Moose Blood - Kyle Todd
Questions: Stuart Millen
Canterbury's Moose Blood are on the rise. Since forming in 2012, the four mates and obvious music lovers have released two EPs and their debut long player, I’ll Keep You In Mind, From Time to Time and are now travelling the world, doing what they love. Taking a huge risk, all four quit perfectly good day jobs to follow their dream and it's paying off. From their own headline tours to two months travelling around America on the Warped tour, the band now find themselves taking their longest journey yet, to Australia for Soundwave 2016.
On a rare day off, bassist Kyle Todd chats with Caught in the Mosh about heading to Australia, recording in LA and the possibility of new music.
Hi Kyle, nice to chat to you... I assume you’re home on a bit of a break at the moment?
Absolutely. Yeah. We’re looking to progress our writing skills now that we’ve got a little bit of time at home. It’s rare. I think we’ve got about a month or so left before we have anything left to do. Oh, no! (laughs) We have the UK Warped tour in the middle. But other than that, we have about a month before our next gig.
You’re heading to Australia for your first ever tour, for Soundwave 2016. You must be excited?
So excited you couldn’t even believe! When we got the news that we’d actually been confirmed I think everyone kind of lost it, lost their mind a bit. It’s just incredible.
You’ve not toured here before. Have any of you been here for a holiday?
No! I travelled a bit at the end of last year, down to New Zealand and that’s the furthest I’ve ever travelled. And I’m pretty sure no one else has travelled anywhere near there. We’re really excited!
Australian summer festival tours are often seen as a bit of a holiday with a few shows thrown in. Do you have anything in particular you’d like to do when in Australia?
I’m a big fan of all the touristy things, like the Opera House. Even just visiting the beaches and things like that, because we don’t get things like that over in this part of the world. So a sandy beach on a hot day sounds perfect. It’s pretty cold in England in January as well!
Do you know whether you’re playing any sideshows?
So far I haven’t heard anything. I know we’d be interested in any opportunities thrown our way. We’re all very open-minded and we’re all big fans of music, so... I’m sure if anything was offered, it’d get looked at. Were really excited about being there and the longer we can be there the better.
So any plans for a bit of a holiday before or after the Soundwave tour?
I’m not too sure. In an ideal world, I’m sure we’d all like to have a holiday either side but I don’t know... I guess at the end of the day, it depends on our schedule really. But yeah, I’d love to. We’re all over the moon about the fact that we can even get the opportunity to come that far around the world.
On a rare day off, bassist Kyle Todd chats with Caught in the Mosh about heading to Australia, recording in LA and the possibility of new music.
Hi Kyle, nice to chat to you... I assume you’re home on a bit of a break at the moment?
Absolutely. Yeah. We’re looking to progress our writing skills now that we’ve got a little bit of time at home. It’s rare. I think we’ve got about a month or so left before we have anything left to do. Oh, no! (laughs) We have the UK Warped tour in the middle. But other than that, we have about a month before our next gig.
You’re heading to Australia for your first ever tour, for Soundwave 2016. You must be excited?
So excited you couldn’t even believe! When we got the news that we’d actually been confirmed I think everyone kind of lost it, lost their mind a bit. It’s just incredible.
You’ve not toured here before. Have any of you been here for a holiday?
No! I travelled a bit at the end of last year, down to New Zealand and that’s the furthest I’ve ever travelled. And I’m pretty sure no one else has travelled anywhere near there. We’re really excited!
Australian summer festival tours are often seen as a bit of a holiday with a few shows thrown in. Do you have anything in particular you’d like to do when in Australia?
I’m a big fan of all the touristy things, like the Opera House. Even just visiting the beaches and things like that, because we don’t get things like that over in this part of the world. So a sandy beach on a hot day sounds perfect. It’s pretty cold in England in January as well!
Do you know whether you’re playing any sideshows?
So far I haven’t heard anything. I know we’d be interested in any opportunities thrown our way. We’re all very open-minded and we’re all big fans of music, so... I’m sure if anything was offered, it’d get looked at. Were really excited about being there and the longer we can be there the better.
So any plans for a bit of a holiday before or after the Soundwave tour?
