EMQ’s With Moon Letters
EMQ’s With Moon Letters
Hi everyone! Welcome to another EMQs interview, this time with USA Psychedelic Progressive Rockers, Moon Letters. Huge thanks to members John, Michael, and Dave for taking part.
What is your name, what do you play and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band?
Name: John Allday
Occupation: Sonic crafter by way of knobs and keys
Origin: We were forged during the post-post-post-grunge era in Seattle; desperate not to repeat the sins of the past, but honor them instead, we poured our talents and desires into our first album, released in 2019. Our meeting before that is a bit of a blur: the earth opened; the sky parted; it was a Thursday.
How did you come up with your band name?
Michael: I have a friend with whom I go back and forth about various 80’s fantasy movie quotes and songs. I think we just liked the idea that things could have hidden meanings.
What Country / Region are you from and what is the Metal / Rock scene like there?
Dave: We are from Seattle, USA. There is a lot of Rock, Metal, and adventurous music here. One of the cool things about Seattle is that there is a lot of diversity on bills. There might be a free jazz group playing with a Heavy Rock band and a Psychedelic Pop act one night.
What is your latest release? (Album, EP, Single, Video)
Michael: Our third album, “This Dark Earth” will be out on June 13th. We released one single, ‘In the Catacombs’ in April, and the second, ‘Silver Dream’ in mid-May. Each has its own lyric video on YouTube.
Who have been your greatest influences?
Dave: Each member of the band has very different influences, but we all share a love of 70s Prog Rock. My personal biggest influences are probably Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Ritchie Blackmore, Edward Van Halen, and Tony Iommi – the greats!!
What first got you into music?
Dave: I think I was 10 years old when Wayne’s World came out. The scene where they sing Bohemian Rhapsody changed my life forever.
If you could collaborate with a current band or musician who would it be?
Michael: I’d love to sing a duet with Michael Stipe!
If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?
John: The Fuji Rock Festival – mostly because I really want to go to Japan. Seriously, though, it looks great.
What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?
Michael: I was busking once, and was given a cigarette
Dave: A pair of underwear!
If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?
Michael: Be excellent to each other.
If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?
Michael: REALLY tough question. I would have liked to hear more records written by Randy Rhoads.
What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?
John: Love: expression of emotion and ideas, creation, collaboration, sharing
Dislike: the business aspects of a band
If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
Musicians getting a respectful amount of profits from streaming.
Name one of your all-time favourite albums?
Michael: “I Am Not Afraid”, by Hugh Masakela
Dave: “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath”, by Black Sabbath
What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CDs or Downloads?
Dave: Vinyl sounds best, but digital is very convenient, so it’s nice to have both options.
What’s the best gig that you have played to date?
Michael: Toss up. I love incorporating visual things into our show, so a couple of highlights were Seaprog 2019, and Terra Incognita Fest in 2023. Sometimes it’s the venue, the audience, or where you are in your personal journey as an artist.
If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?
John: (answering for Kelly) Kelp farming
Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?
Michael: My family
What’s next for the band?
Dave: In June of 2025, we will release our 3rd LP, “This Dark Earth”, at the Cascadence festival in Seattle. Then we embark on a tour in Europe and the UK this summer. It will be our first time playing in these countries with this band, so we are very excited to make new friends and share our music.
What Social Media / Website links do you use to get your music out to people?
https://www.moonletters.com
https://moonletters.bandcamp.com/album/thank-you-from-the-future
https://www.facebook.com/MoonLettersBand
https://www.instagram.com/moonlettersband
There’s a long-standing food-based debate here in the UK. And we’d like your help. So… A Jaffa cake – is it a cake or a biscuit? Discuss!
Michael: Looks like a jam-filled pastry (biscuit) but also has frosting above, which seems cake-like. Do they have videos where you cut into a TV remote, but oops, it’s a Jaffa Cake?
John: My first thought was that it is probably not vegan. But I did find vegan ones. Wait what? I thought biscuits were mostly crunchy-ish things. And… cake is in the name, right? Is this some sort of UK entrance test?!