Kneebody

Kneebody

In their almost two-decade history, the Grammy-nominated band Kneebody has created a genre and style all its own. Their sound is an explosive blend of rock energy and high-level, nuanced chamber ensemble playing, set within the frames of highly wrought compositions that balance adventurous, no-holds-barred improvisation.

In 2025 Kneebody releases the album Reach on April 18 via GroundUP Music. The band is presented here as a quartet:
- Adam Benjamin — keyboards
- Shane Endsley — trumpet
- Ben Wendel — saxophone
- Nate Wood — bass and drums

The album's lead single, "Repeat After Me," is already available for streaming. Saxophonist Ben Wendel describes the track as a "cheeky song" that channels a Morse code-inspired melody through shifting harmonies and groove-driven intensity.

Kneebody began in their late teens at the Eastman School of Music and CalArts and coalesced into a band amid the Los Angeles music scene in 2001. Their music draws from 1960s free-bop, 1970s jazz rock, 1990s hip-hop, post-millennial indie rock, and a classical post-minimalist sensibility.

Their career includes a Grammy nomination for the 2009 collaboration with Theo Bleckmann on 12 Songs of Charles Ives, and a series of albums such as The Line (2013, Concord Records), Kneedelus (2015, Brainfeeder), Anti-Hero (2017, Motéma Music), By Fire (2019), and Chapters (2019), their first full-length release as a quartet.

With Reach, Kneebody signals a new era for the band. As they prepare to take the new music on the road, fans can expect the band's mix of intricate composition, fiery improvisation, and collective interplay.