Sharon Knight is a

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

-based

neopagan Modern paganism, also known as contemporary paganism and neopaganism, is a term for a religion or family of religions influenced by the various historical pre-Christian beliefs of pre-modern peoples in Europe and adjacent areas of North Afric ...

composer, singer, and multi-instrumentalist known for writing, recording, and performing

Celtic fusion Celtic fusion is an umbrella term for any modern music which incorporates influences considered "Celtic", or Celtic music which incorporates modern music. It is a syncretic musical tradition which borrows freely from the perceived "Celtic" music ...

music Music is generally defined as the The arts, art of arranging sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Exact definition of music, definitions of mu ...

she calls ''

Neofolk Neofolk, also known as apocalyptic folk, is a form of experimental music blending elements of folk and industrial music, which emerged in punk rock circles in the 1980s. Neofolk may either be solely acoustic or combine acoustic folk instrumen ...

Romantique''.Interview in witches & pagans, Issue 26, April 2013, published by BBI Media, Forest Grove, OR (ISSN 1546-2838) She also records and performs harder edged music with

Middle Eastern The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europea ...

themes as the frontperson of the pagan rock/

folk metal Folk metal is a fusion genre of heavy metal music and traditional folk music that developed in Europe during the 1990s. It is characterised by the widespread use of folk instruments and, to a lesser extent, traditional singing styles (for examp ...

group Pandemonaeon. Knight is the co-owner of Trance Jam Records.

Biography

Sharon Elizabeth Knight was born on January 8, 1966, and raised in

Redwood City, California Redwood City is a city on the San Francisco Peninsula in Northern California's Bay Area, approximately south of San Francisco, and northwest of San Jose. Redwood City's history spans its earliest inhabitation by the Ohlone people to being a ...

. She studied in the Feri tradition of

witchcraft Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have u ...

with Gabriel Carrillo and has also studied

Thelema Thelema () is a Western esoteric and occult social or spiritual philosophy and new religious movement founded in the early 1900s by Aleister Crowley (1875–1947), an English writer, mystic, occultist, and ceremonial magician. The word ...

and

Tibetan Buddhism Tibetan Buddhism (also referred to as Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, Lamaism, Lamaistic Buddhism, Himalayan Buddhism, and Northern Buddhism) is the form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet and Bhutan, where it is the dominant religion. It is also in maj ...

. In 1994, she married the German musician Winter, who has been her musical collaborator since.

Career

Knight's first album, ''Incantation'', was released in 1996, followed by the self-titled ''Pandemonaeon'' debut (2001), ''Temple of Dreams-Live!'' (2003), and her second solo album, ''Song of the Sea'' (2004), which features two duets with Shay Black of the Black Family. Two of Knight's songs from ''Song of the Sea'', "May Morning Dew" and "Song of the Sea", also appear on Sequoia Records' ''Celtic Lounge I'' (2006) and ''Celtic Lounge II'' (2007). The latter also contains a music video for "Song of the Sea. Knight has also collaborated with electronica artist ''Hands Upon Black Earth'' (''Hands Upon Black Earth'', 2004; ''Translucent'', 2009), pagan author

T. Thorn Coyle T. Thorn Coyle (born September 24, 1965)Coyle, T. Thorn. Interview. "Thorn." ''Modern Pagans: An Investigation of Contemporary Pagan Practices.'' By John Sulak and V. Vale. San Francisco: RE/Search Publications, 2002. 62-69. is a Neopagan author an ...

(''Songs for the Waning Year: A Collection of Chants to Celebrate the Dark Time of the Year'', 2008; ''Songs for the Strengthening Sun: A Collection of Chants to Celebrate the Return of the Sun'', 2009). Her third Pandemonaeon album, ''Dangerous Beauty'', was released in 2010. In 2013 Knight released her third solo album, ''Neofolk Romantique'', another blend of original songs and Celtic traditionals. Knight and Winter have been touring nationally since 2010.

