Green Knuckle Material

“Never say die” is a motto few bands live up to as intensely and successfully as New Brunswick-based Green Knuckle Material.


After nearly 40 years of covering the New Jersey music scene, I am convinced that determination is the greatest factor in a band’s success. Determination to write the best songs and perform them to their best ability. Determination to place as much priority on networking and branding as songcraft and gigs. Determination to tour and continue touring even though doing so seems pointless for the first few years. Determination to make the band the greatest priority even though family, friends, day jobs, and school may try to get in the way.

Green Knuckle Material are one of the best examples in today’s scene with that kind of determination. The band started around 2016 in bassist, sole original member, and manager Daniel “D-String” Ravenda’s Bergen County basement with two friends, Chris and Ryan. With a drummer intact, Green Knuckle Material recorded and released their first album. And just as the gig meter started to get hot, Ravenda’s band mates bailed.

But rather than give up, the determined musician reassembled an even better lineup, as evidenced by the edge they bring to recent re-recordings of three tracks from the debut release, Back to Your Roots. This coincides with a companion comic book D-String dreamed up to tell the band’s story and follows the well-received 2017 EP, Renaissance and the new single, “Queen of Dragons,” in honor of the Game of Thrones heroine-turned-villain Daenerys Targaryen. Brothers bound by a funky groove, a hip-hop vibe, an occasional jazzy jam, and a strong foundation of acoustic rock, vocal harmonies, and pop songwriting, rapper Scatterbrain PG, acoustic guitarist-lead vocalist YDK, drummer Tony Baja (The Hawaiian), saxophonist Sax Dan, and guitarists Mudd Dog and The Cuban Missile are equally determined to succeed. Part of that success stems from the fact that they have strong followings in North, Central, and South Jersey.

With that gig meter now scorching in the midst of their second of four tours planned for this year, GKM will continue on the “Back to the Roots” jaunt June 13 at the Bumpin’ Uglies’ Weekend at Wolfie’s Festival in Bedford, PA., June 14 at Willie McBride’s in Hoboken, and June 15 at their own Bayville V Music Festival—their fifth annual bay-front fest. This year will feature Experiment 34, A Boy Named John, Sonoa, Boy Blue, MAPS, SPITSHINE, Good Luck Brother, Jared Knapik, and 81 Rich, which features GKM members.

Green Knuckle then will open for Tropidelic on June 19 at Stanhope House, for Good Charlotte on June 27 at the Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, and for Badfish on July 2 at Jenks in Point Pleasant Beach. Then they will partake in parts of a seven-date mid-Atlantic summer tour organized by Makin Waves and Garden State Hip-Hop, with contributions on July 12 at Asbury Park Music Foundation; July 14 at FM Bar in Jersey City, July 20 at Sunnyvale in Brooklyn, and July 21 at Blackthorn in New Brunswick. The rotating rap ‘n’ rock tour also will feature Dane the Beautiful Monster, The Band Called FUSE, Chalk & the Beige Americans, Black Suburbia Music Group, Chris Rockwell Collective, Apollo Ali, K-Prez, Mista Encore, and DJ Ronny Rayz.

In August, GKM will embark on their fourth tour this year behind a new single that, like “Queen of Dragons,” will be released on an LP next summer. In the fall, they expect to return as headliners to Asbury Park’s fabled Stone Pony, where on March 2, they won the latest Rock the Top finals. They’ll also kick off their August tour at the Pony, opening for Rebelution on Aug. 4.

I spoke with D-String about many things GKM, and throughout the chat, he expressed his dogged determination to lead this band to glory. But he also expressed how important the networking and relationship-building has been—not only by makin’ waves, but also makin’ many new friends.
Are you the only original member of Green Knuckle Material?

Technically you could say yes and technically you could say no. The original idea of GKM was formed by two guys, Chris and Ryan, who both ended up leaving the band, but it was literally just two guys jamming in their basement. I pioneered the idea of GKM being an actual band with those two, as well as the original drummer, and I guess you could say that we were the founding four members, except we never actually did anything with that lineup except jam a few times in my basement. We started tracking the first LP and Ryan, as he’s known to do, just disappeared. So, we brought on Mike as the guitarist, and I took over lead vocals. That was the lineup we put the first LP out with and played our first six months of shows. So, you could say that Mike (Mudd Dog) and I are the only two founding members left, you could say that I am the only founding member left, or you could say that there are no founding members left. I always looked at GKM as an idea that is bigger than any one person. - The Aquarian