Episode 94
Moody Bank$, R&B Singer Songwriter
We’ve had a chance to travel all over the world, virtually to talk to creative experts and practitioners in all areas of the arts to find out what inspires them to find out how they organize their ideas.
In today’s episode, we're in the world’s live music capital, Austin, Texas. and my guest today is Moody Bank$.
Moody is an up-and-coming R&B singer-songwriter and her music has been described as “Smoky alto sounds over infectious pop hooks.”
During her creative and songwriting process, whenever she hears a beat, Moody asks herself, "What color does this beat make me feel?" By answering this question, she’s able to get a sense of how a song can bring about the feeling of color or energy. Specific colors help inspire her.
Moody understands that the more a song can bring you to a specific moment or memory or feeling, the more likely people are going to resonate with that song.
Some of her main musical influences include Erykah Badu & Jill Scott because of their writing and use of real instruments.
What guides Moody & her team during the creative process?
- Not being attached to your art, to the point where it starts interrupting the flow of it.
- Not taking the art too seriously and just working from an organic space.
- When collaborating with her band and her music producer, she gives them creative freedom to create openly without attachments and lets them know their voice matters.
As for conquering the music industry, two pointers from Moody to be able to shine in this industry include:
- Being self-sufficient: Taking care of yourself, knowing how to be all-rounded.
- Going with the flow: Don’t limit yourself to a singular idea
Youtube: Moody Bank$ & her band Fallen Dollars live recording
Spotify: Moody Bank$
Apple Music: Moody Bank$
Instagram:@M00dybanks
There are definitely challenges throughout this journey but you have to persevere, stay consistent & take control of your life’s trajectory. As she works on her tape “Feeling Colors” Moody’s key takeaway is “If the product is good enough, people are going to see it.”
Music tracks are copyrighted, provided by the artist, and used with permission.
Transcript
Absolutely welcome back friends. I'm Mark Stinson and you've come to our podcast, unlocking your world of creativity. And boy, when we say your world, we've had a chance to travel all over the world, virtually to talk to creative experts and practitioners in all areas of the arts to find out what inspires them to find out how they organize their ideas. And most of all, how they get the confidence and connections to launch their work out into the world. And just this week, our travels have taken us to Paris, Hamburg Germany, Ures Mexico. And now we're in the live music capital of the world, Austin, Texas. And my guest today is Moody Banks. Welcome, Moody.
(:Hallo am so thankful to be here. Thank you so much for having me. It's a bright sunny day here in Austin.
(:Well, I hope the sun is shining everywhere. Our listeners are. And if and if it's not, we bring our own sunshine, right?
(:Absolutely. Always.
(:Yes. Well, Moody is an up-and-coming R and B singer-songwriter and her music has been described as, yeah. Smoky Alto sounds over infectious pop hooks. And I got to say it. I read that before I listened to the music and I said, boy, that gets me excited. Then I heard the music and I go, I could not describe it better.
(:Yes. well, thank you for that. You know, I try really hard in crafting my sound to make it unique. It's special to me and my voice. So I think that was a great explanation as well.
(:Yeah. Well, it's good. And I got to say, Moody, you know, the kind of cliche music interview always says, well, when you're writing the songs, is it's a lyric or is it the tune? But I had a sense just by watching some of the videos that you might be also seeing and visualizing the song as well. I'd love to hear that perspective from you.
(:Absolutely. I have a funny thing actually when I start creating and start writing songs, because when I hear a beat, I often think, okay, I tell my team, like my producer, my engineer, I'm like, okay, what color does this beat make us feel? And I know that sounds so weird, but it's a sense of how can a song bring about the feeling of color or energy or something. Some songs I'm like, okay, this song feels orange, or this song feels purple. I often tend to the purple or we like to call them purple people. For some reason, we're always like purple. But yeah, I think music is so much more than just, you know like a sense for your ears. It's a vibration. You can feel it throughout your whole body. So for me, when creating music, it's very important for me to understand that and try to utilize that because if a song can bring you to a specific moment or memory or feeling more likely people are going to resignate with that song. So that's something I really, really try to capture when I'm writing, singing, and recording.
(:Yeah. And some of the songs, I mean, there is a commonality, I guess, but do you have a main feeling that you're often trying to convey, or are you feeling the whole spectrum sometimes of emotions?
