"The Radio Knights kick it up a few notches. This piano-based rock band with killer hooks and a radio driven sound are destined to become famous alongside the likes of Snow Patrol, The Fray and Coldplay."
- Bodog Battle Review
The Radio Knights are happening! Featuring Brian Allison on bass, Nicholai Baxter on guitar/vocals, Matt Dahan on lead vocals/piano and Greg Settino on drums/percussion, TRK officially came to be in the fall of 2005. Residing in their home base of Boston, MA they have performed and entertained at venues throughout New England. Their foundation is built upon the songwriting contributions of Matt and Nicholai; however, the true character of The Radio Knights’ music comes through with each member’s interpretation of the songs. Whether it’s Greg laying down a deep pocket groove, Brian pushing with his solid pulse, Nicholai’s scintillating guitar sounds or Matt’s belt and ivory touch, there is always something more to be heard when these fine musicians come together. While paying tribute to popular music’s greatest heroes, The Knights have forged a distinct sound and personality. Live and in the studio, The Radio Knights push the envelope of pop music, fusing together their collective influences to create a rich, memorable sound.
Underneath The Radio Knights’ catchy hooks and head nodding rhythms is a message of hope and unity. The moody lyrics found within each driving track speak to the hearts and minds of everyone who is willing to listen. The songs are all about bringing people together from all walks of life around the lightening rod that is music. These ideas drive them to write and perform and make them a band that is surging forward in the Bay States' rock scene. They are The Radio Knights, and they are sending their signal out!
July 13
This past week has been nothing short of amazing for all of us in The Radio Knights camp.
First of all, it feels SO good to be home. This past Friday we kicked off our 'Happen' Tour in front of our hometown crowd to release our record and debut our newest material. Both Greg and I hail from Hingham, Massachusetts, a small town about 20 minutes south of Boston. When deciding where to tour this summer, Hingham was on both of our lists. From the 4th of July on, we spent a lot of time in our hometown, promoting the show in the parade, the fireworks and all of our old favorite stomping grounds. When July 11th finally came around, we were thrilled to be home in front of our families, friends and all kinds of familiar faces from our past. We hadn't played a rock concert in our hometown in seven years (when Greg and I were in a different band!) and let me tell you, I still feel a sense of comfort and belonging when I play piano on that stage. A big thanks to everyone who was involved and helped make "TRK_HHS" such a huge success, I really couldn't have asked for a better homecoming.
Today was an especially big day for us all in TRK, because two of our favorite web sites, Indie-Music.net and Under the Gun Review, both posted their reviews of 'Happen,' and we couldn't be happier with their response!
Indie-Music.com said that we "deliver a solid collection of piano-based rock tunes well deserving of nationwide attention," and that "Lead vocalist Matt Dahan's strong voice is a mix of Rob Thomas and Oasis' Liam Gallagher," which made me look into getting my smile surgically removed (Rob and Liam are two of my favorite vocalists). I think it's permanent. (You can check out the full Indie-Music.com review at indie-music.com)
Later that day, Under The Gun gave 'Happen' 8.5/10, stating that "if these six tracks are any indication of what [The Radio Knights] are capable of; you best strap in because it's going to be a wild and engaging journey" and "From the first notes of 'Happen,' you know you're listening to the next big band in pop rock. The Radio Knights have new sensation written all over them and if Happen is any sign, they will be favorites of many for years to come." Wow. (You can check out the full Under the Gun review at underthegunreview.net)
I have to take this time to thank Skott from Indie-Music and James from Under the Gun for taking the time and reviewing our records, and for the incredibly kind words. All of us in The Radio Knights worked incredibly hard for a year to record and produce 'Happen,' and to hear such amazing praise for our debut... there is no better feeling. Thank you.
We'll be hitting the road for the next six dates of our tour, but I'll stop back in for more updates before Boston on Wednesday, promise. Once again, special thanks to everyone who made this a week we'll never forget.
- - - Matt
(& the rest of the Knights!)
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May 14
The last time you heard from us, it was the eve of our record release. It's been a whirlwind two months since then, so let me fill you in on what's happened since.
