JES:  Where are you guys from?

JEFF:  I’m from Chicago.

JES:  You guys play the northern suburbs a lot?

JEFF:  Yeah mostly.

JES:  You have any material out?

JEFF:  We have a CD.  Eight songs.

JES:  How long have you guys been around?

JEFF:  A couple of months.

JES:  So how did you guys end up in the battle of the bands here?

JEFF:  This weird lady asked us.  I think she was attracted to Eric… she saw his bulge.  (laughter)  I don’t think she could resist…  (laughter)

JES:  What are your lyrics about?

JEFF:  Girls.  Masturbating.  Sex. Sex with grandmas. (laughter)

JES:  What are some of your influences?

ERIC:  Shitty Beatles.  

JEFF:  NOFX…  my mind goes blank when I get questions like that.  (laughter)  I have Attention Deficit Disorder. 

JES:  You just wanted to make that clear…

JEFF:  Yeah, I’m not on pills anymore. (laughter)

(at this point the drummer walks up to join us-  Jes)

JEFF:  Oh, that’s Bonez and he just jumped in.  He’s our drummer.  He’s new and this is his first show kind of.

BONEZ:  I’m not on the CD.

JES:  So how long has the CD been out?

JEFF:  A couple of months.

JES:  Where did you guys record it?

JEFF:  At John Emerson’s in Elgin, IL.

JES:  Are you guys selling those anywhere?  Any shops?

JEFF:  Yeah, Raw Records on Dempster.

JES:  Thanks a lot guys. 

ok to start this interview thang off, could you please tell the viewers a little bit about knockout?
well knockout is a 4 piece pop punk band from the northwest suburbs of chicago. we recently signed with fearless records and plan to record a new LP soon and tour on it in the summer

are you excited to tour?
yes definately….we’ve done a little touring before and we loved it….we cant wait to do this thang fo real

how did you guys get the name knockout? any special meaning behind it?
haha….well the name knockout came along way before i was in the band…thier old old bassist thought of it and no it really doesn’t have any meaning, it’s just something that has stuck with us. we were thinking about changing it but now we don’t know we’ll see what happens

how did you come across mr. good records?
well we started sending out a bunch of samplers all over the country and someone told us that we should send it to this new label called mr good records..so we did and they loved us and wanted to do our record, definately some good ole muthafuggen times YEAH!

i have that album by the way and it kicks ass! is there a certain person who writes the lyrics, or do you all have your input?
well thanks alicia seriously, it is always nice to hear good things…but going on here, Jeff our singer and guitarist writes the lyrics for the songs he writes, now that we have TJ, TJ writes his own lyrics, so basically whoever wrote the song wrote the lyrics

are there any certain bands that have inspired you, yourself, or the band?
i think humble beginnings have played a major factor in us as far as starting the band, at first our style was alot like theirs but now things are changing, we are listening to alot more music and the influences from that have kinda shaped us into starting our own style, there are alot of things that have inspired us ya know? alot more than what i can remember

so you’re doing your next album with fearless records, correct? how did that come about?
we became pretty good friends with drive thru records, went to cali to showcase for them and they have been helping us out alot. drive thru told fearless about us and one day jeff got a call from them and they were really interested. as time went on they started talking about contracts and signing so they sent the contracts and it took us about a month to actually sign but as of last week we is be signed

thats awesome. back to the touring thing. if you could go on tour with any bands in the world, who would those bands be?
id have to say blink 182 because those guys have so much fun, they are totally living thier dream and doing what they want, id also say saves the day just because they rock, I’d fucking love to tour with 504 Plan, I’ve known those girls for soo long and they are my best friends so i know that would rock, actually we better tour with them or i’ll kill people!I’d also have to say Much the Same because those dudes just simply rock the rock and they are our boys….haha this is getting out of hand i should stop

haha.. that would be a kick-ass show! do you have a good fan following? any saweet fan stories you wanna share?
well our fanbase or whatever has grown alot its kinda cool

(this is made up haha)well once at this show TJ jumped out into the crowd and accidently knocked this girl renee over….she wound up in the hospital for like a month in a coma and know she’s retarded, rides the short yellow bus to school, and is in LD classes because she can’t even talk or read anymore it’s kinda sad…she should just probably kill herself who knows…i feel for her

how do you feel about supersonic mag?
i feel that supersonic mag should make some cool knockout shit kinda like the stuff that was mad for those lame ass august premier kids j/k…i love them…but honestly here i feel that supersonic mag is a cool e-zine that does some pretty happening interviews…the only thing they are missing is a 504 plan interview…HOOK IT UP!

and last, but definitely NOT least… i am on a quest to find the answer to this: whatever happened to the brown M&M’s?!?!?
fuck the brown M&M’s….i still see those thangs…it’s all about the blue.. what they need to get are some hot pink that would just simpy be badass

last thing… anything else you’d like to say to the viewers before this thing ends? this is gonna end? DAMNIT!!!! ok uhm yeah. to all the viewers knockout loves you and most importantly knockout loves all your mothers

great
WOOOOORRRD!

