Go Down Moses first met each other at college in Nashville, TN back in 2010. Since then, they’ve been writing, recording, and touring the southeast, opening for acts such as Love & Theft and Mac McAnally, among others. Following a sold out show at The High Watt in Nashville in January of 2014, they signed a record deal with Sony Music Nashville. They plan to release their first full length album “5 AM Nights” in April of 2014, which was recorded in Nashville and produced by Luke Wooten (Dierks Bentley, Brad Paisley). This album showcases their country-based style with heavy harmonies and folk-rock instrumentation, citing classic influences such as Tom Petty and Ryan Adams.
AMG got to know a little bit about guys, their dream gig, where they find inspiration, and their fear of flies. Don’t miss Go Down Moses at Eddie’s Attic on May 14th.
AMG: How did you get started playing music?
GDM: We’ve pretty much all been playing music for as long as we can remember, some of us as early as 3 years old, some classically trained, and some just beating on pots and pans.
AMG: How did you decide on your band’s name?
GDM: Around the time that this band was coming together and we were trying to figure out what to call ourselves, Barrett went to the beach with some friends and, after much deliberation and sunbathing, decided on the name while listening to some Louis Armstrong.
AMG: What is the first gig you ever attended?
GDM: We all grew up going to concerts with our families and what not. Some of the most memorable first concerts for all of us would be Bruce Springsteen, Jimmy Buffett, and Coldplay.
AMG: When writing a song, how does the process usually begin?
GDM: Being the main songwriter of the group, Barrett usually comes to the group with an idea, sometimes almost complete, sometimes still in progress. From there we spend several rehearsals working up a couple different arrangements that we record on a phone, and then pick the best version afterwards.
AMG: Who are some of your biggest influences?
GDM: Ryan Adams, Tom Petty, Zac Brown Band, Third Eye Blind, Shania Twain, and Counting Crows, to name a few.
AMG: What is the funniest moment you’ve had as an artist?
GDM: While we were recording this album, Barrett had a fly in his vocal booth. One small fly isn’t really something to worry about, you say? Wrong. This fly was out for blood. So much so that we had to put recording on hold to get rid of him. Unfortunately this fly was an artful dodger, and it took almost a half hour to get him.
AMG: What’s the strangest thing a fan has done at your show?
GDM: We occasionally get screams for Barrett to take his shirt off. That’s probably the strangest thing.
AMG: Do you have any pre-show rituals?
GDM: A staple for us is a round of Red Bulls and 20 jumping jacks, while listening to Ginuwine’s “Pony.”
AMG: How do you connect with a crowd?
GDM: All crowds are different, and ultimately, figuring out how to connect with each and every crowd is something that we as artists strive for every night. Generally, the more energy we put into our music on stage, the more the crowd tends to respond. If our up-beat, energetic performance doesn’t reel them in, hopefully our dashing good looks and quick witted jokes will.
AMG: What would your dream gig look like?
GDM: Probably Paul McCartney opening for us on the first ever music festival on Mars. We’ve contacted NASA. They’re working on it.
