There are plenty of things I love in this world but towards the top of that list are St. Louis, Mo., harmonicas and banjos. Kentucky Knife Fight gave me a glimpse of all these at their show last month at Subterranean in Chicago. The quintet of musicians based out of St. Louis bring more than just these three things together when they do a show. They bring a hell of a lot of power and about 15 different styles of music into one sweat-filled and energetic show thats best enjoyed in a dark and crowded venue that forces you to meet your neighbor since you’re all sharing the same dance floor. Lead singer Jason Holler uses his raspy voice and harmonica to easily move songs from their bluesy origins into bass-driven rock anthems with his style moving from more subtle to an all t0o fitting holler. As bassist Jason Koenig let loose the fans at Subterranean began to let their feet loose from the floor. The crowd continued to get down as the band cranked their way through the set and guitarist Curt Brewer switched back and forth between his banjo and guitar. The crowd’s reaction became more receptive when the band turned the rock up and bordered on some blues, punk rock, honky tonk hybrid that I’m sure has some ridiculous sub-genre name that I am unaware of. However, it’s probably better not knowing since one short description of the bands style could never give them proper credit for the type of music they are making and needs be experienced live to fully enjoy.