Visit Knockout online at www.knockoutrock.com

Thank you to Demar for the interview!

After an awesome show at the Fireside, Jeff and TJ sat down with us in their van to bring you this extremely long, but hilarious, interview!

MSZ:  What are all your names and ages?
Jeff:  My name is Jeff and I’m twenty. 
TJ:  My name is TJ and I’m twenty-two.
Jeff:  And her name (pointing to us, haha) is Steve and she’s 17.  And her name is Demar and she’s 17.
TJ:  And Jamaican.  
Jeff:  What age did I say Steve is?
TJ:  17.
Jeff: Uh, he’s 16.  Yeah, he just turned 16 in September.
TJ: Is he? Oh yeah, I knew that.
MSZ:  What school did you guys go to?
Jeff:  We all, except for Demar, went to Lake Forest High School.  And now Demar goes to somewhere out west.
TJ: Conant.
Jeff: Conant or something. Hold on, it’s like extremely hot in here.  [Jeff reaches over and adjusts the heat in the van.] Alright.
MSZ:  I know people that go to conant.
Jeff:  Really?  Are you dying of heat in here?
MSZ: No, we’re fine.
Jeff:  Will you flip that thingy down a little bit? [Jeff explains to Jen how to adjust the “thingy”.]
TJ:  Well, you’ve got your winter hat on!  Take off your winter hat inside.
Jeff:  You’re right.  You’re right.  Erase that.
MSZ:  How long have you guys been playing?
Jeff:  I have a question for you first.
MSZ:  Okay.
Jeff:  Did I have snot in my nose during our set?
MSZ:  I didn’t see any.  No.
TJ:  I told you I was kidding, dude.
Jeff:  I was just checking.
TJ:  How long have we been playing?
Jeff:  Oh.
MSZ:  How old were you when you started playing your instruments?
Jeff:  Well that’s all different.  Uh huh.  I was in fifth grade.  Steve was probably in utero. 
TJGF*:  TJ taught Steve how to play guitar.
TJ:  Yeah.
Jeff:  TJ taught Steve how to play guitar.  Yeah, and uh.  Demar has probably been doing it since he was in pampers.  He looks really good in pampers, by the way. 
MSZ:  So why do you think you started playing music?
Jeff:  I did because I went like, across the street… [To TJ]  You know Billy Cook?
TJ: Yeah! Billy Cook!
Jeff:  Alright, Bill Cook and this dude Matt Jenkins who’s like fucking amazing.  They’d go, and they’d be playing like Ozzy Ozborne like across the street from my house and I’d go over and I’d just watch them in my basement and I was like…[Jeff makes an amazed face.]  Holy shit.  So uh, that’s how I started.  I don’t know, TJ…
TJ:  I started, uh Sixth grade.  My dad got me a drum set for Christmas.  So, I started playing drums then I picked up guitar and bass…
Jeff:  Yeah, his younger brother taught him how to play guitar and everything.
TJ:  No he didn’t.
Jeff:  That’s what I heard.
TJ:  No, that one kid Chris taught me some chords and I pretty much taught myself from there.
Jeff:  Oh, really?  Is that the kid we saw in Best Buy the other day?
TJ:  No.
Jeff:  I’m still dying of heat.  Carry on.
MSZ:  So, TJ.  Did your dad have a musical background?
TJ:  Yeah, my dad played Jazz drums.  When he lived in Philadelphia and he kind of got me into the music. 
Jeff:  Who wants a cold one?
MSZ:  How long have you all been playing together as a band?
TJ:  I don’t drink beers.
MSZ:  Oh, TJ, is your tattoo a straightedge tattoo?
TJ:  Yeah!
MSZ:  Oh yeah, we thought so.
Jeff:  We’re all straightedge! [Jeff says holding up his beer can.]  What was the… did you just ask me something?
TJ:  Yeah, how long have you drank beer?
Jeff: Oh, how long have we been together as a band?  Two years.  We’ve had uh, I’m like the only original member. 
MSZ:  Where’d you come out with the name Knockout?
Jeff:  Um, I wish I had a really good story to tell, but our old bassist, our first bassist, not Eric that’s on the CD, but our very first bassist.
TJ:  Who’s the first bassist?
Jeff:  His name’s Mike.  Um.  And he just thought of it, I don’t know why and he’s like “How about Knockout?”  OH YEAH!  I used to do this thing; no we do have a good story.  Alright, check this out.  ‘Cause I used to do this thing where I’d get on the ground whenever we had a good song, and I’d be like…[kicks the air] and he’s like “KNOCKOUT!” and we’re like “Wooo! [some weird noise]”  And that’s what our first stickers, were like, a guy doing that.
MSZ:  Yeah, a guy we work with, he wanted to know if it came from the basketball game, knockout, and we’ve never heard of that before, so we didn’t know…
Jeff:  No, but when we played it in gym I was like “yea dude…” ‘cause ya know, that’s my band.
MSZ:  What are your biggest musical influences?
