| Moon Maan: Finding a New Way to Whig |
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| Written by Pat O'Brien | |
| Thursday, October 4, 2007 at 12:10 AM | |
 Moon Maan - Photo by Paul Elledge I interviewed Rick McCollum over the phone the other day and by multiple terrible forces of nature, including a malfunctioning cell phone and a tape recorder that recorded only my end of the conversation, getting McCollum's voice on tape proved itself impossible. Luckily, I took notes. "All I dream about is playing shows," McCollum says near the beginning of the interview, and for a guy in a band, it's a fair dream to have. He seems to really like having the outlet for creativity. With McCollum in the driver's seat Moon Maan is headed the right direction, and he is looking toward the immediate future, including an EP that is in the works for the fall or early winter and the possibility of another album after that. The Rosetta stone to unlocking Moon Maan seems to be just one of their instruments: the theremin. A double-antennaed box most familiar to people as the background "ooo-OOO-ooo" sound effect in B-grade horror movies, McCollum and the rest of the band employ the theramin exactly, unflinchingly and, most importantly, unironically. "It's not used as a sound effect in Moon Maan," McCollum offers. "It's just another instrument." He says he enjoys using it, and likes that it sets the band apart a bit by playing actual notes rather than just "sound effects," but says he feels a bit constricted onstage. "You have to be right next to it to play it, so I can't rock out as much as I'd like," McCollum explains. "I can't just go running across the stage." As the interview progresses, almost out of nowhere, McCollum announces that Moon Maan was once interviewed by a man that was found dead shortly afterward. So soon after, in fact, that the article about said interview was never completed. He is vague about the details and it's clear that he's still uncomfortable with the whole episode, but this isn't something that happens every day. Pressed for details, however, McCollum steers the conversation elsewhere. "It's a thrill to play live, you know?" McCollum continues. It's a statement heard from nearly every person who has been interviewed. It's one of those quotes that in print always seems like a requirement. But to be clear, he really means this. It's obvious that he really loves playing live,as if playing a show every day wouldn't satiate his need for it. But it doesn't seem like the attention of being onstage is what he seeks, as much as the release of playing music for people. The theremin comes up once more and McCollum wants to clarify: "I want it to be the horns, the woodwinds, the brass band, you know?" Earlier on he had stated that Moon Maan isn't Wilco, that he can't build songs on an acoustic guitar. ("It's just not the way I write," he explains.) He needs the drums to be more soulful (he says the drums get less and less soulful the further north you head from the Mason-Dixon line) and not just a metronome keeping time for everyone and the theremin fits into this equation. It's an exacting, difficult instrument. It can't keep time either and could easily be a distraction rather than an asset, but McCollum seems to be unequivocally in control of the theremin, the band and their future. Moon Maan website Moon Maan MySpace page UP NEXT: Moon Maan play the Turf Club tonight, October 4, with 757s and Captian Yonder. 9pm. 21+. |
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| Last Updated: Thursday, October 4, 2007 at 09:43 AM |
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