First of all, our debut album 'Happen' has been very well received. It is available almost everywhere on the internet (iTunes, CD Baby, SNOCAP, Nimbit, Garageband, Reverbnation… you name it) and has been featured on a few major web sites. We're not content, of course, and are still doing everything we can to help Happen get out there to as many ears as possible. The next few months leading up to the summer will be a huge time to push our record to the next level. One thing that we're doing to support it is an east coast tour in the month of July!
Since the release of our EP, I've been working tirelessly to forge a path down the eastern seaboard for us to rock. It will hopefully lead us from Manchester, NH all the way down to Atlanta, GA from July 16th to 30th. We are releasing the tour dates as they are booked, and we currently have 5 dates already on the itinerary:
July 16 – Boston, MA - T.T. the Bears
July 17 – Manchester, NH – Milly's Tavern
July 18 – Worcester, MA – Tammany Hall
July 20 – New York City, NY – Arlene's Grocery
July 24 – Washington, DC – The Grog and Tankard
We will be adding another seven dates to this list, including Providence, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and a few dates in the Carolinas. It's a crazy process, booking dates, finding bands to play with and travel plans, but we're an ambitious bunch of power-poppin' piano-rockin' sons-of-guns and we know it will be worth every second of it as soon as the rubber hits the road.
Stay tuned in to future Transmissions, because this is going to be one hell of a summer! Until then, send your signal out…
- - - Dahan
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February 29
There's something you should know about our record.
Production for what would become 'Happen' started in September of 2006. The first tracks were recorded at a secluded home studio outside of Worcester, MA, overlooking an endless sea of trees in all their autumnal glory.
Over a year of broken strings, broken drum sticks and broken hearts followed. Days started to bleed together, we were up for so long recording. Sessions would last until the sun came up, and we started to be fueled by Lunchables and Red Bulls in our pursuit of our record that had no name and no tangible style. We started to not care about our sleep deprived existences: the piano track for 'Ghosts' was recorded at 4 AM one winter morning in complete darkness. The guitars for 'Push' were recorded two stories underground in our practice space when most of the city was asleep. Every track started to have stories, every note started to have meaning.
It's strange to say, looking back, but it's true: The Radio Knights found out who we are and what we are made of during the creation of 'Happen.' As the record came together, we came together, our families and friends came together. It has been an amazing ride, full of amazing moments and amazing feelings.
Well, here we are. At the stroke of midnight, when the leap-year day of February 29 turns to March 1, our debut EP, 'Happen,' will be officially released.
We hope you'll love it as much as we loved making it.
- - - Dahan
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February 13
Hello again! Welcome to the fifteenth edition of this little blog of ours. I am currently engulfed in a media overload: the Boston Bruins hockey game is on the tube (in between periods), Daft Punk is blasting in my room, and here I am, blogging with my computer on my lap. It's been that kind of month for us: lots of things are happening, but they're all welcome and awesome. My days have been packed with projects and happenings, and honestly I'm loving every minute of it. It's good to relax a bit and blog, though... the Bruins are winning, 2-0, so I'm in an excellent mood!
I thought that in this blog, I would write about something on our Myspace page here, at the bottom of our biography section. Yes, it's the LINKS section! The Radio Knights are committed to having a huge online presence. Some of the links are more traditional online venues, some of them are in their infancy. I'll go over each one for y'all, explaining what you can find on each page. Who knows, maybe we can introduce you to a new website to dive into.
1. YOUTUBE - What can we say about YouTube that hasn't already been said? Odds are you're familiar with the site. The Radio Knights YouTube page is where are vlogs go first, and where you can find music videos, live performances and interviews... basically anything that has to do with the Knights in moving pictures. Our page is pretty new, but check out the stuff we have on there so far, and if you dig what you see, subscribe to our channel!
2. BODOG BATTLE - If you've been reading our blog, you're probably savvy with our involvement with Bodog. We're currently in Round 4 of their battle of the bands, and preparing for a show at The Fillmore in Manhattan. The site has links to our history in the competition, as well as a lot of the great bands we've performed with.
