“If you build it, they will come.”
Those words whisper over Kevin Costner’s character Ray Cansilla in the seminal movie Field of Dreams as he walks through cornfields, prompting him to build a baseball diamond in the spot. He believed it would attract baseball players, which it did, though he could have never have expected the ghosts of the 1919 White Sox to take the field. It’s a phrase that has created its own cultural cliché, wherein making something not yet available to the greater public will influence its demand.
Thinking about this phrase brings to mind New York City trio Moon Hooch. Horn players Mike Wilbur and Wenzl McGower and drummer James Muschler started out busking the subway stations in the Big Apple, where their audience was whoever happened to be walking by on their way to somewhere more important. Slowly, Moon Hooch’s bruising, primal, dance music started attracting people, as they moved from subway stations to clubs and then festivals. Now they are internationally known band that has released three albums and tours all over the world. It’s sold out 18 markets in the last 6 months, including three-night stands in Seattle and Portland, and the band put out its first live concert CD/DVD Live At The Cathedral in June. What was once zero fans is now tens of thousands.
But even if there were still zero fans, you’d get the sense that Wilbur, McGower and Mushchler would still be playing. Over two communications with Wilbur and Muschler that caught the pair in the midst of trips through North Dakota and Europe, the musicians revealed a deep appreciation for what they and a commitment to focusing on the honesty of their music. The future will hold what it will hold, but Moon Hooch is concerned about what they are going to do today. After talking with them, it’s clear “if you build it, they will come” adages don’t actually apply to what Moon Hooch does. The band is more, “when we play it, they will come… or maybe they won’t come. But we’ll still be playing no matter what!” Read below about new music for Moon Hooch, a new side project and traveling to India for music lessons.
You guys did a two-month tour on the West Coast, how was that?
James Muschler: It was awesome. We got a lot of sold-out shows and the reception was amazing. We’ve been adding a bunch of new material to our live set and it has been sounding really, really well.
How have you guys been growing as a band that you’ve noticed? What is different about how you interact on stage or the music you are producing?
JM: I think we are actively adding more improvisatory concepts to the live set. We want to improvise within a certain medium or a certain structure if we can; improvisation within the rigidity of the structure. That has always been there with this band but we are trying to open it up a little bit more.
Did you record any material while you were out there on the West Coast?
JM: We managed to record about five songs, we’ll probably release four or five of them. Also Mike and I recorded a duo project, so there will be a lot of new music coming out.
What is your recording process like? Do you notice a change in the way you sound or the way you record?
Mike Wilbur: Recently we have been avoiding the anal, specialized attitude of recording studios and set up our own gear to record ourselves. Wenzl and I are now competent enough engineers and producers to take things into our own hands. The way we record completely changes the vibe of the recording in the same way that the place you’re fucking in changes the sex. If there’s some people you don’t know very well watching you, controlling how you sound, you’re not going to play as freely.
What do you hope to do with the newest album? What would be pushing boundaries for Moon Hooch?
MW: I don’t really think like that. I’d prefer to make honest music in the moment than prefabricate some boundary to be crossed. The future is bullshit and I’m here, now. When we get there, it’s going to pop off.
What’s the name of the new project?
JM: The project is either Cop God or God Cop. We should decide right now. What do you think we should do?
I like God Cop better.
JM: Alright God Cop it is, perfect.
How would you characterize what you’re doing?
JM: It’s entirely improvised and the instrumentation is mostly drum or synthesizer. Mike plays synth and I play drums. Mike also plays clarinet, baritone sax and tenor sax and I play drum set and tabla. It’s totally improvised music, though with the same bruising fashion as Moon Hooch.
You’ve released the live DVD Live At The Cathedral. Why did you want to make a concert film? Is that inkling in every artist or did you think there was something that you did on video that couldn’t be translated on record?
MW: I can’t say what inklings every artist has but I do think our live show carries more energetic weight than our records. We are a touring band and the stage is our realm.
What went into the decision to record at Cathedral of St. John the Divine? The videos make it quite an imposing space.
MW: Our manager knows the lady that hold events there and they thought it would be cool to have us play there. As a band we didn’t put much thought into it other than working with our friend John to set up an insane laser show.
What did you absorb from Joshua Tree while you were out there recording your latest EP? It’s one of my favorite places in the world.
MW: The mountains, desert and calm have really stuck with me from that place. It’s so incredibly quiet out there that you’re forced to sit with your thoughts and who you are as a person. The whole time I was there I had my phone powered off so I could escape from the psychosis of modern culture and actually just live on this planet as a human.
James, you were in India and got deep with the tabla. What was going to India like?
JM: It was a very intense and inspiring experience. The first time that I went there I studied the tabla and the second time was a really amazing experience. The first two weeks I went I met with someone I had studied with before and knew was a good teacher, but I didn’t really have any plans besides going there and seeing if he was still there. The first morning I was there I woke up super early and walked along the Ganges and I heard this music off in the distance. I followed the music and ended up at this Indian classical music concert along the river. I walked up to the tabla player and asked him if he would give me lessons, so every day I took a listen with him and the other person I met previously. Other than taking those lessons, I was practicing every day, maybe six hours a day. I learned a lot and I just wanted to soak up the repertoire as much as I could.
Then I went to Calcutta and met the teacher I study with in New York City. I stayed at a hostel nearby and every morning I walked to his house and practiced with him. Sometimes he would bring me to concerts in the evening. It was incredible, it was basically just an immersion in the music as much as I could.
Have you ever indulged in other musical adventures or percussion sabbaticals like this before?
JM: This would be the first percussion sabbatical in India. The first time I went in 2012 and I was only there for two weeks in Calcutta. I attempted doing intensive practice where you close the blinds, have food ready in the room, there’s a bathroom nearby and all you do is practice. When you can’t practice anymore you go to sleep and when you wake up you continue to practice and just keep continuing on that cycle. But I could only do it for three-and-half days, though I tried to do it for 10. I wasn’t ready.
I’m certainly a fan of the band and I had a cool connection with you one night when you played in Lake Tahoe with Pimps of Joytime. I happened to be working the venue that night and they needed someone to step in and do lights, so I stepped in and did it despite having never done it before. I had a great experience really trying to connect with what you were doing with the music and syncing it up with the lights. Have you ever had connections like that as fans that had a profound impact for you?
JM: Mike Doughty was the first one to bring us on tour for him, so he had a big impact on us. He was the first one to show us what touring is like and we’ve collaborated with him quite a bit. They Might Be Giants really showed us what touring was like; Lotus and Beats Antique too. All these bands that we tour with we definitely take inspiration from. It’s hard to say exactly what, but we are sharing the same creative space and space on stage with them. We are definitely picking up hints of inspiration.
What are you trying to work on as a human being?
JM: I think we have a duty to give back more than we can take if we can. I feel like when you are young, you have this tendency to take, take, take. Then as you get older you have this feeling that you need to give back. I feel like we are stepping into that domain or chapter in life.
Something I find commendable is that Moon Hooch only seems like an aspect of what you are doing on this earth, it isn’t the full picture, you have other outlets. Could you ever see yourself stepping away from Moon Hooch if the business side of things ever got in the way of connecting with fans or the music?
JM: Personally, I don’t think I could ever see myself doing that. I could still do other things as a profession, I could be interested in that too. But I don’t think I could ever get away from music and think it was a good thing deep down (laughs).
