interview with Mos Generator
How was the band formed? the three of us played together in another band when we were younger and we decided to form another band in 2000.
Can you tell about your band? We are a three piece heavy rock band from Port Orchard, Washington (USA). we formed in 2000 and have been making records and touring for 14 years.
Where are all band members from?/Who does what in the band?
Tony Reed: guitar, vocals (Treepeople, blood of the Sun)
Shawn Johnson: drum (mindfunk)
Scooter Haslip: bass (voodoo gearshift)
What was the ambitions of the band when you started? We really just wanted to play the kind of music we grew up listening to. we had already played music together for many years before mos generator so it was easy for us to play well together.
Could you explain your music to someone that haven't heard you? i usually say 1970s influenced heavy rock like black sabbath or led zeppelin
Where was your first gig? it was in our hometown of Port Orchard april 21st of 2001
Where was the latest gig? Hellfest in France
Who writes your songs?/Who writes the music who writes lyrics? I write most of the song and there are contributions from the other members
Who has the best since of humor in the band? i guess it depends on what you find funny. each of is funny in our own way
What's good/bad with the band?/What genre do you feel you are?
good is that we play together very well and can improvise on stage. we can read each others minds and anticipate what the other person is going to do or play off the feeling the one musician is projecting.
bad is that we can't tour very much.
i would say that we fit well in heavy rock or stoner rock
Why did you pick that particular style?/What are your songs about? the style we write in is very natural to us. it is music like we grew up listening to and have been playing since we were teenagers. our older songs had more science fiction themes to them but our newer material has more human and personal lyrics
Do you write your own material or mainly covers? we have done some covers ocer the year but it's almost all originals
Have you made any albums?/If yes what are they?
DISCOGRAPHY ~ ELECTRIC MOUNTAIN MAJESTY ~ CD/LP (Listenable Records April 2014) MOS GENERATOR / TEEPEE CREEPER ~ split 7" (Music Abuse April 2014) MOS GENERATOR ~ Live In Europe 2013 ~ Cassette(Lame Is Me August 2013) MOS GENERATOR ~ ON STAGE ~ LP(Lay Bare Recordings-July 2013) MOS GENERATOR/ANCIENT WARLOCKS ~ Split 7" (April 2013) MOS GENERATOR/SEEDY JEEZUS ~ Split 7" (April 2013) NOMADS ~ CD/LP (Ripple Music - Oct. 2012) MOS GENERATOR ~ Self Titled 10 years anniversary deluxe LP/cd/dowload (Ripple Music - November 2011) DESTROY! THE MOS GENERATOR ~ CD/Double LP (RxEvolution Recordings - sept. 2008) THE LATE GREAT PLANET EARTH ~ Vinyl Re-issue (Nasoni records - August 2008) STEP UP/GODHAND IOMMI ~ 7" (RxEvolution Recordings - April 2008) SONGS FOR FUTURE GODS ~ LP (Roadburn Records - nov. 2007) SONGS FOR FUTURE GODS ~ CD (Small Stone recordings - Sept. 2007) MOS GENERATOR/THE HITCH ~ Split 7" (Flotation records – May 2007) TALES FROM THE VAULT ~ 10" Picture disc (Flotation Records - may 2007) THE VAULT SESSIONS ~ CD (Music abuse records – December 2006) THE LATE GREAT PLANET EARTH ~ *LP - Undersea/Music abuse records – Oct. 2005 *CD – South Spit Records(usa) – March 2006 *CD – Nasoni records(germany)digipack w/poster – April 2006 LIVE AT THE MANETTE ~ CD (Music Abuse Records - March 2004 Limited pressing 100 hand numbered.) MOS GENERATOR ~ Self Titled CD (Music abuse records – April 2002)
Do you have any clips on YouTube? yes and on our reverbnation page
How old are you?/What got you started in music? i am 45. my parents were really into listening to music so it was all around me growing up
At what age did you start playing? 13
How old were you guys when you first stood on stage? the first time we were on stage together was when we were around the age of 20
What year was the band started? 2000
Best/worst gig you've played? best/biggest was Hellfest in france 2014 there are so many bad ones that i can't remember :)
What places will you be playing in in the imidate future? just local show. seattle no real tour plans until 2015
Where have you played from then till now? europe and the united states. mostly europe though
Witch band is the best you´ve seen? black sabbath 1982
Is it always the same songs live? no. we don't use a set list so they just wait for me to call out what song i want to play next
What has been the best/most promising gig so far? Hellfest 2014
Have you had any bigger tours from start to now? last year we did 26 shows through europe with saint vitus. that was our biggest tour
How big crowds do you usually play for? a few hundred
What are the plans for the rest of the year? write songs for the next record
Where do you usually play? either around our area or in europe
How do you get psyched up for a gig? i watch the bands before and get a feel for the room and then about half way through the band before us i go stretch and play guitar
What are your goals with your music? to be well respected and recognized for the hard work i put into music
When did you decide to go all in for the music? when i was 18
Is it easier to get your inspiration from older bands or from bands more modern? for me it is easier to get into older bands but there are some great bands around now as well
What are your sources of inspiration? usually it just sitting around playing guitar really load. or black sabbath :)
What's the first step when making a new song? just playing guitar and having a good riff to build on
How do you feel about the downloading of music instead of buying albums? it doesn't bother me at the level we are at. i am just happy that people want to listen to us
What would be your dreams for the band? make enough money from touring to make a living at it and make records all of the time
Besides your own music, what genres and bands do you listen to? i try not to listen to my own music :) i listen to 70s country rock and alternative rock of the 80s and 90s. old hardcore and punk and goth. also avant garde composers like edgard varese. also funk and sould of the 70s. pretty much everything from the 70s is cool
What would be your greatest fears for the future? losing my ability to play music
When you are on stage, what do you fear most then? technical difficulties
Have you been part of any other projects?
yes, i have many other bands.
stone axe
heavypink
blood of the sun
What do you work with outside of the band and the music? i own a recording studio and i record bands for a living. i have travelled all over the world to record bands
What would you do if there was no music? i can't even imagine that
How important are your fans? they are VERY important and i try to stay in contact with them as directly as i can
What's the funniest/most memorable thing a fan has done for you? sent me an 8 track player
How often do you rehearse? 2 days a week
Where do you rehearse? at our drummer's house
Name 2 of your own songs you like at the moment?
breaker
this is the gift of nature
What do you feel is the best live band you've seen? big star
What drives a band that isn't all that famous and renowned to try to make a living on their music and to keep playing? the love of doing it and the need to do it.
Do you have any webpages? just facebook and reverb nation
Describe your show, visually and musically high energy and very interactive with the audience
How do you view the musicindurty of today? there really isn't one. it's all run by music lovers
What are the biggest obstacles for a band? touring
What is best/worst with playing the clubs?
best is a small dark venue is good to be close with the audience
bad is sometimes the sound systems are not adequate
How would you describe your sound in one sentence organic heavy rock
Do you have anything to add? if you like us please spread the word. it's the best way to help bands out there that are working hard. cheers tony.