Jeff:  Mine is definitely the Descendents, um, I can go on and on and on.  I still listen to what I started listening…like I still listen to everything ever, like seriously, so I can go out and name all these bands of people that were probably guests, but like really, I just, at the time whatever I feel like playing, or writing, that’s what we do.
TJ:  I grew up listening to a lot of heavy metal actually, I used to be in a lot of metal bands when I like, I’m really into metal, and a lot of emo too.  Like Jeff said, I can name like a billion bands.
MSZ:  So what kind of music DON’T you like?
Jeff:  Um, I don’t, I hate… I don’t want to like, not like a kind, I mean you cant say you don’t like a certain kind of music, you know what I mean?  I don’t think so.  You can’t like, you can learn anything, like right now, I can get an idea from this. [talking about the Spanish dance music we were listening too] Seriously.
TJ:  Erase that.
Jeff:  Why do you keep saying ‘erase that’ you asshole?!  Here’s what I gotta live with.  And uh, alright.  I had this fucking awesome music teacher at Colombia, when I was at college, and he made us listen to something completely different everyday, and we’d have to like, and it was, whatever.  He really taught me to appreciate anything.
MSZ:  What’s your favorite song to play?
Jeff:  Ummmm…[burps]
TJ:  I don’t like that one, that one’s hard.
Jeff:  Right now, probably be Sequel.  That was the last one we did tonight.  It’s a new one.
TJ:  I like that one too. Hm… What else do we like?
Jeff:  I like playing TJ’s songs ‘cuz then I don’t have to sing.  I get to rest.
TJGF:  And he really likes them.
Jeff:  Nah, I didn’t say that.  No, I love them. I love them.
MSZ:  What different jobs have you had?
Jeff:  Subway; first day they accused me of stealing large amounts of money, and they found out it was a different dude who had been working there for over a year.  I still was fired.  I didn’t wanna work for them anyways.  I worked at Dairy Queen. It fucking blew.  I worked at a pet shop; my boss was a hilarious pervert.  He made me laugh my ass off.  That was the only reason I liked it.  Now I work at a skate shop and it’s the best.  I do whatever the fuck I want.  And just helping people talk about skateboards at our store.
TJ:  I worked at a grocery store, at a hardware store, and I worked at a camp.
Jeff:  His mom dropped him off at camp.  It was last summer.  I called him and I’m like “Is TJ there?” and she was like “I’m about to go pick him up!” [Jeff says in a funny mom voice].
TJ:  She picked me up in the mini-van. 
Jeff:  22 years old.
TJ:  No, I was 21 at the time.
Jeff:  21 years old, being picked up by his mom in a mini-van.TJ:  Probably the best job I have ever had was at the Gap.
MSZ:  Do you have to work to finance the band?  Or is the band full time?
Jeff:  Yeah, this is all I do.  I wanted to not go to school.  He dropped out. [Pointing to TJ]
TJ:  I didn’t drop out, I was just taking a little break… forever.
Jeff:  Yeah, I’m taking a little break too.  I’m going [to school] part time.  I’m taking Sociology because this teacher I like.  And I’m taking Computer Art because I want to stuff for the band.  Like all I do is Computer Art, stuff like that.  And all I’m doing when I’m at home sitting around, ‘cause all I have is two classes, is make samplers.  Did you guys get those samplers ever?
MSZ: Yea.
Jeff:  Yeah, that was just me sitting around on my ass during the day doing nothing but copying them.  [Jeff’s phone rings and he talks for a minute] 
TJ:  Who was that?
Jeff:  Raul.  Raul’s our “merch dude”.  One time we filmed him naked in the shower in Southern Illinois.  And he looked like… have you ever seen a possum?  In the daytime?  And it’s shivering and it doesn’t know where to go ‘cause it’s cornered?  That’s what he looked like.  Seriously, he was going like this [Jeff imitates Raul clawing at the faucet handles]  And he was accidentally turning it, making it really hot.  And like, the thing fell down… the curtain or whatever.  Yeah, and at the show we played that night, we showed it to some people and he liked flipped out.  He grabbed the tape and he was running around outside… and his pants were falling down.  And he’s Hispanic, obviously.  We’re out in the middle of the street and there are cars going by and his pants are falling down and he’s holding onto this tape and he’s going, “Don’t beat up the Mexican!  Don’t beat up the Mexican!”  and I’m like “Shut up!” because he looks so bad.  His pants were falling down, too.  It looked horrible.  Okay… but some people go to great lengths to not be seen naked.MSZ:  MSZ:  Are you guys signed to a record label?
