KnightressM1
Interview conducted April 05, 2021/ updated 03/22/2022
By Dan Locke
Emily Palen, founder and front of Oakland’s galactic hard rock power trio ~ KnightressM1 ~ fell in love with the violin early and found her start at age 4 under the tutelage of her mother, a professional cellist and violin/cello teacher. Emily studied classical violin and piano seriously through college, and then moved to California to forge an independent path and split from the classical structure of music. Melding the heart-opening harmonic and rhythmic complexities of her classical training along with her incessant drive and love of hard rock, she finds a raw, authentic and original approach towards rock music.
| Bay Area hard rock / prog / metal duo OTHERED presents their debut single ‘Journey To The Edge’, the first taste of their first album ‘Othered Vol. 1’ (out April 15). This duo of Henry Austin Lannan and Emily Palen (a.k.a. KNIGHTRESSM1) weaves doom, metal and psychedelic prog–rock throughout their music. |
What is your upbringing?
I was born and raised in Midland, Michigan. My parents are John and Lois Palen. My mother is a cellist, also a violin and cello teacher. My father is a retired environmental journalist and a lifelong poet. I have three siblings and started playing violin when I was 4. My mother was my first teacher.
How did you discover music?
I grew up in a musical household. My mother always had students over for lessons, so I heard music everyday. She taught Suzuki and traditional methods so I heard all of that early repertoire when I was just a baby. My older sister is a professional violinist and was also practicing all the time so I heard that violin literature and just fell in love with that sound. I begged and begged my mom to play but I was too young. There was a tiny violin in their armoire and I would always fetch it out of there. Finally when I was 4 she said, “Ok. Let’s go.” She taught me for many years after which I studied with Michael Avsharian most prominently and Paul Kantor at the University of Michigan School of Music. I also studied piano from the age of 5.
How did you start to write music?
I began to play my own style in high school but really broke from the classical track when I was 19. I began improvising, eventually playing with different rock bands in the bay area. I also was doing a lot of improv violin performing and sound healing, getting into the energy work aspect of music. Music and the connection to our consciousness is so interesting and powerful to me. I started KnightressM1 in 2011, after I quit all my side projects. This is when I really dove into being a frontperson and singing. I took the reins and haven’t looked back.
How did you get your first violin, and do you still have it?
It was that violin in that armoire. We had a lot of little violins in the house, for my mother’s students and also from Ann, my sister. I don’t know if it was an 1/8th or a ¼ size. However I did learn how to hold the violin first with a makeshift violin from a cereal box with a ruler taped on top. It’s a less fragile way to start learning in the beginning. You can’t break the cereal box. I believe my mom still has that violin yes. We also have violins that have been handed down generations within our family so it might have been one of those. The violins I have now are both actually violins that my sister played so I feel really lucky to be able to play those.
What is your violin of choice now? Year, make and model?
I have a beautiful violin I play for classical. Make and model isn’t so much important with violins, I won’t get into that. It’s really about the tone, the body, all those incredibly subtle aspects of the instrument. I also play a different violin for the band. I use a violin for that, which is still an acoustic instrument. I really can’t stand electric violins. We’ll see if I can find one that works and has the same rich tone that my acoustic violin has but to date, I haven’t played one that matches. So, I use that violin, it won’t be an absolute crushing tragedy if something happens to it in a chaotic venue setting. I use a Biggs bridge-embedded pickup and play an Engl Special Edition amp as well as through a Kemper Powerhead.
Do you have any collectible violin?
Both of my violins are very special to me and are great instruments. I think that in this way violins and their craftmanship and value are a bit different than guitars. It’s just a different type of instrument and a different way of talking about them I suppose.
How did you get your stage name?
KnightressM1 was a name that came to me after a long time of trying to think of something original. I wanted something that referred to light, as in our consciousness, my galactic connection that also had a fierce edge to it. Something that embodied a sort of polarity of our ephemeral human nature and also the eternal depth and reach of our spirit. I believe that the consciousness of KnightressM1 actually came through to me from a more expanded consciousness, perhaps in the collective. She is a galactic superhero avatar that has come to Earth to restore justice, truth and peace. There are many Knightress’ in the universe so M1 is her code. M for Emily, and 1 for unity. There are also some other mysterious connections to M1 ~ there is a Messier object named M1. It’s also cropped up in other names so it’s interesting to me where these ideas come from. I know when to follow them but they don’t necessarily originate from my human mind.
