Knockturne
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Knockturne

Band Alternative Acoustic

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Press


"Five bands to perform today at Tri-High Ruckus"

...Today, Thursday, May 1, the Tri-High Ruckus will feature five bands -- two from each Stevenson and Churchill and one from Franklin. They are Thoughts from a Padded Room, Life Without Us, One Remains, Rising Saint and Knockturne... - Observer & Eccentric


"Schools Today"

...More than 100 elementary and high school students entered a contest last November to have their music selected for the Michigan Honors Composition Concert. Twenty compositions were chosen to be performed for music educators from around the state.
Blake Morgan, ad Livonia Churchill junior, was among the winning composers. Morgan's piece, "Against the Ropes," was performed by the band Knockturne at the honors concert. The band is made up of Livonia high school students and features Morgan on vocals and acoustic guitar, Matt Ryan on bass and Teddy Roberts on Drums.
Liddell and Roberts are also juniors at Churchill; Ryan is a sophomore at Livonia Stevenson.
Photo Caption: Knockturne, made up of Livonia high school students, performs "Against the Ropes," a composition by band member Blake Morgan, at the Michigan Music Educators Association conference on Jan. 26th [2008] in Grand Rapids... - Detroit Free Press


"Autumn Bash brings quality local music"

The annual Tri High Autumn Bash, hosted by the Magnet Media Radio and Television Production class, kicked off this year at Churchill High School and brought a great atmosphere along with it.
...Fourth in line was Knockturne, a definite crowd favorite at the Bash. Knockturne is comprised of lead singer, guitarist, and keyboardist Blake Morgan, lead guitarist and backup vocalist Graham Liddell, drummer Teddy Roberts and bassist Matt Ryan, with all but Ryan from Churchill.
"Our sound is exciting, creative and filled with emotion," Morgan said. "We range from jazz to alternative rock, but our true love lies in the Latin grooves."
...Although there was no official winner at the Autumn bash, the two bands I felt got the best crowd reaction were Knockturne and Rising Saint. Overall, it was a good night that provided a fun environment for fans and a creative outlet for the bands. - Observer & Eccentric


"Reflecting well on Livonia schools"

Several Livonia Public Schools students were honored April 21 [2007] at the Michigan PTSA Reflections Awards ceremony at Walled Lake Central High School.
Students at the state level competed for three awards of excellence and three awards of merit in each category for each age division. One entry from each category is selected to advance to the national competition.
Students honored at the state level from Livonia Public Schools were:
...Blake Morgan, Stevenson -- Award of Excellence, Music, Senior Division.
Picture Caption-- Blake Morgan, center, performs his musical composition "Autumn Mist" at the Reflections Awards Ceremony April 21 [2007]... Blake and Daniel Fairbanks were selected to represent Michigan at the National PTA Convention in St. Louis in June.

- Detroit Free Press


"Garage bands"

...Young up-and-coming bands like Knockturne are always looking for venues to showcase their talent.
...Although Chris, 19, isn't playing this year because he's between bands, Petersmark did reach dozens of 16- to 24-year-olds like Liddell, who writes Knockturne's originals with band mate Blake Morgan.
The two have been friends since seventh grade at Riley Middle School where they discovered both were really into music and started playing it together. By 2005 they were recording in local coffee houses. At the time they had an acoustic sound but wanted to go electric so they added Teddy Roberts on durms and Matt Ryan on bass.
..."As a genre, Knockturne's alternative," said Liddell, 17, of Livonia. "We try to associate different styles of music into it; we really like jazz and Latin music. We try to merge different genres into alternative sounds. Our lyrics come out of experiences we've had, like feeling hopeless and coming out of that."
..."Why Knockturne? We thought it sounded cool," said Liddell. "Then we found this verse 'knock and the door will be opened, seek and you will find.' It's like turning the door knob into a new life. Music is a representation of our lives."
..."Music is our passion. We love playing shows. We're excited to be playing with Shirock from Nashville, Search the City on a different night, Never Turn Back which is now MePlusYou. It's an oppurtunity for local bands to com out and anybody who is into this kind of music. It gives us an audience and also gives us a stage."
- Observer & Eccentric


"High schoolers urge young artists to 'stick with it'"

These days, you might say, "Wow!" at Veronica Allen's photos, Dan Fairbanks paintings or Blake Morgan's songs. They're all award-winning artists.
...Morgan, a senior from Churchill High School, has been entering Reflections, the national PTA art program, since he was in kindergarten. A budding musician, he used to carry a little tape recorder.
"Stick with it," he told the young artists. "A lot of people give up."
It doesn't matter if you don't get an award, he said. In fourth grade, Morgan was proud of a song he entered in Reflections, but it didn't win anything.
"As long as you like it, it doesn't matter what anybody thinks of it," Morgan said.
- Observer & Eccentric


Discography

Autumn Mist EP: Summer 2006

Down in the Dirt: April 2009
Track 5, "I Remember Your Smile" is the 2009 Churchill High School's Class Song.

Photos

Bio

Knockturne:
Blake Morgan and Graham Liddell began playing together as middle school students in 2002. Their first acoustic band, Silhouette, played a few shows together and then disbanded as the members moved on to different high schools.
Over the next year, Blake and Graham spent time studying music theory and developing their technique. They broke off into separate bands, Blake playing in a jazz band and Graham in a classic rock band with friends.
In 2005, Blake and Graham began playing together again as an acoustic duo called Knockturne. They became well know for their performances at local coffee shops such as The Foggy Bottom, Java Jim’s and The Plymouth Coffee Bean.
Knockturne added a bassist and drummer in 2007. That same year Blake wrote the song “Autumn Mist” which won first place in the Michigan PTA Reflections program and an award of merit at the National competition. Knockturne performed this song live at the award celebration. In 2008, another piece Blake composed, “Against the Ropes” won a spot on the Michigan Music Educators Honors Composition Concert. Knockturne performed this song in Grand Rapids for music educators from across the state.
In 2009, “I Remember Your Smile”, a song from Knockturne’s first record (to be released in Mid March) was chosen as the Winston Churchill High School’s official class song (Blake and Graham’s school). This was a tremendous honor to the duo and because of it, Knockturne gained a sudden burst of publicity and popularity in the Detroit area. Acoustic performances of “I Remember Your Smile” as well as the Knockturne “Viary” (Video Diary) can be found on Youtube.
Knockturne’s lyrics are reflective of the joys, struggles, doubts and experiences young adults face. Their music is appropriate and enjoyed by people of all ages and backgrounds.
The name "Knockturne" comes from the Bible verse Matthew 7:8. "For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened." We feel strongly that hope is only a knock and a turn of a handle away. Our first album, "Down in the Dirt" (to be released in March) extends this metaphor further. We, as humans, often find ourselves digging a lot - whether we are digging for truth, or digging a hole deeper and deeper into our failure. For all humans (our audience) the truth is, we can't dig ourselves back out. It takes someone else. Salvation comes with a way out - a knock. We want to encourage everyone, christian or non-christian, to continue to keep asking, seeking, and knocking. The failures will rise, redemption is coming. For us, Knockturne is about spreading truth, love, and unity. We are extremely drawn to the unity that comes with a concert. We enjoy the feeling of singing along to the same words with people we've never met, or feeling and hearing the same overtone of hope - together - unified. We feel that these moments are a glimpse of heaven on earth. These moments - when heaven collides with earth - is a huge part of why we create music. Thanks for reading about our purpose and message as a band. We hope you will join Knockturne, and many others, in being a part of something bigger than ourselves.