SoundCheck: As ‘another Springfield guitar band,’ Uncle Knuckle carves a homegrown path of local music

By Jessica Balisle

Published January 6, 2026 at 7:45 AM CST

Uncle Knuckle, from left to right: Reed Herron, Bart Kelley, Greg Frazier, Skyler Smith, Ryan Wallace

Uncle Knuckle and the Reveal Machine will be on Studio Live at noon on Friday, January 9, 2026. Then catch their in-person performance at BrewCo that night from 6 to 8 pm for Studio Live Social Hour.

When we think about cover bands, we usually picture musicians performing songs by artists we'll never meet. But Uncle Knuckle is changing that by performing cover songs by Springfield and Ozarks area writers in addition to their own original tunes.

Studio Live

Jessica Balisle

Jessica Gray Balisle, a Springfield native, grew up listening to KSMU. When she's not wrangling operations and compliance issues, she co-hosts live music show Studio Live and produces arts and culture stories. Jessica plays bass in local band the Hook Knives. She and her husband Todd live with their two cats, Ellie and Jean-Ralphio, and way too many house plants.

See stories by Jessica Balisle