Artist of the Day | JESS KNIGHTS
ARTIST OF THE DAY
14.10.2020
JESS KNIGHTS
LOCATION
Calgary, AB
GENRE
Soul-Roots
CURRENT MEMBERS
Jess Knights
Barry Mason
Stephen Fletcher
Cam Dougal
Graeme Rife
With the current pandemic, the state of the music and touring industry has dramatically changed. Where were you when everything was brought to a halt?
I had planned a show at a fancy venue in Calgary for March 14. My producer and album collaborators, Joshua Van Tassel and Robbie Grunwald, were coming in to town from Toronto. It was touch and go the night before they arrived and it seemed with every hour there was a new update on the state of the world. The show went on with a total of 12 people in the audience. It ended up being a really beautiful night. It was like everyone in the room knew that a major shift was coming, and boy, was there ever.
How has that affected your plans for the coming months? Did you have a tour planned, upcoming album release?
My album was set for release on May 20, 2020 with tour dates in Western Canada taking shape for the spring and summer. It was impossible to know the right course of action so we postponed only one month. It took some creative thinking and re-strategizing but I'm glad we took the risk and went for the release. I collaborated with Calgary Show Services on a really quality album release livestream performance. It wasn't the live show with an audience that I imagined for the release but it was pandemic perfect and I was able to connect with fans all over the world. That is a really cool thing that is coming out of these livestreams, International connection.
What have you been doing to fill/make the most of your new-found free time at home?
I wish I could say I wrote songs all day and all night but I was struck with very little inspiration. I was lucky to have press interviews and a fair bit of work to do leading up to my album release in June but I, like many, struggled to find my new rhythm. I said yes to whatever opportunity came my way and tried to maintain some hustle. I did Zoom songwriting sessions with fans, Livestream concerts, Crowd-sourced music videos, and online sing-a-longs for grade school students. I also spent a lot of time in nature, I deep cleaned my house a million times, and adopted a cat and trained her to use the toilet, and I worked on being mindful through the stress of the uncertainty (easier said than done at times).
What was the first thing you did/place you went to now the country is starting to slowly re-open?
I rode my bike down to the Ship and Anchor on 17th Ave in Calgary and sat on the patio with my friends and local singers/songwriters, Justine Vandergrift and Liz Stevens. The Ship handled things so well and cautiously. I was really impressed but I was utterly overstimulated. You don't realize how quiet everything was in the first few months of the pandemic until you get back outside in an environment like that. It was a little overwhelming.
Favourite Starlite Room Moment?
This moment is yet to come and I look forward to it!
Do you have a message for everyone at home reading this?
You at home reading this, you are wonderful. Be your bad-ass self and be kind to each other.
Jess Knights
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