Interview with Dust from Moonlow
By Mick Michaels
COSMICK
VIEW: Hello, Dust! Welcome to The Cosmick View. Thank you for taking
some time out of your day to chat with me, it's greatly appreciated.
CV: Is composition and songwriting relatively the same regardless of style or genre in your opinion? A good song is a good song, thus, contains all the needed elements to make an audience take notice and listen. Would you agree?
Dust: I think that's often true. But in the case of more soundscape-based music such as Moonlow, I do think that the presentation matters. The lyrics are spoken rather than sung, and often the music is more noise-based as opposed to being rooted in a traditional chord sequence. To take away the synth sounds and the delivery of the vocals would mean the song would have to be entirely re-worked to be of any worth.
CV: Do you feel music has healing properties that can't be experienced or sought after elsewhere?
Dust: That's a good way of putting it. Yes, I do agree with that. I once had a conversation with Leigh Gorman from Bow Wow Wow, who has done a lot of scientific research relating to music. He mentioned that playing music causes our brains to produce both Alpha and Gamma waves simultaneously, which is apparently unheard of in other situations. I think music somehow gets straight to our emotions and makes us feel something almost instantly. There are also deeper levels that this can work on, such as using lyrics to make sense of the world around us. Even though music does seem to directly manipulate the emotions it is also ambiguous enough that we can hang our own life experience on it so that it seems personal to us even if we didn't compose it. I don't fully understand why this all works, but I do know that music's healing properties are widely reported!
CV: Is your personal statement with music one that is derived from your need to heal the world's soul?
Dust: I don't think that my ambitions are quite as lofty or ambitious as that. During the composition of Who Are You? the world was changing very quickly, and I was also going through a period of illness…which was probably COVID-19. So I was definitely using the music and words as an outlet to express confusion and suffering. I suppose I was also trying to find some redemption, healing and hope through this catharsis.
CV: Is composition and songwriting relatively the same regardless of style or genre in your opinion? A good song is a good song, thus, contains all the needed elements to make an audience take notice and listen. Would you agree?
Dust: I think that's often true. But in the case of more soundscape-based music such as Moonlow, I do think that the presentation matters. The lyrics are spoken rather than sung, and often the music is more noise-based as opposed to being rooted in a traditional chord sequence. To take away the synth sounds and the delivery of the vocals would mean the song would have to be entirely re-worked to be of any worth.
CV: Do you feel music has healing properties that can't be experienced or sought after elsewhere?
Dust: That's a good way of putting it. Yes, I do agree with that. I once had a conversation with Leigh Gorman from Bow Wow Wow, who has done a lot of scientific research relating to music. He mentioned that playing music causes our brains to produce both Alpha and Gamma waves simultaneously, which is apparently unheard of in other situations. I think music somehow gets straight to our emotions and makes us feel something almost instantly. There are also deeper levels that this can work on, such as using lyrics to make sense of the world around us. Even though music does seem to directly manipulate the emotions it is also ambiguous enough that we can hang our own life experience on it so that it seems personal to us even if we didn't compose it. I don't fully understand why this all works, but I do know that music's healing properties are widely reported!
CV: Is your personal statement with music one that is derived from your need to heal the world's soul?
Dust: I don't think that my ambitions are quite as lofty or ambitious as that. During the composition of Who Are You? the world was changing very quickly, and I was also going through a period of illness…which was probably COVID-19. So I was definitely using the music and words as an outlet to express confusion and suffering. I suppose I was also trying to find some redemption, healing and hope through this catharsis.
CV:
"Who Are You" is a musical
journey of self discovery tailor made for the listener. Was the project's
initial concept and development of a similar nature for you? Were there
specific things you wanted to discover about yourself that otherwise would have
not come to fruition if you didn't write and release this material?
Dust: Thank you for that description! I was trying to make sense of my own confusion and fear relating to my personal suffering with illness and also in relation to global events. The words are indeed an examination of and reflection upon deeper aspects of the self. They are very personal to me but I invite the listener to submit to the journey, dark as it may be at times, and to enter into a communion with aspects of themselves that may not be at the surface.
CV: Would multiple listens allow the fans to experience different things, hence, creating an entirely unique indulgence and response with each auditory exposure? If so, was such design intentional or was it more of an organic thing that evolved during the recording process?
Dust: The music and the lyrics were conceived quickly and with minimal planning. I hope that people are able to find their own meaning in the songs. And it would be great if repeat listens did indeed unearth different feelings so as to provide a unique experience each time. I think that's how most good music works. I didn't particularly set out with this conscious intention; it was more of a case of allowing myself expression to be as unbridled and unfiltered as possible.
CV: How would you describe or define "apocalyptic noise poetry?" What do you feel makes it unique to your particular musical songwriting style or approach? Or is it more of an attitude or viewpoint?
Dust: It became clear early on that the music was moving in quite a noisy direction. I also knew from the start that I wasn't going to “sing” in the traditional sense and that instead the vocal delivery would take more of a spoken word form. Added to those elements is the fact that the lyrical themes are rather apocalyptic in the sense that they relate to existential crisis, fear of death, the self and the loss of the self, cataclysm and disaster, and, ultimately, rebirth. So, when I was thinking about how to describe the music I came up with “apocalyptic noise poetry”…it seemed to encapsulate all of the themes and elements of Moonlow.
CV: Do you feel the COVID pandemic has offered many of us an opportunity to learn more about who we really are rather than what or who we thought we were prior to the world going into a tail spin? Has there been a lot of soul searching happening in response to recent world events in your opinion?
Dust: Yes, I do think that the crisis has forced many of us to search within ourselves and to consider who are and who we want to be. It's a very tough time for a lot of people, many of whom are going through far worse experiences than I have been. But there can be some positive self-discovery resulting from this. Sometimes it takes a crisis for us to really get our priorities in perspective. Hopefully the global situation – co-operation, work towards a more peaceful, sustainable and equitable world - will improve in years to come.
