After making their mark on the city’s music scene in the late 1990s, drawing crowds and selling out vinyl singles here and in Japan, Honolulu’s the Knumbskulls have raised a ruckus again in recent years.
The band hosted a Super Show in 2012, has been writing new music and rerecording alternate versions of some earlier songs, and played high-profile opening gigs for Pennywise on Aug. 8, in addition to opening for Agent Orange, the Adolescents and Goldfinger.
On Friday they’ll host an EP-release party and have gathered up a bunch of musical friends to join them on stage, including punk, ska, metal and rebel-roots musicians.
Guitarist Clif Knumbskull and vocalist Aaron Knumbskull (not their real last names, obviously) started out as street punk teens. In the 20-odd years since they joined up as Knumbskulls, they’ve come a long way, but from the beginning the band attracted enthusiasm.
When the Knumbskulls released their first songs on vinyl via Japan’s Karma label, the 7-inch sold out its 1,000-print run in about a week. The guys figured they were onto something, and went on to record more music.
‘THE UNTOLD CLASSICS’ The Knumbskulls EP release party, with Above Reproach, Black Square, the Even Odders, Ignite the Red, Prevail and Rats
Where: Crossroads at Hawaiian Brian’s When: 6 p.m. Friday Aug. 21 Cost: $5; all ages Info: www.fb.com/TheKnumbskulls, 946-1343
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“We do it out of pure love for the music,” Clif said.
“Back when we were teenagers, we didn’t have cellphones or social media,” he said. But audiences still responded.
“It was the stories” in the songs that drew in listeners, he believes.
“It’s fun,” he said. “We’re an emotional band.”
The new EP, “The Untold Classics,” rerecords songs from this earlier Knumbskulls era as the band would like to hear them today, with Knumbskulls drummer Paul Van as sound engineer.
Female vocalist Sidney Branch, who will appear with the band Friday, is also on “Classics,” for a dual vocal lead on “Beautiful Ones.” Clif said the song always called out for two vocals.
Watch out, too, for Mickey Finn, former lead singer of 1980s San Francisco punk band Jetboy, who now lives on Oahu. Finn has been joining the Knumbskulls onstage, pumping up the energy levels that much further.