Genre and work

Knight's solo work has generally been classified by some retailers as Celtic

new age New Age is a range of spiritual or religious practices and beliefs which rapidly grew in Western society during the early 1970s. Its highly eclectic and unsystematic structure makes a precise definition difficult. Although many scholars consi ...

even though there are many more cross-cultural elements involved in her music. The same is true for her rock/folk metal band, Pandemonaeon, which due to its Middle Eastern and Goth influence, she describes as "music for bellydancers in combat boots." In her Celtic work, Knight is most often compared to

Loreena McKennitt Loreena Isobel Irene McKennitt, (born February 17, 1957) is a Canadian singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and composer who writes, records, and performs world music with Celtic and Middle Eastern influences. McKennitt is known for her ...

and

Stevie Nicks Stephanie Lynn Nicks (born May 26, 1948) is an American singer, songwriter, and producer known for her work with the band Fleetwood Mac and as a solo artist. After starting her career as a duo with her then-boyfriend Lindsey Buckingham, releasi ...

, although her early musical influences are

Planxty Planxty were an Irish folk music band formed in January 1972, consisting initially of Christy Moore (vocals, acoustic guitar, bodhrán), Andy Irvine (vocals, mandolin, mandola, bouzouki, hurdy-gurdy, harmonica), Dónal Lunny (bouzouki, guit ...

Steeleye Span Steeleye Span are a British folk rock band formed in 1969 in England by Fairport Convention bass player Ashley Hutchings and established London folk club duo Tim Hart and Maddy Prior. The band were part of the 1970s British folk revival, and we ...

, Pentangle, and

Fairport Convention Fairport Convention are an English folk rock band, formed in 1967 by guitarists Richard Thompson and Simon Nicol, bassist Ashley Hutchings and drummer Shaun Frater (with Frater replaced by Martin Lamble after their first gig.) They started ...

Discography

*Flowinglass Music - First of May, ''For Earth and Her People'' (1986) *Morrigan Records - Various Artists, ''Fire & Stone: Pagan Rock Volume 1'' (1999) *Trance Jam Records Sharon Knight, ''Incantation'' (1996)
Pandemonaeon, ''Pandemonaeon'' (2001)
Pandemonaeon, ''Temple of Dreams - Live!'' (2003)
Sharon Knight, ''Siren Songs'' (2004)
Sharon Knight, ''Song of the Sea'' (2004)
Sharon Knight & T. Thorn Coyle, ''Songs for the Waning Year: A Collection of Chants to Celebrate the Dark Time of the Year'', (2008)
Sharon Knight & T. Thorn Coyle, ''Songs for the Strengthening Sun: A Collection of Chants to Celebrate the Return of the Sun'', (2009)
Pandemonaeon, ''Dangerous Beauty'' (2010)
Sharon Knight, ''Neofolk Romantique'' (2013)
Sharon Knight, ''Portals'' (2016) *Seqouia Records Various Artists, ''Celtic Lounge I'' (2006)
Various Artists, ''Celtic Lounge II'' (2007) *Cyberset Music - Hands Upon Black Earth, ''Hands Upon Black Earth'' (2004) *Hrair Tanielian - Raven, ''345-S'' (2008) *Asizazoon Music - Hands Upon Black Earth, ''Translucent'' (2009) *Banshee Records - Various Artists, ''The Best of Pagan Folk 2'' (2012)

Videos

''Song of the Sea'' (El Mundo Bueno Studios, 2007)
'' Stretched on Your Grave'' (El Mundo Bueno Studios, 2009)

Other

''Cry For the Forest'' (Earthfilms, 1998, a short film about Julia Butterfly's Luna tree-sit, soundtrack use)
''Dark Imaginations'' (Anaar, 2008, bellydance instructional DVD, soundtrack contribution)
''Beatific Vision'' (Sountru, 2008, feature film, DVD, soundtrack contribution)
''The Commune'' (Elisabeth Fies, 2009, feature film, DVD, soundtrack contribution)

References

External links

Official website

Pandemonaeon.net
{{DEFAULTSORT:Knight, Sharon American modern pagans 1966 births Living people American women composers Feri Tradition 21st-century American composers American women singers Performers of modern pagan music 21st-century American women musicians 21st-century women composers