3. PUREVOLUME - Purevolume is a more sophisticated Myspace for musicians. It's sleek, it's to the point and if you make it there, you're in good shape. It's a great place to check out up and coming artists as well as major label acts alike. It's also where you can find a BONUS TRACK off of our Mix CD: Volume 1 (Window Seat)!
4. FACEBOOK - It seems like the once exclusive club that was Facebook is now available to people of all ages, shapes and sizes. The Radio Knights have several pages and groups dedicated to our happenings on that venue, including a great looking page where you can click 'become a fan' and receive updates on the group to your Facebook homepage! A must see for the Facebook user.
5. MUSIC NATION - I think sites like Music Nation are the future of band promotion on the internet. Really the first band site to really put emphasis on the video, The Radio Knights have been with Music Nation since their beginning over a year ago. Our music video for "Ghosts" made it's first appearance on Music Nation, and the site is an awesome avenue to check out a different area of the music world.
6. LAST FM - I absolutely adore Last.fm. Not only is it one of the biggest free radio stations on the internet, it personalizes the station based on what you like... and it's FREE! Independent artists like The Radio Knights are able to get in on the fun, and since then it's always on on my computer. I've found some great artists that came on as suggestions to me while listening.
7. OURSTAGE - A new site where songs are placed on charts, and fans judge songs in a head to head style. Not only is it yet another way to find great new songs, it's actually a lot of fun to do. The Radio Knights are entered into a new category each month to keep things fresh.
8. REVERB NATION - Yet another 'nation' for musicians. This site is truly in it's infancy, just a few months old. It's a good tool for bands, as it has a few promotional and statistical things that help a group get themselves out there. I'm hoping that the site catches on, it's very easy to navigate.
9. GARAGEBAND - A great page where songs are rated on a five star system by fans reviewing songs randomly. More of a site for musicians by musicians, but it is always entertaining and fun. This is an AWESOME site.
Well, the game's back on... I'm watching the game too much to keep writing! There's more to say, and I'll blog it again before you know it. Take care of yourselves and each other, everyone. Keep sending that signal out.
- - - Dahan
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February 8
I left you guys hanging on the last blog, so I figured I'd make it snappy and tell you the rest of the news. I hate that, when someone tells you that they have something to tell you and then say "but I can't tell you now" and you are left saying "come ON! you can't DO THAT!" I hate that, and I didn't want to do that to you, but I did... even if it wasn't for very long. Like, 5 days? That's nothing compared to the last hiatus!
The news is that we are finally pressing our debut EP, 'Happen,' this week! It's an electric feeling going through The Radio Knight's camp lately, this signals the end of our first recording journey. It started what seemed like years ago, recording long days (and even longer nights) out in Worchester, our apartments and our underground practice space. The trips to Q Division studios in Somerville, M Works Mastering, the countless mixes that we turned down to get them absolutely perfect. There's a famous quote that says "Art is never finished, it just stops in interesting places," and we in The Radio Knights hope that 'Happen' is full of those interesting places that you can relate to and make your own.
The track listing is as follows:
1. Redemption
2. Joanne
3. Push
4. Running From The World Like Horses
5. The Key
6. Ghosts
As you can probably see, three of the songs are already posted on our page here, so if you dig them you should absolutely check out the rest of the record when it's released! We're working out the logistics and whatnot of a CD release show, probably sometime soon after our Fillmore gig. The show will be held in Boston, I can tell you that much, but we're hoping to play around a bit in order to spread 'Happen' as far as possible to as many ears as we can.
For more information on this and our Fillmore show, you should check out our first ever vlog! It's found on our page underneath our bio (or you can just click on 'videos' under our logo on our main page for our vlog history) starring Greg and I, talking mostly about Bodog and our new record. So far it's gotten a great response, and we're thinking about making it a weekly thing! The vlog will be posted on YouTube, Myspace and Facebook every time a new one comes out, and feel free do subscribe to our YouTube channel, or join our Facebook group for all the latest!
I promise that the next 40 days will be eventful, so stick around, don't change that dial! Send your signal out...
- - - Dahan
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