Diandra Interviews Brother Moses: Kings of Desperation Pop
Most artists agree that an album reflects “where they are” in life and thus as musicians. It is like a melody carries the weight of your life: your personal choices, secret dreams, and the relationships you let flourish or fade. For Brother Moses, their journey has been one about collaboration, and finding a way to make friendship and music the most powerful bond in making a record.
Diandra: Describe the first time you knew you wanted to be a musician?
Moses (guitar) : My brother suggested that I ask for a guitar for Christmas when I was 14. I decided I wanted to be a musician when James and I started jamming together soon after.
Diandra: How would you define Desperation Pop, and what makes it desperate?
James (vocals) : We wanted to sum up the urgency that we felt writing these songs, and the excitement that we try to inject into the music. It’s really appealing to us how the words play off of each other and have this conflicting nature. You think of pop music as this shiny glimmering thing that’s maybe only communicating emotions that are positive or empowering. We wanted to include themes that put a bit more at stake.
Brother Moses – What Does It Take? (Official Video)
Diandra: How do you feel this upcoming album captures your growth as persons, and where you are, currently, as artists?
John-Lewis (guitar) : I think this record is a picture of us in a time of intense change and excitement. I think we’ve grown a lot as artists over the past year and a half and found a lot of clarity in what we’re trying to do.
Diandra: Which song in the upcoming album represents each band member and why?
James (vocals) : That’s an interesting way to think about it! The album is such a collective effort and everyone’s personality is kind of equally represented here. That’s something we’re really conscious of in the studio, making sure no one is getting pushed into a corner in a song, that everyone is able to feel like they’ve expressed themselves.
Diandra: You played university parties at the University of Arkansas. What is your favorite party memory of a gig?
Corey (drums) : Probably the fraternity party we played in the rain. James smoked a cigarette on stage during the song “Cigarettes” and all the people there went nuts for it. There was also a frat party once where everyone was dressed as Flinstones for some reason and they all left halfway through. Frat parties are weird! They paid really well though.
Brother Moses – Die (Official Audio)
Diandra: Singing to love, what are the films or fellows music artists you watch and listen to when you want to recall what love is?
John-Lewis (guitar) : Sleepless in Seattle, You’ve Got Mail, The Burbs, The Terminal. Tom Rom Coms.
Diandra: What is your idea of a love story?
James (vocals) : I think the best love stories involve people loving someone despite some glaring problem or issue. We live a thousand miles away from each other? You’re in love with someone else? You operate a small business and my big business is trying to put you under? That’s the stuff of real love right there.
Love Will Set You Free.
Diandra: What about life as a musician in New York is both chaotic and invigorating?
Moses (guitar) : The sounds of the street all converge to make this backdrop that’s at the same time pretty infuriating and also really inspiring.
Diandra: What do you guys enjoy about each other as friends that you feel transfers into the music?
James (vocals) : We’ve come to understand that we’re a really well-rounded group that compliments each other well as people. In the same way, as creative engines, we tend to shape the music in complementary ways. One particular thing I love about this group of people is that we’re truly not afraid to try anything. So many random sounds ended up in this album because we had a dumb idea at 2 in the morning and then it ended up sounding really cool.
Diandra: Family love is so important to your music. What is the best advice a family member has ever given you about life?
John-Lewis (guitar) : My dad once told me “There are few things in life worth worrying about.”
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