Knapsack dates back to the teenage grunge years of the 1990s, and 30 years later, they’re still one of the greats in the emo, indie rock scene.
“We’ve known each other since we were, like, 15, 16. So we’ve been friends a long, long time,” Blair Shehan, lead vocalist, said.
The band consists of members Shehan (lead vocals and guitar), Colby Mancasola (drums), Sergie Loobkoff (guitar) and Eddie Breckenridge (bass). Knapsack hasn’t played together since 2015, but 10 years later, they stole the crowd at Best Friends Forever Fest on Friday by the pluck of a finger. Knapsack was one of the last bands on the lineup for Friday, and due to the weather, I was growing anxious they weren’t going to play. Though the air began to dry up and an hour later, Knapsack was on stage.
Like many others, I was drenched from the storm, but didn’t care how cold I was because the heat of the moving bodies in the audience was enough to keep me satisfied. They played through songs “Courage Was Confused,” “Decorate the Spine,” “Thursday Side of the Street” and many others. After listening through my headphones and watching YouTube videos, it was unreal to hear their music live.
The old heads always make a comeback
Their first full-length album, “Silver Sweepstakes,” is celebrating 30 years, but the band said they’re not here for an anniversary. “There’s no like, ‘hey, this is the 25 or 30 year anniversary tour’ we don’t really do that. We just look at what cool things present themselves mostly,” Shehan said. “It’s like, ‘okay, that sounds fun. Maybe we’ll do something,’ and then we do it.” “This is the 30th anniversary of our least popular record. So it doesn’t really qualify, but I get it for other bands, I suppose,” Mancasola added. They play rather for their enjoyment and the surprise of their newfound fandom that they didn’t have when they were coming up in the scene.
“The decisions that we made 30 years ago, sort of have had a cascading effect a little bit, good or bad,” Shehan said. “We were not popular in the ’90s, but we felt proud of the records we made, and I still felt proud of the records we made, and if we didn’t have that, we wouldn’t really have anything.”
Many fans are also proud and excited about the work the band does. As they got up on stage, the crowd grew past the gates and the curb. With the dark sky above and the drizzling raindrops pouring down, it was a memorable show to start the weekend off right. Though, the band added that ahead of their performance, they were feeling anxious about whether they’d be rained out.
“The idea that it could possibly be rained out was just sort of, like, you gotta be kidding me, right?” Mancasola said. “But it all worked out. But we were definitely on the edge of a cliff of disappointment,” Shehan added.
The band does a “ritual” of sorts that sends them through a shockwave of adrenaline and positive outcomes. It could very well be what allowed them to go on stage despite the storm. Like casting a spell, they call it their “safe and sound circle” and “white magic.” “And sometimes it even works,” Mancasola said.
Listen to your elders
Knapsack is the definition of playing the long game. They said that they began playing together for the sake of having fun together, chatting on the couch and doing what’s meaningful to them. It’s not about the fame, money or fanbase, but rather the creativity and bond they build over time. “Spend as much time as you can doing the work of the craft,” Shehan added. “Exercising creativity in the craft, that’s the reward. And if you’re lucky enough to have somebody, anybody be interested at all, that’s awesome, but don’t be concerned about that. That’s just silliness.”
You can find more about the band here. Be sure to listen wherever you get your music.