Mister Moon is a four piece alt group from Norwalk, Ohio, just west of the greater Cleveland area. Interlocking drum and percussion parts are carefully crafted with patience and attentiveness by the bands two drummer center, while synth tones and heavy bass give ground for ethereal melodies to be woven into this rhythm centered alternative group from Northern Ohio. 

Please list all of your band members and their roles in the band.

Tommy Christian- lead vox, guitar, various instruments
Seth Bain- bass, various instruments
Cory Webb- drums, various instruments
Cory Boomer- drums, various instruments 

For starters, what bands were you guys a part of prior to Mister Moon? How long has the band been around? 

All members of Mister Moon were in a band called The Womacks that was active around the regional Ohio scene from 2011-2015. It wasn’t until after this band broke up that Mister Moon started putting things together and playing regularly around Ohio. Early 2016 . Other regional bands all or some of us have been involved with are Nick D & The Believers, The Heartbeats, Doc Robinson, Nate Jones Band, and various other projects that still currently pop up in addition to Mister Moon.

What’s the origin of that name and have you changed the band’s name before?

Christian: The name Mister Moon came out of necessity as Boom and I started playing shows and performing material that would later become part of the bands set. It was really important to me that it was both masculine and feminine. I was also attracted to the wordplay: to say WE are Mister Moon is off-putting and I like that. Mister Moon is me. You. Us. We. Them. This. That. And everything in between.

Who writes your songs? What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs and do you think these topics will change over time?

Christian: If you mean who writes the lyrics, that would be me, Tommy. If you mean who writes the songs in general, that has changed over the years. In the beginning I would hide out and then resurface with a new song that was more or less fleshed out. But as time progressed I began letting the guys in on the songs earlier and and earlier in the process. Nowadays, the guys will tell me they like an idea and then I’ll work on it a bit and then show them, and then we’ll edit together, try it again and put it through the Moon filter, eventually ending up with a song in which, to us, you can hear the influence of all the members. The themes and topics that I write about usually fall into two categories: I have narcissistic songwriter tendencies, so I’ll write songs about me and my own experiences. But then I also have lyrics that are stories or observations. But even if it’s a song that is maybe inspired from my personal life, I try to write about it in a way that doesn’t isolate the listener but rather includes them and if they know what it feels like, maybe they’ll relate to it.

I also tend to play with perspective which allows me to have songs that work on multiple levels. In ‘Chimes’, I’m singing in the first person using ‘I’ but really I’m speaking for a whole group of people about modern racism, for example. And yes the topics will change over time as I change and the world changes. But that doesn’t mean the lyrics will ever become dated. I don’t write like that. I write so that in twenty years the music might sound dates but the lyrics will still apply because we’re all human and this is still a human experience. (Assuming the earth and humans exist in twenty years, which is questionable.)

What bands are currently inspiring the music that you’re making?

Bain: Currently there are a lot of artists out there who inspire us in different creative ways. Tierra Whack is a relatively new name in the Hip Hop and RnB world that really has her own style and is creating her own brand, style, world that is very unique and her own. We like the idea of creating a place people can step into with your music. Gorillaz is another group that has been perfecting it for years . Here’s a few others we love... The Strokes, Tyler The Creator, Parquet Courts , Death Grips, Michael Jackson, Warpaint, Local Natives, and in all facets of media .. Tim Heidecker is king. 

Was there a particular band/artist or concert that inspired you to start a band?

Christian: There wasn’t really a specific band or anything that directly inspired us. We all just genuinely love music. Having fun and creating music that we think is cool, though the reasons it’s cool changes song to song.

What do you do to prepare for a show? Any flexing, exercises, ect. 

Boomer: We like to spend a lot of time driving in the van to prepare for the show.  We have a few different breathing exercises that we rely on from time to time. All about that mental state of mind!  

What has been the biggest highlight of the band’s career so far?

Bain: We’ve played a lot of great shows over the last few years. Collaborating with other local bands who we like and who work hard is always great.. The best thing we’ve done was in April of 2019 where we performed with a contemporary dance company out of Akron Ohio , called NEOs. We provided the music for a completely original interpretative dance performance. To be able to work in concert with another artistic medium like dancing was really special and humbling . We hope to continue these unique collaborations as we move forward.

If you could tour with any bands, past or present, who would they be and why?

Past would be Prince. Present would probably be Warpaint. They seem fun. We would hope to tour with a band that’s friendly and level headed and enjoys the same type of breathing exercises we participate in. 

Is there anything else you would like to add? 

Keep an eye out for new music and media almost every month for the remainder of 2019!  We really do love Tim Heidecker... for real.