I’m not too sure. In an ideal world, I’m sure we’d all like to have a holiday either side but I don’t know... I guess at the end of the day, it depends on our schedule really. But yeah, I’d love to. We’re all over the moon about the fact that we can even get the opportunity to come that far around the world.
You released I’ll Keep You In Mind, From Time to Time a year ago yesterday. How’s that year been?
It’s been absolutely incredible! We had a band practice yesterday and kind of all thought this through and we thought, you know, we’ve travelled all the way across the world, essentially off a hobby that we all enjoy. We’ve all given up full-time work to try and make it, to see if we can survive. And the fact that the album’s been out a year now proves that we’ve made it at least that amount of time. So I think we’re all very humbled by the opportunities we’ve been given. I can’t wait to keep riding the wave now, to see how long we can do this for (laughs).
And the fans are enjoying what you’re doing?
It’s been absolutely breathtaking when you see people that aren’t even from your country singing back our songs. We’ve had people travel from... We played a show in Poland I think and somebody travelled from Russia, on their own, to see us. Things like that are absolutely amazing. We bought the guy a beer and had dinner with him because we couldn’t believe that he’d travelled that far. We decided we would hang out with him. It’s really moving when you see the power of music.
Yes! The power of music! It’s an amazing thing.
It’s brilliant.
You released two EPs prior to I’ll Keep You In Mind. Did you approach the long player any differently?
I think it’s more daunting from the outset, when you have the challenge of writing an album. When any band, or anyone really, starts off writing a music project, you can make the length of an EP, which is about 5 or so tracks. And then for us, we did a split to follow our EP, which was only two tracks. I think these are reachable goals. But when you set off (for an album) and you think right, we have to hit at least 10 tracks now, I think from the beginning, it becomes a bit more daunting. It becomes a bit, like, real. I don’t think we necessarily approached the album too differently. Though looking back now, we definitely had a strategy for writing each track. I think deadlines were very important, without us even knowing it, because we tended to push ourselves a bit harder near the end of it, to finish off the last few moments of the record. It was definitely exciting. I’m not sure how I would even recommend that to anyone if they were going to go at it again. I think everyone had their own vantage points that they’d take aim at.
And you recorded I’ll Keep You In Mind in Los Angeles. How was the experience?
It was an absolute dream come true. We had offers in the UK to record with people that we knew or people we knew of. We were thinking right, we have a budget... Do we go out and try to do the record for a certain price and then buy a van, which would set us up. We’d be able to drive around... And as we were contemplating what to do next, we decided why not push the boat out and see... If we only ever record one album in our lifetime, if we try to go out as big as we can and do the absolute best we can... And we got put through to the producer Beau Burchell, who ended up becoming a lifelong friend of ours. He an absolute genius of a man. The rest is history now. He made us very comfortable at home, slaved over us all day. We didn’t know him at the time but he went above and beyond with what he did on the record. It was definitely a life experience.
It’s been absolutely incredible! We had a band practice yesterday and kind of all thought this through and we thought, you know, we’ve travelled all the way across the world, essentially off a hobby that we all enjoy. We’ve all given up full-time work to try and make it, to see if we can survive. And the fact that the album’s been out a year now proves that we’ve made it at least that amount of time. So I think we’re all very humbled by the opportunities we’ve been given. I can’t wait to keep riding the wave now, to see how long we can do this for (laughs).
And the fans are enjoying what you’re doing?
It’s been absolutely breathtaking when you see people that aren’t even from your country singing back our songs. We’ve had people travel from... We played a show in Poland I think and somebody travelled from Russia, on their own, to see us. Things like that are absolutely amazing. We bought the guy a beer and had dinner with him because we couldn’t believe that he’d travelled that far. We decided we would hang out with him. It’s really moving when you see the power of music.
Yes! The power of music! It’s an amazing thing.
It’s brilliant.
You released two EPs prior to I’ll Keep You In Mind. Did you approach the long player any differently?
