The New York band’s diverse backgrounds blend into a tasty musical stew.
Butcher Knives have mastered a “Wildly diverse Gyspybilly sound wrapped in an untethered punk aesthetic” (CraveOnline) on their debut album Misery, which dropped on 2/18. With influences ranging from Mano Negra, The Clash, Johnny Cash, Gogol Bordello, and Bob Marley, to bluegrass, flamenco, traditional Eastern European music, rockabilly, and psychobilly, Butcher Knives mix multicultural sounds of traditional folk instruments with a high-octane punk rock intensity.
The band has been together for 2 years, and they have seven members who play a variety of different instruments. They are based in New York, and Nacho and Niko are the primary songwriters. Butcher Knives’ unique sound is an eccentric mix of its members’ diverse backgrounds. They come from places like Columbia, New York, Israel, New Orleans and Morocco.
They were tired of hearing the same sound, and made something simple but unique: a sound that could only exist in New York.
Most of their songs are about love and betrayal, and some also have to do with the political situation of immigrants coming to the US and being betrayed by the American dream. Each song also wants to try to reach out to the human culture. Their new single, “American Dream,” tells mainly of the falsehood of it and how few people truly reach it.
Butcher Knives are eager to make their way out to the west coast. They want to get the right energy and vibe that would help the fans appreciate their music.
The band consists of Nacho (lead singer), Niko (guitarist), Yoni (bass player), Ethan (banjo), Melissa (accordion), and Amine (drummer).
—photo Ana Cisa