motel void

MOTEL VOID: What inspired you to create Moondaddy during the 2020 lockdown, and how did it evolve from a solo project into a band?

MOONDADDY: I spent all of my afternoons locked in my bedroom just noodling and coming up with sketches. Often, the songs were recorded with bad mics or my phone. I didn’t really have any intention of releasing anything, but my good friend convinced me it was worth leaning into creating a record. I’ve been in various projects for years and always sketched stuff with my acoustic, but quarantine was the first time I really felt like there was absolutely nothing to lose in embracing my solo work and sharing. Eventually, I collaborated with Manual Calderon known as ‘Elcosmophonico’ and we laid down the groundwork for a full band sound.

Fortunately, I knew several players/friends just from being in the scene for a while, and built a band relatively quickly.

MOTEL VOID: How did your fascination with analog equipment shape your creative process?

MOONDADDY: Even during square one I taught myself how to cut records on a lathe and leaned into physical media as a way to feel closer to the work. It was amazing getting to collaborate with visual artist Marina Grize on several variations of tapes and records before we reached the final product. I knew that Lightwave Lightwave needed to be a reach and a challenge to re-spark my creative energy.

MOTEL VOID: What led to your collaboration with Manuel Calderon, and how did this partnership influence the creation of your debut album?

MOONDADDY: I found his name and studio on the back of one of my favorite records during lockdown. Fortunately, I was able to get ahold of him to mix one of my demos. Eventually, we decided it would be cool to work in person and everything kind of spiraled from there. We built a friendship and mutual respect, and now I can’t imagine the project without him.

MOTEL VOID: Who or what is your biggest inspiration right now?

MOONDADDY: I would say Spiritualized, Cocteau Twins, and PJ Harvey.

MOTEL VOID: Your new single ‘Conquer Me’ has just been released—can you tell us about the writing and recording process behind it?

MOONDADDY: Rob Wren, the bassist, absolutely blew me away with his perfect bass tone. He ran a bass VI through a space echo and it really just set the atmosphere for the song. It started a bit more folky/60s sounding and ended up having a unique ambience that I think really suits the content of the song. Gabe Poissant also killed it with his unique slide guitar tone. Patrick Heaney also added a beautiful drum part that really moves the song along nicely, but doesn’t overtake any of the spaciousness. This EP was really a collaborative effort, and it was entirely live, so there was no room for nitpicking or a lot of revisions. We kind of had to pick our lane and commit to it.