31Knots

31Knots blend intricate rhythmic patterns and sharp-edged guitar lines into precisely calculated compositions whose sudden shifts and tension-filled pauses evoke the exploratory edges of Sonic Youth, Modest Mouse, the Ex, and Fugazi’s more demanding recordings. Although their experimental approach places them alongside outfits such as Tortoise, the group distinguishes itself through an unmistakably rock & roll orientation that resists tidy placement within prog rock or math rock categories. Longtime collaborators guitarist Joe Haege and bassist Jay Winebrenner had already performed for several years under the 31Knots name when drummer Joe Kelly joined them in autumn 1998, finally solidifying the Portland, OR, lineup. Once Kelly arrived, the trio built visibility within indie circles through shared bills with Modest Mouse, Califone, and the Owls. Their debut full-length, Climaxanticlimax, was captured by Larry Crane at Jackpot Studios before appearing on Ranghok. The Rehearsal Dinner EP followed on 54°40' or Fight!, which next issued A Word Is Also a Picture of a Word in April 2002. The aptly titled It Was High Time to Escape arrived in 2003, closing the band’s association with 54°40' or Fight! while marking Kelly’s departure and the arrival of replacement drummer Jay Pellicci. Polyvinyl became the new home for the 2005 EP The Curse of the Longest Day, which was succeeded in short order by the album Talk Like Blood. Following an intense year of touring and promotion, the band returned with the modestly experimental EP Polemics on the same label in fall 2006. After issuing The Days and Nights of Everything Anywhere in 2007, they committed to tape their most refined effort to date, Worried Well, released in 2008. Three years afterward came Trump Harm, underscoring the group’s ongoing sonic investigations across a seven-album catalog.