I think it’s more daunting from the outset, when you have the challenge of writing an album. When any band, or anyone really, starts off writing a music project, you can make the length of an EP, which is about 5 or so tracks. And then for us, we did a split to follow our EP, which was only two tracks. I think these are reachable goals. But when you set off (for an album) and you think right, we have to hit at least 10 tracks now, I think from the beginning, it becomes a bit more daunting. It becomes a bit, like, real. I don’t think we necessarily approached the album too differently. Though looking back now, we definitely had a strategy for writing each track. I think deadlines were very important, without us even knowing it, because we tended to push ourselves a bit harder near the end of it, to finish off the last few moments of the record. It was definitely exciting. I’m not sure how I would even recommend that to anyone if they were going to go at it again. I think everyone had their own vantage points that they’d take aim at.
And you recorded I’ll Keep You In Mind in Los Angeles. How was the experience?
It was an absolute dream come true. We had offers in the UK to record with people that we knew or people we knew of. We were thinking right, we have a budget... Do we go out and try to do the record for a certain price and then buy a van, which would set us up. We’d be able to drive around... And as we were contemplating what to do next, we decided why not push the boat out and see... If we only ever record one album in our lifetime, if we try to go out as big as we can and do the absolute best we can... And we got put through to the producer Beau Burchell, who ended up becoming a lifelong friend of ours. He an absolute genius of a man. The rest is history now. He made us very comfortable at home, slaved over us all day. We didn’t know him at the time but he went above and beyond with what he did on the record. It was definitely a life experience.
And what did working with Beau bring to the recording?
I think he kind of challenged us as musicians, which had never really been done before. We’d demoed the album in pre-production beforehand, which, again, we’d never done before. We sent it across to him so he could listen and get his own thoughts before we got there. He made us feel very comfortable. It was in his own home; he has an extension where he has his own studio. And though we were very much new to this person’s life, he introduced us into his own home and that was very comforting at the very beginning. And as I said, he challenged us as musicians, which was absolutely brilliant. Sometimes we’d write one part and he’d make sure we could make it a bit more complicated or maybe change the structure of a track. When there are just four of you, it’s nice to have that outside set of ears.
So did you go into the studio with everything set in your mind, ready to go, or was it an organic process?
We thought we’d gone into the studio with everything ready to go. But when Beau sat down and played the tracks for us, he would move certain structures around or he would ask us to re-write a section. We had one song, which we hadn’t actually recorded as a demo in its entirety before we got there. And so what we had was a brand new process for us of writing and finishing a track in the studio. What we thought was going to be a bonus track ended up going on the album as I Hope You're Missing Me. That was an organic process. He hadn’t heard it all before, as we hadn’t finished the entire track. So yeah, that was definitely a good experience.
Rather than ask for a favourite song from the album, do you have a favourite story that goes along with a track?
Oh man, that’s a good question... They’re all really personal, lyrically, to us in the band. Although it’s particularly cheesy, I think they’re the ones that kinda stand the test of time. I really like Bukowski. It was an EP track before we decided to put it on the album. It isn’t necessarily the most complex track musically, but I think lyrically, it holds a lot of power for people that are new to the band. It’s about falling in love and wooing over someone you’ve romanticized about and having the courage to talk to them. I think it was really cleverly written by Eddy. It definitely stands the test of time. I still really enjoy playing it now. The crowd love to hear it so it’s definitely a highlight in the set when we play that.
You’ve had a busy 2015. Support tours, headline tours, Reading and Leeds Festivals, US Warped, UK Warped this month. A busy year! A very important question: Are you having fun?
Absolutely!! It’s an honest dream come true. When you listed it all out it made me feel a little bit tired (laughs) but it’s been absolutely incredible. It’s been an experience like no other.
I think he kind of challenged us as musicians, which had never really been done before. We’d demoed the album in pre-production beforehand, which, again, we’d never done before. We sent it across to him so he could listen and get his own thoughts before we got there. He made us feel very comfortable. It was in his own home; he has an extension where he has his own studio. And though we were very much new to this person’s life, he introduced us into his own home and that was very comforting at the very beginning. And as I said, he challenged us as musicians, which was absolutely brilliant. Sometimes we’d write one part and he’d make sure we could make it a bit more complicated or maybe change the structure of a track. When there are just four of you, it’s nice to have that outside set of ears.
