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| 8/3/2007 - Classic Rock Magazine |
| Let's All Do the Kwang-o Tango What initially attracted us to Minneapolis 4-piece Kwang were the trash n' roll-delights of 'Disassociation' and 'She's Sophisticated' - the latter's chorus of 'She's so phisticated / I'm so fucking dumb' being a particular work of genius. Further investigation reveals there is more than meets the kornea. There are plenty of KISS influences, notably on the anthemic-but-stumbling 'It Comes, It Goes.' and 'This Time', which marries primitive Ace Frehley vocals with Cheap Trick commerciality. But it's on twisted, jarring ballads such as 'Wrecking Ball' and 'Sad Letters' where the band comes into their own. Despite it's brief length (30 minutes), For What It's Worth is packed with unexpected delights. The only disappointment is that 'Rock and Roll! Baseball! Big Tornadoes!' doesn't quite live up to the promise of it's title. Rating: 7/10 Classic Rock Magazine |
| 6/18/2007 - St. Paul Pioneer Press |
| Thanks to its fat glam-rock licks and carefree sense of humor, Kwang's
For What It's Worth has become one of my most-played local discs of the year. It's the perfect soundtrack for a long drive with the windows down and the volume up. If you haven't caught them yet, they're playing the Triple Rock tonight with Six Six Crush, Orange Blank and Monoforte. Not only is it Kwang's last live gig till September but it also proves the guys were wrong when they sang, in "She's Sophisticated," that "we don't sound current and we can't get a gig at the Triple Rock." (Yup, Chris Roberts has played Kwang on The Current's "Local Show." And if she hasn't heard the disc, Mary Lucia really ought to check these guys out, because I think she'd dig them, as well.) Ross Raihala |
| 5/27/2007 - How Was The Show |
| John Knapper appeared to be on
top of the world Saturday night May 19th as his band Kwang celebrated
the release of their new CD For What It’s Worth at the Uptown
Bar. And for good reason. The new 10-song Kwang album
is rocking and fun, and Knapper’s band's stage show is campy, yet
quality, including just enough hamming it up to keep it real while still
treating their Kiss, Aerosmith and GnR-influenced
rock with respect. In addition to Knapper, Kwang features Justin
Marreel on lead guitar (Marreel played plenty of solos
Saturday), Dan Laubach (also of The Skullcranes)
on bass, who played almost the entire show with his hand in a bandage
after getting 32 stitches in it the night before after an encounter with
an electric saw (how rock and roll is that?) And Jonathon
TeBeest sits behind the drum kit.
Kwang played their album straight though tightly and professionally, but might have had done without the GnR cover that provided one of the encores. Album producer Darren Jackson joined them on stage to help perform an apparently mostly unrehearsed rendition of “Patience,” and combined with the bemused look on Jackson’s face, he kind of summed it up when he asked, before beginning what was to become a bit of a trainwreck of a song, "Are we really going to do this?" The audience was having so much fun by that point, however, they ate it up anyway. See the full photo set by David de Young from this show here.Photo by: David de Young Text by: David de Young |
| 5/19/2007 - The Onion A/V Club |
| A band name should capture something about the spirit of the music you're going to hear, and "Kwang" does it well: It sounds like the noise somebody might make while rocking out, Axl-style, on an air guitar.
The band plays straight up Cheap Trick/Motley Crue-style heavy metal and doesn't care who knows it - though it does seem a little defensive about its reception among the Twin Cities' Hipsterati on "She's Sophisticated," complaining that "we don't sound current and we can't get a gig at the Triple Rock, like we care." The local foursome plays the Uptown to release it's new debut full-length, For What It's Worth, produced by Kid Dakota's Darren Jackson and released on the metal-friendly label Root of All Evil. Opening: God's Favorite Band, Dander, Jehovah's Shitlist, The Angry Mothers. |
| 5/18/2007 - Star Tribune |
| Kwang: Dang! When local hard-rockers Kwang sent word last year that they were recording an album with Darren Jackson as producer, I made like a real journalist and did a little fact-checking. What's Mr. Kid Dakota, a poster boy of local indie-rock, doing working with a balls-to-the-wall metal band that got its start at Club Underground's Mötley Tüesdays and is proud to say it opened for Jackyl? Well, Jackson didn't deny it, and it's now apparent why. Kwang's CD (For What It's Worth...) is loaded with the kind of all-for-fun, Kiss-loving, GNR-grinding metal that has largely been missing in local clubs since Flipp disbanded. Issued on local metal guru Earl Root's label, Root of All Evil Records, the disc includes a few cleverly, coyly written anthems like "Rock and Roll! Baseball! Big Tornadoes!" and "Meedley," but there's no tongue-in-cheek irony. Just tongue-wagging. The quartet's release party is Saturday at the Uptown Bar (10 p.m., $5). Chris Riemenschneider |
