Brisbane based five-piece Moses Gunn Collective are thriving in the universal thirst for their style of psychedelic dream pop. After establishing themselves as local favourites in the Brisbane music scene, MGC gained national and international exposure with their recent EP “Morning Shakes” and the singles ‘Shalala’ and ‘Mary’, scoring rotation on triple j and community stations around Australia and critical acclaim throughout the international blog community. On August 7th, the band releases it’s debut album ‘Mercy Mountain’. Australian Musician fired a few questions at the band ahead of the album’s release.
You call yourselves a collective. Does that mean that the lineup is flexible … ie more members added at any point in time?
Would you believe me if I said yes?
Why is Mercy Mountain the album title?
It’s the name of one of the tracks and we recorded the album in Stag’s family farmhouse we like to call Mercy Mountain.
How complete were the album songs before going into the studio? Did they develop/change much in the studio?
There were a bunch of songs on the album that we were already playing in our live shows, so those songs were pretty much done. But there were a couple we wrote a day or two before going out to record. So it’s a bit of a mixture to keep it fresshhhhhhh.
What kind of lessons did you learn from previous recording experiences, that you took into the recording of the album?
I suppose to keep things as live as possible, doing this made things run far quicker and smoother.
Is reproducing the new album tracks live going to be an issue? Have you had to re-figure your stage gear?
We’re not too sure yet, it’s going to be interesting. Bella is a boss on the Ableton, so we’ve got her on synth and samples to cover all the weirder electronic shit
What factors need to be present for the perfect Moses Gunn Collective gig to happen?
Honestly, probably a nice hang out with the 5 of us beforehand. Couple beers and nice chats. Maybe a bit of face painting/glitter throwing.
Will you always create your own costumes or is it just a phase? Is it in fact a hangover from playing dress ups as kids that you have never been able to let go of? Are you OK? Should we be worried? Should we call someone?
Pfft as if you don’t love the glitter. WORRIED? I’d be worried if we weren’t dressing up and having a ball on stage. Isn’t it way more interesting that way anyway? It might not always be glitter..
What guitar treasures inhabit this band?
1983 Fender Stratocaster, 1980s Greco, Eastwood 12-string.
What are the amps that your sweet sounds come out of?
In the studio we tried a bunch but mainly relied on a VOX AC-15 and an Orange Crush Mini Amp, we kind of just use whatever is there when we play live though.
There’s gotta be some trippy pedals happening. Can you list them?
Nothing too strange or fancy, currently running through a Diamond Compressor, POG2, Pharaoh Fuzz, Ryusuke Evie, Mid-Fi Pitch Pirate, Moog Chorus, DD20 and a Boss Spring Reverb box.
What’s on your gear wish list to make this band even more troppo?
The gear wish list is always growing, but I think we’ll dedicate funds towards more glitter and sequins. And maybe a new hat so I don’t get sunburned.
What’s on for rest of year?
We got our tour in August, big sound, jungle love and hopefully some other fun awesome stuff.
What’s the grand plan?
Wouldn’t youuuu like to know?
Listen to the band’s new single Hot Mess here!
MOSES GUNN COLLECTIVE MERCY MOUNTAIN TOUR
SAT 15 AUG – THE NORTHERN, BYRON BAY
$5 on door thenorthern.com.au
FRI 21 AUG – SHEBEEN BANDROOM, MELBOURNE
$10+bf presale & $12 on the door
shebeenbandroom.com.au
SAT 22 AUG – GOODGOD SMALL CLUB, SYDNEY
$10+bf presale & $12 on the door
moshtix.com.au
FRI 28 AUG – THE BRIGHTSIDE, BRISBANE
$10+bf presale & $12 on the door
oztix.com.au
SAT 29 AUG – SOL BAR, MAROOCHYDORE
$10+bf presale & $12 on the door
oztix.com.au