So did you go into the studio with everything set in your mind, ready to go, or was it an organic process?
We thought we’d gone into the studio with everything ready to go. But when Beau sat down and played the tracks for us, he would move certain structures around or he would ask us to re-write a section. We had one song, which we hadn’t actually recorded as a demo in its entirety before we got there. And so what we had was a brand new process for us of writing and finishing a track in the studio. What we thought was going to be a bonus track ended up going on the album as I Hope You're Missing Me. That was an organic process. He hadn’t heard it all before, as we hadn’t finished the entire track. So yeah, that was definitely a good experience.
Rather than ask for a favourite song from the album, do you have a favourite story that goes along with a track?
Oh man, that’s a good question... They’re all really personal, lyrically, to us in the band. Although it’s particularly cheesy, I think they’re the ones that kinda stand the test of time. I really like Bukowski. It was an EP track before we decided to put it on the album. It isn’t necessarily the most complex track musically, but I think lyrically, it holds a lot of power for people that are new to the band. It’s about falling in love and wooing over someone you’ve romanticized about and having the courage to talk to them. I think it was really cleverly written by Eddy. It definitely stands the test of time. I still really enjoy playing it now. The crowd love to hear it so it’s definitely a highlight in the set when we play that.
You’ve had a busy 2015. Support tours, headline tours, Reading and Leeds Festivals, US Warped, UK Warped this month. A busy year! A very important question: Are you having fun?
Absolutely!! It’s an honest dream come true. When you listed it all out it made me feel a little bit tired (laughs) but it’s been absolutely incredible. It’s been an experience like no other.
And how was the US Warped tour? Any interesting or funny stories? I read that your tour bus broke down at one point?
(laughs) Oh god! I think Warped tour, on a whole... Once you get home and you have about a week to reflect on what happened, on what just happened for two and a half months... I feel like... Things are just so incredibly strange on Warped that it just becomes the norm. You just... (laughs) You just overlook it. You just think oh this happened. Our bus broke down. We were friends with this band called Seaway and at one point their bass player jumped in the air and when he landed he popped his ankle out! It was in the middle of their set! He just sat on the side of the stage and finished the set. But it just became such a regular thing, where someone would get injured or our bus broke down. There was a period where we drove a bit slower to one venue and it turned out that someone had radioed back to say that people were throwing water of a bridge but the speed we were travelling was... it was cracking people’s windscreens so buses, whole tour buses, would have to stop... and travel over and get... it was... honestly, it was insane. The amount of stuff that happened. And everyone kept travelling on. It was definitely really special. I hold a lot of memories close to my heart from that tour. We made a lot of really good friends.
Are you keeping any sort of dairy or journal of all these experiences?
I took a bunch of photos while I was out there, more than I would normally take on tour. I’m not very good at things like that. And I definitely appreciated that when I got home. I kinda made a catalogue of strange events and funny things that happened and things like that. It might not hold any weight to anyone else, but on a personal level... You think ahh, it was really good when this happened, or when I met this guy, things like that.
I’ll Keep You In Mind was released a year ago now. As we’ve said, you’ve had a busy year; have you had a chance to think about new Moose Blood music?
We’ve definitely thought about it, now that we have some time off. I think it’s a natural thing. We’ve been playing these songs for about a year now. It’s about time now that we get together and start writing another album. The direction and things is the kinda main concern now. Of how we’re going to choose to go ahead with the next record. I think it’s quite organic, as you mentioned before. I don’t think you go at it aiming to sound a particular way. You just... As a whole, as a group of friends, this was how it came out. I’m interested to see how it comes out, the next one. And yeah, hopefully something comes out soon!
I’ll Keep You In Mind is available as a download, on CD and vinyl. You’ve sold out five pressings of the vinyl. Has this come as a surprise?
Honestly, it’s absolutely mind blowing. I can’t even put into words how grateful I am about that. We requested one variant of each colourway. We’re all big vinyl fans and we all take pride in choosing the colours. We just like to have something tangible, something that you can feel and read through. I think it’s really important nowadays, as you say, with the digital era. It’s absolutely mind-blowing. I can’t believe it.