(:It's actually really funny because I don't ever really start a song with a specific emotional intention. It kind of just happens naturally. I always start with the melody as soon as I hear a beat I know for a fact if I like it or if I dislike it and then once I kind of start getting a melody down the words and the colors just come, so then it's really easy to connect those dots. That makes sense. I know it's really hard to explain.
(:Well, I mean, and here we are in a podcast, so people are almost visualizing already, but you know, I've also in watching the videos, you know, you talked about the color, I'm glad you mentioned that because it was very powerful, the communication of this color. And I thought even the production value had a lava lamp kind of fluidity to it.
(:So it sounds like that's part of it. Definitely. I like to just capture experiences if that makes sense or try my best possible way to do that. So the colors are always, I'm really big on colors and especially when shooting videos and recording in the studio, I need specific colors to help inspire me.
(:Well, and your latest song is called rollercoaster boy. And here we are talking about flow. The song has that kind of rollercoaster sense.
(:Definitely rollercoaster is like, I was telling you one of my favorite songs that I've recorded. It's a mixture of an old sound like an old classic sound with a new modern sound, but it kind of creates this weird utopia of mixing old with the new, and that's something that for me personally, I really, really, really enjoy and like to aspire, to continue to do in my music because I grew up listening to that old school sound, but that's not as popular these days. So having a mix of both really, it's just the best of both worlds.
(:And what were some of those influences, those creative influences for you, especially this song, as you were talking about,
(:I am obsessed with Erica Badu. I'm obsessed with Jeff Scott. I there's so many people it's, it's really hard to just nail down one, but those are kind of my main influences. And I love how everything that they talked about was almost, you know, in a code. Like if you could understand that you could hear it, but if you can't, it's just a normal song. So I really, really enjoy the mystique of their writing and just the real instruments. I think something that's something that's really lacking in today's music is real instruments because everything is created on a middy or on a computer just like tones that are imputed in the computer. But when you incorporate those real instruments, that's where you get those vibrations, which changes the way that you feel the music.
(:Well, maybe this is a good time then to ask about collaborators and supporters, and producers. How are they helping you bring that sound out?
(:Man, my producers, and my engineer shout out to no offense, shout, shout out to disco Nixon. They're amazing because although I make sound crazy, sometimes they never doubt me. They're always willing to foresee the process that I'm going through. Okay. That's helpful. And a producer, not to think you're crazy.
(:even if it doesn't go anywhere, they will always allow me to go down that rabbit hole in that route. And if I end up not liking it, I'll just be like, well, I don't like it. And I think that's one of the main things is not being so attached to your art, to where it starts interrupting the flow of it, but also not to take it too seriously and just to work from an organic space.
(:And what is it what is it about Noah's style that you like? I mean, obviously his working style, you said he was, he was good, But, but what about the craftsmanship?
(:Yes. I love how tactical he is and how much we kind of see music. Similarly. He's also very big on organic sounds and those old-sounding tones and just having those vibrations. So I think together, we make a really good mix and because we hear different things, so sometimes I will hear something and I'll be like, well, what is that? But then when he finally puts the picture together, I was like, oh wow, that's really cool. So I think we work off of each other really well because we do have different styles, but when they mix, it creates something super original and organic and natural. And I love it.
(:And what about the other musicians in the band you were saying about, you know, it's not, it's not computer-generated, you know, this is like actual, besides these are real people.
(:Oh my gosh. I love my band so much the fallen dollars. They're, they're just the sweetest people. And I think there's something that unwritten law, you know when you guys are all doing something together that you all love, it just comes out better because that's the sole purpose of it is because we all enjoy doing it. And I think that's something that you really can't buy these days, you know? My piano player, Joshua Ross, he's so amazing. He's, he's done huge tours or before he's toured with Neyo, he's toured with Hillsong United. So just having him on my team is just a huge thing in itself. And he's also really helped my process and just understanding music because I was never I never studied music. I don't have a music background. Everything that I've learned is just off of fear and the people around me. So I definitely take that as a huge blessing because I know not everybody is as lucky as me to have that, but I think being an Austin helped because like you said, it is the live music Capitol. So I was just really thankful to be here.
(:Yeah, certainly. I want to talk about that in a moment what the live music scene looks like, but, but staying with the band for a second, I think some people have this image of, you know, a strong lead singer with a strong voice like yourself. It's like, well, I'm going to create the music, and then I'm going to get a band. And all I really want them to do is execute my vision, but it sounds like you have a more open and collaborative way of approaching it that says they're helping you as much as you know, you're not just telling them in order in them make a sound like this. I want to make my record, you know, let's make our record. It sounds like anyway.
