Getting To Know... Moon Museum

After spending the last couple of years developing and cultivating their sound, San Francisco-based outfit Moon Museum are now ready to introduce themselves to the world as they deliver their stunning debut single 'Pleasures Of Peace'.

Lifted from their soon-to-be-announced debut EP, 'Pleasures Of Peaces' makes for an incredibly dense and textured introduction to their direction. Taking their cues from shoegaze juggernauts such as Slowdive and The Chameleons, it feels like they are well on their way to making this year one to remember.

So with the new single available now, we sat down with them to find out more about their background and what has inspired them most over the years.

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What was the first instrument you fell in love with?

Olivia: I was singing since I was little, but the instrument I fell in love with was this blue-green acoustic guitar I was gifted when I was 15.

Ian: I think it was Eddie Van Halen’s striped guitar or the classical guitar I learned on as a kid. Probably both at the same time.

Ryan: I grew up with a piano in the house that my mother played extremely well. I think I fell in love with it the first time I heard her play Debussy’s Clair de Lune.

Aaron: My dad played harmonica in the car on the way to dropping us off at school/practice/etc. I thought it was cool that it was so portable. It’s odd that I ended up playing the least portable instrument.

What kind of music did you love as a teenager?

Olivia: As a teen… let’s just say pop music. I explored more in my college years.

Ian: I was definitely a little metalhead, but got into punk and indie in my later teens. I grew up in a college town (Gainesville Florida) and got thrust into a pretty vibrant scene where I was hearing all kinds of stuff.

Ryan: My musical tastes were definitely a product of the suburbs growing up. Seeing Guns n Roses at the Rose Bowl in ‘92 was a transformational experience.

Aaron: Growing up in the East Bay, punk was all the rage. 924 Gilman was our weekend destination throughout most of high school.

What was the first album you remember owning?

Ian: 1984 by Van Halen.

Ryan: The very first must have been the 1979 LP Mickey Mouse Disco. But really, Everything from the ‘8 CD’s for a penny’ Columbia House bin. I think there was a little of everything in that pile from Appetite for Destruction to They Might Be Giants.

Aaron: Raising Hell by Run-DMC.

What is the one song you wished you could have written yourself?

Olivia: There are so many songs I obsess over, but I love enjoying them as a listener, so none really. If anything I know those songs inspire me and that in itself is such a gift.

Ian: Probably “Ministry of Love” by IO Echo... I am like... damn... I wish I wrote that one every time I hear it.

Ryan: “Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want”.

Aaron: “Into You Like a Train” by The Psychedelic Furs.

Do you have any habits or rituals you go through when trying to write new music?

Olivia: Not really… actually, I make sure I have pen and paper handy at all times. Otherwise, I usually start with an interesting sound on synth, or a guitar progression. It varies!

Ian: I gotta make my bed, or it will drive me insane. I’ll keep staring at it. Otherwise, I just gotta go for it, whether I am inspired or not.

Ryan: For me being open to inspiration is more important than the ritual itself. If I find myself waking up with a melody in my head I try to jot it down before I lose it-- even if it’s in the middle of the night. Too many times I’ve lost an idea because I thought I’d remember it and then couldn’t.

Aaron: I feel strange answering this one as a drummer, but I do like to get involved with arranging and driving dynamics. There are probably some strange adjustments I make to my kit that I am not even aware of.

Who are your favourite artists you have found yourself listening to at the moment?

Olivia: I usually have Beach House on repeat, but I’ve been loving the latest from I Break Horses and Cemetaries.

Ian: Ben Bohmer and Flyying Colors.

Ryan: My tastes are all over the place. Husker Du, Primitive Radio Gods, Kurt Vile, The War on Drugs, Noel Harrison, Craft Spells, Nathy Peluso, Divine Fits, Aline, Mark Ronson.

Aaron: Throwing some random recent listens out there: Wild Nothing, Diiv, Ride, Sampha, Perfume Genius, Jawbreaker.

If you could open a show for anyone in the world, who would it be?

Olivia: Slowdive.

Ian: Slowdive.

Ryan: I’d love to open for Arcade Fire or The National. Can you tell them I said that?

Aaron: ANOHNI.

What do you find is the most rewarding part about being a musician?

Olivia: Creating and connecting with people through sound and emotion.

Ian: It honestly gives me purpose, I don’t know who I would be without music.

Ryan: Watching a concept go from daydream to demo tape to studio recording.

Aaron: That unintentional thing you record that ends up making a song.

And what is the most frustrating part?

Olivia: The money needed to have your music heard.

Ian: Exactly what Olivia said.

Ryan: In the era of coronavirus the most frustrating thing is that we can’t play a show or even practice together. Releasing our first single without playing to a packed club was really painful.

Aaron: Exactly what Ryan said.

And what is the best piece of advice you have received as a musician?

Olivia: Protect your artistry and music rights. Oh and—Fuck the rest, be yourself.

Ian: The world is going to pull you in a million directions. If you are serious about music, believe in yourself, be grateful for every opportunity you get, take care of your health, and make time - every moment you can - to work on music.

Ryan: Inspiration is the basis of great art. Without it, you have something inert that does not affect people. Inspiration usually happens in a flash. The key is to act on it immediately and don't let in your naysayer voice or outsider criticism. When you're inspired, you capture the zeitgeist. It's all about catching lightning in a bottle.

Aaron: Listen first, then play. There’s a variation of this for speaking as well. The world would be a better place if people spent more time listening (music included).

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Moon Museum's debut single 'Pleasures Of Peace' is available to stream and download now. Have a listen to it in the player below.