Today in Anti-Matter: There’s a part in our conversation where Bryan Garris (@heathen_gang) begins to speak in the hypothetical about the rumor that Knocked Loose (@knockedloosehc) were about to get a Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance, and the way he talks about this is telling. “I do not expect a Grammy nomination at all,” he insists, and yet even as he was saying it, there was still a sense of knowing between us that we both felt it was coming—and it did, in fact, come down just last week. But the thing I want you to know about Bryan is that this was not an example of false modesty. You know that when you see it. This was an authentic lack of entitlement on his part. There is a massive difference. Where most other hardcore bands who have crossed over in some way have polished their sound or softened their edges, Knocked Loose have only gotten more extreme. This year’s You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To literally begins with full-on blast beats and barely relents over its 28 minutes; there is hardly a melodic element in earshot, much less a commercial radio hit. In terms of mainstream conventions, a band that sounds like Knocked Loose simply shouldn’t be this big. The thing that’s connecting with people, then, is more than just music. It’s in the way they’ve gone to great lengths to maintain their integrity—and their integrity is palpable. They also know where they come from, and Bryan’s ongoing relationship with hardcore is clearly a way of being at this point. That, too, is more than music to him. This conversation covers a lot of ground—from the historic Louisville hardcore scene that birthed them to his commitment to being a vulnerable writer, from his childhood church camp to how he wants to thank the random woman he shared a plane with, the woman who first told him, “You won’t go until you’re supposed to.” It’s one of the most natural and free-flowing conversations I’ve ever had, and as always, it’s in your inbox now. Subscribe now at antimatter.substack.com and don’t miss a thing. Thank you, friends ✨ 📸: Knocked Loose, live at Starland Ballroom. Sayreville, NJ. April 13, 2019. Photo by @williammarksphoto