Describe your music.
Music is life to me. KnightressM1 is the embodiment of that. Very intense, raw emotions, confrontational to corruption, lies and manipulation in our current culture. I’m very stubborn in the sense of being completely true. I won’t compromise that in any way. There’s also a constant thread of that classical beauty and foundation woven through so the timing, the harmonies, the stylings are different than if a guitar player were writing the songs. I love that we get to push the boundaries absolutely. The sound has also evolved since I was writing for Dreams and Devastation, the debut album we put out September 2020. It’s gotten much more aggressive and intense, and also more vulnerable. I love the journey of being an original songwriter because you can always evolve along with yourself and with the world at hand. There’s so much at stake right now in our world as well so I’m really trying to dive into that and have the music match up to that intensity.
Are you KnightressM1 or is she you?
Both. If you had a superhero self, who would that be? Why are we not that superhero in life everyday? Her superpower too is empathy. It’s not to fly or to breathe underwater. The superpowers we need right now is to be able to break the slumber that a lot of people are in. To come alive and to fight for each other and the planet. We have to wake up and remember who we are as humans. So it’s ironic. In this journey with KnightressM1, with the music and the band, I’ve become more her, but also more human. In that synergy, bringing down our ancient star wisdom perhaps, maybe we become better at being in this world and the more we care about it. Humans are beautiful. Empathy, it’s not something everyone has but if everyone did we would have a very different world.
What was your first performance at like?
I probably played Twinkle Twinkle Little Star with my mom on the piano in a dress she made for me. I don’t remember. I was so young. I will say though, performing in recitals from a young age, performing feels like a natural state. Not something to be afraid of.
Royalties never appear like magic. Royalties are only sent to you through work undertaken by a PRO to ensure that their members are getting paid. If you’re not yet signed up to a Performing Right Organization like ASCAP, BMI or SESAC, you may not be receiving all the royalties you deserve.
Do you belong to any to songwriters’ organizations like the International singer-songwriter association, SESAC, BMI or ASCAP ?
I do belong. I always forget which one, but I’m squared away and yes, it’s incredibly important to take care of our rights as songwriters.
What was the title of your first original song? Did you record it?
This is a hard one to remember. I was writing songs both on violin and piano and honestly, I don’t remember the first one. I would really have to dig through my memory bank for that.
What is the process of writing your music?
It depends on how I’m feeling and what my setting is. If I’m with my amp and can be loud I write violin rifs first, settle into something and then either write lyrics on the spot or pull from a book of lyrics I’ve already written. I’ll get sets of lyrics that I need to write a lot of times especially if I’m working out, in the gym or just going through something intense in my mind. I write those down and usually later, when I’m with my instrument and have the body and structure of a new song one of those sets of lyrics will fit perfectly. Another way I write is with piano and synth based music. That’s a totally different expression and one where I dive into either a vulnerable love-based space, or a song that’s from outer space or just straight up house tracks. I love the richness of sound you can get with synths and the different vocal style that inspires. There’s just so much to work with and I like to leave all of those avenues open to explore. The electronica music I’ll produce fully though in the box, all the sounds, no band. I’ll set some violin in there but it’s very heavy synth based with more sung vocals. The band setting is pretty aggressive now, and I love writing with my drummer and bassist and just pushing it as far as we can go.
15 years ago you were one of the Top 15 Finalists for the My Grammy Moment Competition. In which you played Foo Fighters:The Pretender. Then a few years later you were sharing the stage with them at The Red Rock. Tell me about that day at Red Rock?
That was an incredible experience. I’m very grateful to Dave Grohl for opening up that opportunity to me and also for inviting me to record my albums at his studio. He is a person who has created opportunity for himself, he’s worked his ass off harder than most anyone and is fiercely talented. I take a lot of inspiration from him and to be able to play with them in that setting was amazing. I continue to learn a lot from those moments.
Tell me about your debut album “Dreams and Devastation”?
