Interview: London Based Band Mama Moonshine

Mama Moonshine is a London based rock, soul, and blues band who has been tearing down the stage since 2013. They recently released an incredible animated video for their single "Mr Shy", directed by French illustrator and animator Louis Grosperrin. We connected with both the band and Louis for exclusive interviews and here is the first, featuring Mama Moonshine. 

After reading our Q&A with the band, be sure to follow them on Facebook and go see them perform live in they pop up in your city; tell them DCWS sent you!

How did you all come together to form Mama Moonshine? 

We met in a hazy London house party through friends, where I convinced the 4 of us to get together by singing in their ears and promising great things! Phil (lead guitarist) and I have been writing and performing together for years. We met the boys when we flew the nest and moved down south to London.

Tell us about the name "Mama Moonshine". How did that originate?

Finding a band name was the HARDEST thing. We had a lot of gigs booked when we were ready to perform live and had no name to give the venues! The pressure was building. We had one idea which is so bad I can't repeat it ... but after a lot of whiskey it did lead us to 'Mama Moonshine' The week before our first gig in Camden.

How did you connect with Louis for him to create the animated video for "Mr Shy"?

Louis and I connected through a mutual friend, which is one of the reasons I love working and collaborating with lots of different people. Louis's work is amazing and his video was the most phedellic and creative take on Mr Shy - which was exactly what we wanted. and it was a great experience and project for us both. 

What can you tell us about the live album that is in development? Will "Mr Shy" be on it?

Mr Shy is most definitely on it! It is one of our core most well received tracks that we love. We are releasing a new song every 2 months from the live album and the next song to come is 'Me Me Mind'. A tale about a very self involved friend and this track introduces our new saxophonist!

What do you enjoy most about performing live for an audience and do you have a favorite cover song to play live?

I have always loved covering Moloko 'sing it back'. We make it super funky and really thicken up the bass line. It has such a good groove and gets people dancing. I've loved that tune for so long - I remember loving it when I went to my first disco! Does that show my age? Probably!!

If i could perform all day every day - I would. My favourite thing about singing live is putting on a cat suit, dancing like a crazy bitch and having my boys behind me giving it their all. 

Connect with Mama Moonshine: Website | Facebook | Soundcloud