Jeff:  Yeah, we’re signed to Fearless records.  It’s fucking awesome.  Really fucking…
TJ:  It’s like a dream come true.
Jeff:  It’s like a dream come true. 
MSZ:  How did it happen?  Did they just ask you?
Jeff:  I’ve been sending them stuff from bands I’ve been in since back in high school.  And, uh, we went out West this summer and we met up with Drive-Thru, and we met up with Richard and Stephanie from Drive-Thru.  Just like, made friends with them and stay at their house.  And they’ve been helping us out with like a shitload.  It’s really fucking cool.  And, uh, they just pass the word on.  Like whenever labels were like “We need bands to sign,” they were like “Dude, sign Knockout.”  Yeah, so I’ve been getting calls from labels just from meeting Drive-Thru.  So then Bob called and I almost pissed my pants.  Bob Becker from Fearless.  And almost right away we started talking about what would happen if we got signed.  I didn’t know what to do.  It was too much for me to handle.  It was crazy. 
MSZ:  So where did you record your album?
Jeff:  Those two songs, Aftermath and Hideout, those were recorded at Gravity.  This kid Shawn paid for it, he fucking rules.  He paid for all of it.  He spent like a million hours on it.  He did it as a favor for us and we’re still paying him back for it.  We’re in like, crazy debt for it.  And he also recorded our CD Driven to Distraction at his studio in Rosemont and then we mastered it at Gravity in Chicago. 
MSZ:  So are you planning on recording soon?
Jeff:  I think we are going to try and get a full length for Fearless by April.  We just recorded that Destiny’s Child cover, Survivor.  And I think we are doing our full length now.
MSZ:  How long do you plan on playing music?
Jeff:  I don’t know, I’ve never really thought about that.
TJ:  Forever.
Jeff:  I can’t imagine not playing music.
TJ:  Forever and ever and ever!
Jeff:  Oh, yes.  How good is this song?  [Jeff says, acknowledging yet another dance beat in the background]
MSZ:  Okay.  What genre would you define your music as? Or would you describe your music as a genre at all?
Jeff:  No, but people put us in a genre right now.  We’re like really good a friend, that’s why we are in a band right now.  If we ever change what we want to play it’s not because we’re like, “Hey, let’s change the genre.”  It’s like we’re just doing what we wanna play.  And like… Where was I going with this? [To TJ] 
TJGF:  Genre.
Jeff:  Genre, I know.
TJ:  That’s a funny word.  Say it like 5 times. 
Jeff:  Is that French?  [Jeff puts the beer can in his mouth]  Can I get a copy of this?  I wanna show my mom.
TJ:  She’d love it.
Jeff:  I have to pee.
TJ:  Just put it back in the can.  Recycle.
MSZ:  How do you feel about the sectioning of music into certain categories?  Like pop, pop-punk…
Jeff:  I love pop-punk.  One of my favorite bands, called Humble Beginnings from New Jersey.  I though it was so cool, like a while ago, ‘cause like, most of my friends and most of the people I knew were like, “I like punk, but not the poppy shit,” and I saw them at the Fireside with Oblivion and they had stickers that said with pride, “New Jersey pop-punk”.  And I thought they were so good, and I thought those were so cool, and I was just like, “Fuck yeah, awesome.”
TJ:  F-yeah.
Jeff:  F-yeah, excuse me.
TJ:  Fudge yeah would even work.
Jeff:  Yeah, it really would.
TJ:  I have to use that one.
Jeff:  Fudge.  Yeah.  It’s not about the genre.
TJ:  I love this song!  [More Mexican pop-techno on the radio]
Jeff:  ‘Cause then it’s like a clique.  Ya know what I’m saying?
MSZ:  TJ?
TJ:  What?
Jeff:  I’m definitely putting this channel on my stereo, if I ever figure out how to do that.
TJ:  I think…
TJGF:  This might be the radio station you’re played on.
Jeff:  What if all of a sudden it was like…
TJ: wawawblah… Knockout!
Jeff:  It was like… “You’re everything… I wanted… And now that I’ve got it… ” [Sings in a funny techno style to the beat of the song]
TJ: Got it… got it… got it… [Echoes Jeff’s singing]
Jeff:  What now? Sorry.
TJ:  About the genre thing?  Or the classifying? 
MSZ:  Yeah.
TJ:  I think it’s okay.  Every band has got to fit in somewhere…You gotta…
Jeff:  You either place yourself in the genre, or you get placed in the genre…
