Knots' Calling: Music, Art, Energy

Steve Knots speaks with the energy of a person who can't wait to see what's next. Or rather, can't wait to make something happen, as he's proactive about all of his pursuits.
Knots, a Forest Hills resident, is a musician, a chalk artist, and a sound engineer. In late July he plans to attend the Goulash Disko Festival in Croatia, where music, food and beverages flow freely.
"It's like the parking lot from a (Grateful) Dead show with a little bit of the neo-hippie Burning Man thing, and a Balkan flavor," says Knots, noting that "the whole attitude of the festival is that the audience and the performers are the same group."
Knots describes his music as global bass, "a ska band in a digital format, but it's original stuff that touches on a lot of genres."

Where he might be making the most difference is via his work with Zero Fossil, a company that designs and manufactures fossil free power systems that use clean energy: sun, wind, water and, yes, human power.
Knots states that one of his goals is to create a "global culture with no traffic jams and pollution." While that might seem to be a lofty ambition, it's nevertheless attainable in small, incremental steps.
"One of the things that's going to get us there is seeing practical examples of what works," he says, "and what's fun. You're never going to change the world by making people feel guilty."
Knots mentions organic and foot-square gardening as effective ways to eat healthy and reduce food budgets. For home owners in Pennsylvania, Green Mountain Energy supplies electricity that's derived 100 percent from wind or solar power.
The Goulash Disko Festival embodies many of the themes and principles that Knots promotes. Scheduled for July 16-19 in Pula, Croatia, the festival will take place at an abandoned fort that was built more than 150 years ago and will feature dancers, painters, DJs, clowns and fans. Solar-powered systems will provide the energy for the stages, lighting and PAs.
"It's an example of how real life can be partly performing, partly being the audience and partly being a volunteer at the festival to clean up after yourself," Knots says, laughing. "The solar powered systems are part of the technological system getting us there. "
This will be Knots' fourth year attending the Goulash Disko Festival and he is using an Indie GoGo campaign, "My Spaceship is Broken," to raise funds for his travel costs. http://igg.me/at/steveknots/x/9614616
Knots' solar powered systems can be heard in Pittsburgh at Solar Fest in Millvale on Saturday, June 20, and every Saturday at the Bloomfield Farmer's Market at 5050 Liberty Avenue.
All of Knots' interests come together via his chalk art. Recently he completed a piece in Reston, Virginia.
http://chalk1up.org/2015/06/15/chalk-on-the-water-in-reston-va/
"I take the feeling of these things and put them into slogans add graphics, and have them as things that could be posters or T-shirts, Knots says "It tells the story visually and has a lot of positive messages."