Jess Knights is a blues and rock singer whose voice has resonated across Calgary, across Canada, and recently on live streams in Haliburton County, as well as her home on Lake Kashagawigamog.
For the Knights, getting back on stage in Calgary in 2020 after COVID-19 restrictions eased “was like being home again,” she said. “I remember having that moment where I looked at my band, looked at the crowd, thinking ‘I could be crying right now,'” she said.
She said she “leaves everything on stage” at every show. “I always used to say my mouth is so wide my heart could pop out.”
At the start of 2020, the concert halls were closed but Knights have a brand new album to share.
Knights released Best Kind of Light via live stream. It wasn’t the launch she imagined, but she and a professional production team extended Knights’ reach to a global audience during the professionally produced high-definition stream.
“I wanted the highest quality live broadcast I could present to the world,” she said.
Knights aims to create a rock and intimate atmosphere with its music and shows.
“I think my purpose as a musician is to bond, I like to connect with other humans,” she said.
She does this through stunning vocals and powerful lyrics paired with roaring guitars and fast-paced drums. Best Kind of Light explores the ins and outs of a breakup.
While she spends much of her time performing in Calgary, Knights said she found solace in Haliburton County during the roller coaster of COVID-19.
“I have so many family around. I would say that landscape is a lot like home,” Knights said.
She started working on new songs that could follow Best Kind of Light in the County.
“I notice other themes emerging,” she said. “There are some really deep love songs, there are songs about mental health and depression and how that has come to the fore for a lot of people during this time of isolation, uncertainty and restrictions .”
She plans to continue open-mic performances with the Haliburton County Folk Society and get to know other local musicians.
“I want to play, and I think there will be something magical about playing here in the summer,” she said.
The Knights will perform with Cassidy Taylor at a Folk Society concert March 19 at the Haliburton Legion.
Know a musician with an interesting story to tell about their journey through COVID? Email sam@thehighlander.ca
