except instead of Jim Carrey, Ace is played by Bas

Rutten! Don't know who he is? Get on YouTube now and

check him out. Then search for some Knuckle Dragger

videos while you're at it! We like to make our own little fi lms.

We recordas much footage as we can, gigs, tours, recording,

al l of which become (or wil l eventually become) episodes we

post on our YouTube account and other social networking

sites.

Would you like to come to Portugal?

We would LOVE to visit Portugal!! Hopeful ly making our first

trip to Europe at some point next year and if there is anyway

we can get to your country we wil l be there. Stay tuned, and

thanks so much for the interest!

Design & Interview: Rick

Words: Aran Glover

Photos courtesy of We Are Knuckle Dragger

"Tit For Tat" is due Easter 2012.

In the meantime, you can purchase their

discography at:

http://www.weareknuckledragger.com/

Also, the song "-20% For Being A Loser" is now

available for Rock Band 3 on Xbox360 and coming

soon on PS3.