TJ:  I’m just gunna stop.  [TJ puts up his arms in exasperation and sits back]
Jeff:  I think we got placed in the genre because like… It was total coincidence that this whole pop-punk  thing blew up, because when we first started playing, me and Chris in the basement, it was just like, I wanted to sound like the Fair Lanes and this band the Nincompoops which no one has ever heard of.  It’s just my friend’s band, ‘cause we wanted him to be the singer because he has a real high voice, and I had to learn how to sing.  And all of the sudden, this was cool.  And we just formed our own thing, and it was like, I don’t know, whatever…  Am I making sense?
TJ and MSZ:  Yeah.
Jeff:  Am I?
TJ:  I think so. 
Jeff:  Thank you.
TJ:  We’re definitely a pop-punk band.  If that’s what the question was.
MSZ:  Would you use that word?
Jeff:  Yeah, I’ll say that if I have to but I really hate it when people are like, “What do you sound like?”  I want to be like, “Why don’t you check it out?”  Ya know?  Like when I give them a CD, I’d rather they just be like, “Thanks.” And take it, put it in and… [Jeff does a little head bobbing and air mixing]  Ya know.  
MSZ:  As your fan base grows, have you noticed any differences at your shows?
Jeff:  Yeah, a lot more fun.  We used to play at this place called the BTO for like, our girlfriends sitting in chairs watching us and the other bands at the back of the place… Oh gosh, it was just depressing.  Now when we play, the place is like packed and stuff.  It’s so fucking cool.  And you meet so many new people.  It’s awesome.  And that’s how we made this all happen.  Went out and met people and they come to our shows and tell their friends about it and whatever.TJ:  I noticed for the first time tonight, more than any of the other shows we’ve played, people were singing along.  Like people I didn’t recognize.  It was cool.
Jeff:  Yeah, you just write something and you work hard on it and then all of a sudden someone you don’t know knows the words… It’s good shit.  Great stuff.
MSZ:  So how does it feel when people recognize you?
Jeff:  Oh, it’s cool.  Sometimes I feel like a total ass because I won’t like know their name or like, I wish I could be like, “Bobby! Michelle! Peter! Mary!”  Like, it’s really cool though.  Sometimes you get some cocky dude like someone saying, “Oh, hey! Think you’re cool…”  and I’m just like, “Hey, someone’s just saying hi to me…”  Ya know.  Eat my… shorts.
TJ:  I like when people say hi, it’s cool.  I like meeting as many people as I can.
Jeff:  It’s all about making friends.  That’s what being in a band is about.
TJ:  Exactly, yeah.
Jeff:  Like when I was asking TJ the other day.  Like there were bassists that we kinda know that were really good where we could have easily been like, “Hey, wanna be our bassist?” just because we know that they would wanna do it.  But TJ’s like, my best friend and he’s not like your typical… ya know whatever.  [TJ wipes away a “tear”]  And I just asked him, “You’re sure you wanna do this?” and he was like, “Fuck yeah.”  And he didn’t even play bass before; he was a guitarist.  And like, we just did because it we’re all friends, and that’s why we do the whole thing.  It’s all about… friendship.
TJ:  I quit school for this band!
MSZ:  Thought you were just taking a break?
TJ:  Yeah, I guess I probably won’t be going back.  I moved home from Milwaukee pretty much to be in Knockout.  I don’t know if they realize that though. 
Jeff:  Oh, I totally realize that.  I tell people that.
MSZ:  Do you have any crazy fan stories yet?
TJGF:  You just told one today. [To Jeff]
Jeff:  What?
TJGF:  That girl that flashed you.
TJ:  Oh yeah.
MSZ:  Oh, at the Knights of Columbus?
Jeff:  Yeah!  We had our first girl flashing her boobies experience.  It’s fine.  Whatever, if you wanna do it.  Whatever, it’s just boobs.  And then I tried to talk to her after, because I made fun of her on stage, because I was just like, “What do I look like, Limp Bizkit?”  And I felt bad for it afterwards.  So I talked to her and she didn’t talk back! And I was just like, “You show me your boobs but you won’t talk to me?” That was just weird, ya know.  If she was like, “Oh yeah! You like them?”  At least something like that, ya know?  But like, there was no other connection besides that.  Is there a bottle up there, I really gotta urinate.  [Jeff takes a “bathroom break”]
MSZ:  So what do you hope people get from your music?
TJ:  Fun.
Jeff:  Get?  Yeah.  Fun, good times.
