Homecooking Share

HomeCookingShare: To begin, who are you?

TCMMB: The Cool Moonmist Mountain Band is a solo livetronica project based in Seattle, Wa formed in 2016. Its multi genre and centered around live synths and looping.

HCS: How would you define your music?

TCMMB: A mind bending psychedelic explosion, or so its said. Psybeats or electrodub also comes to mind. A lot of inspiration actually comes from jazz charts and song structure, even though its more a hip hop / beat groove. Jam bands factor big in there too, especially those in the livetronica scene.

HCS: What made you decide one day to embark on this musical adventure?

TCMMB: Started out as a classically trained musician, and then studied jazz in college. Both were really enriching to my musical palate, but growing up pretty much only listened to punk rock, indie and some electronica. Started recording over 10 years ago now, that's been quite the journey on its own. Played in a few differed local bands off and on and was featured as a guest instrumentalist and studio musician a couple times in my college town in Tennessee. I'd been mulling over this music project I had in mind for creating a live electronic experience, that also could be different each time. During then was attending and working a lot of music festivals and raves as staff which certainly gave me some more brain food. After that, took a roadtrip around the USA and decided on Seattle as the best place to make this idea happen. After crafting my live setup for a couple years, and learning all I can about live sound and studio recording, started gigging in the pacific northwest.

HCS: Your influences?

TCMMB: Strictly production wise Pretty Lights, OTT, Crystal Method are big ones for me. Cerebrally though I've been big into Miles Davis, Funkadelic, and Bela Fleck lately. Always bumping that older hip hop too Hieroglyphics, Big L, Three 6, Outkast you name it.

HCS: If you had to leave on a desert island with 3 discs: which ones?

TCMMB: : Geeze, this one is tough, its changed alot in the past couple years... I've got to break it into electronic and non electronic if that's alright.
Non electronic:

- Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea

- At the Drive In - Relationship of Command

- My Bloody Valentine - Loveless

Electronic:
- The Crystal Method - Vegas

- Meat Beat Manifesto - Subliminal Sandwich

- Goldie - Timeless

Special shout out to Outkast's Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik though

HCS: The perfect track to cook?

TCMMB: How about my latest live recording? The opening track will be on my upcoming EP later this year!

HCS: Small technical point: with what material do you work?

TCMMB: Music is orginal and created in Ableton, and then I use Reaper for mastering or final touches. Performance is an ableton live set with live instrument looping, samples, one shots, live midi effects, and hopefully branching out with some guitar and bass. All samples are created and sounds synthesized independently. Live, there are several instruments and drums loops going in improvised patterns along with synths. I use a microKORG and Yamaha digital piano for MIDI mapping, I like how the complex MIDI envelops of the keyboard really add a feel to the synth.

HCS: Not easy to break into the musical jungle, even with talent ... what do you think about it?

TCMMB: I mull this one over a lot. In many respects, very lucky to be living in this time as a musician. My early days listening to punk rock really instilled the DIY spirit in me, and it's never been easier to write, record, promote, and perform your own material. But, I see the difficulty comes too with talent meaning less than it used to, no matter how much time you spend learning this craft there's still so much time to be spent thinking about and treating it like a business, which isn't a forte per se. For a mindset, it's not just making something good enough, but something so good that it can't be dismissed. I was way into skateboarding growing up, and to be a pro you had to get as good as they were, or better before sending out your tape. Music its the same way, be better than the pros, and that starts in the mind. However, music, kinda like skateboarding, isn't a competition. There's room for everyone and that's one of the best parts. A lot of success is just being in the right place at the right time, so making sure you've worked as hard as you can so you can be in the moment when it comes is paramount. From there it's up to the universe.

HCS: And finally, if you have something to add (pretty much what you want ...), here we go!

TCMMB: I am a big proponent of music being free to listen to and use, and intend to keep my music free for everyone as long as possible, hopefully forever. If you like it send me a message / donation or come see it live! Its always appreciated. Support your local scenes too, every type of music has its place out there, but it can only exist with your support. To receive you have to give, one hand washes the other, or something like that....

To continue in music the discovery of the artist, here is his last track uploaded : "Life Is Just A Petri Dish"

To be continued... next month!