Today we’d like to introduce you to Josh Knowles.
Josh, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Music’s been in my blood for pretty much my whole life. When I was four, I saw this animated clip on Sesame Street of a kid playing twinkle twinkle little star. At first it’s scratchy, but as it progresses through the song he grows into an adult playing beautifully in a concert hall. That pretty much sealed the deal for me, and I hounded my parents relentlessly until they signed me up at a local music school.
I was trained on the Suzuki method, which is a classical approach, but was always drawn to other genres of music. I found myself paying along with miles Davis and Neil young and green day rather than working on scales (much to my teacher’s chagrin). In seventh grade, I joined a jazz quartet at the musical and fell in love with improvising. In high school, my friends and I started the band, Nemes, which still plays now. This was the first time I had ever really made songwriting a priority, and it felt like a huge door was opened to me.
I went to Berklee after high school, and learned invaluable tenets of being a professional musician there, and met so many people who I’ve played with in countless situations since my time there. After a year though, I felt as if I had what I needed to start pursuing my own music full-time. For the next few years, I toured extensively with the band and busked in the subway and taught music at an orchestra for inner-city youth when I was home.
Over the last five years, I’ve had some really incredible musical experiences, which have inspired me to keep plugging away at it. Some of my favorites of these were performing onstage with Boston Ballet, both at Boston Opera House and at Lincoln Center, performing for President Obama, having a video from busking in the subway go viral and be viewed 1.9 million times, and both writing and releasing my new solo electric violin album in the courtyard of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.
Currently, I’m working on my debut solo album, which will be released later this year.
Since then, I’ve definitely evolved a lot musically and creatively, but I still feel like I’m on the journey that the kid in the TV show was on. Just constantly finding the way to grow into the fullest expression of my creativity that I’m capable of.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I’m very thankful to have had the beautiful experiences that I’ve had, but very rarely has it been a smooth and easy journey. Being a full-time musician is hard. There’s no way around it. To progress and grow artistically and musically while trying to sustain yourself is no easy task. There is uncertainty and risk and doubt at every turn, just like starting any business. You really have to believe in what you are working towards, or else there’s no way to find the drive to keep going. The challenge of maintaining your artistic vision and conviction while juggling all of the cogs of the machine is ever-present. Making the time to practice, write, and be inspired by other artists, while also building a fan-base, playing shows with my original music, recording an album, composing for dance, teaching privately, and being a free-lance performer is a lot to fit in. But I think the fruits that come from that hard work is 100% worth it.
Please tell us about Josh Knowles.
I think what I excel in is my ability to fit many different types of creative atmospheres. Whether it’s playing my own music, or Dvorak in a string quartet, or Beatles for a wedding, or improvising with ballet dancers, or singing with an Avant Garde DJ, I love that I can contribute my gifts to all of those situations and touch people with my performance.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
When I was 6, I performed a medley of fiddle tunes for my cousin’s wedding. I was so nervous before, but had the first of many performance experiences where I just seemed to melt into the music. It felt so natural and seemed like I was in touch with everyone in the room. That feeling never gets old. I get the same exact feeling when I’m performing two decades later.
Pricing:
- Electric Violin Album “Spin Without a Sound” – $10
- Josh Knowles V-Neck – $20
- Link to merch site- http://joshknowlesmusic.bigcartel.com/
Contact Info:
- Website: joshknowlesmusic.com
- Instagram: @joshknowlesmusic
- Facebook: facebook.com/joshknowlesmusic
- Twitter: @joshnemes
Image Credit:
Sabi Vargas
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