Southern California-based Americana/folk band Moonsville Collective has just released a soul-deep and musically satisfying new album, “A Hundred Highways.” Band co-founder, songwriter, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist Corey Adams sat down with @skopemag to talk about this amazing set of songs.
@skopemag: Tell us about your wonderful new album.
Corey Adams: In the last five years, we had changes in the lineup, which brought changes in the collective energy and direction of the music. Many of us were raising young kids or having new kids of our own, which forces you to reflect, grow, and change. This was the soil that the seeds of these songs started to sprout from. There’s a lot about family, making peace with the past, struggles of the present, and some fun and lighthearted celebrations.
@skopemag: Do you have a favorite song on the album?
Corey: “Red Rocking Chair” is this beautiful banjo part, played so well by Phil, with a very pleasing melody and melancholy story – it just feels great to me. It’s also about family, child-rearing, and love if you listen closely.
@skopemag: How would you describe your music?
Corey: I usually say something like, “There’s fiddle, banjo, mandolin, and dobro going on, and it’s a mix of country, old-time, and folk music.” That sounds wordy – but I think it flies, and most people get the gist.
@skopemag: Who are your musical influences?
Corey: I don’t stray far from my personal heroes. I’m always visiting Lead Belly, Dylan, Gillian Welch, Dave Rawlings, and I’ve become a big fan of Jason Isbell. Lead Belly is like the source of the folk-blues or country-blues sound for me; his humor and delivery are paramount. Dylan does it all, and he writes in a way that begs you to constantly revisit your own methods and articulations. Gill and Dave and Jason, well, they are the wordsmiths of our genre – somehow blending everything old and new into a modern timelessness that encompasses American songwriting. Throw in a good dose of string band music from various acts – I love frolicking string band and old-time music.
