1. Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?
I've been on tour in Europe for the past month, playing bass for another black metal band called Sadhaka-- but I've had a lot of opportunity to talk with folks about Møllehøj while I'm here so that's been really great. Møllehøj has a new drummer Jonathan Nicosia from Portland, Oregon that will be playing on the full-length album and accompanying on any future live shows. I'll be starting the recording process upon my return to the states this summer.
2. How would you describe the musical sound of the newer material?
I think that the album introduces listeners to what Møllehøj "actually sounds like". The demo was never meant to be released, as it was just recordings from two practices where I was trying out some ideas. People in the mountains of Colorado were very curious about the band so we would always have heaps of people showing up for our practices, which became shows in a way. Then my shaky ideas became songs and the rough recordings---a demo. We stuck the intro with the clean vocals and the cello part (both also performed live) in to make it more of a presentable release and more like what I would like to think Møllehøj sounds like. So I would say that the newer stuff sounds like the best stuff from the demo but with more conviction.
3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
Most of the ideas for Møllehøj songs have come from little melodies that have gotten stuck in my head while I've been doing multi-day mountaineering trips. I'm really inspired by the landscape above treeline in the snow. I love it--it's beautiful and frightening and that's something I'd like to make odes to.
4. I have read that the band is from Colorado but relocating to Cascadia, has the move happened yet or is it still in the works?
I moved from Colorado to Washington last year (2012) in late summer but I will be moving to Portland when I return to the states. Most of the musical projects that I have been involved with are located there so it will make my life considerably easier to relocate. Right now I've been hitchhiking back and forth with my cello twice a week to do recordings and shows---a truly grim endeavor.
5. What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?
There was a show in March 2012 where we went on really late and I had been travelling from Florida for over a full day. Tony (Anthony McCargar of Music Distroyer) was on drums and I was dipping in and out of consciousness because I was so exhausted. All of those early Møllehøj shows were really just glorified practices and so I was still trying to figure out what sound I wanted and I used the performances to help me decide. That show and the fact that I was too tired to have inhibitions provided a lot of insight into what I truly wanted to create for this band.
I think that my stage performance is changing (I use a lot more of my hair now!) as I go but I like best to be by candlelight and for the music to be accompanied by a dark, contemplative atmosphere. Lately there have been a lot exciting outdoor shows too. I played a show in Zadar, Croatia recently where I leaned my head back and watched shooting stars fly over my head during a particularly moving part of a song and it was amazing! My relationship between making black metal and my experience of being in nature feels so strangely symbiotic sometimes.
6. According to the Facebook page there is plans for an European tour, can you tell us more about it?
It was too late for Møllehøj to hop on the Sadhaka European tour which we just completed but I think that a Møllehøj European tour (including the UK) will probably happen within the next year. I have to coordinate with some of the other groups I've been collaborating with and figure out a good time for everyone.
7. Has the band received any label interest?
There has been some but it would really have to be the right fit, otherwise I prefer to be D.I.Y.
8. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black metal?
Feedback as been pretty great! I'm often surprised to hear such positive responses because the only Møllehøj release thus far has been the demo and a track on the Red River Family compilation but it's encouraging to hear that people are excited about what's coming next. I'm excited too!
9. What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?
I think that the album will feel like the natural progression of the ideas on the demo/compilation but I'm hoping that the beautiful intensity of the mountain peaks will translate at least a little into the music. I think that the music may change somewhat after this album is finished because there's a lot of diversity in the emotions I would like to communicate. We'll see! I like to take things one step at a time. Definitely recording and then tour and then reassessment of the musical direction.
10. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
When I first started playing music, I was really heavily interested in the riot grrl scene coming out of the Pacific Northwest but longed for something heavier and got introduced to At the Gates and the Norwegian black metal bands of the 90's. I'm really interested in hearing anything that is new right now. I like that I have a lot of people in my life that like to send me what's cropping up all the time. I guess I've been on a depressive black metal kick for a while though...
11. Outside of music what are some of your interests?
I enjoy activities that are expressive and that require a lot of endurance. I'm definitely into mountaineering and long-distance trekking but touring doesn't leave a tremendous amount of time for that at the moment! So when I have free time, I've been getting involved with the artistic community in the Pacific Northwest----I love art, film, dance... Playing music is my most central interest though.
12. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?
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