LMF - Knuckel Drager

You've probably been wondering where you can go to see some guys in scary Halloween masks play surf rock-influenced heavy metal instrumental songs by a band that refers to it as dragracing music. I give you Madison's own Knuckel Drager.

I don't know exactly when these guys started. I know I was first introduced to them in about 1997 or 1998. They used to rock that back stage at the Orpheum (used to be the Stage Door theater) on a regular basis. Some friends took me along to my first Knuckel Drager show. There, I ran into an old acquaintance from high school - who happened to be a hell of a guitarist himself - and he loved these guys. He was explaining to me a lot of the details of what they were doing. In reality, all I could understand was that there were a shitload of guitarists on the stage and they could all really shred the surf-metal licks. Throw in the Halloween masks, and you've got a pretty intersting experience. The skill is obvious, but the depth and breadth of the sounds along with the high-energy, strange visual image of this band on stage make it worth paying the door. Check them out. Even if it's not your thing and you won't be bumping them from your iTouch, you will enjoy the show. It beats that stupid fucking reality tv. show you were going to watch about that dumb bitch with the douchebag boyfriend. You know which one I'm talking about - all of them.

They have as many as seven members at times, with four of them shredding on electric guitars. Typically, they have a drummer, a bass guitar, somebody on the keys, and then a short-bus full of guitarists. They played the High Noon last week, and you missed it, jackass. But, you're in luck. I see they are playing a show in the bar at Badger Bowl on Friday, Nov. 20. If you haven't been there, it's not a bad bar. I've been there to see bands play before.

Behold the surftastic, metallic, masquerading spectacle that is Knuckel Drager. Be sure to listen to the music. They are recockulously good at what they do. If you can't go on a 3-day whiskey and blow binge with this as your soundtrack, you sir cannot go on a 3-day whiskey and blow binge at all.