erasing clouds
 

100 Musicians Answer the Same 10 Questions

Part Twenty-Five: Alex Botten of Thee Moths

instigated by dave heaton

Thee Moths is a (more or less) one-man experimental force, whose recordings are filled with quiet melodies that blend into serious spacing-out, along with field recordings and all sorts of mayhem. Their latest that I know of, Nature (Banazan) is the best of those I've heard, covering all sorts of exciting and unsteady ground while getting closer to...um, nature. Check out their website for sounds and more information.

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What aspect of making music excites you the most right now?

That there are so many new sounds to be heard, so many new talented people to meet and so many things to be expressed. I'm older but not wiser, I get my heart broken time and again and never learn...music pukes that out into the world.

What aspect of making music gets you the most discouraged?

The feeling that no-one is really listening, that no-one is interested.

What are you up to right now, music-wise? (Current or upcoming recordings, tours, extravaganzas, experiments, top-secret projects, etc).

I'm starting to think about the follow up to Nature, getting a new laptop, putting out a couple of hard to find things as even harder to find CDRs in home made sleeves, mini-tours, some ep's, side projects, masks, tattooing 'Do No Harm' on my left wrist and finding a warm heart.

What's the most unusual place you've ever played a show or made a recording? How did the qualities of that place affect the show/recording?

I played in the upstairs room of a working mens club in Northampton recently in what felt like 100 degree heat. That made for a rather interesting show. Um, I've recorded on jetty's, in forests, on beaches, in cars, on bikes.....I do a lot of field recording, it all changes the way the music sounds.

In what ways does the place where you live (or places where you have lived), affect the music you create, or your taste in music?

I currently live in Solihull, a cultureless shithole outside Birmingham in the UK. It makes me want to murder people, not write songs. I guess I have to move away!

When was the last time you wrote a song? What can you tell us about it?

I wrote a song called 'Fuck You, Universe' about how I'd had my heart broken yet again. It was a bitter little toe tapper.

As you create more music, do you find yourself getting more or less interested in seeking out and listening to new music made by other people...and why do you think that is?

God no!!! I LOVE hearing other people! I keep hoping to find the perfect music that will mean I don't have to make any more! If I find that ultimate artist I'll just stop. Myspace has blown the indie world right open. Check out Sweet Potatoes and Mio Tia and Liger!

Lately what musical periods or styles do you find yourself most drawn to as a listener? (Old or new music? Music like yours or different from yours?)

I've been listening to a lot of full on drill and bass, some crazy nintendo-core stuff, glitched up folk music, slabs of oldschool rave.

Name a band or musician, past or present, who you flat-out LOVE and think more people should be listening to. What's one of your all-time favorite recordings by this band/musician?

Sweet Potatoes (www.myspace.com/jennysongs) - Jenny makes the best music in the world and I love her completely! She is a lovely wonderful person as well. LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!

What's the saddest song you've ever heard?

"Don't Be Crushed" by Hawksley Workman; it reminds me of a trip to Portland, OR that ended with my heart turning to burned up ash. 'You're where all the poets go, you're where all the ashes blow, you're the kind of maker that makes the whole world come true' - sums up how much I loved someone so perfectly.

To check out the rest of the Q&As, click here.


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