Dreams and Devastation is a 12 song concept album I recorded at Studio 606 which is the Foo Fighter home studio. John “Lou” Lousteau engineered and co-produced the album. Rob Ahlers played drums and Uriah Duffy played bass. The album conceptually is focused around issues of awakening, spiritual growth and perseverance and also this sense of foreboding I had that humanity is up against a very crucial battle. We were on the cusp of a great change when I was writing this album and so a lot of the themes are around having the strength to face our own pain, our own traumas and delusions so we can come together and get through this collective shift that is happening. There was this constant knowing that one would be wise to get their emotional shit together, that there was no time to waste. Now, with the world in the state it’s in it’s pretty astounding to actually release the album during this war on consciousness which I see playing out now.Experientially, making this album was my favorite thing in the whole wide world. Lou was incredible to work with. The studio is absolutely amazing. I felt at home and also just being in the studio from morning til night, no bullshit, nothing except music, that is the best. I thrive in that space. Rob and Uriah were incredible on this album. They both are limitless musicians and brought irreplaceable magic to the songs. We really worked each song through, broke them down and open to bring out the magic in each one and Lou was indispensable in that process. I’m a hardcore perfectionist so he was good to help calm me down. He taught me how to really trust the music and let it breathe. I also trust his ear implicitly and up until that point I’d never let anyone into those songs in that way. I was careful to keep my sound true to what I wanted it to be, needing to put violin at the front of a rock band in a way that doesn’t suck. It was a journey. But getting to work with someone who has not only the best energy in the studio but who’s worked with the best musicians in the industry, I implicitly trust him. We released this record in September of 2020 and it’s been great to have it live and breathe in the world.
How did you pick the people for the recording of the album?
Rob Ahlers was the drummer for KnightressM1 since its inception. He’s a natural fit for that music and brings this electric, razor-sharp rhythmic intensity and also pushes the energy of each song to it’s ultimate level and then beyond. He doesn’t hold back. Uriah Duffy is a phenomenal bassist, well known with a pretty hefty resume and when he agreed to do the record I was thrilled. The three of us rehearsed and prepped the songs, and then headed down. We tracked bass and drums to tape and they nailed it. 12 songs in I believe three days. They’re unbelievable. Then we broke into the violin layers and everything else. Lou invited Mick Murphy to play guitar on a few tracks and watching him lay down the perfect feel to these songs, in an instant, was great. He ripped a solo in the end of “Polarity Integrate” that fulfilled all of my Ozzy Osborne love ballad fantasies. Lou also did a ton of background vocals with me and percussion. I couldn’t have asked for a better crew.
Tell me about the making of your first single “Butterfly”, from your album?
“Butterfly” was actually the third single and the end of a trilogy of stories we did in video. “Polarity Integrate” came out first, with a color-symbolized video dealing with the theme of getting free from bondage and reclaiming our wings ~ bringing color into a black and white world. “Lock & Key” was the second single, that video was a game of checkers with Death. Ultimately fun to make. “Butterfly” was the third and most emotionally intense of the videos to make. We had filmed all three of these videos, mind you, in one day. Shena van Spronsen was my main partner in all of this. She’s an incredibly talented videographer and editor. So I planned the storylines, prepped the props, got the team assembled and with a fantastic crew of people we pulled off that shoot. The footage for Butterfly that we shot that day was the Queen footage and once we got to editing we needed to flush the story line out a bit more. My friend Nick, also an amazing videographer went out into nature with me and we got all that landscape footage. By this time I was less concerned with the dramatics and wanted to catch a more emotionally vulnerable feel so we went with a natural vibe. We went up into the easy bay hills, over to a beach in Marin and then did a whole series of running shots. He is a pretty quick runner to so those days were no joke. He chased me for hours, sprinting through the hills with his gimble. I was impressed. The most powerful and sad aspect of “Butterfly” though was the loss of my brother John during the time we were getting this footage. So we’re on deadline. I’m exhausted both physically and emotionally from producing the album, finishing the videos, putting out the two singles and then we just didn’t have the footage. We had to keep going. Running. Literally, Shena called me and said, “You just have to run, a lot”. In the middle of this I hear the news that my estranged brother died and it was really intense. The song in the album “Minutes” is written about him and because of the complex nature of our relationship, things I won’t go into, he never heard any of it and I never got to tell him I loved him or goodbye. So the footage on the beach, is very real. That was shot the day or two after I heard he had passed. I just decided to put that reality into the video because essentially, the album is about my life as well, beyond the macro storyline, it’s about the pain, the loss, all of it. So I dedicated the “Butterfly” video to John.
