MEET WILL KNAAK, COUNTRY AND ALTERNATIVE ROCK GUITAR PLAYING LEGEND IN THE MAKING

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“HEY WILL!…HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAN!”

…I leaned over the arena railing and called out to one of the nicest guys, and one of the best guitar players you could ever meet.

We were at the HSBC Arena in Buffalo, New York, and Blue October were about to open for Buffalo native’s The Goo Goo Dolls. In my opinion, they did more than just open for them, they left them in the dust. Shocked GGD fans turned to us and asked, “who the hell are these guys…unbelievable…”

And part of that musical onslaught was the product of an adrenaline fueled masterclass, on putting on a live show, by Blue October, which included lead guitarist Will Knaack.

It was September 23, 1984, I was a sophomore football player in high school, hair bands ruled the airwaves, and in a hospital in Austin, Texas, one William Knaak was born. And Austin was where he grew up and was raised, blanketed daily in the local airwaves of country music.

The apple didn’t fall far. Will’s father plied the piano and fronted his own band called Mad Knaak and The revolution. His family, no strangers to music, could boast a grandmother violinist and a guitar playing uncle. It was that uncle that introduced Will to the music of Chuck Berry’s rock ‘n’ roll and country greats such as Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard, and Willie Nelson.

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WILL & MATT LIKE TWO PEAS…

SADNESS TURNED INTO DETERMINATION

They say good things can come from tragedy. Maybe so. Sadly Will’s mother perished in a house fire when he was 11. As part of his coping process, Will practiced guitar, alone, for hours upon hours a day. Some of his influences were artists Tripping Daisy, Nirvana, Soundgarden, and the Offspring. I can almost hear a young Will belting out Black Hole Sun.

It is known that Will and his father frequented a certain restaurant often. That restaurant was called The Broken Spoke. It was here, that Knaak learned the blues scale on guitar and got the idea that he could use this knowledge to solo with blues bands on nearly any song. “As a twelve-year-old, Knaak soon found himself sitting in at gigs with local players such as Charlie and Will Sexton, Doug Sahm, and Paul Ray of the Cobras.” (Goudie)

At a ripe old age of 13, Will joined the “kid” band Redheaded Stepchild. They would play western swing covers and wrote some original tunes. They released an album in 1998, called Deep, Wide, & Forever. Will went on to study and graduate from the Natural Ear Music School in Austin. His teachers included “the legendary fiddler Alvin Crow and Texas Music Hall of Famer Johnny X Reed who both promptly invited him to play as sideman at their gigs, and immersed him into the deep history of the Austin blues scene in addition to adding the influences of 50s.” (Murphy)

AUSTIN CITY’S WILL KNAAK DAY

At 15, Austin declared May 24, 2000 as Will Knaak day. This culminated in Will “headlining an outdoor concert in front of five thousand fans at Auditorium Shores. (Statesman)

He credits this as the day when he fully committed himself to pursuing a career in music and never looked back.” (Goudie)

At 16, Knaak was already an accomplished guitar player. Dozens of gigs in a supporting role with various artists, led Will to form his own band Knaak Attack. A record producer even produced an album which they sold at concert venues.

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LEGEND IN THE MAKING

Move forward to February, 2016. This is when Will teamed up with a different group of players to record the EP Will Knaak & the Voodoo Exorcists which showcased a hard-edged sound heavily influenced by 90s grunge. That year Knaak Attack continued playing venues, and even went into the studio in December of that year to cut an album which was released the following spring.

Will’s country roots have never faded. In 2023 he played for Parker McCollum’s band at The Fillmore Detroit. In Austin, Knaak became sought after, and played on many national tours with “acts such as Kacy Crowley, Angela Peterson, Johnny Solinger of Skid Row, The Squires, Parker McCollum, and Wade Bowen and Randy Rogers.” (Poole)

He even went on national television and played for Wade Bowen on the show Late Night with Conan O’Brien. Through 2018, Knaak became a permanent fixture for Bowen and Rogers, then COVID-19 hit. He also became a father for the first time, and can be seen holding her in the video “Oh My My” (see video link at 1:15 ). He also found time to release a couple of quality albums which included Lonely Lo-Fi and Dying Day which he described as a “gritty, soulful, bluesy, and roots-based.” (Knaak)

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AT THE OFFICE…

In the summer of 2022, Knaak joined Parker McCollum’s band which opened for country star Thomas Rhett, and went on to play “Handle You” on the Tonight Show. (YouTube)

Things happen for a reason, and through his contacts Will got to know a fragrant young bass player named Matt Novesky, of Blue October. Now Matt produces records and owns a studio, and knew talent when he saw it. And, when an opening for a guitar player needed someone magic to fill, Matt turned to Will. In 2018, Knaak jumped head first. And we are all thankful he did.

Will Knaak has been a contributor to many Blue October hits since 2018, and even co-wrote “Stay With Me.” He has toured North America, and Europe with Blue, and has performed flawlessly. Lead singer Justin Furstenfeld remarked, that “Knaak is probably the most talented guitarist Blue October has ever had, calling him a “true professional guitarist.” (Savoie)

Right up until December of 2022, Knaak was a steady hand on the guitar for Blue October. On December 17, 2022, in San Antonio, Texas. He played his final Blue show and left to pursue other projects. On August 8, 2024 at a concert in New Braunfels, Texas, Will joined Blue October on stage for the first time in nearly two years.

BACK IN THE BLUE

In October 2025 Knaak has rejoined Blue October to play guitar on their “We Didn’t Die Young” tour. I attended a Buffalo, New York show recently, and Knaak makes the ever welcome addition to that machine of perfection called Blue October.

Which brings me to the man named Will Knaak. For that show, I said fuck it, and took some vacation time to head down to where Blue October were playing that night. We had tickets, but I decided if I arrived at around 1:30pm, I might catch some of my favorite band members, going back and forth in preparation for the show. I wasn’t dissapointed.

I saw the Blue October bus parked, and parked myself across the street. The weather was sunny, but chilly, with no-one around but myself and my coffee. I locked the vehicle and made my way to the bus area. Standing on the curb was a hooded person with backpack, who looked like they were waiting for a bus. There was a stop 20 yards away.

As I approached, the man looked up. It was Blue October drummer Jeremy Furstenfeld. Chatter and selfie followed, and I drank more coffee, happy I had met Jeremy on his way to the hotel. It didn’t stop there.

Around the corner toward the bus came Matt Novesky, bass player. We have met many times before and we had a great chat and of course the obligatory selfie.

Two down, three to go? No, I wasn’t that lucky, Ryan and Justin were busy setting up rehearsals. But you see, I was very lucky. When I was ready to leave and head back home to prepare for the show, a car pulled up across the street. A slender dude with dark sunglasses and baseball cap crossed towards me.

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BRILLIANT BLOKE

WILL KNAAK!!

“Will Knaak!” I remarked. He smiled and stopped, shook my hand. We had a great conversation, and he took what little time he had to talk. I praised his acoustic set for Blue on YouTube, one of my favorites, then I seriously asked, him “Are you good?”

Will, like all of us has been through life’s potholes, and I merely reminded him how happy we were he was back in the band and doing good. He smiled and genuinely answered, yes, I’m really OK…thank you brother…”

He gave me a way to contact him with a link to this article, and gave me a hug. True gentleman and brilliant role model. His young daughter will always have someone to look up to.

We love Steve Schiltz, but we also love Will Knaack. There is room enough for both in the greatest band ever to grace the airwaves.

See you at the next show.

SOURCES/CITATION
All images are public Domain, Authorized or from my personal collection. all credit is given for sources where necessary.