CV: For yourself, what would be the ultimate state or feeling of "being at peace?”
Dust: I enjoy nothing more than being on stage performing. Unfortunately, this is not really possible currently. I also greatly enjoy mountain walking and I find a sense of peace when I am out in the hills. Meditation has been something I've been working on recently, and I would highly recommend for anyone to give it a go. Listening to music, reading, watching films and experiencing art in other ways can also bring a sense of peace and one-ness, for me.
CV: What's next coming following the release of "Who Are You?" What can music fans expect to see coming for the rest of 2020 and beyond?
Dust: The truth is that, at this stage, I just don't know. Moonlow was an entirely spontaneous and unplanned project, so there is very little in the way of a long term plan. I am open to the possibility of another Moonlow album, but I have no immediate plans for that. There is also the possibility of future Moonlow live performances but that would obviously have to wait until the pandemic situation calms down somewhat. At the moment I'm very excited for the release of the album. Let's wait and see what happens after that.
CV: Thank you again Dust for spending some time talking and sharing with
our readers. I wish you all the best and continued success.
Dust: Thank you! It has been great to talk to you. Be sure to check out the album at https://trepanationrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/who-are-you.
Check out Moonlow at:
Instagram: www.instagram.com/moonlowband
Facebook: www.facebook.com/moonlowband
Twitter: www.twitter.com/moonlowband
Want to see your logo here? Contact The Cosmick View for details and rates.
Dust: Thank you for that description! I was trying to make sense of my own confusion and fear relating to my personal suffering with illness and also in relation to global events. The words are indeed an examination of and reflection upon deeper aspects of the self. They are very personal to me but I invite the listener to submit to the journey, dark as it may be at times, and to enter into a communion with aspects of themselves that may not be at the surface.
CV: Would multiple listens allow the fans to experience different things, hence, creating an entirely unique indulgence and response with each auditory exposure? If so, was such design intentional or was it more of an organic thing that evolved during the recording process?
Dust: The music and the lyrics were conceived quickly and with minimal planning. I hope that people are able to find their own meaning in the songs. And it would be great if repeat listens did indeed unearth different feelings so as to provide a unique experience each time. I think that's how most good music works. I didn't particularly set out with this conscious intention; it was more of a case of allowing myself expression to be as unbridled and unfiltered as possible.
CV: How would you describe or define "apocalyptic noise poetry?" What do you feel makes it unique to your particular musical songwriting style or approach? Or is it more of an attitude or viewpoint?
Dust: It became clear early on that the music was moving in quite a noisy direction. I also knew from the start that I wasn't going to “sing” in the traditional sense and that instead the vocal delivery would take more of a spoken word form. Added to those elements is the fact that the lyrical themes are rather apocalyptic in the sense that they relate to existential crisis, fear of death, the self and the loss of the self, cataclysm and disaster, and, ultimately, rebirth. So, when I was thinking about how to describe the music I came up with “apocalyptic noise poetry”…it seemed to encapsulate all of the themes and elements of Moonlow.
CV: Do you feel the COVID pandemic has offered many of us an opportunity to learn more about who we really are rather than what or who we thought we were prior to the world going into a tail spin? Has there been a lot of soul searching happening in response to recent world events in your opinion?
Dust: Yes, I do think that the crisis has forced many of us to search within ourselves and to consider who are and who we want to be. It's a very tough time for a lot of people, many of whom are going through far worse experiences than I have been. But there can be some positive self-discovery resulting from this. Sometimes it takes a crisis for us to really get our priorities in perspective. Hopefully the global situation – co-operation, work towards a more peaceful, sustainable and equitable world - will improve in years to come.
CV: For yourself, what would be the ultimate state or feeling of "being at peace?”
Dust: I enjoy nothing more than being on stage performing. Unfortunately, this is not really possible currently. I also greatly enjoy mountain walking and I find a sense of peace when I am out in the hills. Meditation has been something I've been working on recently, and I would highly recommend for anyone to give it a go. Listening to music, reading, watching films and experiencing art in other ways can also bring a sense of peace and one-ness, for me.
CV: What's next coming following the release of "Who Are You?" What can music fans expect to see coming for the rest of 2020 and beyond?
Dust: The truth is that, at this stage, I just don't know. Moonlow was an entirely spontaneous and unplanned project, so there is very little in the way of a long term plan. I am open to the possibility of another Moonlow album, but I have no immediate plans for that. There is also the possibility of future Moonlow live performances but that would obviously have to wait until the pandemic situation calms down somewhat. At the moment I'm very excited for the release of the album. Let's wait and see what happens after that.
CV: Thank you again Dust for spending some time talking and sharing with
our readers. I wish you all the best and continued success.
Dust: Thank you! It has been great to talk to you. Be sure to check out the album at https://trepanationrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/who-are-you.
Check out Moonlow at:
Instagram: www.instagram.com/moonlowband
Facebook: www.facebook.com/moonlowband
Twitter: www.twitter.com/moonlowband
Like The Cosmick View on Facebook at:
www.facebook.com/TheCosmickView 
My name is Mick Michaels...I'm an artist, music fan, songwriter, producer, show host, dreamer and guitarist for the traditional Heavy Metal band Corners of Sanctuary. Writing has always been a creative outlet for me; what I couldn't say in speech, I was able to do with the written word. Writing has given me a voice and a way for me to create on a multitude of platforms including music and song, articles, independent screenplays, books and now, artist interviews. The Cosmick View is an opportunity to raise the bar and showcase artists in a positive and inspirational light. For me, it's another out-of-this-world adventure.
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