What is your favorite track on your album?
I think “Lock & Key” is my remaining favorite. I of course loved each track and they were all my favorite when we were working on that particular song. After it’s release though and letting things settle I think that “Lock & Key” is my favorite. “Gates of Dawn” and “Minutes” are also up there. On the more star-side, that other aspect of the music “Zero Point” and “Stars From My Sky” express that side of KnightressM1 really well.
What are you’re feeling about streaming music?
I think the CEO’s of the big players in that game make a lot of money and musicians don’t make any. They’re turning it into a valueless playing field so musicians just have to keep doing what they’ve always done. Stay incredibly true to who you are and excel. I think it’s an incredibly fucked up industry though. We live in a heavily corrupted world, where in every industry, the lowest common denominator wins and the players at the top take everything and run. They give nothing back to the people who make them money and I doubt if they could write a hook to save their fucking life. I’m tired of artists starving and having to justify their existence, their dreams and aspirations. We need to flip the script.
The symbol # is known as the number sign, hash, pound sign and a sharp sign in music. The symbol has historically been used for a wide range of purposes Since 2007, widespread usage of the symbol to introduce metadata tags on social media platforms has led to such tags being known as “hashtags”, and from that, the symbol itself is sometimes called a hashtag.
Are people forgetting that the # is a part of music?
Not if you’re a musician. If you’re not a musician or if you cut and paste maybe a sharp sign will mean nothing to you.
Digital vs. vinyl?
Vinyl.
What song from the past is in your mind right now? Moreover, what is the meaning that song means to you?
That’s a great question. I’ve been listening to a lot of great current bands so that’s what’s in my mind the most actually. I was practicing “Malfire” by Refused today. I love them as a band, musically and politically. Tool was a heavy influence back in the day. Opiate. Always rings true.
What did you mean “Let the water wash over your What the light can’t mend”?
With this line I was speaking to pain that doesn’t ever heal, injustices so great they can never be righted. Losses that will never be restored. Grief.Our world is so full of that pain and we refuse to look at it. The water to me meant a depth of surrender, a larger consciousness, a sort of washing through of what can never be recovered. Back when I wrote Dreams and Devastation I was more hopeful perhaps that we could go into the lighter aspects of ourselves and save ourselves. Now, I’ve seen such depravity of the human soul that I don’t know if those people even want to become kind people. Perhaps not and the rest of us just have to do our best to make the world a livable place anyways. Also, interestingly enough the theme of water has been huge lately with the release of Seaspiracy. It’s like the beings and the living entity of water itself is coming up to be heard, asking for us to stop killing it. That documentary is incredibly powerful and important and I highly recommend that you watch it. Personally the line is about, losing a love that will never be. There’s no way to fix that other than surrender and let go. You don’t stop the love, you don’t hate the person, you let the love be and you let go.
If “Video Killed the Radio Star” do you think that the Covid-19 virus has killed live music? Do you feel the Covid-19 virus going to affect the music business in the future?
God this is a really awful subject. It’s been crushing for the music industry, and I genuinely fear for the future of music. I fear for our independence as humans, especially in the United States and I fear for the vitality of the music industry. Also you can’t fit the energy of a metal show through a screen. Architects did an amazing livestream from Albert Hall. That was incredible. I understand the financial necessity of livestreaming but it will never ever compare to the life-changing experience of live music. I am hoping that musicians on the whole maintain a sense of autonomy moving forward. I feel it is crucial. Crucial more than I could ever express in words. We would be wise to ask a lot of questions right now.
What have you been doing with your self-quarantine?
I wrote another album. I worked out every morning. I released Dreams and Devastation, made videos, made plans to move out of the states. I did everything I could to stay vital, in creativity and to not go mad with the massive gaslighting campaign happening. It’s honestly been a huge filtering experience to me. It’s time to make some choices and those have become clear. I also worked really closely with Shauna McLarnon of Shameless Promotion PR
to build the audience worldwide for KnightressM1 and she’s been such an important piece for us moving forward.
