It’s not a riddle it’s a stepping stone

I first heard Half Moon Run’s 21 Gun Salute and the intensely dramatic beginning to that song with lead vocals by Devon Portielje on the CBC at a live show, just a couple of months ago. It was meditative even ambient – and I was entranced –instantly inspired – including other songs like Full Circle.

Although I had not heard of them before, I felt it was a new mission of mine to share the gift of music with my family (including my preschool age children on some certain tracks (Call me in the afternoon even by one by one [x2 ]is sung around the hosue like a Christmas Carol substituting some words in for the obvious) and all my friends and social network so they too could enjoy this gift. That being said there was something sacred in hearing them for the first time. It was so different yet modern but there was a comfort in it that seemed to be missing in most modern music, and not felt by me personally, since artists like Bob Dylan, and Ballads from Simon & Garfunkel, I was introduced to in my youth.

That same day after discovering and enjoying the first album on iTunes (Dark Eyes Released June 2013) My musical journey with HMR led me to discover the second album which coincidentally was released that same day!

Sun Leads Me, Released Oct 23, 2015

It was a groovier sound and a more uplifting album than the first. It assisted in my creativity and put me in a greater mindset, having just emerged from the writing depths, after 10 years and creating again myself personally.

In researching the journey of the band, from recording in the desert (Texas) to California (For some seaside inspiration, leading up to the Second Album, and living in a dome shaped Oceanside house fit just right for a inspirational surf all day and late night magic sessions ) To experimenting in Europe in what appears to be a bit of a Rave Scene – road testing songs like Trust - it all lines up triumphantly.

I was lucky enough to experience this live set of troubadours on Dec 7th, 2015 at Sugar Nightclub in Victoria BC to a sold out show where some fans paid 9 x the door price just to get in. After staying late and meeting the eclectic mix of supporters, including a High School French Teacher and his wife who also thought their sound was as transcendent and made the journey to support them from up Island (Where most of the band hails from in Comox), to the sprawl of young woman who clearly were there for the "act" to the Lead Vocalist Devon Portielje who you could say in my excitement of après show and with my slight nerves "When a sip of gin saved an hour of speech - Nerve " I didn’t quite get the interview I thought I would - instead Briefly – you could say I found speaking with Devon clearly exhaustive from his end.

This band tours and plays almost nightly I would have asked him who "stole his Sunny Day" – but I could tell he was wiped. I asked him if the band would emerge on the Island again soon (Returning to play Rifflandia in 2016 like in 2014 but he didn’t commit to that.)

I spoke to his interests and would he get a chance to Surf the Jordan River on his visit to the Island but he said they only had 8 hours in the city and then off to Vancouver for the next nights sold out show at the Imperial.

This Band works hard – you forget sometimes when you haven’t seen an emerging act for awhile ( My last show was UB40 in the summer at the Commodore in Vancouver ) that to really put yourself forward you have to put in the hours (years ) on Tour (They actually toured Dark Eyes for three years !)

Just the fact that the Lead from the opening act for that nights show (Nick
Vallee from Folly & The Hunter) was assisting behind the counter at the merchandise booth after a long night and travel… well that’s a team of working mans bands.

More on the Music, there is huge variety in sounds on the current album, Sun Leads me – with the gritty Narrow Margins - There is a hint of Flamingo music that quickly folds into a somewhat Hip Hop beat – the sound not found anywhere else on the album, speaks like a story its very cool and soulful. It wasn’t played in the show, as I had anticipated – it’s a story of sorts that sounds very introspective.

Highlighting the further talents of Connor Molander (Harmonica being my favorite) one can find a cover done of the modern, Chvrches –The Mother we Share on the BBC Radio 1 (01/2014) then found again in the finale to the current live show touring with the Cover to Bob Dylan’s , Shall be released – seeing it live is spectacular - it was clever and mirrored the original art but with a tang of HMR.

There are confessional tones and a little sadness on both albums – and stories of what appears to be glimpse into the world of addiction – Music is a challenging business for anyone who has had this in their lives – this band however appears to live clean and is into a very healthy lifestyle from surfing to organic gardening mentioned to me by a family friend at the show about Issac’s Symonds (Mandolin extraordinaire and haunting vocalist) wishes for at organic landscaping book for Christmas.

I have heard Dylan Philips (Drummer – who has a great timing and a soulful sound as a professionally trained pianist – and always rocks the keyboard) said in other interviews that in terms of personal struggles that they have had the music guide them as a group – I noticed words formed around the struggle with being saved and loss of faith - perhaps even a loss of hope there – I hope they will continue to explore some further element of faith and that this translates to even more extraordinary music from this talented group, I am proud to call Canadian and will continue to share as their talents that will be sure to surprise us with further gifts in the future.

I clicked the you tube link on HMR’s website and watched some videos they had favored and found: TORA : and now I feel like the gifts just keep giving.

In the next feature story coming in January 2016:

　

Artist Profile: Half Moon Run

Singer Devon Portielje on vocals, guitar and percussion;

Conner Molander on vocals, guitar and keyboard;

Dylan Phillips on vocals, drums and keyboard;

Isaac Symonds on vocals, percussions, mandolin, keyboard and guitar.

