An Interview with The Alt Band KNEE HIGH FOX All About New Music!

Posted On 22 May 2018

Tag: All Access, All Access Music, All Access Music Group, Artist Interview, Black Widow, Jawbreaker, Knee High Fox, Krsy Fox

Knee High Fox is an Alt insanity band out of Los Angeles CA. Singer Krsy Fox is a front-woman with the kind of energy that takes you on a rollercoaster both in the band’s recordings and at their live shows. From singing soft gentle emotional moments, to rapping, to belting big chorus’s and then screaming like a young girl scorned she tells the stories behind their thematic songs.

The band formed in 2011 and released their debut single ‘Black Widow’ in February of 2013 exclusively with Revolver Mag. The songs racy lyrics and the edgy darkness and blood orgy in the music video immediately grabbed fans and critics attention. The band has since grown a cult following with releases like their EP ‘Unknown Skeleton’ in 2014 and their ﬁrst full length album ‘Obey The Cross’ in October of 2015. Also a 2 song EP ‘Burning Down The Steeple’ in 2017. The band is known for their live show and intense visuals in their artwork and videos. With heavy aggressive bass lines from Simon Nagel, to eccentric and intense high energy drum beats from Harley Dewinter, to melodic and unique guitar work from Sam Bam Koltun the four piece brings you on a journey into primary songwriter Krsy Fox’s crazy head.

Their new 2018 full length album ‘JAWBREAKER’ has taken the bands love for electronics, beats, rhythmic rap, alternative sounds, guitars, a lot of low end, and big chorus’s, clever and honest lyrics, and created an experience of ups and downs. Krsy Fox has always talked about her intense passion for dark cult 90’s movies like ‘The Craft’, ‘Jawbreaker’, ‘Foxﬁre’, ‘Girl Interrupted’, and ‘American Beauty’. She wanted to capture the feeling those ﬁlms gave her as a young girl within the new album.

“They always effected what has inspired me and the way I looked at visuals and excepted my crazy girl feelings, and my always being a bit of an outsider, even though I’m usually the loudest person in the room”.

With songs like ’WITCH’ that’s a wild ride into Krsy’s darker side, to deep songs like ‘Relapse’ where she lays it all out about a toxic relationship she keeps wanting to slip back into, the new album has something for everyone.

Knee High Fox have been touring since 2014 extensively headlining and with acts like Marilyn Manson, Powerman 5000, Hed PE, Theory Of A Deadman, Orgy etc.

Knee High Fox are:

Krsy Fox – vocals

Simon Nagel – bass

Sam Bam Koltun – guitar

Harley DeWinter – drums

Connect With Knee High Fox Here:

Check out Their MUSIC VIDEOS Here:

https://youtu.be/bjamn25sv_Y (2017 – American Beauty)

https://youtu.be/x0-DJbvYpKI (2017 – Peep Hole – Lyric Video)

https://youtu.be/zuE3B1v9thc (2016 – Comin For You)

https://youtu.be/8BkSVaOh5jw (2016 – Bangover)

https://youtu.be/vO6QoCLZmF8 (2015 – Killing Room)

https://youtu.be/wD4mdOQfrv8 (2014 – Kiss Me Kill Me)

https://youtu.be/TXmUbFZsxbA (2013 – Nightmareland)

https://youtu.be/LN1WORl1su0 (2013 – Black Widow)

Learn more about Knee High Fox in the following All Access interview:

Thanks for your time! What are all up to today?

Thank you! We are actually driving back to Los Angeles from Salt Lake City. We had a show there last night.

Do you recall first forming this band in 2011? Can you remember the moment when you thought you could be in the band together? What was it like coming up with your band name?

