Music Interview: Mary Knoblock

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Photo: Mary Knoblock

We were lucky enough to catch up with Portland-based musician Mary Knoblock following the stunning release of the alt-pop single, Excuse Me While I Go Fall in Love. Enjoy our full interview below!

Hi Mary, tell us about yourself.

Sure! I’m an Avante Garde artist, Neo-Classical composer, poet, and singer-songwriter who has created art my whole life, starting as a painter. I walked into the music industry in 2016, soon after supported by various record labels and distributors who helped me open doors to start Produced by a Girl.

I’ve been quietly composing an opus of over 30 neo-classical, electronic, avante-garde albums since 2016. My music is both ethereal and unyielding, emerging from the shadows of tradition and embodying a relentless pursuit of sound that exists beyond the ordinary.

My compositions unravel as narratives of the unseen, each album a chapter in my ever-evolving journey. My music is a deeply spiritual art and conduit of invocation—crafted for those ready to immerse themselves in a bit of an otherworldly space sonically.

Lastly, I’m the CEO and Founder of Produced by a Girl, Produced by a Girl Records and Aurally Records, quietly building my legacy in the music industry, creating safe spaces for musicians on my labels and platform.

What is your songwriting process?

It varies widely. Sometimes a word will inspire a song, and I’ll write it over a few months. Other times, actual experiences prompt a song. On rare occasions, I’ll have a download of a story about individuals in a song and a certain time period who have a story they want to tell, and I’ll capture that in writing, like Dance Card June. Definitely wrote that one for June.

However, I really weave together a lot of different storylines over the course of the albums and add in allegorically inspired poetry. It’s a complex space but one I really embrace.

Tell us about your brilliant latest release, ‘Excuse Me While I Go Fall in Love?’

Thank you so much. That’s really kind of you. It’s a letter to my fans, “the dreamers”, after Halo, while at the same time a story that interweaves about falling in love, while a third layer describes the entering and exiting of different portals that connect the various storylines.

Sonically, it’s probably the first out of 300 songs that achieves an accessible point of listening for a wider audience that sort of commands avante-garde elements to run alongside UK Garage, EDM, House, Dream Pop, and a bit of Trap Club rave music, all in one. Somehow it worked, but in a strange way.

The vocals had to be carefully done to not overpower the music, which is a bit opposite from traditional composition for indie music and was approached more like Neo-Classical composition techniques. It was really an alchemist experience, which is rare, and I am just grateful it worked.

‘Excuse Me While I Go Fall in Love?’ blends neo-classical elements with avant-garde experimentation; how did you arrive at this cross-genre sound?

I’ve been influenced by classical music since a child, and with a love of all types of music, I suppose it’s just naturally evolved and evolving. It’s hard to explain, but as a fine artist, I was always encouraged to find my artistic voice at a very young age.

So it’s just sort of a habit to develop a sound and style that resonates strongly with me. I find classical compositions incredibly challenging to track with vocals, so that’s part of the journey: working around complex sonic spaces and making them work with songwriting. It’s definitely not easy, and you can leave a lot of listeners behind as the work becomes quickly inaccessible.

For example, I was widely accepted by classical musicians for my early work before the indie community accepted me. It just took me 7 years to finally learn how to make neo-classical avante-garde accessible. There are a few other artists who have similar approaches I pick up on, and I’ll say it’s a bit niche and left field, but that’s ok. We have to push boundaries in music. Art deserves to be explored beyond the known. True artists do this!

You’re based in Portland, Oregon. What’s the live music scene like there in 2024?

We have a really great, intimate live music scene in Portland. I’ll get to see GY!BE next year. They hardly tour. But they’re coming to Portland, you know? That’s pretty epic. On average, there are at least five shows I want to see a month on an ongoing basis. The music scene has grown too. It’s definitely a great city to catch up on upcoming indies, too.

What message do you think your music conveys to your fans?

Most likely, it’s ok to explore the depths of your emotions at a deeper level than you’re used to and have an experience in a song that really helps you confront some of those darker emotional spaces or feel the lighter, upbeat messages in a more vulnerable state. It’s ok to be emo basically.

Who are your musical influences?

Right now, for my next album, I’d say Alfonso Pudoto, Spiritualized, Bjorke, Grimes, GY!BE, Nicolas Jaar, The Caretaker, Jacob Collier, Tori Amos, and a lot of UK bands at the moment. I’m definitely captivated more and more by the left-field artists and their solo projects, too. The list changes often, but these are the most recent.

Who are your non-musical influences?

All the Contemporary Painters, Jane Austen, Nayyirah Waheed, Rupi Kaur, Mary Oliver, Ocean Vuong, Yrsa Daley-Ward and so many more.

What scares you most when releasing music?

I suppose when you’ve released a couple of projects people resonate with, there’s always a bit of fretting around. Will they love the next project as much? Will it connect with the dreamers? Add in artist existentialism questions of creating for the viewer or the artist. It’s a journey. But I will say that being an artist since I was a young child, I’ve never really had a big fear of acceptance in art, as I learned that at least one person in the world would love your painting, and that’s all that matters. Like I probably approach music that way, too, so it reduces the fear a bit.

What do you think are the biggest obstacles for bands/artists today?

Standing out in a sea of media channels everywhere with thousands of new songs being released daily and growing your audience from there who will choose you out of a million other artists to support alongside their favourite artists.

What advice would you give to other bands/artists starting out?

Find your natural, unique voice and style early on in your career and build that authenticity on a firm base of your artistic identity. It’s ok to experiment. If you stay an indie, make your mark and your legacy with your sound. If you’re in a label, learn to advocate for your artistic voice and direction while learning the business of music. And so much more. We have workshops at Produced by a Girl for artists who want to find their Artist voice and artistry at a more profound level to help them gain confidence.

What are your hopes for the next two years?

To create really beautiful music that millions of listeners can enjoy. It’s a humbling experience to be the oddball or misfit in avante-garde, neo-classical land. There are more hills to climb to find your listener base. But I’ll make music regardless for the dreamers who appreciate my music forever.

I’d also love to do a few shows in the Portland area to start. And finally, to be a stronger songwriter. That’s the beauty of the music industry; there’s so much to explore, do, and create. It is a beautiful space, music. Thanks for this interview! I really loved connecting with your readers here. Mary