CraveOnline is proud present an exclusive advance stream of Butcher Knives‘ debut album Misery, which drops Feb 18th.
The Brooklyn-based outfit is a multilingual whirlwind of international musical and cultural movements, anchored to a high-octane punk aesthetic. The band members’ roots in Morocco, Israel, Colombia, New York, and New Orleans inform a wildly diverse sound that embodies musical dexterity with zero compromise. Categorizing themselves as “Gyspybilly,” Butcher Knives span English, Spanish, French, Arabic and Hebrew in their vocals, a captivating celebration of their diversity which shines through every aspect of their music.
After ten years of touring and sharing the stage with the likes of Gogol Bordello, Green Day, Devotchka and Manu Chao to name a few, founding members Nacho Segura (vocals/percussion) and Nikko Matiz (vocals/guitar) masterminded Butcher Knives. Over the past few years, the band has evolved into the current lineup, featuring Melissa Elledge (accordion), Tal Galfsky (keyboards/sampler), Ethan Cohen (banjo/guitar/vocals), Yoni Benshlomo (bass/vocals) and Mohamed Amine Smires (drums/vocals).
Matiz explained the Butcher Knives’ motivation for their debut album: “On Misery we tried to embody diversity through the simplicity of punk rock. Lyrically, among other topics, we touch on immigration policies, American consumerism, love and betrayal, and suicide. My favorite song on the album is the title track, ‘Misery,’ because it feels so genuine when I think about what so many people have to live through both in our hometowns and around most of the world.”
Ethan followed with his own take: “This album and the project as a whole have been a very rewarding experience. I’m used to playing acoustic banjo in a bluegrass setting so playing electric banjo and adapting it to punk rock and various world music traditions has been interesting and challenging. I have a great respect for Nacho and Nikko’s ability to take such a broad vision and execute it in a way that’s cohesive.”
Keep up with the band on Facebook, Twitter and their official site, where you can pre-order your own copy of Misery today.