TJ:  That’s the main point.
Jeff:  Things to laugh about.  That’s what it’s all about.  I watched this video of my old band, and it was just laughs.  I was just laughing to myself at four in the morning.
MSZ:  Do you ever find yourself listening to your own CD?
Jeff:  Yeah.  I wouldn’t write it if I didn’t want to listen to it.  I write what I want to listen to.
TJ:  What an arrogant bastard
MSZ: Do you?  [to TJ]
TJ:  Yeah… [Everyone laughs]  Well, at first I was listening to it to like, learn the songs, but I like, listen to it a lot now.
MSZ:  Do you have and bizarre talents?
Jeff:  Yeah.  [Jeff blows bubbles off his tongue]  Anybody got a lighter?
TJ:  We’re straightedge.  [Jeff looks around for a lighter]  I got your lighter right here, buddy.  [TJ flicks him off behind his back]
Jeff:  Shoot.
MSZ:  What’s your favorite place to play?
TJ:  That’s a good question.
Jeff:  This is the thing…
TJ:  I like cigarettes. [Imitates Jeff]
Jeff:  I like playing Metro and shit like that, because everyone knows about it and everyone goes because everyone knows where it is.  But I would love it… love it, if as many people that came to see us at Metro and House of Blues, came to see us at smaller venues.  That would be fucking awesome.  Like right in your face.
TJ:  I think there were a lot of kids there tonight, though.
Jeff:  Yeah, there were, there were.  It was awesome.  This is one of those places where everyone knows where the Fireside is.  If we could tour and go to all those small places like Knights of Columbus and BTO, places like that, and just tour, and just fucking pack them, freaking pack them, buddy.  That is a dream come true.  That is what I want to do, mainly.
TJ:  Yeah.  I just like playing shows where kids could just show up and have a good time. 
Jeff:  We have a bubble machine.
TJ:  Yeah, we forgot to bring that tonight.
MSZ:  Do you have a favorite venue to play at?
Jeff:  Um, tonight was really good.  I had a lot of fun.  The first time we played House of Blues, it was just like, “Whoa.”  Because like, we were like behind curtains and they were like, “Alright your on.”  And these curtains open and there was just like a shitload of people just screaming…
TJ:  Buttload.
Jeff:  Uh, buttload of people.  I didn’t even know if they knew who we were, and they were like screaming and freaking out on us.  And that was the first time that many people had gone crazy for us.  That was awesome, ya know.
MSZ:  Do you have any favorite bands to play with?
Jeff:  Any of our friends’ bands.  No matter what they sound like.  It’s just cooler that way.
MSZ:  Where are your favorite places to go to shows to see other bands?
Jeff:  Anywhere.  The Rave.
TJ:  The Rave in Milwaukee.
Jeff:  I saw Face2Face there.
TJ:  I’ve seen so many shows at the Fireside.  I’m used to it.  It feels like a second home.  I like going there a lot, and the Metro.
Jeff:  Any time I’m at a place for the first time and it really rocks… Like the first time I was at the Fireside it was packed and I was like, in eighth grade, and I was just like, “Whoa…” I couldn’t believe there was like a sub… society?
TJ: No!
Jeff:  Subculture? Yeah! Subculture.
TJ:  Underground music scene.
Jeff:  I couldn’t believe it.  I was blown away.  I totally wanted to be a part of it.
TJ:  What was that secret society of the Flintstones? Moose head, or whatever?
Jeff:  Oh yeah!  With the horns.
TJ:  Homer’s in one, too.
Jeff:  Yeah, he was.  For that one with the rock?
MSZ:  The Stonecutters!
TJ and Jeff:  Yeah!
Jeff:  Yeah, he had that birthmark.
MSZ: Yeah, I guess this is our last question.  If you were stranded on a desert island, which band member would you eat first?
TJ:  Demar.  He would probably taste the best.
Jeff:  Demar.  See, Demar has like… no, wait.  I’d probably eat Demar because he would last the longest…
TJ:  And he bitches the most.  
Jeff:  Yeah! Yeah.
TJ:  And he’d be like, “Man, why we on some desert island? I need some Wendy’s.”
Jeff:  And we’d know he’d have Wendy’s in his stomach from the day before.
TJ:  Erase all of that.
Jeff:  Hold on.  Nutritious wise, it’d probably be Steve, because he’s lean, mean…  He’s very, uh, he has a chiseled upper body.  He eats all his vegetables.  His dad, his dad is like the… he has a chef’s hat alright.  And ya know he feeds his kids right.  Every time I come in he’s like, “Jeff! Jeff! Come in, sit down.”  And he’ll like, cook me a whole meal and I’m like, “Oh yeah.”  Very humble.  Very humble.

