Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Band Knocks at the Door of Success

The beginning of school is a hectic time for us all. Classes are starting up again, the bookstore suddenly turns into a war zone and moving in to our respective housing sucks. However, this year we students had a chance decompress over the Labor Day weekend because The Knocks were coming to town.

Courtesy Students of Georgetown, Inc., the student body this year was able to enjoy Kickback, Georgetown’s inaugural music and arts festival over Labor Day weekend. Both professional and student acts were scattered throughout the day with the event culminating in a performance by the nu-disco duo, The Knocks.

The band is an emerging group that is comprised of James Patterson and Ben Ruttner, who also go by “JPatt” and “B-Roc,” respectively. I had heard the group a few years back when they released “Dancing with the DJ” and “Make It Better,”,two songs that have been on my iPod for years now.

The band has become part of the nu-disco scene that is sweeping the nation — especially large cities. They started in New York City producing remixes of songs by already extremely famous artists such as Rihanna, Ellie Goulding and Theophilus London. As their career progressed, they turned to their own style of music and left remixes in the past.

Their music has been influenced by all types of genres from funk music to hip-hop to indie rock. In a 2012 interview with Music Feeds, James Patterson stated, “As a production team, we were exploring other options besides hip-hop, we started doing more indie stuff.”

This statement certainly rings true today — the duo’s newest release, a song called “Classic” (an RAC remix), has a strong indie-rock sound with its up-tempo sounds and summertime vibe. The Knocks’ music is contagious throughout the club or venue and that was definitely the case on Sunday, Aug. 31, when the group played somewhat of a pop-up show at Rhino Bar and Pumphouse.

Rhino is a local favorite among Georgetown students and I’m sure many Hoyas have their own Rhino stories with overlapping themes. However, the bar rarely hosts live music and performers, something I think almost all of us would welcome in the future.

On the night of the 31st, Rhino allowed The Knocks to take over the first floor and they really made it their own. Since I was not able to make it to the festival The Corp had set up for the following day, it was imperative that I make it to Rhino that Sunday night.

I could hear the music as I turned onto M Street a block away, which was a sign of good things to come. As I walked in, the duo had the whole first floor packed and dancing as if the bar was a nightclub. They had set up in the back left corner and from there to the front door people were dancing to the sound of The Knocks. They rattled off the songs, “Modern Hearts” and “Comfortable” and from there moved on to “Dancing with the DJ” and “Make It Better” (I’m going to keep repeating these so you go home and download them).

The Knocks made a huge impression on Georgetown that weekend, not only because it was the kickoff to the school year but because it is not often the school brings in an up-and-coming band to play strictly to the student body catering to our taste in music.

The Knocks will be back at it here in D.C. on Nov. 25 and 26 with the band St. Lucia at the 9:30 Club, and I highly recommend this concert to anyone who will be around the area over Thanksgiving break.

Event Rating: A

Songs to listen to: “Dancing with the DJ,” “Make It Better,” “Modern Hearts

Bryson Greene is a senior in the College. The Beat appears every other Friday.

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