How do you stay healthy during the lockdown?
I have a great trainer that I got just in the nick of time. I work with Reuben Shamlou who runs GoTrain Fitness out of the UK. I signed up with him to get in shape for what I thought would be a summer European tour. He specializes in working with touring musicians and getting them prepped and ready to stay healthy on the road. Then everything came screeching to a halt. He’s kept me in good stead with at home workouts, lots of accountability around nutrition and keeping my self-care in balance.
I also started boxing which I love. I spend a lot of time with my two cats who are my best friends, and I look for the truth and the hope in the world. I look to reorient my mental state around people who are able to question the status quo. I definitely don’t just go along with whatever the authorities tell me. I don’t know everything but I do know that the authorities in government and corporate health and media do not give a fuck about us so I dig for more resources to figure out what’s really going on. I keep an open mind, think for myself.
Have you discovered or rediscovered any new hobbies?
Boxing, which was surprising to me. I love it. I’m learning French which is hard for me but important. It’s funny because I don’t do a lot of things other than music. I’m really busy and don’t have the luxury of a lot of time to waste.
Many artists are doing nightly concerts over either YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. In October that is going to change at least on Facebook. Facebook is cracking down on livestreamed shows that include recorded music with new terms of service, preventing artists from using the platform for “commercial or non-personal” purposes, unless they have obtained the relevant licenses.
The updated music guidelines state that users “may not use videos on our products [which include Instagram] to create a music listening experience […] This will includes [Facebook] Live,” and stipulates that such content should be posted for the enjoyment of friends and family only.
How do you think this will change the landscape of Facebook?
Facebook is increasingly a fascist organization, and it feels like a very “dead” zone. Not a lot of human spirit in there. That’s a huge slam to musicians, that new rule and they know that musicians need to livestream to replace lost income. I hate what Facebook does not only with their fascist and dishonest “fact-checking” censorship but this, this is a hostile move towards artists. Zuckerberg is one of those humans who has no empathy. I would love it if we didn’t need Facebook. I would log off permanently. I’m so sick of the tech giants. Hopefully enough people will be able to move to other platforms that are open source that we can move off of these tyrant platforms altogether. Fuck Facebook. That’s how I feel. I hate that company; I viscerally hate what they have done to humanity.
How can bands keep their fans if they cannot play live in front of the fans and sell merchandise to them at the show?
I have seen a lot of musicians connect with new friends worldwide just through being friendly online. It’s actually really great! Through all of the darkness of this year, there is a tremendous light coming through. People genuinely want to connect so I feel that this year has actually levelled the playing field in that we are all human. No one is above anyone else so people who come from that perspective have been connecting in whatever way they can just because we need it as humans to survive and to thrive. I think it’s an instinct that a lot of folks have to preserve the music and support each other. It’s a beautiful thing to see. So logistically people can do it any number of ways through any number of online outlets, but it really comes down to person to person connection, being real, being respectful and supportive.
Is pay to play still a thing?
Now pay to play also means thinks like playlist on the internet and opening slots for a major band on tour.
I’ve recently heard about paying to play for tours and I find it odd. I don’t know how much of a thing it is really. I want to go on tour with bands who I’m friends with! There’s definitely pay to play playlists all over the place online. Everyone is in PR now, it’s pretty funny. And you just buy your following. It’s boring. Make something that matters!! It’s just sad what the concept of money does to us. Chase the dream, not the dollars.
What about Holographic concerts in our living room?
Nope.
Governments around the world are hearing the call of thousands of music creators and included protections for the music community in the omnibus bill. In addition to extended and improved unemployment benefits and small business loans for freelance creators, the package includes several bills which the Recording Academy, its members, and the larger music community advocated for. From the Save Our Stages Act, provided a lifeline to performance venues and promoters, to the CASE Act, which creates an avenue for smaller creators to defend their copyrighted works, Congress has ensured that both music creators and those who act behind the scenes to bring music to life are given the support they need during this difficult time.” Do you think this will save music venues?
