Mary Knoblock “Mustang Runners”
Mary Knoblock is a bit of a mystery in the avant garde scene. For one, she brings something quite unexpected aside from the experimentation of genres and form. “Mustang Runners” is about the experience of walking alongside a friend, who’s in critical condition, but it has less to do what what we know rather what we don’t. Heartache, pain, tragedy, joy, death and life becomes intertwined together in the four walls of a hospital—“Mustang Runners” is at the crossing. There are simply so much that come through the blend of sonics, in the form of electronics, pop, classical and even goth. Like the flashing of life, Knoblock’s intricate, hypnotic sonic loops and illusive soundscapes trigger a string of imageries.
“Mustang Runners” sees a deeply stirring way of fragmentation and repetition in relationship to the motion of running and meeting one’s destiny. Contemplation deepens through angelic yet otherwise vague vocals. It leaves an impression as well as the storytelling itself. And the voice simply haunts you though no repetition is necessary. And the real fragments that are being repeated as a loop in the song leave no trace in your memory. That’s something strange and amazing that happened in “Mustang Runners.”
The seemingly straightforward song interprets experimentation in an unconventional, even mystical way. You can’t really truly understand what Knoblock did that made “Mustang Runners” so evocative and unforgettable, only that she did. And she elevates you, spiritually, somehow closer to the greater force that many call it god, destiny, or universe. There’s something unexplainable in her music, a phenomenon that can’t be explained by logic. She makes you think about avant garde music in new ways—a form that is essentially about the unknown.
Read our interview with Knoblock and learn more about “Mustang Runners.”
Punk Head: I absolutely love how unique your sound is and how "Mustang Runners" have evokes a spectrum of emotions and imageries that I don't get to be in touch with normally. What draws you to avant garde music in the first place?
Mary Knoblock: Thank you so much Katrina! Wow, I love that it helped you access a spectrum of emotions and images. You know it’s interesting you said that. I have had another friend who swore they saw floating triangles in the sky while listening to another one of my songs. I think it’s the combination of my evocative imagery in the lyrics, combined with the melody that can trigger emotional responses more easily. I didn’t intend for that to happen, but sometimes it just happens with my music and I’ll go even further to share that as an artist from childhood, I would often paint images that evoke strong emotions in adults as well, so I think it’s part of my artistic gifting I get to share with the world.
As an avant garde musician and artist, that means a lot to me. It indicates that I’m connecting with people on a deeper level than a good tune, or great beat would for example. It’s totally normal for me to have people come up to me and share their emotional memories they experienced while listening to a song I composed, and or a piece of art that I had on display. This leads into why I’m an avant garde musician and artist in the first place.
I love exploring boundaries in sound and lyrics, as well as abstract imaging. My editor from London was always very encouraging of my poetry and helped me gain confidence in writing lyrics through poetry so I guess I just found a combination between all three avenues in my creative life that combined really well in “Mustang Runners.” I’m truly touched you liked it and can’t wait to share more in the future. Embrace the responses, is what I tell my fans, let the emotions surface and observe them. It’s healing and I hope my music can help the healing journey for all my fans.
PH: How do you stay inspired and motivated to continue pushing boundaries in your art?
Knoblock: My motivation for creating art throughout my compositions and lyrics for some, drives from a very deep rooted passion to create and express myself in ways I don’t do via normal talking. So a conversation with me as an artist is very different listening to or observing the art I create. And that conversation usually evokes strong emotions in people which I love, so that’s a motivator too, seeing the observer and listener be impacted in a meaningful and profound way for them in their inner worlds. It’s pretty special to me to have that impact as an artist.
The other motivation I have is to bring more evocative music into the world to really help humans process their deeper emotions and have some past memories or feelings resolve while they listen to my music. And to stay inspired? I talk about this a bit in my book, Unblocked - I Saw Light. I go through a process of alchemy with painful experiences and joyous experiences in life and morph those experiences into abstract neo classical works without lyrics, or songs like “Mustang Runner,” and or writing in general. It’s an outlet for me, and that motivation to express is pretty universal so I’m really grateful I can share my experiences in a way that helps others in the artistic experience. At times I’ll walk away for a break from creating and without a doubt, some life experiences will always clamour for my attention to be expressed. The motivation in that case is unending. A gift to share.
PH: How is the music scene in Portland?
Knoblock: It’s pretty eclectic! We have tons of great music venues all over. Crystal Ballroom is pretty iconic. Mississippi Studios, another amazing venue. On any given night you can find all types of music being performed all over the city. I still remember watching Sleater—Kinney in the Crystal Ballroom, front rows, in a small concert hall it’s just a more ideal intimate experience. Portland is so welcoming to all the musicians too. Definitely check it out!
PH: Can you tell us more about you as an artist?
Knoblock: I grew up listening to classical, baroque, the 70’s classic rock bands, jazz and a lot of other genres in music. We also had a ton of music instruments around so I’d be on the piano or listening to my father play the cello and violin and classical guitar while my mother practiced the flute and piano. So growing up in a musical family introduced me to music at a very young age. I also stated painting seriously in my teens. I had been an artist for years before I started music composition and electronic music production. And that helped me a ton, because being a bit of a reclusive painter gave me this internal experience and feeling of expression in art without an audience and hours upon hours alone of creating works of art. This made the switch to avante garde music very easy.
I essentially had this very deep internal artistic world where I could escape totally and just sit down and compose piece after piece of music. And those first albums became a large neo classical diary entry of sorts. It really was this expressive journey of me painting with sound. As my confidence grew more with writing, I returned to singing and composing songs like “Mustang Runners.” My background is very grounded in the Fine Arts, oil painting, drawing, and now being a musician, producer, neo classical composer and songwriter.
PH: What are your plans for promoting this single and connecting with fans?
Knoblock: I’ll be doing some Tik Tok lives for “Mustang Runners,” as well as leading up to my album Emerald Vain which “Mustang Runners” debuts on again when it’s live 9/8. You can catch the single live on all streaming platforms on April 29th. It will also be on some radio stations and a lot of press will be running for it. My book will also talk more about “Mustang Runners” so look for that in the fall as well. Finally, I’d love to have an art/music show and showcase “Mustang Runners” in an art gallery show with some of my art and do a special small performance for my fans, friends and family. Stay tuned on my Spotify for upcoming dates and locations!