Yes I definitely remember. My bass player Simon and I actually are from Canada originally and started working on music up there together. I went to him one day after we did a writing trip down in LA and said “I’m moving to LA in 9 days you have to come with me.” He said “Ok let’s do it!” So we did. We had nowhere to live and no idea how to make it work we just knew we wanted and needed to be there. So once we got down to LA we kept working on music, played a couple side shows and then decided we were going to start Knee High Fox. We both had such a passion for bands that had amazing theatrics, culture and visuals around their band as well as having great music. So we decided to make a band like that in our own way. We definitely have stayed firm to our vision of the band since the beginning. We wrote a couple songs and actually got a record deal before we had a band name. We needed one and Knee High Fox popped in my head one day. It just felt like the name… The label we had signed to had a very different vision for the band than we had so we got out of our deal and decided to take control of everything we put out there until we found a partner with our vision. Harley and Sam came along and did the new record with us. We really feel like the band is now complete and we have made the record we have always wanted to in ‘Jawbreaker’!

How do you think being from Los Angeles has influenced this band and the kind of music that you make today?

As I said we’re 50% Canadian but this band was truly formed in Los Angeles. I really don’t think it would be the band it is is we hadn’t started in LA. We played locally so much and did residencies and really built our live show and got a following. The lifestyle you’re surrounded with in LA is different than anywhere else and it was a huge part of the soul of this band for sure.

Let’s talk about your newest album, “Jawbreaker.” What was it like putting this collection together? I understand that you used your love for dark cult 90’s movies to make it?

It was a really different process for us actually. We co-produced and wrote the album with our friend and super talented producer/writer Greg Johnson. We did the whole album at my house (the the exception of Peephole and some of Relapse which I did with Tyler Connolly at his studio). It was cool being at home and having this chill vibe that sparked different creativity. I would make margaritas and it was like a fun hangout/party. I’ve always been really inspired by movies like American Beauty, The Craft, Foxfire, Girl Interrupted, Jawbreaker etc and super related to the characters in them. I wanted some of the music on this record to make people feel like those movies made me feel. The title track was actually the last song we wrote for the album and it spawned from me falling asleep the night before recording to the movie ‘Jennifer’s Body’. I had this intense nightmare that me and a bunch of my friends were partying and one of them was accidentally killed. It was like living the movie ‘Jawbreaker’ mixed with the movie ‘Very Bad Things’. When Greg showed up the next morning I told him I wanted to write this song based on my nightmare. I still haven’t told my friends which one of them died haha! The process was definitely something I’d do again, I’m so happy with how the record turned out and the making of it.

How did the making of this album compare to your previous collections? Did you go about the process any differently? How does this album show the growth that this band has experienced over the years?

We’ve done most of the other records and recordings in different studios. We actually recorded our song ‘Black Widow’ at Tommy Lee’s house in his studio. He has a killer spot! We’ve hopped around a lot. It was cool to work in one spot though on this one and get into a routine. I think the biggest growth with this album is we’ve always been really known as a live band so I wanted this album to really have the feel and dynamics of our live show. I feel like we captured that best on this one for sure.

I know it’s difficult to pick but can you pick out a few of your favorite songs from this albums and talk about how they were written? How do you all generally go about writing your music?

We have been ending our set with WITCH since finishing the record and it goes over so well live. It has this intense energy. I had the title for a while and the concept of the song. I knew I wanted it to be high energy and FUN. I rescued a little black kitten when we were on tour with Marilyn Manson and she did the whole tour with us. I named her Witch and I’m obsessed with her so the song is kind of in her honor. We wrote and recorded WITCH the same day and I wrote all these lyrics that were a mix of the movies I love, my insane roller coaster of a personality, my feelings on always being the weird one, and my favorite folklore, horror, and love for witchyness in general. I even got my cat growling at the end of the song haha. We actually just shot a video for the track that was pretty insane. I rented this hearse and coffin and we drove all over Los Angeles with me on the hood, dancers and the band rocking out around the car while we drove like a freaky ass parade. We all had crazy makeup and outfits. We got chased down by the police several times. I actually kept one of the officers chasing us in the video if you watch closely. She was kind enough to let us off with a warning… It was a lot harder explaining why I was in a coffin on the side of the street to the second officer….

