Sisters man wins Americana award

Kolby Knickerbocker is a multi-award-winning Americana singer-songwriter. His music has been featured in television, movies, and ads. Knickerbocker and his family relocated to Bend from the valley in 2017 after his wife grew up vacationing in Bend. Just last year, they decided to move to Sisters to raise their growing children and settle in Sisters Country as a young family.

Knickerbocker has always loved to play music. He moved all over the country when he was young and found songwriting and music to deal with all the life changes.

"I've always been able to predict where a song might go and have always been drawn to music. I didn't grow up playing, but music became a therapy for me," he said.

According to his website: "Regularly having to say goodbye to the friends and people he's loved has been a defining aspect for him. Knickerbocker says, 'Moving a lot can be painful for a young person growing up, finding out who they are. Because of it, my songs are usually tinged with a bit of sadness; I've never written a strictly happy song; they just don't feel right to me.'"

He started his professional musical career early on, releasing his first album with Kitty's Musicbox (2004) as a sophomore in college. He has since released a full-length album, "Red Dust" (2015), and two EPs, "Rodello's Machine" and "Animus" (2012 and 2016), with Nate Donnis of Rodello's Machine. In 2018, he started his solo career as a singer-songwriter and has had upward momentum ever since.

When he moved to the West Coast and began having kids, he broke out, wrote, and recorded his own music. Knickerbocker's music began to take on a life of its own, falling under the Americana genre. "After I began writing and recording my songs, I started submitting them to music competitions, as they can be good praise and give good credibility," he said.

Knickerbocker submitted one of his songs, "Friend Like You," to the inaugural Hollywood Independent Music Awards, which he was invited to attend after being nominated for Best Americana Song. He and his wife, Kristine, attended the event on August 17.

The event felt like a big award show, including a gala-style event with dinner, a red carpet, and photographers.

"I felt like they executed the event well, and it was all about the music, it wasn't overshadowed by fame. The event featured artists from around the globe; I met several artists from Portugal, Spain, Germany, Canada, Turkey, and Switzerland," he said.

Knickerbocker won the award for Best Americana Song.

"It was great to rub elbows with some great singer-songwriters, and it felt like a legitimate win for that song," he said.

Most of Knickerbocker's musical inspiration comes from his wife and kids.

"I write songs for a fun, creative process and have something come to life. I write the types of songs for when my kids are older dealing with heartbreak and all the things life can throw at them; I hope my writings would help them through those times," he said.

Knickerbocker has a nine-to-five job and writes music as a creative outlet. He works for Bend-based company Global Strategies International (GSI) doing market analysis for Fortune 500 companies.

"I write all the time, and if something hits, I have to write it down, but with a job and kids, I usually only have half an hour a night to work on it. I record around five songs a year and take the best ones to record and give the time for the songs to bake, and if it still feels like a good song – it comes to the top, and I'll record it," he said.

Knickerbocker plans to continue writing music, pursuing his solo career, and creating songs that can hopefully help others in life's journey.

Learn more about Kolby Knickerbocker at http://www.kolbyknickerbocker.com. Listen to his award-winning song at https://amzn.to/3qMt7NR.