Interview With 'High Moonlight'
Firstly, introduce yourselves and tell us a little bit about the band and how you came to be?
The band High Moonlight was formed in the late 90s among some school friends who were looking for fun, girls and drinks. The Grunge scene was high at that time, bands like Nirvana, Alice In Chains and others dominated the Rock scene of the time, we did not like that sound and we wanted to play the good old Heavy/Rock.
We heard Dio, Sabbath, AC/DC, Rainbow ... so they were the bands that inspired us. In the beginning we were just a trio, guitar, bass and drums. Like every band, we used to play several covers of bands we used to sing (Uriah Heep, Dio, Rainbow) but the goal was always their own songs. And it was in thinking that I developed the personality of the band, that is, the lyrics should follow a defined theme. In the case of High Moonlight, our lyrics deal with themes such as mysticism, intergalactic adventures, conspiracy, aliens and existentialism.
What were you all up too prior to the band, was this always the chosen path or did you have other dreams and aspirations?
Before the band I always worked in common jobs, as varied as possible, but I never put aside the music and the purpose of making my sound through High Moonlight be known world-wide. This was and always will be my goal and the path I have chosen to stay motivated in life.
Tell us about your latest release and why our readers should check it out.
Our first EP that is available (for now) only on SoundCloud and as a demo, is a compilation of seven compositions that define well the High Moonlight, both sonority and thematic. It is a Heavy Metal/Rock n' Roll of the best quality possible and really innovative. It's a way of telling people that it's still possible to make quality music and good taste and that Heavy Metal and Rock n' Roll still has a lot of firewood to burn, you can believe it!!! I'm sure that after hearing "Arcturians", "Storm" or "Inovaya" for example, many will say: "Dude, what's this sound ?! I've never heard anything like it "or else:" Rock is still alive, that's very good !!! "You can be sure!
Who would you say is the bands main song writer or is it a group effort and where do you draw your inspiration lyrically and musically from?
The main composer of the band is me. I have always been at the forefront of the project and I have never given up on the idea that one day I will be able, of course, to be the only original member from the beginning. But that does not mean that it is not open to suggestions or ideas from other members. It happens that for several reasons the final word is always mine ... this is normal, after all I always had well defined goals in relation to the sound of the band. Concerning the inspirations to compose, although I am a big fan of heavy sound in general, I hear quite different things to be able to have inspiration. As for music, I listen to a lot of Indian music, oriental music, for example ... I write and read a lot of things related to conspiracy, battles, magic kingdoms, aliens and so on. Kind of weird but that's it.
As a band what do you believe is your greatest achievement to date and why?
As a band, I have as my biggest achievement so far, the participation in an official compilation released in 2016. It is a CD where several Brazilian Heavy metal bands participated (Roadie Metal Volume 8). Bands like Torture Squad, Claustrophobia, Heaven's Guardian among others, have already been part of this project. That was and still is very important for me, because even though it is a compilation with only Brazilian bands it ended up being released in other countries as well (which band do not want to have their material spread out the world?). But I know there are much bigger things to be achieved as a band yet and we certainly will, we're working to make that happen.
Have you ever come face to face with someone within the music scene who has left you awestruck and why?
Yes. Ronnie James Dio. I always enjoyed his work and always had him as an inspiration as a musician. A lot of what I wrote I imagined him as a vocalist ... Unfortunately this is something that I will not be able to realize.
What do you enjoy most about touring?
Besides playing, being able to know different cultures and new people. That's a lifetime experience that no money in the world pays for.
If we were to head out to one of your live shows what can ourselves and others expect?
Lots of positive energy and satisfaction guaranteed! Is it true Rock and quality that you want? So it's Rock of truth and quality that you will have!
If you had one artist/band that you could go on tour with tomorrow who would it be and why?
Rainbow, because we think our music has a lot to do in many ways. (I just do not know if Blackmore would like the idea of dividing the stage with a band yet unknown rsrsrs)
You can spend an hour with a musical icon living or dead, who would you pick, why and what would you speak about?
Rod Smallwood, manager of Iron Maiden. I'd try to get him to entrepreneur High Moonlight. I'm sure he would see potential in our songs.
And finally and most importantly is Die Hard a Christmas Movie?
No. It's an action movie ... at least it's what it seems ...
We just want to say thank you for taking the time to answer our questions.
Thanks for the opportunity to show some of the work that I have been developing with my band and I hope this interview reaches Rod Smallwood rsrsr. Thank you.
