‘When the world ends and God comes to judge the living and the dead, he will find the music industry of the20th century to be the most baffling sin man ever committed.’, says Lee Ketch.

His band Mooner just released ‘Satisfaction​-​promise’.

 

 

 

 

 

 

At what point, during writing, rehearsing, recording, did you knew you were on to something special?

As we were recording it! The band played the songs amazingly. They are very talented musicians and patient, thoughtful people. We all endured a lot of preparation and that really paid off when we went to record. Most of what you hear on the album was captured live in a few takes.

The music industry has changed a lot (or so they say). What did it bring you? And what not?

I’m not professional, but from my perspective, the music industry is the healthiest it’s ever been in history. Bandcamp is the only essential industry tool. Everything else from copyright to payola has been mercifully dismantled. When the world ends and God comes to judge the living and the dead, he will find the music industry of the20th century to be the most baffling sin man ever committed.

Can you still recall the moment music became important to you? What happened?

Definitely. The chorus of “Part of Your World” from The Little Mermaid. A very important activity in my childhood was sitting on the piano bench next to my dad as he played and sang from a big Disney songbook. My eyes were level with the keyboard and I loved watching him hit all the keys. My earliest musical memory is the part of the song where it goes “up where they walk / up where they run…” with all that building tension in the chord progression. It left quite an impression watching this giant person with a booming voice play these big dramatic chords and then slow down for the big release of “up where they stay all day in the sun.” I probably thought “Wow, my Legos can’t do this.”

Magic can happen when you are playing in front of a crowd. Can you recall such a moment?

In high school, my band played the Battle of the Bands. I found in a closet an old wireless mic rig and adapted it to my guitar so I could run all around the stage. The other guitarist in the band bought one too and for our performance, our plan was to jump off the stage right as we hit my big guitar solo. When the time came, we both hopped off the stage which was a three or four-foot drop into complete darkness. I sort of crumpled to the ground and the shock of the landing caused the batteries in my wireless transponder to spring from their place. When I was supposed to be playing this screaming solo, my guitar was completely silent. There was a single spotlight on me as I scrambled around for the batteries on the floor of the auditorium. I somehow got them back just in time to run up on stage and play a single lick. It was the biggest adrenaline rush of my life followed by the biggest anxiety attack of my life.

Which is the song you wish you had written every time you hear it? And why?

“Hello, Hooray” by Alice Cooper. It’s a song about the power of music and it expresses through music how playing music makes me feel. If I could write something that moves, I’d die happy.

 

 

 

 

 

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released August 4, 2018

Produced by Mooner and Kit Shields
Recorded and mixed by Dorian Gehring at Fox Hall, Chicago, IL
Mastered by Mike Hagler at King Size Sound Labs, Chicago, IL
Additional recording by Mark Greenberg and Lee Ketch.

Nick Harris – Bass, vocals
Andy Ketch – Drums, vocals
Lee Ketch – Guitar, synth, vocals
Joe Pruitt – Guitar, vocals
Steve Slagg – piano, synth, vibraphone, vocals

Kit Shields – Vocals
Sydney Shields – Vocals
Allison Van Liere – Vocals