| 5/17/2007 - St. Paul Pioneer Press |
| "Local rockers Kwang specialize in instantly
likable, arena-ready '70s glam, like Sweet and Kiss, except with more
swearing. They debut For What It's Worth on Saturday at the
Uptown Bar. The disc's smart, bright production comes via Darren Jackson
of the Hopefuls and Kid Dakota. (Jackson lives across the street from
two of the guys in Kwang, thus the connection.) My favorite bits include the lighters-aloft power ballad "Sad Letters" and the impeccably titled "Rock and Roll! Baseball! Big Tornadoes!" Ross Raihala |
| 5/1/2007 - Perfect Porridge |
|
Kwang After getting some recognition and radio play with their track “I Can’t Take It” from last year’s Hung EP and opening for some major acts (Jackyl), the Minneapolis group enlisted Darren Jackson (Tapes ‘n’ Tapes, Kid Dakota) to produce their first full length album, For What It’s Worth, out May 19th. Check out the first track from the album, a classic bar rocker that is sure to shine live: Kwang : “Disassociation” (mp3) CD Release show at The Uptown Bar on Saturday, May 19th, and other upcoming shows here, including a date opening for Edguy. |
| 6/29/2006 - Star Tribune |
| "Another curious bit: Darren Jackson of
local indie-rock fame is producing a CD for metal band Kwang, whose next
big gig is with Jackyl at Star Central on July 8."
CHRIS RIEMENSCHNEIDER |
| 6/26/2006 - OFFICIAL RELEASE |
|
Well, it seems as though someone has been
listening.
Darren Jackson, (aka Kid Dakota, The Hopefuls,
Alva Star, etc.), is set to turn the knobs and add his musical touch
to the upcoming full length album from local Minneapolis rockers,
Kwang.
While Kwang sets it's sights on unchartered
territory, Jackson has worked on numerous critically acclaimed records
in his own Shortman Studio in NE Minneapolis. Other recordings at
Shortman (www.myspace.com/shortmanstudio)
include local offerings from Vicious Vicious, The Owls, Story of the
Sea, Coach Said Not To, and of course, the highly regarded and locally
celebrated Tapes n Tapes album.
Jackson's studio expertise stands to be paramount
for the dynamics of the new Kwang album. The band wants to
maintain the in-your-face attitude, while incorporating the
classic vibe of pop-filled rock and roll from yesteryear. Kwang
frontman John Knapper comments, "Pop music with guts. That's
what we do. Dirty guitars and hooky vocals. People should understand
that we're certainly not here to reinvent the wheel. Smash your
damn keyboard samplers already. It's like overdoing a nice
steak. Leave the thing alone. All this technology seems to be ruining
the integrity of our culture and especially our beloved music. Some
things are better left alone, and to us, this is one of them. So
take that for what it's worth."
Which ironically (or not so much) leads us to the
title of the band's upcoming album. "For What It's Worth",
the working title of the new record, will explore the subject matter
of giving up everything for an undying passion. Through thick and
thin, the material will work it's way around avoiding politics to
personal sacrifice, and trying to figure out how to do what you love
when it causes unwanted hate. Loud, emotionally charged, and
delicately layered, the record promises to be reason for rock and roll
to be truly appreciated once again.
|
| 12/18/2005 - Strutter Magazine |
| 80s Hair Metal/Sleazy LA Metal can be heard during the 5 songs of the EP ‘HUNG' by the Minneapolis based band KWANG.
The band sounds like a mix between LA GUNS, MOTLEY CRUE and ACE FREHLEY. Especially the ACE FREHLEY type of vocals are making this band a winner for any fan of ACE FREHLEY’s 1978 solo debut album, because with the same kind of attitude this band is making a similar straight-forward classic hard rock sound. The best song has got to be the catchy “WHAT YOU LOOK LIKE”. |
| 11/20/2005 - Rockeyez.com |
| Kwang are the down home boys from Minnesota that will melt the winter snow of the tundra. Kwang play the traditional hard rock music of yesteryear, reminiscent of early Def Leppard. “Teenage Misfit Junkie” is an exceptional song that has good harmonies and catchy lyrics. The band brings back memories of the pop rock of the 80’s with guitar work not over the edge, but potent. The arrangements have a style of the Kiss “Dressed to Kill” era. The band is headed in the right direction and welcomes an addition on bass, Dan Laubach, who can change the sound a bit. Let’s see the progress of the band when they release their next CD. That will tell if they have a future in music. Good luck guys! |
| 8/25/2005 - Slam Rock Party Magazine |
|
"This isn't Ashlee Simpson with an AC/DC shirt on!"
