Culture
Bryan Garris of Knocked Loose talks about the changing hardcore audience and coming home for Louder Than Life
By: Nicholas Kobe
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LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (WOUB) – From Kentucky locals to the face of hardcore, Knocked Loose has had an incredible journey since forming in 2013. They built themselves up through constant touring with Gojira, Counterparts, and Parkway Drive. Even with their growing popularity, few could have foreseen their meteoric rise after the release of You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To.
One of the most successful metal/hardcore records of the year, the album earned a GRAMMY nomination, a number one debut on the hard rock charts, and a performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live (complete with a mosh pit). Now, Knocked Loose returns home to Louisville for Louder Than Life’s main stage—something they’ve worked toward for years.
WOUB’s Nicholas Kobe talked with vocalist Bryan Garris ahead of this landmark performance. Find a transcript of their conversation, edited for length and clarity, below.
Nicholas Kobe: Describe Knocked Loose in as few words as possible.
Bryan Garris: That changes a lot. Where we are right now? “Intense.”
I’m talking to you ahead of Louder Than Life. What’s it like to play progressively bigger stages at a festival that’s so close to home?
Garris: It’s exciting. This is one that I’ve been looking forward to all year. We’ve gotten to open up the side stage, then we headlined the side stage, now we’re finally getting to play the main stage. It feels like the city and our local scene are really behind us, like they lifted us up to be ready for this moment.
What about the band’s history in Kentucky informs its sound?
Garris: I would just say that being from a place like Kentucky, that’s kind of considered “in the middle of nowhere.” There was always that drive in us to get out. So we just got on the road and stayed on the road as much as we could. So I think the way that Kentucky has influenced our sound is by pushing us out.
It’s been about a year since the release of the last album. How are you feeling looking back on it?
Garris: I’m feeling good. It’s interesting because I think for the first time since being a band, I can say that the process was the most challenging. I thought that maybe after some time, the smoke would clear and I’d be like, “Oh, it’s fine. As long as we got a good record out of it,” but though I do believe that the record is good still, I have not yet come to terms with how the process was as challenging as it was. So it’s like a double-edged sword.
Is there anything in particular that made it challenging?
Garris: I get nervous a lot about the process in general. I second-guess myself a lot when it comes to lyrics, my voice, and the music in general. There was a lot of pressure about it being our third LP, where we were going to be as a band, and how long it had been since we had released music. I think I let that get to me.
It was our first time making a record in Los Angeles, which is just like the most distracting place of all time. It was hard for me to lock in. I definitely got there, but it took longer than it normally does. We’ve had a lot of conversations about what we would do differently next time. In my mind, the process was so challenging, but we were still so proud of the result, so what if we went back and looked at the things that we disliked about the process and fixed them? How much more proud of the result would we be if we enjoyed the process?
Cool, and with the explosion that kind of came with this record, what was the biggest standout moment from just like, Knocked Loose really taking off?
Garris: I would say that being able to perform on Jimmy Kimmel’s television show was something that you never even really expect to be in the realm of possibility. I didn’t know that it was being worked on. I just got a call on Thursday saying that I had to be in LA on Monday because on Tuesday, we were doing Jimmy Kimmel.
I can’t remember the last time I got news and had to just call everyone that I knew. I got off the phone with our manager and called my parents and my brothers. I couldn’t have asked for a better moment. The rain, the fire, and getting to meet Jimmy. That was definitely one that I’ll never forget.
As Knocked Loose and hardcore have exploded in popularity, what do you think it is about the genre that speaks to this moment?
Garris: I just think the extreme aspect of it is something that an outsider can enjoy, whether they want to be in the mix or not. You have all these videos going viral on the internet of crazy crowd
reactions at smaller-scale hardcore shows. I think that’s something that a normal person can see and find exciting. It’s an interesting time to watch everybody rise together, have room to have their own moments, and create new lanes for themselves in a genre that used to have a pretty low ceiling in the grand scheme of things.
As those crowds have gotten bigger, have you noticed any other distinct changes in the audience besides their size?
Garris: You’ve got a lot more TikTok at shows and more “normal” people who don’t understand the etiquette. There’s this constant, annoying discourse about following the “rules” of going to a show. There are a lot more adults getting into hardcore, when it used to be you got in as a kid, and you grew up through it, learning those ethics and invisible guidelines. Now you have people who are seeing it on the internet and coming into it strictly as a visitor, not a lifer, so lines are blurred on what a show is and isn’t supposed to look like.
I think that’s something that is talked about too much. Having a show with a mix of different kinds of people is the best-case scenario for a band. For the most part, I think that bands want to see how far they can grow, so bands would welcome that. The best thing that you can do as a band is if you don’t like how they’re acting, then teach them how to act. At the same time, who is to say what is and isn’t allowed in a mosh pit? Moshing is inherently stupid and dumb looking, so to waste your time and energy and headspace on what is and isn’t ”good moshing” is ridiculous.
What’s next for Knocked Loose?
Garris: I’m not sure. It seems like every move that we make is a step that we never thought we would. We’re trying to stay hungry, humble, keep moving, and keep taking advantage of these opportunities that allow us to take it to the next step, whatever that may be.