The song ‘Relapse’ was based on a real situation in my life where I had a relationship that kind of made me feel like it was a drug addiction. I knew it was bad, and fought to get myself out of it but the highs were so good that even though there were so many lows you can forget that it’s not good for you.I wanted to be very honest on this album and the lyrics in this song is basically a window into a part of the darker side of my past life.

As for my writing process since I’m the primary writer in the band I always write based on real things in my life. It always comes from a real experiences (or in some cases a nightmare haha).

Do you have upcoming tour plans? Where can people see you perform live next?

We actually just announced a tour with Powerman 5000 that’s kicking off May 27th in Iowa City IA. We’re getting across the US quite a bit on that run. We will be touring this record a lot this year for sure.

Krsy, I understand that you have written a lot for other bands so I am curious how that compares to writing for your own band?

It’s really different actually. Although I really always stick to writing true life things and that’s where my song concepts always come from I have to always keep the band/artist in mind. Will what my lyrics are saying make sense for them? Will they connect to it when they play it? I feel lucky to have got to work with bands like Theory Of A Deadman, Halestorm, Pop Evil, Sick Puppies etc that are great friends of mine. They are all super inspiring and it makes it easy when we have such good vibes in the studio and the bands are so talented.

When I write for Knee High Fox though nothing is off limits. Because it’s all coming from me, when I write my own music I’m super honest and always really put myself out there. I have a unique personality and I always want Knee High Fox to capture me. Just like when I write with other bands I want the songs we do to capture them.

Where do you think you are all happiest- in the studio recording new music, on stage performing or elsewhere? Do you have any upcoming touring dates scheduled?

I can definitely say we love it all but there’s nothing like being on the road and playing our music live. We have always put a lot of effort into being a strong live band and we all get so much joy and happiness playing. It’s magical when you can write a song in the studio and then have people at a show connecting to it so strongly and singing the words back to you. I feel the most comfortable in life on stage for sure. I feel like a socially awkward human 90% of the rest of the time haha.

How do you think being a musician and in this band gives you all the most joy in life today? With everything going on in the world today, how do you think your music is a reflection of these times?

Being in a band that gets to travel and connect with people all over is the best thing in the world. Seriously!

Certain songs absolutely reflect that. I get so emotional over the things that have been going on around us and in the country we live in. If I’m feeling that way and working on music it will always come out in the song for sure.

Who are you all listening to these days? What artists have continued to inspire you and your music? Who would you absolutely love to work with in the future?

I literally listen to every genre and soooo many different artists. I’m always searching for new artists and bands. Some of my faves we’ve been listening to on tour a lot lately are K Flay, Lana Del Rey, Cigarettes After Sex, Manson, Halsey, Die Antwoord, Our Lady Peace, Artic Monkeys, Miranda Lambert, Peaches, Rammstein, Social Distortion, Eminem.

Eminem would be a killer artist to work with. We definitely plan to do more collabs since we love so many bands.

What advice would you give to a young band just getting started today?

Make sure you take the time to make great songs. Play live as much as possible. Get amazing and never ever feel like you’re good enough and don’t have to work at it forever. As a band that’s been playing and touring so much the past several years we absolutely always learn so much from other bands that are more experienced than us or bring something different than we do. You could tour for 20 years, you will still continue to grow and always be able to get better. The day you think you’ve learned everything there is to learn it will be over for you.

Be humble and gracious and a decent human. Every band and fan you encounter are human beings and deserve all the respect in the world. Never be a rockstar (in the bad sense of the word). You want other bands to want you around, and without those fans you are playing to no one, they are everything.

Is there anything else that you would like to share with our readers about yourselves or your music?

Make sure you check out the new album Jawbreaker. We’re super proud of it. And definitely come experience us live if you can. We put a lot into our show and it’s always a really fun and crazy time!

About the Author

Leah Brungardt joined All Access Music Group in August 2011 and has been enjoying getting to know a new side of the music industry ever since. Having worked to promote radio stations in the past, seeing what makes a successful radio hit has been a thrill. As a lover of all genres of music, working at All Access Music Group is a perfect fit for Leah, and she loves learning about up and coming musicians as well. Most of her friends have come to rely on her for new music.

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