* Thanks so much to Jeff and TJ for taking a couple hours out of their schedules to let us get this interview!

Where did your name originate?

De’mar (our drummer) is a black belt and one time i made im upset by saying something about his mom and he knocked me out. I was in the hospital for three weeks, but I forgave him.

How did you guys meet and get together?
We were all coincidentally arrested for indecent exposure at a carnival in a southern suburb, that’s all I can tell you.

Who are your biggest influences?
George Clinton, James Brown, Barry White, and Al Green

How do you think MTV has influenced/exploited music today?
What does MTV stand for?

Why is the “punk” aspect important to mainstream music?
There are many definitions for “punk” i think mainstream anything nowadays has more to do with music, plus it’s not something i can answer.

What do you think about a band being considered a “sellout”? What elements do you think a band needs to have in order to be considered a sellout?
When you start doing what you’ve been doing for sale, not for fun

Do you guys play pranks on each other? What’s the worst prank?

All the time, I used to always pour my drinks over De’mars head. I knew a kid who tied a knot around his twin brother’s erection and the other end was tied to his bed so when he got up and tried to move he was injured badly.

What is the funniest/craziest thing to happen to you at a show/on tour?
We got in an accident in Iowa and almost died together, that was definitely the craziest. The funniest might have been playing for 200 girls dancing in cages all around 13 years old in Arizona.

What is the worst fight you have gotten into? Why did it start?
Same story as how we got our name.

If you were all stranded on a desert island, who would be eaten first?
Steve, he’s raw and tasty.

What was your first show like?
Terrible. It was a battle of the bands at our high school and our bassist at the time was brand new and he read the parts off a notebook on the floor the whole time and I couldn’t sing for my life.

Would you ever consider turning in your instruments to learn choreography and become a boy band?

Too much work. I’d rather be more of a barbershop quartet and go on street corners in random parts of the city for change and condoms.

If you could sum up life in a bumper sticker, what would it say?
Sometimes I feel like a nut and sometimes I feel like busting one.

Do you cover any songs for your performance? Which ones?
Destiny’s Child, Survivor

If you could go on tour with any other band, who would it be?
That’s a tough one, I would love to tour the world playing small places, but packed, liked lines out the door, that’s what I want right now, so anyone that could pack small venues with cool kids I guess.

Do you have any hidden talents?
I can blow bubbles off my tongue.

ALL AGES met up with lead singer/guitarist Jeff Warren after an amazing performance @ the Metro in Chicago. Knockout was one of three opening acts for headliners Lucky Boys Confusion at the sold out show. They played a half hour set that featured songs from their Fearless Records debut “Searching For Solid Ground” (see review in review section) and a cover of Destiny’s Child’s “Survivor.” Knockout has made a few lineup changes since this show, but I have yet to hear the new lineup.

1.Who are your influences?

Descendents, Humble Beginnings, NOFX, Rancid

2.Describe your music for someone who hasn’t heard you?

It’s fast and melodic with a lot of vocal harmonies

3.What is your favorite cover song to play live?

