Zach Knell is a songwriter and record producer best known as the singer of the Oregon formed, Utah based alternative rock band ‘Roseburg’.

Knell was born in American Fork, Utah on April 2, 1997 to Abraham and Gretchen Knell and is the oldest of 4 kids – Zach, Sadie, McKay, and Lucy.

His dad, a successful software sales executive and sports lover, and his mom, a talented athlete, he spent a lot of time playing and loving sports – football, tennis, basketball and soccer – but from a young age was truly passionate in his creativity.

Knell loved singing and writing stories – an interest mostly sparked in him by his grandma (Bamma), Kaye Terry Hanson, a published writer and professor at Brigham Young University, whom he was extremely close with.

Knell grew up mostly in Utah, but also spent a few years in Orange County, California. In 2008 the Knell family moved just outside of London, England for work.

At 10-years-old, Zach began writing music and producing it on GarageBand. He was heavily influenced by Coldplay, and other contemporary mainstream pop rock artists. He also enjoyed creating and editing short videos.

At 11-years-old, back in his hometown of Provo, Utah, he began creating music with his childhood friend, Ben Maughan, under the name “Lane Ends”. The 2 wrote and self-produced a full length album.

Knell attended Provo High School where he played varsity sports and also managed a local studio, where he began recording and releasing solo music. He also began writing and producing for other local artists, including “The Atomics”, comprised of family friends, Pyper America Smith, Lucky Blue Smith, Starlie Smith, and Daisy Clementine Smith. Knell originally wrote the song “Wave” at 16-years-old for The Atomics, which would later go on to be a successful Roseburg release.

In 2015, at 18-years-old, Knell was assigned to serve as a missionary in Oregon for his church. Though Knell no longer affiliates with any specific religion, he is still heavily influenced by and grateful for his being raised in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Many of his musical messages and themes center around questions, struggles, and thoughts about the purpose of life and his relationship with God.

He was especially influenced by his 2 years in Oregon, a place where he became an adult and came into his own, being separated from his family and friends.

Knell met Samuel Sheppard while assigned to the small city of Roseburg. Originally from upstate New York, Sheppard was also serving as a missionary in Oregon. Having musical background of his own, he and Knell immediately became close friends and writing partners.

The first night they met, they wrote the beginnings of “Identity Prices” which ended up on their band’s debut EP. Knell and Sheppard kept in contact via handwritten letters (mission rules) through the remainder of their missions and updated each other on musical developments.

Towards the end of Knell’s time as a missionary, he was assigned to Jacksonville in Southern Oregon, where he met multi-instrumentalist, Keith Lambson – also a missionary, and a former jazz major from Idaho.

There, together with Knell’s childhood best friend from Provo, Cy Wright (also assigned as a missionary in Oregon), they co-wrote “Stay Golden”, the future debut single of Roseburg.

Roseburg, the band, was officially formed in early 2018 after Zach, Sam, and Keith were released as missionaries and all moved to Knell’s hometown of Provo, Utah. There, they released debut EP, “Heaven Vs. Hollywood”, a record that focused heavily on their experiences as missionaries. The EP was met to immediate success and saw the boys touring around the west coast of the United States. They also added member Soren Buchert, the cousin of Sheppard.

Shortly after, they released the song, “Wave” in January of 2019 to high praise, millions of listens, and label attention.

Remaining independent, they were discovered by Kellin Quinn of Sleeping With Sirens, who’s hometown is near Roseburg. Knell and Lambson grew up listening to Sleeping with Sirens and were excited to be mentored by Quinn. In 2019, they joined “DRMR Development Group”, Quinn’s development label, and also released the single “RIP” featuring Quinn.

The band released their debut album, “Righteous Punk” in February of 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down their first national headlining tour. Only one “Righteous Punk” Roseburg live show was ever played – held on Feb. 21, 2020 at The Rise in Orem, UT, with support from Manic. (DRMR Development label mate), and Death and All His Friends (childhood friends).

The pandemic saw Knell taking a step back from Roseburg (and social media altogether) to pursue his own solo music. He originally named the project “Righteous Punk”, after Roseburg’s debut album. The album title is based on a character created by Knell, Sheppard, Lambson, and Buchert who is an archetype representing the human condition.

The concept is written about throughout the whole Roseburg discography. The name Righteous Punk – itself, a contradiction – illustrates a human being who is conflicted by good and evil.

At the beginning of 2020, Knell drove his car from Utah to Quinn’s home in southern Oregon where the two set up a make-shift studio in the living room and wrote together for a week. It was there that the beginnings of the debut Righteous Punk single, “A Tree, A Punk, 2 Masks, A Dove” was born.

Back in his hometown of Provo during the beginning of quarantine, Knell finished writing and producing “A Tree, A Punk, 2 Masks, A Dove” in his bedroom studio – with production assistance from childhood friend, Roseburg graphic designer, and Death and All His Friends creator, River Wilde.

Vocals were recorded by Knell at June Audio in Provo, Utah, and files were sent to Grammy winning mixing engineer, Adam Hawkins to mix and master the final print. Hawkins is credited as the mixing engineer on a number of hit songs, including Heathens, by Twenty One Pilots, Knell’s favorite band.

On Feb. 5, 2021, Righteous Punk independently released his debut single, “A Tree, A Punk, 2 Masks, A Dove”, named after the four main Righteous Punk icons.

The tree, which symbolizes family – the brothers and sisters on this earth that Righteous Punk makes music for. It also symbolizes God’s love, as illustrated in a famous story in The Book of Mormon, from Knell’s childhood religion. And it is also a nod to Roseburg, which was founded in the middle of the forests of Oregon and was branded accordingly.

The RP symbol, for “Righteous Punk”.

2 Masks, which are also illustrated on the cover of Roseburg’s debut album, “Righteous Punk”. One mask (left), named “Pop Doctrine” represents bad and the other (right), named “Sunday” represents good – the human condition.

And finally, the dove, which holds personal meaning to Knell, and also represents God’s love, peace, and hope.

In 2021 Knell released his debut solo EP, “The Boy in White”, and changed the name of the project back to his own name.

In 2022, he also produced the album ‘Endangered Species’ by YesterKid, a project Samuel Sheppard and his dad created over the pandemic and collaborated on with all of the members of Roseburg.

Roseburg announced their official return in August of 2022.

Knell currently lives in his hometown of Provo with his wife Sierra.