The Black Moods talk about their single 'Throwing Shade', EDM, and not falling for the latest trend
Arizona-based trio The Black Moods are as classic as modern rock gets. They're a band that manages to deliver a fresh take on ageless guitar-driven rock and roll and their sophomore album 'Sunshine' comes out on May 8 and features tracks like 'Bella Donna', 'Whatcha Got, and 'Bad News', in addition to the anthemic 'Throwing Shade'.
MEAWW got a chance to speak with vocalist and guitarist Josh Kennedy and drummer Chico Diaz and discuss their single 'Throwing Shade' as well as their take on EDM, rock music, new bands, and future projects.
'Throwing Shade', 'Bella Donna' and 'Watcha Got' all have a richer, more crisp and tight production value to your previous works. Were there any drastic changes to recording style and instrumentation choices since then?
Josh Kennedy: Yeah, we recorded it in our studio where we'd been rehearsing, we just kinda converted it into a place where we could make records too, and we used a different producer this time, which is Johnny K.
Chico Diaz: We also had other sorts of gear we didn't have before and so that definitely helped enhance the sound as well. Our other producer, Jim Kauffman, is still a great friend of ours, but working with someone different and getting a different perspective and ideas on how to do the same thing but differently was great.
The lyrics to your song "Throwing Shade" contain these lines - "Scanned the dial, there's nothing but EDM on the radio." Are you intentionally throwing shade at the EDM genre or is it more tongue-in-cheek?
JK: I guess you just picture getting up in the morning after having such a rough night and that's really not what you want to hear when you turn the radio on. I'm looking for something more low key. Not doggin' the whole thing because it's not all bad, just not good for a hangover!
Your music is very boldly kick-in-the-gut rock and roll and doesn't incorporate a lot of electronic instrumentation like synths for example. Any plans to go electronic in future releases?
CD: Oh, yeah, we never know what we're going to do next! It's just kind of what fits on the spot. We like to look at the studio as an instrument. We did an acoustic version of 'Bad News' and I just found some things in the parking lot and use them as percussion. You never know what is going to work and this worked for that song. We don't discriminate instrumentally!
Do you reckon that guitar-based rock will make a comeback, the way it used to reign supreme in the 70s and 90s? Or is electronic music here to rule the airwaves until the next generation figures out they like something way cooler?
JK: I don't know if it'll sound exactly like it did in the seventies but that inspiration is still there for sure. It's the same with us - we use those inspirations from the seventies but we also incorporate technologies from today, so I don't think it'll ever sound like that but it's kinda reincarnated in our sound that we use today.
CD: I think also with the crisis we're in right now, it's forcing people to focus more on instruments and themselves and has given them more time. So there might even be an influx of rock bands. The thing with our type of band is we don't have a lot of electronic in it, we have three instruments, six including our voices that we focus on. Not everybody does that and there's nothing wrong with that because the keyboard and the synth and all those are instruments as well. It just kinda depends on the individual and what they want to focus on.
JK: Yeah, I think everything, it's all music, all positive. People listen to what they like. I think it's all just a matter of opinion. I think there's room for everybody. Variety is the spice of life, my friend!
So would you say you're part of the revival of the genre at this point?
JK: No, we always have just been doing what we do, we never adjusted for what was cool at the time.
CD: Josh and I met many years and years and years ago and 'Throwing Shade' is a seven-year-old song. So it's not like we looked around and saw what other bands were trying to do.
JK: Yeah this is just what we do.
What's your opinion of younger bands like Greta Van Fleet?
CD: I think they're a fantastic rock and roll band!
JK: They helped put the spotlight back on rock and roll.
CD: We saw them, they were fantastic. It was a breath of fresh air. Thanks Jason for getting behind that band!
Speaking of interesting stories and experiences, what is your best memory from putting ‘Sunshine’ together? Are there any parts of the process that were difficult, or some things you’d prefer to never have to do again?
CD: We did it in pieces, three songs at a time over a year and a half. Most of the time we did it here in Tempe which is a lot of fun but one time we tracked in Chicago, that's where Johnny K lives. It was the middle of winter and he converted a barn into a recording studio and it was really cool but there was no heat in the room and so I had to play drums, and it was literally like four degrees in there! I'm dressed up like the kid in Christmas story, just trying to play drums freezing my b*tt off and the guy's like 'do it again!'
JK: I'll tell you what was difficult, it was that we all slept in the studio pretty much the whole time we were recording most of it - and so did Johnny K! And he ain't sleeping over again!
What message would you want fans to take away from 'Sunshine' -- be it a sentence or an emotion -- that you would want fans to leave fans with after listening to the LP?
CD: Don't be overzealous. Everything you want, you can't get (laughs)
JK: Everybody has their own interpretation of a song, and I just want everybody to go away with all the feels. Because it's a pretty wide and dynamic range of songs on an album, there's a lot of ups and downs. Although I'm curious to what everybody else has to say about that!