What have been your musical epiphany moments?
Diego: Mine was the long trips to the countryside with my
parents when I was a child listening to those cassettes recorded by my Dad and
also his eclectic collection of vinyls where you can find Beatles, Stones, Pink
Floyd, Hendrix, Triana, Fuxan Os Ventos, Space, ELO, Led Zeppelin, etc. That
music really helped me to grow up, love music and want to learn how to play
guitar.
Pedro: There were a few. The animated film inspired by the
music of The Beatles (Yellow Submarine) when I was a kid, my parents' records
of Hendrix, Santana, Crimson, etc. Then I discover The Who by myself and those
amazing bass lines by John Entwistle led me to that particular instrument, and
the last but not least, when I listened to Kyuss' "Welcome To The Sky
Valley" for the very first time. Anyway, I am open to new musical epiphany
moments every single day.
Talk to us about the song-writing process for you. What
comes first, the idea? A riff? The lyrics? How does it all fall into place?
Diego: Mostly our song-writing process is based on jamming
on a riff or someone's ideas and start developing a sort of common trip until
we find an structure or the song itself flows in a way we all feel it. On this
album we worked hard during a couple of years playing 'em live and
improvisation played a major role until we reached the final version of each
song.
Who has influenced you the most?
Diego: In my case, my first approach to music was through my
Dad's cassettes and vinyls so although I'm very open-minded and eclectic, I'm a
huge Beatles fan, Pink Floyd, King Crimson, Nick Drake, Pentangle, Black Sabbath
and all the amazing music that was made during the 60's and 70's all around the
world are my basis.
Pedro: It's hard to explain in a brief answer but
simplifying I'd say Galician folk music like Suso Vaamonde, further on Luar Na
Lubre, international classics like Beatles, Sabbath, Santana, "new"
bands like King Gizzard, Wolf People, Uncle Acid...
Where do you look for continuing inspiration? New ideas, new
motivation?
Diego: Moura have a deep connection to our Galician roots so
I look into Galician folklore, traditional music, ethnografic books, Galician
mythology, etc and try to melt it with my "rock background" to melt
both worlds. That's a great motivation for me, the continuous search of ideas
in a different musical language and mix it with more classic sounds with taste
and respect.
We're all a product of our environment. Tell us about the
band's hometown and how that reflects in the music?
Diego: Coruña is a beautiful small town surrounded by sea in
the corner of the end of the world. Rainy as our green land Galicia, has been an important port since the
beginning of history having the oldest lighthouse in the whole world that still
works as it (Tower
of Hercules). I was raised
between the shores of Atlantic Ocean and the countryside of centre-Galicia
where my both parents come from so my contact with the core of our land like
the rural legends and folktales, the old traditions, the Nature, the sea, etc
has been very important for the developing this mixture we try to make with
Moura.
Pedro: Well, it's actually the key of this project, we claim
the druidic legacy of the Galician culture which drinks directly from the pagan
tradition of the Celts.
Where'd the band name come from?
Diego: A moura is a supernatural being from Galician
folklore whose origins are thought to be Indo-European Celtic. Mouras are
female divinities of the water, sort of nymphs or spirits of nature, powerful
and seductive, who live under an occult spell and guard caves, wells, bridges,
rivers and treasures.
You have one chance, what movie are you going to write the
soundtrack for?
Diego: Probably an experimental approach between The Wicker
Man (Robin Hardy, 1973) and Hour Of The Wolf (Ingmar Bergman, 1968).
Pedro: Something between 2001: A Space Odyssey and Cosmos
(Science documentary) with Mr. Carl Sagan or Neil deGrasse Tyson.
You now write for a music publication (The Ripple Effect?).
You're going to write a 1,000 word essay on one song. Which would it be and
why?
Diego: It's hard just to pick one but definitely
"Echoes" by Pink Floyd and "Starless" by King Crimson will
be main candidates. Overwhelming pieces of music with beautiful passages,
violent and chaotic segments and haunting melodies.
Pedro: That's a tough question and I guess if you ask me
again tomorrow I'll probably choose two different songs, but right now I'd say
"Dead Roots Stirring" by Elder and "El Memorioso" by
Psicomagia.
Come on, share with us a couple of your great, Spinal Tap,
rock and roll moments?
Diego: My recollection of memories is not very clear but
forgetting van's keys inside and driving 2h to another town to get the copies
after a gig in which we couldn't use the Hammond
organ due to technical problems was a cherry on top of a surrealistic day.
Tell us about playing live and the live experience for you
and for your fans?
Diego: Our music has a strong component of communion between
ourselves first and with the audience after we get the right vibe. It's an
amazing experience when all facts work in the right way to reach this
collective trance. Best high ever.
Pedro: It's the best part of all of this when you feel like
a shaman and lead the audience into a kind of ancient ritual.
What makes a great song?
Diego: The capability of moving, reaching you to the guts
and turn you on in different moods.
Tell us about the first song you ever wrote?
Diego: Probably a one chord song...hahaha...I think it was a
3 minute three-chord sixties-like riff song in English that ended up being in
the first demo of my first band. Probably influenced a bit by The Who on my
early days.
Pedro: Something with Hellacopters vibes, you know power
rock'n'roll, but of course shittier...
What piece of your music are particularly proud of?
Diego: "Eira" was the first composition I truly
believed our mixture of Galician tradition and psychedlic prog-rock could work
perfectly and though I'm very proud of the final result of the whole album, I
think that one is my favourite.
Pedro: I love all of them but when we play "O Curioso
caso de Mademoiselle X" live, often leads me to a state of trance.
Who today, writes great songs? Who just kicks your ass? Why?
Diego: There're many bands in different styles writing great
pieces of music. I dig bands like Dungen, Wolf People, King Gizzard & The
Lizzard Wizard, Xose Lois Romero e Aliboria, Ryley Walker, Kikagaku Moyo, ...
Pedro: Agree with all of them, I'd add maybe Elder and
Colour Haze...
Vinyl, CD, or digital? What's your format of choice?
Diego: Vinyl for the ritual, digital for convenience.
Whiskey or beer? And
defend your choice.
Diego: Do I have to choose? Both play well together and add
some Galician coffee liquor to the combo.
Pedro: Sorry to disappoint you guys, but I don't like
whiskey... I am more into rhum, I love beer too and of course our beloved magic
potion (coffee liquor).
We, at the Ripple Effect, are constantly looking for new
music. What's your home town, and when we get there, what's the best record
store to lose ourselves in?
Diego: Sadly in Coruña, due to shopping malls and Internet,
the best record shops had to close but will always remember the importance of
the already disappeared Portobello store in my musical education. Bad times for
vinyl romantics here.
What's next for the band?
Diego: After releasing the album we had a presentation tour
booked and some festivals already confirmed that had to be postponed due to the
Coronavirus crisis. Our plans also include the filming of a video for one of
the songs of the album and the recording a new song we were working on. We'll
keep promoting the album they way we can meanwhile we're not able to join
together in person and back on the road as soon as we can.
Any final comments or thoughts you'd like to share with our
readers, the waveriders?
Diego: Resist hard, obey little. Free your mind and your
brain will follow.
Pedro: Stay safe and turn off your TV. Peace and love
brothers and sisters!
Comments