I really don’t know. I would love to see the stats on who got relief and how deep that relief went into the community of actual working musicians. They need all the help they can get but I don’t know if this will save them. So many have already closed and it really hits the small venues first which then hits the up and coming bands. It’s like the food chain in the ocean, you start taking out one of the links and it all goes down. Also, in these local venues, it’s usually a couple of people that own the venue and they are doing whatever they can to save their business. It’s definitely a very real struggle and I don’t know what our government really expected to happen. We already don’t really revere the arts in this country culturally. People do but our institutions don’t. Now with this Covid debacle, I don’t think the majority of the people in government for one care about the arts. They don’t even care about getting Flint clean water let alone the musical culture of America. Two, they do not understand what it is like having to live dollar to dollar, having nothing. Which, is what happened to a lot of musicians. You can’t forbid people from working and then give them pennies and expect them to survive. It’s pathetic how this country has fumbled in taking care of it’s own. Also, opera companies across the country have just closed. No health care. No pay. Nothing. But if people don’t have music to move their soul, they will be more obedient so it really works out for them in the end.
In the past if a musician stop doing music they find a new career. For example David Lee Roth from Van Halen became a licensed EMT in NY for 6 years, San Spitz (guitarist for Anthrax) became a master watchmaker, Dee Snider (Twister Sister) voice over work for SpongeBob SquarePants.. If you can’t do music what would you like to be doing?
I have no viable alternative to music. Nothing that matches that. However if I was unable to for some catastrophic reason I would team up with some people doing real, core activism. I’m really moved by what Gojira has done with their Amazonia project helping the Indigenous heal their homeland in the Amazon. Also the work of Sea Sheperd is pretty crucial. Anything where I can make a real difference.
What is your happy place?
Stage. Studio.
Alot of musicians such as Stevie Nicks, Bob Dylan, Taylor Swift, Journey, Def Leppard, and Shakira have sold their catalog rights within the last year. Bob Dylan sold his entire catalog for a reported $300 million. Once you get to the age of about 70. Publishing is far more lucrative then the mechanical royalties paid to artist based on sales, airplay and streams. A good example of this is Michael Jackson brought the rights to the Beatles catalog in 1985. And in the late 80’s the Beatles Revolution appeared in a Nike commercial.
The lump sums being offered by publishing firms are more tax friendly concerning estate planning.
Do you think you would be willing to sale your back catalog if someone like Universal is will to buy everything, such as all the rights to all your songs? Another factor is mortality.
If I were as famous to have Universal want to buy my back catalog, I would hope I would have a better opportunity than selling everything to them. No. I wouldn’t sell the rights to my songs to them.
Spotify’s ‘Stream On’ event on Monday (February 22), the company confirmed that more than 60,000 new tracks are now being ingested by its platform every single day. This means people are added new tracks uploaded to its platform every 1.4 seconds.
The figure, announced by Spotify’s co-Head of Music, Jeremy Erlich, means that across the course of this year, approximately 22 million tracks will be added to Spotify’s catalog. Spotify confirmed in November last year that its platform now played host to around 70 million tracks.
Therefore it’s reasonable to assume that, by the end of 2021, SPOT will be home to over 90 million tracks. And that in the early part of next year, it will surpass a catalog of 100 million for the first time.
But still back at the beginning of the year Spotify deleted 750,00 songs, mostly from independent artists. What do you think what that could mean to independent artist?
It’s another corporate slam to artists. Spotify has a horrible track record with disrespecting where they get their content from. I know it’s been really devastating to a lot of artists who had their music deleted. It’s a mess. They are not in the business of music. They are in the business of profit at the expense of others and music just happens to be their method of exploitation.
Sony Music in November and Warner Music Group in December, The ByteDance-owned video app revealed on (February 8) that it has struck an “expanded” global licensing agreement with Universal Music Group. Now that TikTok is now fully licensed by all three major record companies, will you start using TikTok more?
I really hope not.
Back in 2018 Symuelle Alen created a comic art of you. What was your super power. And did it ever become a comicbook?
I still want to make this comic book and hopefully I’ll have the time to bring that into being. My superpower would be to restore the lost empathy in others.
Anything you would like to say in closing.
Thanks for having me and stay tuned for some new singles from KnightressM1 coming out soon!
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