As fans of music, do you ever get the chance to get out and see live gigs, outside of playing shows?
Like you say, music is a passion for everyone, so we try to get to as many as we can. The only downside is if you book a ticket and you’ve all of a sudden got to tour, that’s the worst feeling ever, thinking you’re going to see a band and then oh, I’m not even here! (laughs) That’s the only thing that stops us I think.
Well, thanks for your time Kyle. I hope everything goes well over the next few months and you enjoy your time in Australia.
Thanks so much.
(laughs) Oh god! I think Warped tour, on a whole... Once you get home and you have about a week to reflect on what happened, on what just happened for two and a half months... I feel like... Things are just so incredibly strange on Warped that it just becomes the norm. You just... (laughs) You just overlook it. You just think oh this happened. Our bus broke down. We were friends with this band called Seaway and at one point their bass player jumped in the air and when he landed he popped his ankle out! It was in the middle of their set! He just sat on the side of the stage and finished the set. But it just became such a regular thing, where someone would get injured or our bus broke down. There was a period where we drove a bit slower to one venue and it turned out that someone had radioed back to say that people were throwing water of a bridge but the speed we were travelling was... it was cracking people’s windscreens so buses, whole tour buses, would have to stop... and travel over and get... it was... honestly, it was insane. The amount of stuff that happened. And everyone kept travelling on. It was definitely really special. I hold a lot of memories close to my heart from that tour. We made a lot of really good friends.
Are you keeping any sort of dairy or journal of all these experiences?
I took a bunch of photos while I was out there, more than I would normally take on tour. I’m not very good at things like that. And I definitely appreciated that when I got home. I kinda made a catalogue of strange events and funny things that happened and things like that. It might not hold any weight to anyone else, but on a personal level... You think ahh, it was really good when this happened, or when I met this guy, things like that.
I’ll Keep You In Mind was released a year ago now. As we’ve said, you’ve had a busy year; have you had a chance to think about new Moose Blood music?
We’ve definitely thought about it, now that we have some time off. I think it’s a natural thing. We’ve been playing these songs for about a year now. It’s about time now that we get together and start writing another album. The direction and things is the kinda main concern now. Of how we’re going to choose to go ahead with the next record. I think it’s quite organic, as you mentioned before. I don’t think you go at it aiming to sound a particular way. You just... As a whole, as a group of friends, this was how it came out. I’m interested to see how it comes out, the next one. And yeah, hopefully something comes out soon!
I’ll Keep You In Mind is available as a download, on CD and vinyl. You’ve sold out five pressings of the vinyl. Has this come as a surprise?
Honestly, it’s absolutely mind blowing. I can’t even put into words how grateful I am about that. We requested one variant of each colourway. We’re all big vinyl fans and we all take pride in choosing the colours. We just like to have something tangible, something that you can feel and read through. I think it’s really important nowadays, as you say, with the digital era. It’s absolutely mind-blowing. I can’t believe it.
As fans of music, do you ever get the chance to get out and see live gigs, outside of playing shows?
Like you say, music is a passion for everyone, so we try to get to as many as we can. The only downside is if you book a ticket and you’ve all of a sudden got to tour, that’s the worst feeling ever, thinking you’re going to see a band and then oh, I’m not even here! (laughs) That’s the only thing that stops us I think.
Well, thanks for your time Kyle. I hope everything goes well over the next few months and you enjoy your time in Australia.
Thanks so much.
Catch Moose Blood at Australia's Soundwave festival this coming January.
Discount early-bird tickets are now available from Soundwave. Be quick, they're not on sale for long!
Soundwave 2016 dates and cities:
Sat 23rd Jan - Brisbane
Sun 24th Jan - Sydney
Tue 26th Jan - Melbourne (Australia Day public holiday)
Discount early-bird tickets are now available from Soundwave. Be quick, they're not on sale for long!
Soundwave 2016 dates and cities:
Sat 23rd Jan - Brisbane
Sun 24th Jan - Sydney
Tue 26th Jan - Melbourne (Australia Day public holiday)