Out Of the Comfort Zone

Photographs by Rick Perez

Better Days Festival performer MoonFuzz shares a story about playing under the stars in Joshua Tree, how each member has pushed their creative boundaries, and their new single, “Wait, Please!”.

Los Angeles, California

Who is MoonFuzz and what is your music about?

We are a three piece psychedelic prog rock band based out of Los Angeles, California. Our music doesn’t stay consistent to any one theme but we tend to write music inspired by our personal experiences in life or the world around us.

For each member, how has being in MoonFuzz shaped you as an artist? As a person?

Miranda: “Moonfuzz has more recently taught me how to be a better songwriter, I used to write alone and now I’m able to write collaboratively with the addition of Heav”.

Heaven: “Being in Moonfuzz has really pushed my creative boundaries. I typically write music for my own ears/liking, but when I started to write with Moonfuzz I tried to produce music that seemed suitable in taste for all three of us. In my collaborations with Miranda I’ve found myself composing pieces I would have never composed on my own”.

Brandi: “MoonFuzz has definitely pushed me to write outside of my comfort zone and has taught me how to compliment others’ playing rather than singling myself out as the drummer in a band/ group”.

What have been some of your favorite experiences as a band, pre-Covid?

One of our most memorable experiences was playing in the middle of the desert somewhere outside Joshua Tree under a huge rock. We had no idea what to expect when showing up to the fest, so we ended up off-roading in brandis old CRV. It was absolutely hilarious (yes we got stuck in a pile of dirt). Upon arrival there was no more that 50 people and a bunch of psych rock bands getting power from a huge generator. Playing under the stars that night was an out of this world experience. It was absolutely mesmerizing.

Another monumental moment as a band was our little trip up to San Fran. We had about 3 shows booked for the week, but we ended up booking at least 3 more shows while we were up there from some locals we met. It was a great bonding experience being alone in a city unfamiliar to us. We ended off the trip by last minute playing inside a remodeled refrigerator truck parked in a beach parking lot.

How has being under quarantine and Covid-19 challenged the band? How are you overcoming those challenges?

Covid-19 has restricted us, along with every other band, from playing live shows. We recently started doing some online events though, such as this Better Days Fest. It felt great being able to perform in a musical setting (Socially distanced and with everyone wearing masks of course) even though there was only a small amount of people there. Hopefully this virtual fest will give people the nostalgic feeling of seeing live bands perform.

What are some changes you want to see in the music scene post-Covid?

Uhhh, we don’t really know. We just want to rock out in peace and be happy. We wish the same for everyone else!

You just released a new single, "Wait, Please!" - What kind of journey is this song taking us on?

“Wait, Please!” Was written along with our unreleased single “Friendly Smiles”. These two songs sound fairly different than anything we have released before, but we feel very connected to the sound we captured in these songs. We honestly don’t know exactly what our “signature” sound is yet, but we feel that “Wait, Please!” and “Friendly smiles” might be coming close to what feels like the most us.

How has this song shown your growth since the release your 2019 album, MoonFuzz

We have all individually grown as musicians since our 2019 album. We definitely have a better sense of what we like and don’t like now, so with this song we were able to take a step closer in writing towards what we feel more confident and comfortable with.

What's next for you?

We will be releasing our next single “Friendly smiles” within the next few months. Hopefully we could get a few more songs complete for a new album. The future is quite uncertain with Covid-19 going on right now, so we’re just gonna keep on keeping on the best way we know how to, by rocking and rolling haha!