MWN: Welcome back to our SXSW coverage! Music, Why Not! had the opportunity to chat with Juliette from The Big Moon who played various showcases at SXSW. We are so stoked to speak with you about your music. So, how about we kick things off with going back in time. Let’s go back to the roots of you guys as a band. Can you guys give me a little bit of background of how you guys became a band?
Juliette From The Big Moon: I was working as a waitress in a cocktail bar, like in the human league song, which was crap, so I decided to try and start a band. I put up adverts and asked everyone I knew if they would play instruments with me, and ended up finding Fern, then together we found Soph and finally Celia.
MWN: I totally just sang that entire song in my head, but I love how you had the initiative to go after your passion. I am guessing music was important to you always so who would you say are some artist you grew up listening to and also grew into liking on your own?
Juliette From The Big Moon: There wasn’t really much music around the house when I was growing up, my dad had Tubular Bells by mike oldfield and Arrival by Abba, but apart from that I used to just listen to Capital FM on the radio and record things on cassette tape. As a teenager I discovered guitar music, and started listening to stuff like Pixies and the White Stripes
MWN: Abba is class. I love the White Stripes. Those are some good first bands to listen to. So, as individual musicians who influenced you to start playing music?
Juliette From The Big Moon: When I was about 15 my big sister’s boyfriend lent me a stack of pixies CDs which completely changed my life.
MWN: The Pixies are amazing! I love that it reminds of the movie “Almost Famous” When his sister gives him all these records that change his prespective on live its pretty cool. You should watch it if you haven’t! So, speaking of life changing tunes I love your newest release “Sucker” I love sort of the darkness heavier sound of the song it sounds so mysterious. You guys are actually re-releasing this song which you guys first self-produced back in The Road EP. So how was it like to re-record and kind of re work the song?
Juliette From The Big Moon: It was good to dig back into it, make it a bit faster, a bit firmer, a bit clearer. We wanted it to reflect the way we sound now, rather than hark back to 2 years ago when we first recorded it. I love the new version!
MWN: Yeah, the new version is awesome! So with the re- releases and releases of the new singles “Sucker” and “Hold This” can we expect a new album soon?
Juliette From The Big Moon: Our debut album is coming out on 7th April! Which is very exciting. It’s a dream come true really, I can’t wait to go to the shop and buy it.
MWN: YAY! That is exciting! I can’t wait to buy it myself! So my absolute favorite song is “Formidable” I love the chorus and kind of like the mood change of the song. I think your vocals are killers and the instrumentals are super clean and so rock and roll. So how do you guys come together to make songs like this?
Juliette From The Big Moon: Formidable was one of those magic songs that happened very late at night and I wrote the whole thing in a sort of fever in 2 hours in my bedroom. Sometimes when you’re writing it feels like some kind of divine process, like you aren’t really making the music, but just letting it all flow out of you. Formidable came out like that.
MWN: It is like a very natural process I would say- those are the best moments and create the best songs! So lets go into a bit of a fire rounf. For me there are artist I wish I could have been able to see perform live- such as John Lennon or AC/DC (with their original singer Bon Scott). So for you guys who would be an artist you would have liked to have seen live?
Juliette From The Big Moon: I would have loved to have seen Pixies back in the day with Kim Deal. When they were a new band I was about 0 years old so that would’ve been impossible.
The Beatles would have been amazing too! Oh my god, i wish I’d seen Leonard Cohen too.
MWN: Okay, those are all good choices. I never though of the fact I am not going to get to see Leonard Cohen live…. so sad. If you could play with any artist dead or alive who would it be?
Juliette From The Big Moon: Dolly Parton. You just know she’d be a great laugh
MWN: Haha Dolly Parton- love it!I remember the first album I ever bought was the original soundtrack of the movie Saturday Night Fever. Do you guys remember the first album you ever bought?
Juliette From The Big Moon: Yes! It was Spice by the spice girls. I was absolutely obsessed with it. I spent whole weeks tracing over their autographs in the CD inlay booklet, and finally forged all their signatures on a piece of A4 paper and took it into school. Nobody believed it was real. Cos it wasn’t. And it was all wobbly and in smudgy blue biro
MWN: Haha I did that with a Stones album I had. I told everyone it was super vintage and it was signed by the band… it really wasn’t and the signatures looked really shitty- . I’d say my first recollection of music was when my mom played John Lennon’s “Beautiful Boy (darling boy)” song from his Double Fantasy record around the house. Do you guys remember your first recollection of music?
Juliette From The Big Moon: Maybe Tapestry by Carole King – that’s another album that was always kicking around at home. I definitely remember looking at the cover a lot and holding it in my hands.
MWN: I love Carole Kings she was an amazing singer/ song writer. So, what about live music?
Juliette From The Big Moon: I went to see the white stripes at brixton academy, and immediately wanted to play guitar
MWN: You saw the White Stripes… That is awesome. I heard their live gigs are life changing. Lastly, is there anything you would like to say to the people who have supported your music?
Juliette From The Big Moon: Thank you so much! We’d be nothing without the people who buy our music and come to our shows.
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