David Lloyd Knight (born October 24, 1978) is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and music producer. His music is a fusion of acoustic and electronic elements, blending self-produced live and sampled music with multiple instruments. He was the lead singer of

ambient rock Post-rock is a subgenre of experimental rock that emphasizes texture, atmosphere, and non-traditional song structures over conventional rock techniques. Post-rock artists often combine rock instrumentation and rock stylings with electronics and ...

band Day One Symphony until early 2008, when the group disbanded. He has continued to release music as a solo artist, and joined the band

Low Roar Low Roar was an Iceland-based post-rock/electronica project founded by American immigrant Ryan Karazija. Originally a solo act, the band later added musicians Leifur Björnsson and Logi Guðmundsson. After releasing five albums spanning over a ...

in 2017 as a touring member. In 2021, Knight began releasing music with former Day One Symphony drummer Steve Barry under the name Jymno.

Career

Musical beginnings

Knight has a BA in Audio Production from

San Francisco State University San Francisco State University (San Francisco State, SF State and SFSU) is a Public university, public research university in San Francisco, California, United States. It was established in 1899 as the San Francisco State Normal School and is ...

. In 2002, he helped form Day One Symphony. The four-member band went on to enjoy a steady growth of popularity in the

Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a region of California surrounding and including San Francisco Bay, and anchored by the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose. The Association of Bay Area Governments ...

. In 2005, the band released an EP titled ''A Vicious Circle'' and went on tour with

dredg Dredg (stylized as dredg) is an American rock band formed in 1993 in Los Gatos, California. The band's lineup consists of vocalist Gavin Hayes, guitarist Mark Engles, bassist Drew Roulette and drummer and pianist Dino Campanella. Originally sta ...

and

Circa Survive Circa Survive was an American rock music, rock band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that formed in 2004. Founded by singer Anthony Green (musician), Anthony Green and guitarist Colin Frangicetto, the band consisted of former members from This ...

Aaron Axelsen Aaron Axelsen is an American radio DJ. From 1997 to 2020, he was the music director of San Francisco modern rock station KITS, ''Live 105.'' During its original run, Axelsen hosted two specialty music shows on KITS, ''Soundcheck''—which showc ...

, music director at LIVE 105.3, played tracks from the EP and invited the band to play on air and participate in some Bay Area concerts. In May 2006, while on their way to a

concert in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

, the members of the band met with a road accident. Knight, who was driving, suffered a broken leg and collapsed lung while the rest sustained injuries leading all of them to be hospitalised. The car crash forced the cancellation of the band's scheduled appearance at LIVE 105's annual BFD concert at

Shoreline Amphitheater Shoreline Amphitheatre is an outdoor amphitheater located in Mountain View, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. The venue has a capacity of 22,500, with 6,500 reserved seats and 16,000 general admission on the lawn. When the parking lot ...

. Unable to regroup after the trauma of the accident, Day One Symphony disbanded in early 2008.

Solo works

In 2008, Knight began to create his own music, blending acoustic and electronic instruments. A one-month trip to Malaysia, in which he performed his new music and collaborated with local singer-songwriter Jerome Kugan in

Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...

, and attended the

Rainforest World Music Festival The Rainforest World Music Festival (often abbreviated as RWMF) is an annual three-day music festival celebrating the diversity of world music, held in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia, with daytime music workshops, cultural displays, craft displays, ...

Kuching Kuching ( , ), officially the City of Kuching, is the capital and the most populous city in the States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Sarawak in Malaysia. It is also the capital of Kuching Division. The city is on the Sarawak Ri ...

, left him inspired and propelled him to hone his solo music. He released his first solo EP titled ''Mandala'' over three parts online from late 2008 to early 2009, capturing his experience in the Asian country and his journey as a solo independent musician. Before returning to Kuala Lumpur for a tour in late 2009, Knight released a five-track EP titled ''The Sensation of Flying'' that brings the storytelling quality of his music to the forefront with a focus on breezy melodies and their accompanying words. Knight's music combines his expertise in electronic programming with his skills as a multi-instrumentalist. A typical live performance sees him surrounded by an assortment of equipment including guitar, sampler, kalimba and flute on stage. The result is an integration of homemade samples, live looping and vocal layering.

The Malaysia connection

In Malaysia, Knight has become a familiar name in the

singer-songwriter circuit. He has performed in notable music festivals, such as the annual KL Sing Song
The Star newspaper and Moonshine, as well as popular music venues including No Black Tie, Cloth and Clef and Laundry. Some of his solo shows featured collaborations with Malaysian singer-songwriters Jerome Kugan and Yuna (singer), Yuna. To date, he has toured Malaysia twice. In 2007, Knight produced music for the stage adaptation of

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic who is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales involving mystery and the macabre. He is widely re ...

’s ''

The Tell-Tale Heart "The Tell-Tale Heart" is a short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in 1843. It is told by an unnamed narrator who endeavors to convince the reader of the narrator's sanity while simultaneously describing a murder the nar ...

'' directed by Gavin Yap and staged at the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre.

Discography

Albums

* ''Mandala'' (2008) * ''Isles'' (2018) * ''Only Shadows'' (Jymno) (2021) * ''Pelangi'' (2022)

EPs

*''A Vicious Circle'' (Day One Symphony) (2005) *''Lost EP'' (Day One Symphony) (2007) *''Ambient Works 2003-07'' *''Collected Works 2005-08'' *''The Sensation of Flying'' (2009) *''Evacuate'' (2010)

Singles

* Rounds (Jymno) (2020) * ''Blue Light Dream'' (Jymno) (2021) * ''Free Fall (remix)'' (Jymno) (2021) * ''Destroyer'' (2022) * ''Mantra'' (2022)

References

External links

David Knight's MusicDavid Knight's FacebookAshcan Magazine's interview with David KnightDay One Symphony Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Knight, David 1978 births Writers from San Jose, California American male singer-songwriters Living people San Francisco State University alumni Musicians from San Jose, California Singer-songwriters from California 21st-century American singer-songwriters 21st-century American male singers