That's how singer John Knapper starts to introduce these four rockers from
Minneapolis with their recently released debut EP with the title "Hung" registered and produced by
bass player of Flipp, Randy E. |
| 8/24/2005 - City Pages - "In Da Club" (Live show review) |
| "Outside, next to the now-covered patio of the Uptown Bar, two
clean-cut young men walk up the alley, surreptitiously dropping a
plastic Lunds bag inside the fence. When they join their cohorts at a
corner table, I look to see what kind of cheap booze or illicit
substance will appear. Instead, a bag of chips and a container of dip
are brought forth and politely shared. This relative tameness of the
crowd unfortunately continues into Kwang's set last Thursday night at
the Uptown Bar, but it doesn't matter. These boys are here to rock,
audience enthusiasm or no, starting with "Teenage Misfit
Junkie" from their EP Hung. Lead singer John Knapper struts
around with a white flying V guitar, while lead guitarist Justin Marreel
looks the perfect part of an '80s metal fan, with long stringy hair,
sleeveless white T-shirt, and Jagger lips tattoo. The sound level is a
little lower than would seem called for by Kwang, who obviously found
influences in Kiss, Van Halen, and Mötley Crüe. "I Really Like
It" finds Knapper unnecessarily answering his own question,
"If you don't like it/Do you think I care?" (He doesn't.)
After Marreel delivers a noodly, Black Sabbath-esque guitar solo,
Knapper announces, "Two more and then we'll leave you alone."
After "I Can't Take It," Knapper calls for 20 Dollar Love, who
played earlier, to join them onstage. The openers at first seem elusive,
"like unicorns," Knapper says, but then appear for a sloppy
jam that finds Knapper abandoning the flying V to jump around attacking
a cowbell."
Bridgette Reinsmoen |
| 8/17/2005 - City Pages A-List (Recommended event) |
| "Treating Appetite for Destruction and the Replacements
cover of Kiss's "Black Diamond" as twin polestars, Kwang make
garage-hatched glam metal with Michelin Man hooks, lots of cowbell, a
fair amount of guitar sludge, and a touch of girl-I-really-love-you
harmonies. They don't think that rock 'n' roll is a pretty good form of
music, probably of commensurate value to, just for instance, jazz and
bluegrass--they fucking love rock and roll! Their dogmatically
unpretentious new EP, Hung (not well hung, mind you, which points
to their modesty), doesn't contain any future classics, but it's pretty
damn likable and strongly suggests a live show at which asses will be
roundly kicked."
Dylan Hicks |
| 12/23/2004 - The Onion |
| "Local band Kwang is celebrating the release of its first EP, Hung, released on Earl Root's Root Of All Evil label. Hearkening back to the glory days of 80's hair metal, the band wears its Guns and Roses and Motley Crue influences proudly, and gets some neighborhood props by name-checking Motley Tuesdays, the metal night at Northeast Minneapolis pub Spring Street Bar." |
| December 2004 - OFFICIAL RELEASE |
|
Root of All Evil Records Announce the Release of “Hung”, the Debut CD from Kwang “This isn’t Ashlee Simpson with an AC/DC shirt on!” proclaims John Knapper, frontman and guitar player for the 4-piece rock and roll group who refer to themselves as Kwang. With the release of their debut CD, Hung, on December 14th, imposters can expect to step aside and make room for genuine rock and roll idiocy. Using their youth as both influence and motivation, the band wants desperately to reach out to their own generation and beyond. Root of All Evil Records, owned and operated by Minneapolis rock legend Earl Root, signed Kwang in September of 2004. The album was recorded and produced by Randy E., a Minneapolis music mainstay and the bass player for national recording artists Flipp. An official street date has been set for December 14th, and Kwang will host a CD release party at Station 4 (www.station-4.com) in St. Paul, Minnesota on Thursday, December 23rd 2004. The “Hung” CD will be available at all Cheapo record stores in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, on the official Kwang website, and also through independent* retail outlets nationwide. For more details on the band, please visit www.kwangcity.com. |
| August 2004 - Pulse on the 2nd Annual Pizza Luce Uptown Block Party |
| Then comes the clever, synth-accented power-pop of Motion City Soundtrack who precedes Kwang, whose straight-forward crotch-rock with a “keep it simple stupid” attitude (KISS) will remind us how fun rock ’n’ roll used to be. |
| July 2004 - OFFICIAL RELEASE |
"Butt rock? Fine. Call it whatever the fuck you want. But I can guarantee we have way more fun than a lot of those phony fucks out there. Rock and Roll!", declares frontman John Knapper. And after seeing them live, you'll know exactly what he means. |
