Interview: Catching Up with Moon King

Like many of you out there, we hopped all over town during SXSW, and I think all of us caught Moon King at some point or another, and all with positive reviews.  We were lucky enough to catch up with Daniel from the band before they head out on the road with Majical Cloudz.

Read on for his thoughts on SXSW, touring and the band’s future LP.\

ATH:  You guys seemed to be everywhere during your SXSW stint.  We’re curious to know how your experience was during the festival, considering you seemed to be pretty busy.
Daniel: Yeah I think we had five or six shows, and then I played with Doldrums for another six shows………. pretty busy, but I mean we’re there to play, the more the better……..
ATH:  On the same note, NXNE is dubbed the SXSW festival of the North.  Are there comparisons that can be made, other than tons of bands in one area, or is this just lazy alignment?  And, is it different considering your home base is Toronto?
Daniel: It’s a smaller festival in a bigger city, so it makes less of an impact on the downtown, the streets aren’t closed off or anything ….. I love crowds, so I like the claustrophobia of SX, but I can see how it’s a little much for some people.
ATH:  I’m curious to know how much your brother’s band, Doldrums, plays an influence on the sound of Moon King.  I realize they’re different entities, but they do seem to have some sonic resemblance?
Daniel: Definitely, a huge influence. It’s pretty cool that we can watch eachother grow as songwriters separately, we’ll send eachother our new shit all the time just to see where we’re at, keep things fresh. I think we’ve been listening to a lot of the same music lately, like kind of purist sine waves & stuff but then also like Neil Young – but we’re adapting these things into our music in very different ways.
ATH:  What other Toronto acts have had an impact on you all, as musicians or as people? Is there anyone we should keep an eye out for that we might not know of at this point?
Daniel: One of my favorite bands from Toronto was DD/MM/YYYY, they broke up a couple years ago but they made a great record called Black Square, and most of the members have a new project Absolutely Free that we share a label with. also I was checking out a practice space the other day & heard this great band rehearsing, like all janky drum samples & vocal harmonies. I don’t think they even have a name yet, but it’s great to hear something you like without any preconceptions.
ATH:  You’re about to hit the road with Majical Cloudz? Other than the joys of touring, what are you looking forward to the most about the tour?  Any particular cities, bands, venues, friends, etc?
Daniel: Majical Cloudz are making some absolutely beautiful, brutal music, they’ve been a huge inspiration for me too. the first time I met devon we played a show together in Guelph Ontario in like 2010, I played a solo set, Grimes played and then devon’s old band …… we had an afterparty in this abandoned building across the street, the owners had just left the place with all their stuff there ….. so maybe we’ll get the chance on this tour for some more urban exploration, that would be fun. but of course I’m excited to be back in Austin and hang with the Zorch guys too!
ATH:  You’ve got two EPs under your belt, so when can we expect an upcoming full-length effort from the band? Do you already have songs in the works?
Daniel: Yes I’ve been recording in Montreal since we got back from the last tour in June, there’s a lot of material but I think it’ll shape into a full LP pretty soon ….. no idea when it’ll be out but we’re gonna be playing some of the new stuff on tour. I listened to everything in my car the other day, it’s a real lonely driving kind of record.
Moon King will be playing at Red 7 with Majical Cloudz on August 31st.  You can get tickets HERE; they’re only $10.
[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/01-Theme-For-Moon-King.mp3]
Thanks to Daniel for his time, and to the ladies at Requiem Media for setting things up.

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