It’s time to get on the KNOWER train if you aren’t already on it. The Los Angeles-based group led by Louis Cole and Genevieve Artadi is currently spearheading a new musical movement and is known for their use of hard-hitting funk, cool chords, and deep melodies. Another career started on the Internet, specifically YouTube, the “indietronica” duo was featured on Snarky Puppy‘s Family Dinner Vol. 2 in 2015, expanded to a five-person live act in 2016, and opened for the Red Hot Chili Peppers in four major European cities in 2017.

An entirely “Do It Yourself” act since their formation in 2010, KNOWER’s viral videos, discography, and live visual experience have become an international internet phenomenon. Clocking millions of views, their live “band house sesh” hit over 3.5 million views in just one week. Quincy Jones best sums up why you can’t miss them, “KNOWER WILL BE LEAVIN’ YA’LL ON YOUR KNEES, BEGGIN’ FOR MORE.” Positioned for enormous success in 2018, KNOWER is a band/sound/feeling that can’t be stopped.

Knower – “Time Traveler” (Live Band Sesh) – 2017

And so, on Friday, April 27, KNOWER will open up for Vulfpeck and Kamasi Washington at the legendary Red Rocks Amphitheatre. Members of Vulfpeck and KNOWER have a reliable history of collaboration, so we’re keeping our fingers crossed to see it happen again on the big stage. Ahead of the performance, we caught up with the band to see how they were doing.

Live For Live Music: In the current moment of the DIY movement, we’re seeing bands like Vulfpeck and guys like Ty Segall take their career into their own hands by taking out the middleman and going directly to their fans. Was Knower’s decision to take this approach intentional? Was it out of necessity?

KNOWER: Both… We always loved that we could do whatever we wanted creatively and broadcast/send it directly to people on the Internet. We welcomed the thought of getting help from people with that kind of power to help us get heard on a larger scale, and didn’t get much. Maybe we would have if our music and videos were more commercially accessible but that wouldn’t have happened because we like total freedom.

L4LM: How has Knower’s music evolved in the two years since the last album? What were the driving influences then? Now? 

KNOWER: Our goal since the beginning has been to only make things we feel have maximum impact, and to go as hard as possible until we reach that point. Aesthetically that has taken different forms from album to album, song to song. The last album was made with a hugeness mindset. Since then, Louis and I have both been working on solo albums and doing Knower live band tours more than ever, so who knows if that will propel us deeper into the epic aesthetic or if we’ll go more punky or funky or something, I guess we’ll know once we lock ourselves back up.

L4LM: What do you want people to learn about your band, other than that you exist?

KNOWER: How much we care about making the best music we can, and that we hope to put love into the world.

L4LM: How does it feel to be a small band that’s starting to grow, starting to get some attention, and now getting to do things like open for RHCP, and play Red Rocks?

KNOWER: Feels like the boulder we’ve been pushing is rolling now.

L4LM: You’re coming off an international tour, and have a slew of headlining U.S. dates coming up this spring/summer. As a band that originally got attention on Facebook and Youtube, how is the transition to a touring live band?

KNOWER: We’ve all been performing for a long time, so it’s pretty smooth. Mostly a matter of coming up with ways to make it fun—onstage snacking, shirt ripping, etc.

L4LM: If your music was a donut, what donut would it be and why?

KNOWER: A 50-foot-radius glazed donut, because it’s huge and classic.

Tickets for Vulfpeck with Kamasi Washington and KNOWER are currently on-sale here. Head to the event’s Facebook page to stay up to date with show details here.