Davy Knowles opened for The Steepwater Band’s album launch party at the Chop Shop and blew the crowd away, winning new fans of his own.
Davy Knowles is originally from the Isle of Man but is now proud to call Chicago his home. It is easy to see that the Chicago’s blues scene has struck a chord with him, and he is most certainly striking a chord with Chicago blues fans.
Knowles was there as the second of two opening acts, but it was noticeable how many fans had turned up to see him perform. After this performance, he will certainly have picked up a few more fans as well.
At the young age of 28, Knowles is making his living as a musician, which is not an easy thing to do in the modern world. The last few years have seen him regularly recording new material, releasing albums, and touring in both the US and overseas.
Chicago is, obviously, entrenched in the blues. While Knowles tips his hat to the greats, he also pumps some new and youthful life into his songs and performances creating his own, modern interpretation of blues rock. The result is a blues sound more accessible to a younger audience, offering a ready introduction to the blues for the first time, whilst still satisfying the older more traditional crowd.
Knowles has a fantastic voice with enough soul to express any emotion he wants his lyrics to convey. He also is up there with the strongest guitarists on today’s blues scene. Indeed, he has earned support from Joe Satriani, Joe Bonamassa, Jeff Beck and the great Blues legend himself, Buddy Guy, all of whom he has opened for on tour. The influence of all of these players is easy to hear when Knowles straps on his guitar. He coaxes long soulful notes dripping with vibrato from his guitar along with some real outside-the-box fret work. The complex runs in his guitar solos take him beyond classic blues but still fit elegantly in the blues space.
If you haven’t heard of Davy Knowles yet, now is the time to get to know him. He’s a humble, down to earth guy who comes across as being extremely approachable. After his set on Saturday, he spent the rest of the night chatting with fans, both old and new, before jumping back on stage to close out the night with the Steepwater Band.
With two solo albums under his belt and a third in the process of being finished and hopefully released soon, Knowles has already come a long way and is well set to continue his journey onwards and upwards.
If you want to check him out (which you truly should), listen to his 2014 album, The Outsider.