RAGINPIT MAGAZINE

Attention extreme metal fans!!! Shoot the Moon is taking metalcore to another level in the Midwest. They're one of the heaviest four piece bands I have ever heard. Taking inspiration from Emmure, The Devil Wears Prada, and 36 Crazyfists, Shoot the Moon is a band turning heads in the Midwest with infectious guttural screams, thundering double bass, and back breaking breakdowns. With a 4 song E.P. titled Mass Murder Someday recorded by Spencer, Jayson, and Donnie from Mindrite and mixed by Ari of Destrpohy, this band has already been making their mark on the local scene. Sharing the stage with national touring acts Throw the Fight and Destrophy, they are off to a great start in their musical careers. I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for these Iowa bad boys!!!

How did you guys form?

Ken: Well Dillon(drums) and I were in a band in Minneapolis together; Alethea. I moved to Iowa to start working in radio and Dillon moved down later. We wrote music together for about a year then Shawn jammed with us for a couple of months and we got 4 songs put together. Shortly after we had Seth tryout and he was a great fit.

What kind of band were you and Dillon involved with in Minneapolis? Was it a metalcore band or anything like you're doing now?

Ken: Oh no, it was actually kind of weird. It was more like an emo/screamo band with a pop, punk vibe to it. The singer of our old band is actually in a really good band called EkoFlo; you should definitely check them out. They've got kind of an Incubus feel to them.

I will have to check them out! Do you have a cool story behind your name or was Shoot the Moon just something that you guys came up with?

Ken: Yea kind of, not a huge thrill story behind it. We kind of got that line from the Cheech and Chong movie, Up in Smoke. That part when the detectives were going to raid the house and he tells the guy that the key word to raid the house is 'shoot the moon'. We watched it and were like, "that’s it… haha.."

I love that movie! So you guys started in Minneapolis, moved to Iowa and started a new project called Shoot the Moon. Where was your first show and who was it with?

Ken: Our first show was with Sicadis from Kansas City and it was an amazing show. As far as that goes we have been really lucky to play with the bands that we have. Every show we really enjoy playing with the bands, supporting acts are amazing. We love listening to them and watching their show. The last show we played it was really great to see A Well Dressed Man for the first time and Ursa Invincible. This scene is such a treat to be apart of with bands like Marcato, Mindrite, and Destrophy who are really out there making heads turn with their music. I’m honored to have shared the stage with those bands. That was such a dream show to play with those guys it's like it didn’t happen (Laughs).

When did you guys record your first demo?

Ken: We started in January and it took about a month to record. They were so generous with us and really took their time. We would put down something and they would work with us on how to make it better, especially with the vocals. There were songs that we came with and Spencer put his touch on them and helped structure them. It really came together more then we could ever manage. It made us a lot better as a band working with those guys in Mindrite. Then on top of that we had Ari of Destrophy (Victory Records) help mix the album. After we heard the final mix, we were incredibly happy.

Ari is amazing! Have you heard Destrophy’s debut album?

Ken: Yea I heard a couple of songs. I watched those guys on MTV 2 the other night. I don’t think its going to be long before Destrophy is going to be played on every radio station across the country.

Do you have any plans to record a new album anytime here in the near future?

Ken: I think we probably will soon, we have written a couple new songs recently. Our latest song that we wrote is called “Hop Along Howie” and we are really excited about it. I think we might re-record some of our old songs and put a couple new ones together. Maybe put out a 4 or 5 track E.P. in the near future.

Who would you say your main influences are?

Ken: I would say Misery Signals. The drumming is like Everytime I Die and the vocals are comparable to The Devil Wears Prada.

What’s your goal or purpose as a band?

Ken: Just to have fun, play shows, and drink a little bit. It's not like we're making a whole lot of money, I don’t think anyone really does. We’re stoked if we sell a couple of shirts and CDs. We love seeing someone getting into our music. That really means a lot to us as a band. We got some airplay on Lazer 103.3 local licks with Suzy. That was really cool to hear our music on the radio. One time would be plenty enough for me. It’s a little milestone in a musician’s life that’s for sure.

If you could sign a deal with one label which one would it be?

Ken: Probably Victory or Ferret because they seem to have a ton of killer bands that I would love to tour with and I think that we would fit on one of those labels.

Where do you see Shoot the Moon in 5 years?

Ken: Five years that’s tough with bands. I hope that we are still together in five years. That would be goal number 1. I hope that we are all involved in music because that’s a high priority for all of us.

www.myspace.com/shootthemoonmetal
www.myspace.com/morbidmiller