The Knobs: Press & Reviews

THE KNOBS
Lonely At The Bottom
As soon as the opening riffs of the first
track “Heart In My Hand” hit your speakers,
it’s evident that what you have in your
CD player is one helluva good disc. The
Knobs’ eleven-song Lonely At The Bottom
is packed with so many catchy melodies,
you’ll find yourself singing right along to
the entire album. Producer Dave Hanner -
of country powerhouse Corbin/Hanner
fame - captures the raw intensity of the
Knobs’ rock n’ roll ethos on every track.

A throwback to rock n’ roll’s glory days,
the Knob’s sound hints of Springsteen
and even Tom Petty. Their cover of the
Beatles’ “Rain” showcases the band’s
concentration on harmonies, with each
vocal adding layer upon layer to form a
refined, full sound even the Fab Four
would be proud of. And frontman John
Marsiglio’s engaging lyrics on “Where Did
You Sleep Last Night,” “My Boys Won’t
Be Soldiers,” and the soothing ballad
“Catch Me” flash of brilliance. Put this
Knobs’ album at the top of your list!
theknobsband.net

mugZine C/O CD Reviews, P.O. BOX 8280, Pittsburgh, PA 15218

Hey Hey Johnny!
First off, thank you for sending the new cd. I have been enjoying it for the last week!
And what do you know? A new, 2005 album that's rock and roll. It sounds just pretty darn swell to my ears, too!
I like all of the tracks...a few fave tracks right off of the top of my head:
The opening track is probably my favorite song on the cd. Great lyrics melded to a really neat tune with a killer guitar hook - it is a perfect choice, I think, for an album opener.
"Where Did You Sleep Last Night?" is another fave for me. Almost kind of "bluesy" in a John Lennon-way. The female back up vocals is a really neat touch that adds even more "edge" and "feel" to a song that has both ingredients already. As the song plays on, to me, it kind of keeps spiraling up and up with the girls sounding like their "pushing" your lead vocal and "challenging" you to "bring it on".
"Rain" - A super choice for a cover. I noticed that Dave has that "Beatles '66 Odd-But-Very-Cool-Stereo-Mix" down pat!
"My Boys Won't Be Soldiers" - Based on our conversation at the Hollow earlier this year, you know I'm with you 100% on this one, brother. What I like about this one, is you get your point across with a haunting melody without "preaching".
Okay, John, take care and a job well done, my man!
Call in sometime during my show and we'll rap a little on the air and I'll play a cut.
Have a super Christmas!
Tony Michaels

Music Preview: The Knobs are proud to be a bar-rock band
Thursday, November 03, 2005
By Scott Mervis, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"Lonely at the Bottom" by the Knobs, a Pittsburgh-area group that's not afraid of the b-word.

In the pursuit of being something more adventurous, some musicians might take offense at the term "bar-rock." Not John Marsiglio of the Knobs.

"I think it's an honor to be a great bar band," he says. "You know, anyone can go in the studio and have it sound really good. It's tough when you're standing in front of those people and maybe they're not even there to see you. If you connect on that level, that's what rock 'n' roll is. It's Saturday night, drinking beer and let's go."

Marsiglio has spent a lot more time in bars than studios over his 25 years with the Knobs. But the singer, songwriter and guitarist from Biddle, Westmoreland Co., recently bit the bullet and came out with the band's second record, "Lonely at the Bottom," a CD that captures a unit with multiple personalities. There are gritty Houserockers- and Jukes-style rave-ups, songs that verge on power pop and '60s psychedelia, a delicate acoustic ballad and a faithful cover of the Beatles' "Rain."

"I've been doing this a long time and have a lot of influences," he says. "I've been playing Chuck Berry in bars for like 40 years, so I have that and that Stones thing. The power-pop stuff, I like the Beatles and the Raspberries, ,and that influences me. If you listen to 'Everyday,' I was shooting for a Buffalo Springfield thing. I put on the songs I was feeling at the time. I liked that diversity. That's one of the things I liked about the Beatles. They were all over the place. I know, it's hard to categorize it. I just tried to write the best songs that I could."

