Mori Metanoia – Interview

Interview with Pete Devine of Pete’s Rock News and Views (http://petesrocknewsandviews.com)

PD:  How would you describe yourself or your band as an artist?

MM: I think ‘eclectic’ fits both John and I. We both have very diverse musical tastes. I think this can be heard on PRAYER.

PD: Can you tell us briefly about your background – i.e. where you’re from, how you came to make music, etc.

MM: I grew up in suburban Pennsylvania. From the age of five, I began to develop a keen interest in music. What always caught me were the rhythms and harmonies. When I was 13, I took up drums. At 17, I was playing drums in a band and singing from behind the kit. Some of my peers told me they liked my voice a lot. So I switched my focus to singing. At that time I was primarily into rock and metal. I loved bands that had vocalists with a lot of power and range. I began auditioning and singing for bands in the Tri-State area. Singing was doubly satisfying, because I love words and literature. Being able to write lyrics has always been a powerful means of expressing myself.

PD: Who and what inspires you to make music, both in terms of musical and other influences? What do you like to write about in your songs?

MM: Musically, I’ve been most inspired by Chris Cornell and Jeff Buckley. But I get inspiration from many other musical sources as well, in a variety of genres. Outside of music, I am inspired a lot by my five year-old son, in two ways. The first is how he interacts with the world. The second is that I am more inclined to ponder in relation to being human and existing in this world from the point of view of being his Dad.

If I had to sum it in a word, I would say ‘relationship’ is a constant theme. How one person or thing relates to another and the causes and effects that arise from that. I often include personal experience or observation in my lyrics. I also write from the view of characters that are not me, yet the kind of kernel or core idea of the character and their experience is usually something I have touched into as well.

PD: What are your aspirations as an artist?

MM: I think my aspirations are no different from most artists. To be able to continuously support myself and the people I care for via my music.

PD: What is the proudest moment in your music career so far?

MM: Releasing PRAYER. The day that came out, I felt like I had just finished a very long hike up a very steep mountain. I had this feeling of “We did it!” It was very satisfying. I was proud of having made it to the end of the process. And proud to have collaborated with John. He is a huge talent, and a humble guy. It was very easy to communicate throughout the whole process. Even though we never once sat in a room together during the process!

PD: Promoting one’s music is such a challenge these days, especially with so many new artists emerging from bedrooms in the day of the home studio. How is that going?

MM: I spent 2021 reeducating myself on the new music paradigm, via lots of webinars and online courses. Honestly, what I have learned is that I just need to be myself, and share that with the audience. If that means some days I feel like I have something of value to communicate, I do. If not, I don’t. I stressed a bit at the beginning, trying to make sure I kept diligent about our feeds. But then I started to feel like it was a grind. It shouldn’t be. Once I switched on to that track, it got way easier to keep communication flowing in a way that is no stress for me.

PD: And how do you book and promote your live shows and tours? Any performances coming up?

MM: Well, since we currently live in two different countries there are no planned live dates as of yet. That may change in the future. I would definitely love to play our songs live.

PD: What do you think about downloading music online? What about streaming sites like Spotify?

MM: I think being able to download music online is a good thing. Streaming sites are here to stay. At least until the next iteration of music transmission is invented. I know there are artists who get angry about the low pay per stream. But I have seen artists who are not well-known making a living, with streaming being a PART of that. I think that is important to keep in mind. Bands need other avenues of revenue to truly create a music career that is financially viable.

PD: What song do you wish you’d written and why?

MM: Wow. I’ve never thought about this. If I had to pick one, I would say, “Last Goodbye” from Jeff Buckley. It is a perfectly beautiful and compact poetic expression of love found and lost. From that opening guitar and bass all the way through those last few picked notes, it is powerfully elegant. His lyrics are sublime, and the way he gives them voice completely knocks me out every time I listen to it.

PD: Is there anything you don’t like about the music industry, which you would change if you could?

MM: There are many things I could point at. But ultimately, it comes down to changing me. I have to change in a way that I can accept the things I think are frustrating about the industry, and keep my attention on what I am doing. Not that I am always able to do that. But you only have so much energy to give in a day. A dear friend who has daily medical issues to deal with, in a recent email wrote to me, “Never take your energy for granted. You don’t realize how precious a resource it is until it’s gone.” 100% true. It’s been said often, but bears repeating, that we have so much information coming at us each day. That itself is already exhausting. To allow a piece of that to pull all of my attention in a negative way just pulls me away from what is really important to me. And lessens my ability to engage with those important pieces of my life.

PD: So, what are you working on at the moment?

MM: At the moment, John and I are gearing up for writing the next album. There are a few surprises on the way. Can’t say anything right now, but if people keep at least a casual eye on us, they will know soon enough.

PD: Where can we learn more about you and buy your music/merch online?

MM: You can get a solid overview of us on our website: https://morimetanoia.com/

On the Home page, you can grab a free download of the five singles we released leading up to PRAYER. Under the Music section you can purchase a full download of PRAYER, which includes an 18-page full color PDF of liner notes and lyrics.

If you use Bandcamp, you can get both of those things there as well: https://morimetanoia.bandcamp.com/

Mori Metanoia links:
Band/Artist location – NJ, America & Kyoto, Japan
Facebook – You Tube – Bandcamp – 
Twitter – Instagram – Apple – Spotify – Amazon – Deezer – LinkTree –
Check our page for Mori Metanoia