Interviews

Interview With Up And Coming Rock Band Moonfall

Up and coming rock band Moonfall isn’t afraid to take risks. A band not keen on limiting themselves, they mix and match different styles of music from pop to EDM. During a time when rock feels stale, they stand out from the crowd.

Moonfall is ready to embark on a new journey. Not only does their new EP, Empty Cage, drop next month, they recently signed a record deal with Outerloop Records. With this new venture, they hope their music will reach out and effect more people from all over. Before heading out on tour, Matthew, Mei, and Andrew spoke with GID about the band, the new EP, and how their influence make up what Moonfall is all about.

GID: Can you tell me a bit about the band, like how you guys got started?

Matthew Howl: I decided to start a band when I was younger, but it took a really long time until Moonfall actually came together. It was important to find the right people to do this with. Mei [Moor] was there when I was born, so we’ve known each other for a long time. When I started learning how to play the guitar, she took up bass shortly after and eventually we joined forces.

Mei Moor: I had an immediate connection with the bass, a connection that I never had with any other instrument. When I picked up bass, I gravitated toward learning the techniques that are unique to it.  With Matt’s help, I taught myself how to play and compose by watching extremely talented bassists that inspire me.

MH: We found Andrew through Craigslist. He replied to our ad with an email that perfectly illustrated all we wanted in a drummer.

Andrew Chow:
We all share the same views of what being in a band and making music together means. Before joining, I was in another band that wasn’t really my cup of tea. They didn’t share the grand vision I’ve always had in my head. I decided to look for something real and I found it.

GID: Your new EP, Empty Cage, drops next month. Can you tell me a bit about it?

MH: This EP is sort of a journey of perseverance. I’ve traveled a lot and collected the stories of people I’ve come across along the way. Sharing perspectives of how people deal with loss differently, or struggle to deal with it, can help others with their own. I think that’s what we set out to do when writing these songs.

MM: The last song, “Echobreak,” is presented from the point of view of the opposite end, following the story of loss from the perspective of what was lost as it’s watching the effects of its absence.

MH: Sometimes we don’t really leave things behind until we don’t have a choice.

GID: The band’s sound is an amalgamation of different genres. For example “Lost” gears towards rock, but by the midway point, you start to hear electronic elements in it. Is this something that came naturally?

MH: We listen to a lot of different music. The songs mostly form themselves naturally and become their own thing. It’s always been more about the atmosphere of the song than the genre.

AC: I feel like our thing is changing our musical style, but in the end, it always sounds like us. There’s an underlying tone of Moonfall that we’re developing little by little.

MM: Personally, I like to explore limits.

MH: Music doesn’t have to align with the boundaries of genre. Whatever it ends up being is what it is. It’s for the listeners to experience and explore themselves.

GID: The band is influenced by a lot of things, including nature. Your name even stems from nature. What role does nature play in your lives and in the band?

MH: I’ve spent a lot of my life out in nature. Living and working in mountains and forests; traveling from place to place and learning what I can. Most of my early experiences with writing music was in those environments. There’s a sort of vastness in these untouched places that are present in our music, at least I hope it is. I write very instinctively because of that.

MM: This is something me and Matt have in common. Nature has always been an important part of my life and I feel a deep connection with it. It’s where I feel the most free, and from that emotion, creating comes easily.

GID: Each of you come from different backgrounds and cite different things, like anime or hip-hop as influences. How do you guys work with these different influences and cultures and culminate them together for Moonfall?

MM: When it comes to different influences, having a variety to choose from is a strength. By combining our different ideas and styles, we get inspired to create things out of our comfort zone. The combination of all of our visions put together is what makes our songs what they are.

GID: Starting in October, Moonfall will be touring with Echo Black. What are you most looking forward to?

MM: This is our first time going on tour and playing outside of our home state of New York. We’re looking forward to sharpening our senses on the road and sharing our music with more people.

Moonfall’s debut EP, Empty Cage, drops November 3. The band is currently on tour with Echoblack. Tickets are on sale now. Find out where they’re playing next here.

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Ashley Perez Hollingsworth

Ashley Perez is a freelance music journalist based in Chicago. Her work has appeared on AXS, Chicago Innerview, New City, The Millions, and Illinois Entertainer. She also runs her own music blog at Radio Not Found. Some of her favorite bands include Nirvana, The Cure, Muse, Creeper, and Green Day.

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