P.J Tinham 10.5.2017

 

MOBY

SLM:  Little Pine Place, your Vegan restaurant in CA, I understand that 100% of the profits go to initiatives like Mercy For Animals. What has being involved in this kind of business done to bring awareness?

Moby: As anyone in the restaurant business will tell you it’s the dumbest business in the world, and my main goal with Little Pine is to represent Veganism well. I want people to come in and feel …..

SLM : In community?

 Moby : Yes, in community and also to experience nice food in a nice environment. When most people think of veganism they think of angry, humourless people, which is a legitimate side to animal rights and veganism, but I run the restaurant to reach non vegans. Non vegans can hopefully come in to a beautiful space and experience beautiful food and that the vegan lifestyle can actually be quite nice.

Porcelain: A Memoir about Moby’s life from 1989-1999, of which he has described as "narcissistic time travel”, is truly an homage to the very gritty and beloved city, New York, in the 90’s as it transitioned from being a “broken” city in pieces to its metropolitan rise.  From one of the most fascinating and inventive musicians of our time, a sweet, funny, and innocent diary of the path from suburban poverty and isolation to a journey of prosperity and loss coming out of the NYC club scene of the late ’80s and ’90s.” Moby’s voice resonates with honesty, wit, and, above all, an unshakable passion for his music that steered him through some very rough seas. Which is Ironic as he cheerfully named Moby after Herman Melville who is actually Moby's great-great-great-great uncle. Apple doesn’t fall far from the tree when you read the unique style and talent found in his amazing Memoir Porcelain) Moby really does embody this great quote from the book,

                                 “I try all things, I achieve what I can” – Herman Melville, Moby Dick

SLM: One can integrate it in to their everyday life, that’s amazing. In your Memoir “Porcelain”, it is innocence found in each chapter. I do feel I get pulled into to each punchline, like you have said. How did you survive it all and what would you say now to the kid in the warehouse that would be hopeful? 

Moby: Me, if I were to go back in time? I think my advice would be and it seems really self-evident. Focus on what you love. Try to bring integrity to what you do, and recognize that the majority of your mistakes aren’t going to kill you. Also, avoid the big mistakes and they are; facial tattoos, viral diseases, plane crashes and unwanted children. Barring that you can get through just about anything. Also, there is one facet to adversity that we don’t think about too often which is when we as humans experience adversity we focus on ourselves. It’s also interesting to remember that there are 7.5 billion on the planet who are wrestling with their own brand of adversity, and so in a way when you’re going through adversity look at it as an opportunity. The human condition is hard for everyone and it’s sometimes worth remembering that.

SLM: If I can quote you an excerpts from Porcelain here “I couldn’t give up all the familiar no matter how humble for the unknown, had no guidelines for the personal precedent for becoming a mendicant”- I love this.  Do you feel with a lot of the activism that you do now that maybe championing for so many that you have found your calling?

Moby: I hope so.

SLM: I think so.

Moby: Not to overstate it, but the thing with activism and life in general if you want to have a life with purpose to it , do your best , without knowing what you are doing or if your actions are going to be good for other people and animals, and the planet. You just wake up every day and do what you can. I feel like I could always do more, I could always do less , it’s that cumulative effect and I am sure you have experienced this where you set a goal for yourself that seems unachievable but you keep working on it, and all of sudden you realize your actually quite close to achieving it. Whether it’s learning a new yoga pose, a new instrument or climbing a mountain. Its applied persistent effort that works out eventually.

   To be honest

SLM: A shift now to the music your (Long 1 Ambient Album) is amazing, we often listen to Track L9 for rest time with the kids, can you tell us about this project and the process for making it and why?

Moby: I made it exclusively for myself, at first, because I do yoga and meditate and like most people battle insomnia and I made the music because I couldn’t find very long calm pieces of music. There is a lot of ambient music out there but understandably ambient musicians want to create demanding ambient music, which is beautiful but they add drums or weird sounds. I think of Boards of Canada, for example they do really interesting music but it’s never very long or calm. So I starting writing these 30-40 minutes pieces of music to help me mediate. I have ten hours of unreleased of them which I will put out, I though why not just give away free, (here), people can always find a use for something that help them calm down. So there is more I just have to figure out when and how to release it.

SLM: Working with Steve Cutts again on another video for the track “In The Cold Place”. What has this collaboration been like? in 2016, in collaboration with The Void Pacific Choir you released These Systems Are Failing, More Fast Songs About the Apocalypse, which includes In This Cold Place, and your second collaboration with animator Steve Cutts what was this experience like working together?

Moby: Steve made this video called MAN – its arguable one of the best things I have ever seen. It’s the history of humanity in a three minute clip. It’s so special. I wrote to him as a fan and said I love this video would you ever consider working on a video for me? He said yes, I gave him a little bit of direction he gave me fifty ideas. I narrowed it down to thirty and he just expanded on those. When I work with an artist that I really respect and give them the most creative freedom that I can, and let talented and creative people be talented and creative, without me trying to control it too much, it's great.