(:Absolutely. I love giving them free creative, freedom because you know, two minds are better than one mind. And like I said, like being in yourself and your own body, you're limited to the things that you can hear. So having other people, having their ear, and seeing what they hear most times makes the songs better. So I just love creating freely and openly without attachments, because when you have attachments, that's when you, you know, you lose sight of what you're actually creating. And I enjoy having other people's perspectives because they definitely make it way better. And I love, you know, I love giving that freedom and letting them know like they are appreciated and their voice matters. And when we perform or when we play, I let them go. They sing too, you know? So it really just makes us stronger as a whole. They do backup singing for me all the time, and I know they also love doing that. So it's fun when we're all together and we can all, you know, equally our talents without having to just, you know, tone it down or whatever I would never ever be that type of person. It's just who I am.
(:So good. Well, my guest is Moody Banks, an R and B singer out of Austin and Moody, you were also featured recently on medium and authority magazine under the title, rising music star, moody banks on the five things you need to shine in the music industry. It was a great interview with let's see here, Edward Silvan the Sycamore entertainment group. To highlight one or two of those five things that we need to know,
(:The five things that you need to know. I think the number one most important thing was to always, always, always, always be able to take care of yourself. This music industry is so flaky. I've had so many people come in and out of my life promising me things that never happened and, you know, et cetera, I think you need to have a plan, a, a plan B, a plan C, and be able to do as many things as you can by yourself. Like I can, you know, track my own demos. I can work logic. I know how to do all of those things, because if not, then I'm just going to be, you know, staring at a wall or having to pay someone else to do it. I think the more self-sufficient you can be, the more successful you will be in the long run.
(:And I think that also brings more people to you because people want to work with people who want to learn and who want to be better. And I think when you have that energy, you attract those like-minded individuals. And I think the second most important thing would definitely just go with the flow because you cannot limit yourself to a singular expression or ideas. Sometimes blessings come out of the left field and you just have to accept them and move with them. Even though it's not the direction you thought it was going to be. I always find it's the person that you least expected to do something for you is often the times the person that does something for you. So that is my personal advice. And those two things have helped me tremendously on this journey.
(:Oh, good experience. Good insight. Well, let's get back to the music a second. You also have a great new video out. Tell us about that video,
(:Man. This video is so awesome. If you guys have not checked it out, you should definitely go check it out. It's on YouTube. It is a video of me and my band where the banks and the fallen dollars recording to live songs, loving you and heart in the fire. Those songs were recorded live at that moment. They were not overdubs. What you see is what you get, and it's very moody. It's very vibey, very purple and yeah, if you want to see us live in our true element you should definitely go check that out because it's definitely worth the watch.
(:And it reminded me how much I'm missing live music right now.
(:Yes! Absolutely. Oh my gosh. I cant wait.
(:How are you even surviving, sitting in Austin without going live every night,
(:recording those videos?
(:Yes.
(:And I think that you know, the vaccination is coming and like all of these things, I think we're definitely going to see a rise in like live music, especially here. They've created a lot of outdoor venues, so I'm really excited to get back to doing that. And I'm, I'm so excited just to be around people. I know that sounds crazy, but I just miss people and just being in an open place. So definitely look forward to seeing us when things start to open up.
(:Absolutely. And we can't wait to get back to [inaudible] here in Boise, we have a festival, a Tree Fort, and it's all sorts of indie musicians and genres of all type. And they’ve rescheduled from last spring to last fall to this spring. And now we're going to have it in September. So we'll have to have you up to Boise sometime and be a part of Tree Fort
(:I would love that.
(:Yeah, It's awesome. So what do you think the state of live music coming back is going to be with all this pent-up interest now?
(:I think it's actually going to be really amazing, especially because of the six feet distancing for me. I like sitting down and watching music. You know, I like having my personal space. I don't really like standing with a bunch of people
(:Shoulder to shoulder in the mush pit.
(:Yeah definitely I wanted to sit down, I want to enjoy myself. I want to actually watch. So I think it's actually going to be really cool because it's going to be a new experience that no one has really ever experienced before. And I think that's something to look forward to because it brings sort of this, you know, kind of like sophisticatedness back to music. And I think that's something that is missing right now. And yeah,
(:You've definitely been on a great trajectory and a rising and all that, but I'm sure there've been potholes and obstacles. Would you share with us some of the, maybe, you know, the blocks that you might've felt or challenges or, you know, somebody said you can't do it, you had to figure it out.
