Kellie Knight and the Daze have been at the forefront of the north coast’s soul and funk scene since their inception five years ago.
After years of honing tunes in a live arena, they have released a long-awaited single Twisted, a song that won them Jazz Song of the Year at the recent NCEIA music awards, submitted before the final mix was even finished.
Kellie, maybe tell me about how you came to be a musician. Did you grow up in a musical family? What was it that ignited your passion for song?
My family are all musical: my dad plays guitar and sings, my brother has a great voice and guitar style too.
What are the songs that have affected you most, the ones that you end up thinking, damn I wish I’d written that?
Too many songs to name. Which song would I like to have written myself? My own will do, but I’m grateful for the contributions of others’ songcraft touching and shaping my musical life!
How have you developed as a musician in your style and approach from the beginning of your career?
I’m, in essence, a team player and love collaborating with a strong team, which I’m blessed to have.
How hard is it to find a style or an ‘authentic voice’ in music?
Authenticity is created with intention, I think. The intention to connect honestly with one’s emotions/spirit and then sing from that space. If it’s pure fun for us, then it’s pure fun for the crowd as well.
Tell me about the single.
Our single Twisted was born from a single descending sax line I had whirling around in my head. It’s a jazz-infused funk tale of a sax player dealing with unrequited love by ‘blowing’ with the band.
What is your songwriting approach – how do you work up a song for your sets?
Songs come in different ways. Sometimes I’m walking along the beach and a riff or hook comes into my head and I’ll go home and write it down. Other times I’m hearing whole melodies in my head that I later shape the lyric around.
What should we expect for your single launch at the Rails?
Expect to have fun with us. Expect a fresh new sound… we have some new players. Expect the groove delivered with some giant improvisation and power vocals up front and expect a free digital download to our new single!
The Daze are:
Kellie Knight (vocal), Paul Brewer (bass), Jamie Pattugalan (drums), Matt Day (guitar), with special guests Dylan Curnow (keys), Martha Bartz (sax), Mark Heazlett (backing vocal) and Rebecca Ireland (backing vocal).
Kellie Knight and the Daze will be celebrating with a single launch on Friday at The Rails.
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