Sit-Down: Moving Mountains

This weekend is Marist College's Spring Concert. For those not attending, it is also Bamboozle weekend. The festival is headlined by Paramore, Weezer, Something Corporate, Drake and MGMT.

I am attending the Festival on Sunday. For those attending the festival, I highly recommend Moving Mountains - an experimental rock project from the area. (Purchase, NY) The band will be playing a highly anticipated set on Sunday of the Festival.

I recently sat down with Greg Dunn, vocalist/guitarist of Moving Mountains. Here is what he had to say about Bamboozle, the band and pizza.

Generator Magazine: For those who don't know the Moving Mountain name, describe your sound.

Greg Dunn: As any band would probably agree, that's a tough question to answer. Our sound is always evolving, and we're still exploring that. I like to say we're an aggressive rock band with ambient, and post rock influence.

GM: You're from Purchase, NY. Was it hard starting a solid fanbase in what seems like a low-key music scene?

GD: Absolutely. We're still little known in the Purchase scene. People know us, but on a more personal level. We're all friends. Although we don't live in Purchase, we attend the College there, where there is a fairly thriving music / art scene. It's very dense, and there's a lot of musicians and artists, so it's easy to get lost in the shuffle. But yeah, we've found our fans extend around the world, and not as much concentrated in one single area. Gotta' love the internet.

GM: Name some of your musical aspirations? Do you get your sound from them?

GD: Oh god, so many. Some of my biggest aspirations (musically, and everything else) come from bands like Thursday, Hammock, Springsteen, Pedro The Lion, Peter Gabriel. It's hard to really pin point, as you become inspired everyday but so many things. Some of my more recent favorite records include As Cities Burn, Underoath, David Bazan. I do get a lot of musical influence from these people, but find I feel overall aspirations through them. I think that's more important, too.

GM: Have you prepared any surprises for Bamboozle 2010?

GD: I suppose If I told you, I'd ruin it. But honestly, nothing crazy. We're hoping to perform a new song off our record. It's going to be fun for us, as we haven't been on the road in a few months. We may pass out. We get out of shape really easily. That could be fun to watch.

GM: Who are you looking forward to see at Bamboozle 2010?

GD: Minus The Bear, Piebald, Say Anything, All The Day Holiday, Mute Math, Dear Hunter, Polar Bear Club... I'm mostly excited just to talk to everyone. I'm still, and always will be, a major fan boy. That stuff never gets old for me. To meet some of the people whom inspired me to be in a rock band. It's a crazy feeling.

GM: Are there any big plans on the horizon? (album, tour, families, etc.)

GD: We're wrapping up writing our 2nd full length (and first full length as a full band), and will be heading into the studio in the coming months. We're also finding a new place to release the record and call home. Have some tour planned this summer (which I'm insanely stoked on), and then more touring in the fall. I'm also going to be an uncle. I can't wait to be the cool uncle that's in a rock n roll band.

GM: Fill in the blank: The best band we toured with was ___________.

GD: That's tough! The most overwhelming experience for me was probably Thursday. It was overwhelming, and at points almost distracting. I had to constantly ground myself, because I couldn't believe we were sharing the same stage multiple nights in a row. I think the most fun I had was on tour this past fall with Moneen, Eisley and Say Anything. I would love to be on the road again with Moneen. They're such a great band, and you end up learning how to become a better band, just from being around them.

GM: Fill in the blank: I am on the road and I am craving _____________.

GD: Pizza. Or anything that I can find on the road that's edible. Being a vegetarian in a band of meat lovers can be tough at times..

Set times will be announced soon here. Check out the band's music here.

-Nicholas Palumbo