(:Yes, definitely. When I first started, when I tell you nobody believed in me, like, I really mean it probably except from Noah, but I think it's just perseverance and staying consistent is key because people are always going to tell you that you can't do something until you actually do it, but the hardest part is doing it. So people are always going to doubt you. People are always going to try to stop you. There's always going to be people in your way, but at the end of the day, it's your journey. And you have to take control of your life and what you want to be in this life. So if it's a hard task, you have to just be willing to do that. And I think that's what separates a lot of people in this life. And so, you know, there's doers and there's Watchers. You just can't be afraid. You just have to do it.
(:And moody. I'm sure that there's people listening to this podcast. Now they may be singer-songwriters, but they may be in other creative fields too. That might feel nobody is backing them right now. And they say just what you, that nobody is behind me. What did you do? What would you say to them? It's like, you got to look left. You got to look right as anybody there?
(:Yeah. You just have to use that as something to push you. You can't let it get you down because somebody eventually is going to see you. And you're in the more you put stuff out and the more you, you know, promote yourself and you just keep putting yourself out there. If the product is good enough, people are going to see it. It may not be your friends. It may not be your family and baby, a random stranger, but that random stranger is your first fan. And that's all that matters. You know, I think a lot of times too many people get consumed and the people around them and what they're doing, but you have to also realize that they have a life too. And their life is not just solely made to support you. So you have to build that fan base yourself. And it's okay if it's not, you know, who you expected it to be, but it will definitely be somebody because there's people out there for everybody. And I, I truly believe that.
(:Very encouraging and very inspirational. I know to, a lot of people who, like I said may feel like they're stuck right now, but that kind of encouragement. That's very helpful. Thanks for sharing that. Well, Moody Banks has been my guest, Moody. Where can we connect with you and follow you and see some more of your work?
(:You can follow me on every shooting platform, Spotify, apple music title @moodybanks. You can follow me on Instagram and zero zero D Y B A N K S. There is a link in my bio to all things Moody related, moody banks.com my YouTube channel. So whichever is the easiest one for you guys. You can follow them. You can find me there.
(:Yeah. The link, a link tree on your bio on Instagram is a complete, full and easy to follow.So ,
(:Yes, sir.
New Speaker (:You set it up nicely.
New Speaker (:Thank you I worked really hard on that.
(:There you go.Thats rght. Well, as we look ahead, Moody, what's next for you? Do you have any preview of coming attractions you'd like to share with us, get us excited about the future?
(:Yes.I actually am working on a new tape that I will be releasing with a music, visual that correlates to the songs. It's actually funny. I was like, whoa, when you asked me about, you know, feeling emotions and stuff, because this tape is actually called feeling colors and it's based on that whole experience. So look out for that coming soon, feeling colors.
(:Fantastic. Well, we'll put all these links in our show notes and we'll make sure people know where to find you. And we do look forward to that feeling colors. I mean, it pretty much encapsulates what we've been talking about this whole interview. Doesn't it?
(:Exactly. It was so funny when you said that, because I know you knew nothing about that. So, you know, just little signs everywhere.
(:I know more than you think. I know sometimes.
(:Exactly.
(:Yeah. Don't we all, maybe that's maybe that's a finding too. I love that. Well,
(:Moody can't thank you enough. My guest has been Moody Banks up and coming R and B singer songwriter, producer of some great visuals recordings and also videos. And you just have to check them out. Her songwriting style is fantastic. And as we've been talking about the production style is fantastic too. I think you're really gonna enjoy it, Moody. Thanks for being on the program,
(:Man. Thank you so much for having me. I had a great time talking to you and looking forward to maybe another time
(:That's right, right. Well, and I know listeners that there's podcast love all sorts of music and all sorts of arts and genres. And so it's always good to mix it up. So listeners, come back again. Yeah. Come back again. Next time for our podcast, unlocking your world of creativity, where we'll have more keys for you to unlock that world. And when we say get inspiration, we say organizing ideas, but most of all, as we've been talking with moody, getting the competence, making the connections, getting the collaborators to help launch our work out into the world. So join me again next time for our next episode of unlocking your world of creativity. I'm mark Stinson , and we'll see you next time.
