The Moonshine Effect are an up and coming indie / shoegaze 6-piece from Athens. Two years ago they put out their release Our eyes should meet which was met with applause in their home country. They are now looking to spread their sound across the world.
Tomatrax slid a piece of paper with questions under a door and received the following responses.
The band was formed in 2015 when Johnny and Kostas, long time friends, decided to collect their ideas and started writing and recording demo versions of the songs. Pinto, Jacquelin e , Theodoros and Nikos contributed to the song writings and orchestration. John X-Tam helped with the edit of the demo versions. We all had band experiences but this time we wanted to do something complete and official.
Where did the name Moonshine Effect come from?
We all love the night and the shining of the moon but above all it sounded good to our ears. We also liked the playful game of the different meanings of the name.
Where did the album title Our eyes should meet come from?All of us don't feel comfortable with the dominant culture and search for something different. Therefore we need to meet and explore our common likes , tryin g to express our love for music with sincerity .
What was the inspiration behind the video for 'Just before dawn'?
Aris Michalopoulos , who made the video, and the band both agreed that the video shall be something trippy and emotional like the song itself, including the element of memory.
Given you're from Greece, why do you sing in English?
The music and the songs we like since our childhood are in English. So there was no other way to express ourselves except from English.
Have you considered writing songs in Greek?
This is something that never worried us. We were confident of writ ing songs in English.
What is the music scene in Athens like?
Despite the financial cris i s and the music industry cris i s, Athens scene is alive and well . A lot of concerts are being organized and plenty of groups releas e high quality albums in all kind of formats (vinyl, cd, digital).
Your music has a very calm and relaxed vibe to it, was that the intention when writing and performing your songs?
The intention was to have sweet pop melodies with some feedback noise in a dreamy atmosphere.
When writing what comes first, the words or the music?
Usually the base of our music is the vocal melody on the guitar chords. Then we build the songs with the other instruments and of course the lyrics .
Do you ever listen to your own music?
Frankly speaking, we never do it. We have listed to the songs so many times during the recordings, mixings and master processes that makes us not so positive to listen to them again and again. However, of course we love them and we are impatient to play them live.
What music do you listen to?
We listen to all kinds of music, from rock n' roll and j azz to electronica. We like to dig old sounds and also to explore contemporary music territories.
What do you have planned in 2020?
We are planning a re- release of the cd format of the album because it's sold out, a new music video and simultaneously we are in the process of writing new songs for our forthcoming second album.
Check out the Moonshine Effect's website to find out more!
