It would appear that change is the only consistent factor in life. This reality is cascading through the music industry, leaving confusion and dismay in its wake. If we can look past the drop in SoundScan figures, a few things seem to remain constant: that hard work and talent pay off and that music at its base level has the innate ability to evolve, molding itself to the current trends of the day.
No one understands this idea and the need for hard work and flexibility better than Nashville's eclectic band KNAPSACKHEROES!.
This call for diversity was heard by five talented men that would soon unite to become KNAPSACKHEROES! These brave soles are Vinyl Jones (lead vocals and production), Eric Coomer (lead vocals, guitar and keys), Nick Waugh (bass and bgvs), Kevin Tetuan (guitar, keys, bgvs) and Justin Mitchell (drums and percussion).
"I grew up in the 80's with an obsession for hip-hop, but at the same time it wouldn't be unusual to find me listening to the latest form Duran Duran or The Eurhythmics. This is a musical heritage that the band and I share," Jones says. "There is a whole generation of people who grew up with this same musical experience, and it's only now starting to manifest in the diversity we're seeing on the Billboard charts." Miethe adds, "These days, it seems like 70 percent of the college kids who are buying Franz Ferdinand & Relient K are also buying Kanye West or Common...good music is simply good music, no matter the style."
The group's current sound is a hybrid of Euro-pop, hip-hop, progressive rock and soul. With themes dealing with everything from the pain that love can bring to the pressure of fitting in with today's culture, the HEROES have stepped into a void needed to be filled - music that is both intelligent and inviting to all that would hear.
KNAPSACKHEROES! have been blessed to share the stage with such artists as John Reuben, Discover America, Jonezetta, Kevin Max of dcTalk, MC Chris, Rebecca St. James, Building 429, Seventh Day Slumber, The Glorious Unseen, and Solomon's Wish. And the future looks to carry much promise as well.
KNAPSACKHEROES! offer a uniqueness that may indeed prove to be what the industry needs to save them from the rut it is currently stumbling into.