Destiny’s Child’s “Survivor”

4.Do you like being compared to bands like New Found Glory and Starting Line?

They are what people are into now. Who we get compared to we really don’t give a shit.

5.What made your band decide to make a home with Fearless Records?

We were talking with a bunch of different record labels and Fearless was one of them that liked us. We connected with them as people the best.

Laura – Did you get a steak dinner from them?

No steak dinner. I think they ordered pizza

6. How did you make Fearless Records notice you guys?

Drive Thru liked us and handed our stuff onto Fearless

7. Which band past or present would you love to play a show with?

Descendents or Green Day

8. What is your definition of selling out?

Being a bitch

9. Is a live album or a show more important to advancing your careers?

Realistically an album. The live show challenges you as an artist to see how close to the album you can sound.

10. What do you miss the most when you are out on the road about home?

Bitches, Beer, and Bills

11. What was the best part of being in the local Chicago scene before getting signed?

Apocalypse Hoboken, Oblivion, Slapstick, and the Bollweevils

12. What is your favorite activity to do in the van between gigs?

Jerk Off

13. Do you prefer a festival or club type atmosphere?

On stage a club is much more intimate but at festivals you get to play then hang out. We played warped tour in Chicago.

14. What current Chicago based band do you see breaking out next?

Fallout Boy

15. What was the first punk song you ever heard?

Infected by Bad Religion

16. Which of your songs has the most meaning to you?

Far More. It happened before we wrote it

17. What CD is currently spinning in your CD player?

Suicide Machines – Destruction By Definition

18. What about the punk rock scene attracted you to it?

The Dirtiness

19. What would you be doing if Knockout were no more?

I would probably be homeless.

Knockout recently went on tour and played a show out here at The Chain Reaction. Based out of Chicago, the guys have really know how to put on a fun show. Terrific pop/punk songs together with a good amount of touring will help them find a solid ground amongst fans. Here is an email interview I recently did with one of the knockouts.

Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in Knockout and how long the band has been together.

My name is Jeff, I sing and play guitar in Knockout. We’ve been together for 3 years.

Where is the band from and what is the music scene like there?

We’re from Chicago, the music scene kicks a camel’s ass.

What made you decide to call the album Searching For Solid Ground?

At the time we weren’t satisfied with how things were, so I guess it’s like we were just trying to make things better. That doesn’t really make sense unless you were with us in the studio when we came up with it.

Why did you put just one band member’s face on the cover — what about the other three guys?

What’s funny is that dude isn’t in the band anymore. Camm (the CD art dude) just sent us that as an idea and we liked it. The pictures of us wouldn’t have worked because none of us took the picture seriously and I guess they didn’t come out right.

How did you wind up being signed by Fearless Records?

They called me up one day and we started talking about the band and our plans and all that. We’ve been sending them demos from the beginning. I’ve been sending them recordings from bands since I was a sophomore in high school.

Where did you get your ideas for some of the lyrics on the album?

Whatever was on my mind each time I sat down to write a song. There’s lyrics about girls, friends, and other stuff that went on in my life (or TJ’s).

Tell me about the song Leaving Chicago — you are obviously still there — what happened?

That song isn’t necessarily about wanting to leave Chicago, just wanting to leave, anywhere. I love Chicago. The lyrics are more about circumstance than location.

If Fearless was doing a punk rock tribute to Britney Spears and you were forced to appear on it, what song would you do by Britney and why?

Hmmm. This is a tough one. I’m gonna say Crazy. I don’t have a reason.

Which member of Knockout is most likely to quit your group to join a boy band?

De’mar, he sings like he’s in a boy band.

So far, what has been the best and worst part about touring?

Playing shows all the time and waking up in a different place everyday.

How do you feel your show at The Chain Reaction went? Was this your first time in Southern California and are there any plans to come back?

I was pretty sick so it could have been better. We saw Rufio at that place a couple years ago and were really looking forward to playing that place, then I got sick. Still had fun though and the people there are always really cool. You bet your sweet ass we’ll be back!!!

Are there any Knockout groupies wandering about at the live shows?

Too many baby, too many. Actually I don’t know what qualifies someone as a groupie, I’m happy people come to our shows.

Describe a live Knockout show to those who have yet to see you play.

We sing, we dance, we play. Sometimes we have a bubble machine and balloons and stuff, it depends.

If there was one thing you’d like someone to remember after hearing your music, what would it be?

How hard we shred.

Any messages for those who might be interested in checking out Knockout?

Check it before you wreck it.