Can you tell us how the band was originally formed, and are the ambitions from those early days still alive today?
The band formed officially around 2010 but I had already started the foundations in 2008. Basically when my previous band The On Offs parted ways I had a bunch of demos building up so I uploaded a few to the Internet for the hell of it to see what people thought etc. Immediately I had loads of good feedback and Mojo magazine even wrote about one of my crazy instrumentals called Intermission Rag.
From this I started doing little shows with any friends who could play and fancied getting involved. I'd say I still feel the same as I did back then. When writing I'm always trying to better myself and feel I can do better. I also still buzz with new ideas for songs when they come into my head.
Third album done & dusted and out next week, band happy?
Yeah we are happy and glad the time has finally come as it feels like we've been waiting ages. I'm just looking forward to giving our fans a new bunch of songs to play with. I love delivering new music and am already thinking about other stuff to work on.
Was there anything different about the recording process / studio time together, this time around?
Normally The Moons head into the studio as we record bass and drums live and some guitar etc but this time I had prepared all the tracks at home so that we could take them into the studio and build on them. I quite liked it this way as I felt I could get down to business at home with no pressure and then head to studio with song a for the lads to work on. The song "Sometimes" was written in the studio and completely recorded there. It just came to me whilst playing piano and I just loved its vibe.
How would you describe the sound of the band for people that have not discovered you yet?
The Moons are melodic beat band with well-crafted songs and beautiful arrangements. We have two sides to our sound, a garage psych edge and a whimsy acoustic side.
Who designed the album cover on 'Mindwaves'?
The artwork for the album was by Polaroid artist Andrew Millar. I came across his work on the Internet and just loved what he was doing with the layering of images etc. His images are surreal and dreamlike but keep a modern edge and this appealed to me. Give him a search on google.
Are the songs on the new record real life tales or are there any particular stories you would like to share around any of the songs on the album?
I'd say all the of the songs are real life takes yeah. That doesn't mean that they all happened to me within a week or so but I have emotionally been in all of the situations at some point with the songs. The songs ‘Society’ and ‘All In My Mind’ describe modern times and the decaying society we are living in. Controlled by adverts, phones, televisions and magazines that tell you to lose weight or buy an iPad. I just wanted to get my frustration out in a song for my own benefit.
Is there a process you follow or a place you have to been to start creating a song or, is it just when an idea occurs? What comes first, melody or lyrics?
It always used to be music and then lyrics but it tends to change now. My favourite way is to play my guitar and then the melodies just fall out of me. If I'm not feeling an idea it's immediately scrapped. I always like to stick with my original vocal melody as I feel this is the most natural and I didn't try and force anything. I base all if my writing in natural instinct. The more pure the more it will connect with our fans.
What are the memories from your first and last gigs and where were they?
My actual first gig was a little band in Northampton called Fall Out. A punky type thing and I managed to blag myself onto bass for this show. I had wanted to be in the band for ages! I did one gig and then they split up ha ha. This was at a place once known as the Irish Centre, think it's a strip club now. It was a working men's club we all used to go when we could first buy drinks. I remember being pretty pi$$ed at this gig and didn't lift my head up to see the crowd once.
The last gig I did was With The Moons at the Lanes in Bristol. We have often played a great club night there called 'Department S' which is run by a great lad John Britton and his girlfriend Jamie. It's always a good gig and crowd and John looks after us. Someone nearly had a heart attack at the last show and we had to stop for about 30 mins. I didn't realise The Moons had such an effect!!
What was the music that you listened to during your school / college days that perhaps, you still play today and did you raid your parent's record collection for the sound of the band?
I always used to raid my mums records as she had a lot of soul music. Stax soul to be precise! There were also a few Donavan records there. When I got to the age where I actually started listening to music properly I remember buying The Doors first album and The Beatles ‘Revolver’. I already knew about these bands but buying them myself was a big deal and it made me listen deeper. I also bought Nirvana’s ‘Bleach’ which at the time was pretty cool. When I was even younger I was mad on the Jackson 5 and The Beatles. Still listen to all this today
Just how difficult is it to make a living as a musician these days and what's more important, The LP or the live show in income terms?
To be honest with you it's the hardest it's ever been. I started with The Moons at a real bad time in the music business. I'm not sure how bands can make money anymore as so many people don't have to buy the music. All they have to do is stream it from spotify etc. It's a shame because I'm a fan of buying the cd or vinyl and I want it in my collection. Times have changed a lot and that effects everything. If you manage to have a decent following you could possibly make a few quid through playing live but this still isn't certain. It depends on the band and size of audience. We don't make money but we do it anyway because luckily it's what we love. I think you would have to sell a silly amount of records these days to make good money. If we break even or get some hot food we are happy :)
Any live shows on the horizon?
Yeah we are doing a few live dates in Aug/Sep in the UK. We will be playing a decent bunch of songs from the new album as well as oldies. We are looking forward to it and on this tour we will be signing records after every show. All tickets are available at our website
