The Wild Moccasins venture forward to the EU
by Ramon LP4
The Wild Moccasins (Photo By Molly Rodriguez)
Hey, remember when The Wild Moccasins seemed to come out of nowhere. Blazing with a brash moxie, the band helped define the youthful energetic indie-pop coming out of Houston and packed shows with their high-energy shows, bright beats, and catchy songs. Here we are few years later and the band (with two albums under its belt, a record deal with New West, and a few tours behind it ) has gone from young upstarts to respected veterans of the Houston scene. We decided to catch-up with The Moccasins as they prepared for the kick-off of their first European tour this Saturday at Fitzgerald’s.
FPH: So this is your first EU tour. How did the idea for the tour come about? How did you figure out how and where to book shows?
Cody: We were contacted by a booking agency in Europe who found us through blog sessions we did on our first tour. As far as booking the shows our agent came up with an outline that he saw fit and started working really hard to get us great shows. It really is inspiring to meet someone who is so enthusiastic about helping bands.
FPH: What are your expectations for the tour?
Zahira: We just want to have a good time and enjoy playing out of our comfort zone. All we can do is hope that we are well received.
FPH: It used to be there were a lot of Houston bands that were great but hardly toured. Lately, it seems that this is no longer the norm as a lot of bands regularly tour - especially you guys. Why do you think touring has become much more prominent for Houston bands in recent years?
Zahira: I can’t really speak for most bands, but I know that we feel it’s important to tour as much as possible if this is what you want to do. All of us enjoy touring so much, I can’t imagine doing anything else at this point.
Cody: Write & Tour.
FPH: Why do you think that touring is important for a band and how has it helped you as a band?
Cody: Besides the fact that we all love to do it, I think it is essential in growing as a band. There is only so much you can learn about each other musically and personally without being in a van for a month and playing shows every night. It is also great meeting like-minded individuals all over the country. There is no better feeling than getting to meet the guy or girl that takes a chance to help your band without having ever met you prior.
FPH: New West. How has that been working for you guys? I know they are looking at reissuing Skin Collision Past, what else is going on?
Zahira: They are great! We’ve been working/talking with them for over a year now and they are currently working on reissuing Skin Collision Past on CD for Spring which includes our Microscopic Metronomes EP.
They are also helping us with press for our upcoming tours. We are so excited to get to work with them and to have such a great relationship with our label.
FPH: It’s funny but I, on occasion, hear this ageism from people. First a band is too young to be taken seriously. Then, when they break and become bigger, they become yesterdays news. Why do you think some people are so fixated such things?
Zahira: It’s actually really sad how that works. Considering we still feel like we have a lot of room to grow as a band. I think that some people have that attitude because they don’t understand how long it can take to become an established band, or maybe they never really liked the band in the first place. There will always be negativity towards bands and all you can do is be thankful for those who attend the shows and that are supportive.
FPH: What is the one thing you will miss while on tour and what is the first thing you will do when you get back from tour?
Zahira: I’m going to miss my family and my friends of course but I’m really going to miss just getting to to just lay around and watch tv. It seems like such a small thing, but you don’t get to do that on tour.
