Discover The Moth Lantern, a 4 piece indie rock band from Lincoln, UK with Dan Clark on Guitar and songwriting, Jason Rungapadiachy on Vocals, Bass, Horns and Strings; Jo Clark on vocals and keys; and Eddie George on Drums.
“We encompass the spirit of bands such as Fleetwood Mac with a wide range of songs from gentle acoustic ballads with luscious 4-part harmonies to rock songs which liken us to The Bends era Radiohead and Pearl Jam”
To pack fun and seriousness, originality and diversity is a difficult achievement. Moth Lantern is nonetheless a band that does it well. They create music that is easy-on-the-ear and with a familiarity that does not take anything away from its individuality. Catching up with them was a real pleasure and reflected the place that everyone has in the collective.
When did you know you were going to make music professionally?
Dan: I first started writing and recording music when I was 13 yrs old and it has become a major part of my life. I used to worry loads that one day all my inspiration would dry up, but I’ve been writing songs for years now and still have loads of ideas, so guess I’m ok! As for it taking over my day job……watch this space!
Making music…
Dan: It’s a part of me, I don’t function without making music. I love the creativity of it, something coming from nowhere.
The best thing in music since the singing slice bread is… Jason Rungapadiachy
‘Music school’ trained or ‘auto-didact’?
Dan: Either, depends on whether the soul is connected to the playing.
Our unique selling point…
Jo: Jason’s voice and our abundance of well written songs. You need to have something that helps you stand out from the crowd…..Also We give carrots away to Facebook like milestone winners!
A unique name for our music…
Awesomesausages! (Lincolnshire sausages, get it?)
How does it feel when people get excited over my music
Amazing!!… obviously. It gives us all a huge buzz… It’s good to keep a buzz!
What we you listen to in general and at the moment
We listen to a vast range of music. Soul, Funk, Jazz, Rock, Dance, Classical, Indie, Alternative. You name it, if it’s good, we’ll be listening to it. But at the moment some artists we’re listening to are The Shins, Beck, Royal Blood, Deep Purple, Larry Carlton and California Breed.
The most undervalued music artist is…
Jason: Errrr… Phil Collins. Many people hate him merely because he’s not Peter Gabriel and he turned Ggenesis into a pop rock band and left millions of bearded prog fans devastated! But he’s a great singer and songwriter with one or two exceptions!
Before a performance…
Jason: We sit in a circle, give thanks to the goat king, sacrifice 4 butternut squashes and chant the lyrics to Pokerface. Or we tape our faces together and pretend we are one organism with 8 legs and 8 arms. Or sometimes we share 1 bottle of hooch and pass out backstage until the ceremonial gong awakens us to rock.
Listening to music…
Jo: I think I pay more attention to the lyrics than the guys. It’s all about the music for them. But definitely both are what makes a song good or not.
What/who most helped you in your career
Belief, passion and dedication.
How does it feel having great accolades?
Dan: It is fantastic! Knowing that people get what you’re doing, and enjoy it, is what it is all about.
What ignites your song writing flow?
Dan: Usually when I’m least expecting it a new song will come into my head. The challenge is writing or recording it before I forget it! I get lots of inspiration from my family, life and it’s challenges and books
Why did you choose to do song writing and performing and if you didn’t do that, what would you have done?
Dan: It’s more like it chose me. It’s not a profession for me, it’s a way of life. If I didn’t do it I would be very miserable indeed!……but probably have a lot more spare time and money.
Other passions…
Dan: I used to work as a graphic designer so I love doing all our artwork. Also I teach guitar to primary and secondary school kids. I taught/teach Ayla Gezmis – Mini Hendrix who is the youngest ever grade 8 rock guitarist! She passed aged 10 and was featured on BBC Newsround/Look North, Fox News and went viral on YouTube!
Spend time with my amazing children.
Jason is a community psychiatric nurse, Jo home educates our children and Eddie……umm? Not sure what Eddie does all day?
Dan, Eddie and Jason also form a spin off covers band called the Lanterns which is a lot of fun!
Success is
Being Happy!
What do you wish you have been told when you started out and that you think would help anyone who starts out?
Don’t settle in something that isn’t right. Follow your gut. You can waste a lot of time with the wrong people.
Any coming projects?
We’re promoting our debut album ‘Light Waves’ with shows around the country and we’re about to do a full live show for YouTube. Here is a couple of our youtube videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2D9ODtqjBU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lOL6yOSIvQ
We publish our shows on our website and on our Facebook and Reverbnation pages.
www.reverbnation.com/themothlantern
www.facebook.com/themothlantern
www.themothlantern.com