SLM: De La Soul closed out this festival last year and I know they were influential earlier on as a DJ. What do you think of their newer music ?

MOBY: So when I first got Spotify on my phone , I used it as way of hearing new music and then I very quickly started using it as a nostalgia machine and I am kind of ashamed of this but when I am on Spotify I only listen to old songs, I am sure that Del La Soul might be making great new music but is a really tricky thing as a listener when there is so much great music in the world, it’s hard for me to really force myself listen to new music. When I could be listening to Led Zeppelin III, (Note Robert Plant has a new Album out, Carry Fire) Goats Head Soup, when I could be listening to Rhapsody in Blue. So at the same time when I put out a new album, I don’t expect people to listen to it, so if I do then I am flattered, but I don’t expect it.

We chatted briefly about going to check out the running of the goats in Victoria Childrens Farm, he signed my copy of Porcelain with a self portrait animated MOBY and we parted ways, I let him know that this interview was my “Yuki Wamatabe Moment” – Porcelain reference – read the book – GO !

 

 Minutes after walking out of the interview I met up with family and friends and basked in the glow of our time together and was immediatlely hit by thestart of the set. The show was a stunning electro fused delight and the animal was unleashed. Starting with Natural Blues and dropping the bass quickly MOBY had the audience dancing around in a frenzy and MOBY's set was brilliant. He closed out the Rifflandia Festival on the main stage- people were stunned. It went off ! 

I read the next day he was DJ'ing and after hours party for NEW ORDER - Oh to be a fly on the wall at that party.

 This year’s headliner for Victoria’s Rifflandia Music Festival was the amazing ARTist Moby (Richard Melville) who has  never played Victoria in his 25 year career, until now. Many will widely recognize Moby as American DJ, and beloved electronic musical ARTist of the past three decades. Although Moby is well known for songs like "Go" and "Porcelain," and albums like Everything is Wrong and Play he is always championing for animal activism. Moby is an outspoken activist and proponent for change, a photographer as well as a genre bending musician, (Punk, Hip Hop, Jazz, Electronic, Ambient). Oh yes and he has also written a profound memoir, Porcelain. Moby’s latest album More Fast Songs About the apocalypse was released June 2017.

I caught up with Moby backstage at RIFF10, and with the heavy beats of L.A’s Z-Trip in the distance, a heat lamp blazing , with the haunting red light shadowing own on us and a light rain pattered down on the artists tent, it was an intimate setting above the bustling Festival to chat about everything Moby.

SLM: This is your first time to Victoria we are so blessed to have you perform today at Rifflandia and I have read that animal welfare is your life’s work and you don’t see yourself as a professional musician or wanting to tour but that you do love music. Why Victoria, why now ?

Moby: If I am being totally honest, I do everything in my power to avoid touring. My criterion for touring has changed a lot now.  I will mainly play fundraisers, and charities or progressive festivals and festivals in beautiful places I haven’t been to before, or that I really love. I had never been to Vancouver Island before and I have a few friends that live here so I thought, well this is a great progressive festival and it’s relatively close to LA. Oddly enough when I do any sort of touring I have no professional ambition, I don’t show up excepting to sell more records, I just get to play music and see places that I like.

SLM: To support many of your initiatives for animal rights you have a Vegan festival organized with the folks from Coachella, can you tell us a little bit more about this next event  ?

Moby: Last year we did our first one it’s called Circle V,  and we are doing our second one this year on November 18th, in LA.

The profits go to Mercy For Animals, an animals rights organization. I play for free. This year the line up is really eclectic. To support us there we will have Waka Flocka Flame, Reggie Watts,  DREAMCAR , @DreamCarMusic, which is Tony (@TonyKanal ) ‏from No Doubt , and Davey Havok from AFI’s band. There will be tonnes of speakers including Kat Von Di and many other Vegan food people. The idea is a non didactic animal rights music festival. (Spaceland Presents is partnering with Moby and his Circle V co-founder, Tony Kanal of No Doubt, to bring the festival back for a second year.)

Some of my personal favorite quotes from Porcelain :

On playing at nightclub MARS “It was 105 degrees onstage and on the dance floor and everyone was sweating through every menthol slathered pore. It was a big, Vicks-scented, anarchic, flawless, Dionysian mess.”

On his mothers funeral “ Maybe she was there incorporeal, in the oak trees, watching her family, her husband, her child, her mother, her friends, all laughing, and for a moment at least, happy. And maybe then she said good-bye, going back through the leaves and the sky to God.”


On the failures of Animal Rights and mother passing: “With my forehead pressed against the glass, I realized I was crying. I blamed the vodka and the beauty of New York City seen from the top of the Twin Towers. The DJ played Petula Clark’s “Downtown”. I finished my drink and turned my back on the world.”

On writing “Why Does My Heart” I turned on my Roland Juno 106 synth and created a very simple and understated bass sound. All low end, no attack, no high end. Just simple, anchoring bass. I played it over the chords and it worked. Most people wouldn’t even notice the bass; it just sat there underneath the song, holding it all together.

Thank you Tyson @Rocktographers PC

Pamela from SLM with Moby at #RIFF10