With the amount of music constantly spewing from the Internet, it is rare to self-release an album and have it land in the hands of a major label, but Minneapolis-based freak folk rockers Night Moves were able to drop a debut so appealing it got the head of Domino’s U.S. branch to come out to a small, outdoor festival in Stillwater, MN.

Now, the quintet can call itself part of the label’s roster and recently re-released Colored Emotions via Domino. Aside from this feat, the band recently wrapped up a tour with UK experimental indie heavyweights Django Django and embarks on a West Coast tour with Polica this week. Despite the stress of touring, Night Moves’ vocalist John Pelant was nice enough to chat with me about signing to Domino, touring with Django Django, and the origins of their name.

Katrina Nattress: Don’t punch me for asking this…but did you get your name from the Bob Seger song?

John Pelant: No.  The name “Night Moves” comes from the song “Country Queen,” which was the original title of the song.  We ended up using it as the band name because we felt it fit the vibe and style of the songs.  No Seger here.

KN: You self-released Colored Emotions and got the attention of Domino. Tell me about how signing with them came about.

JP: They got a hold of our album Colored Emotions and liked it enough to want to check us out live.  We played a little outdoor festival in Stillwater, MN that the head of the Domino U.S. branch came out to see.  The show was kinda janky in terms of sound—we didn’t even have a drummer at that time—but luckily we passed the “audition” so to speak.  We then got asked to come out to NY and play for the head of the UK side of the label.  Both parties ended up liking us enough that they wanted to put out the album.

KN: Were you approached by other labels?

JP: Yeah

KN: What made you decide to go with Domino?

JP: They are a great label and have an amazing roster. We also really liked Kris and Lawrence at Domino, we felt like they got the music and what we were going for.

KN: You’re from Minneapolis, a city not many associate with music. How would you say living there has molded your sound, if at all?

JP: Actually Minneapolis is rather musical.  Living there gave us an opportunity to pursue music just because there are so many venues, shows, and bands.  The town molded our sound in so far as it provided us with enough musical surroundings that we knew what we wanted and what we didn’t want.  The town has a vibrant scene, being able to grow up in it from a young age helped mold us too.

KN: Have you ever thought about relocating?

JP: Yeah/No

KN: Where?

JP: Cuba

KN: Why do you want to stay in Minneapolis?

JP: Minneapolis just makes sense right now for what we are doing.

KN: Who are some of your musical heroes and why?

JP: Neil Young because he has written amazing songs that have stood the test of time and has always done what he has wanted to do despite other people ideas and criticisms. Phil Spector, just because the “Wall of Sound” is amazing and his body of work has produced so many classics.

KN: What were some albums that inspired you to make music? Can you give me reasons for each?

JP: The Freewheelin Bob Dylan was one of the first records that I heard and thought, “Whoa, this is really great! Great sound, great lyrics, great bravado, but so intimate and so much feeling.”

Danse Macbre by the Faint: When we were in high school we thought this was the jam and tried to make bumping club dance songs. 

All Things Must Pass by George Harrison: Micky first told be about this record in high school and I went home to find it in my parents record collection and was really excited.  I still listen to it today and find it inspiring.  George is amazing, not to state the obvious, but this record really does it for us.

KN: You just finished touring with Django, Django. How’d that go?

JP: It went really well, one of the best tours we’ve been on so far.  They were nice dudes.

KN: What were the highlights?

JP: Most of the shows sold out, which was really great.  Columbus, DC, Minneapolis, and Portland were all amazing.

KN: Anything terrible happen?

JP: The weather.  We drove through numerous blizzards while going out east to New York and out west to Seattle.  

KN: Crazy stories?

JP: A lot of people asked us to sign our records and shirts; to us it’s kinda crazy that some folks want our signature.

KN: What’s next for Night Moves?

JP: We are touring with Polica in April; we are really psyched for that tour.  Also, we are excited to release some new songs, because there are ones we recorded back when we first released Colored Emotions that never made the cut or were just not yet finished.  Hopefully, we’ll put some stuff up on our blog for folks to hear soon.

Photo by Nick Walker

 

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