Most of them deal with relationships, but Marsiglio ends with the record with a protest song called "My Boys Won't Be Soldiers" that declares "When Uncle Sam comes a-callin', we'll tell him we gave in the past."

"My grandfather was in World War I, that was based on our family," Marsiglio says. "The part about Vietnam, I had a lot of friends who went there, and that was a composite of what they told me. I'm a real anti-war guy. I'm not happy with the current administration. I watch this stuff and it just makes me insane."

The record was produced by Dave Hanner, of Corbin Hanner fame, who became like an extra band member during the recording.

"He got really involved," Marsiglio says. "Some of the stuff, I thought we were done with the songs. He'd play them back and I'd say, 'Dave, did you put piano on here?' I loved what he did. On 'My Boys Won't Be Soldiers' he added the organ part, and it gave the song another dimension."

The Knobs will celebrate the disc with a release party at the Manor American Legion in Westmoreland County and, as usual, will rev up the crowd with a healthy mix of originals and rock 'n' roll covers -- like any bar band would.

"Sometimes I see these bands playing these huge venues and I'm thinking, 'That can't be fun,' " Marsiglio says. "In a bar, the people are on top of you, you know immediately how they're feeling. When they start dancing, you can feed off the energy a lot. The intimacy of it as great."


The Knobs
With: The Screaming Vikings.
Where: Manor American Legion.
When: 8 p.m. Saturday.
Admission: $10; www.theknobsband.net.

John:
I’ve been meaning to tell you how much I enjoyed the new Knobs CD. It’s filled with great tunes and I think `Heart in My Hand’ will go down in history as one of the greatest rock songs of all time. I’m not joking – it’s up there with Lennon-McCartney. It’s never out of the CD player in my car.

Hey John,
 Have had your CD in the car the last few days. I love it.. Great rock and roll record.. I'm identifying with 'lonely at the bottom' and "beer money"....Never a big fan of American rock and rollers doing Beatle songs, but you are right on.. I see where the influence is.. See you on the road my friend.
 Bill

John, nice one. "Beer Money" and "Big Ass Chevy" are worth the price of admission. "Where Did You Sleep" is also very slippery. Good quality sound. Some other worthwhile pieces and very effective use of the Street Choir. I noticed some other familiar names from way back when, Gil Snyder, Phil Falcocchio - and I was looking for Bill Shoaf on sax! Nyuk, Nyuk. We're banging away on #2 and hope to have it done by the Spring. We can make our little corner of the world "Must Be CD". We (Bruce, George and I) were thinking of coming down on the 5th to do a couple Electracon tunes and help you celebrate. Let me know if that's swell with you. Let's keep them coming. Remember that great Findlism, "F==k ya' if ya' can't take a joke!"
Jeff

THE KNOBS! "Lonely at the Bottom" is a rockin' good time from the first notes of "Heart in My Hand" to the haunting and poigniant "My Boys Won't Be Soldiers." There's a little bit of everything in this compilation of 10 original tunes and one cover,; actually more of a dead-on tribute to a little English group named after some kind of bugs, The Beatles classic, "Rain". The title track, "Lonely at The Bottom" has a great "live" lead-in and, like all of these Johnny Marsiglio penned tracks, a great hook that snags you on the first cast. There must be something in the water down in Biddle. The Knobs deliver a sound that is true to the blue-collar roots of the miners and mill workers that once populated the area. These are hard livin', hard lovin' songs that knock the gloss of the mass produced and rubber-stamped C-R-A-P that passes for music today. And... These guys can actually PLAY their instruments! (What a concept) If you live for Rock n' Roll, then you'll love "Lonely at the Bottom". It's enough to make you want to jump in your "Big Ass Chevy" and check 'em out live. The Knobs are the real deal! Kevin (The Camera Guy) Indiana, PA