I discovered the Heymoonshaker last year on the 1st of July during Sherwood Festival. I had the great pleasure of interviewing this explosive duo on the night of their second live of the year in Padua, on the 20th of November at CSO Pedro, during the Hurricane Fest.
I sat at the table with Andy (guitar and voice) and Dave (beatbox), who, with ebullient enthusiasm and modesty told me about themselves.
During your live at the Sherwood Festival this summer I was stunned by Dave’s speech about freedom of expression and action. What is it, freedom, for you?
Dave: “Freedom for me is having the possibility to choose, to goof, to be, to say what I think and let others do the same. My job allows me to feel free, not only for the connection with music itself but for the continuous wandering, travelling, meeting people and playing in divergent contexts.”
So right now your life is music and continuous travelling.
Dave: “Exactly and I think it works thanks to this. Being human can be realized by loving what you do and there’s no other work that allows you to do what we do.”
You met on the streets in New Zealand and started your activity there. Now that you’re well known and you have played on many important stages, are you still into the street dimension the most?
Andy: “Now now, it is pretty harsh playing on the street, you have to amplify your talent. When you play on a stage on the other hand, people are waiting for you, they have planned to be there, that night, this does not happen on the street. You have to always be at the maximum of your abilities, instead, when you play on a stage you can move more freely and entertain your audience in other ways. Though your emotions and perceptions are more intense on the street.”
When you first met you had two parted projects, which idea is it that sits on the background of your mix between beatbox and blues?
Dave: “Imagine you get to the kitchen and you find two slices of bread and some jam only. What do you do? A fantastic jam sandwich!”
Last Saturday I was at a DubFx live, who urged the audience to capture energy from the universe, and I thought about what you said at the Sherwood, that you wanted to make people happy with your music, is this your main goal?
Dave: “Honestly, I’d love to create more energy. I reckon that if we became more well-known, what we play and say could truly, if not change, perhaps help some people.”
Why do you think you two have managed to reach such success?
Dave: “Seriously, I have no idea! We did nothing, it all was progressive, a step after the other.” Andy adds: “This always growing success had some consequences: when we decided to keep heading on this road we left everything else behind us, even the connection with reality and “normal” society, devoting ourselves only to travelling for our music. In the last two years we moved through Canada, to America, from Germany to France.”
A fantastic energy and freedom sandwich.
Sara Berardelli
