Moggs

Ten years is a long-ass time to take to write a record. By today’s standards, where romantic relationships are concerned, ten years is an eternity. Yet here stands Moggs, a married couple that has existed as a two-piece band for over ten years, finally releasing their debut, The White Belt is Not Enough on Absolutely Kosher.

The White Belt is Not Enough is a dark gem of a record that finds itself taking residency amongst the clan of post-Sonic Youth guiterrorists like Bare Minimum, Welcome, early-Sick Bees, Polvo, et al. Moggs music Sir Plus’ frayed guitars chime and churn in all their droning glory overtop Miss Minor’s hitching percussion. Minor’s near-monotone deadpan and Plus’ terse singing hang heavy amid the sludgy, dirty drones.

As one would expect from an album that took this long to complete, things are considerate and deliberate yet it’s not claustrophobic or over-produced. The music breathes, expansive and yet still bursting. Loose and dangerous, it crackles and sparks like fireworks.
Once the record was sure to see the light of day, the Bay Area twosome began preparations in earnest for a full US tour. That tour commences August 17, 2005.

			MOGGS Interview conducted with Sir Plus by Steve Brydges.
Ten years is a long-ass time to take to write a record. By today’s standards, where romantic relationships are concerned, ten years is an eternity. Yet here stands Moggs, a married couple that has existed as a two-piece band for over ten years, finally releasing their debut, The White Belt is Not Enough on Absolutely Kosher. The White Belt is Not Enough is a dark gem of a record that finds itself taking residency amongst the clan of post-Sonic Youth guiterrorists like Bare Minimum, Welcome, early-Sick Bees, Polvo, et al. Moggs music Sir Plus’ frayed guitars chime and churn in all their droning glory overtop Miss Minor’s hitching percussion. Minor’s near-monotone deadpan and Plus’ terse singing hang heavy amid the sludgy, dirty drones. As one would expect from an album that took this long to complete, things are considerate and deliberate yet it’s not claustrophobic or over-produced. The music breathes, expansive and yet still bursting. Loose and dangerous, it crackles and sparks like fireworks. Once the record was sure to see the light of day, the Bay Area twosome began preparations in earnest for a full US tour. That tour commences August 17, 2005.
			Why is the white belt not enough? Our artist friend, Nathalie Roland, came up with the title in conversation a few years back. We were discussing a clothing line concept, and she summed everything up with those six words. It was decided there that would be our album title. So the title's been around long before the album completion. Was this just idle discussion, theoretical stuff, or did either or both of you start a clothing line? We had an idea for a clothing line, so I guess it was a hypothetical discussion. What does a white belt say to you? " C'mon, wear me. What, you think you're too good for me? I'm just not enough for you anymore, is that it?" What took so long to finish writing the record? We both had/have intense careers outside of playing music and the subsequent drain placed on your playtime can be an album creation killer... thankfully not completely, because we did eventually get it done! Also, our studio kept evolving from 1/2" 8-track to 2" 24-track, console upgrades, mix down decks etc., so that took time as well.
Rumor has it that for the longest time, you not only had no merch. to sell, you rarely played live. Why so mysterioso? What you got to hide? This wasn't so much intentional as a consequence of the lifestyle we have chosen. But we had ideas about doing things our own way, too. We didn't like the idea of releasing anything we weren't completely happy with. This included a "demo" for clubs (which we never did). We played by invitation and rarely contacted clubs directly. Our sights were set on finishing the record without compromise. Joey (Santanta, tour manager) just built us the most amazing merch display out of a recycled door. Seriously, the thing is amazing. We're making up for lost time - ha!
Also, what's with the aliases (Sir Plus and Miss Minor)? Is this to obscure the fact you are in wedlock? These are mostly for our self-amusement. We don't care if people know we're married. In fact, the aliases probably sound more coupled than our real names. Incidentally, how long have you been married? Seven blissful years. Why did you choose to record it yourselves rather than have someone else do it? Economics. Between the difficulty to book a decent studio with our work restraints and the type of studio we wanted to use, it made more sense to build our own. We've always had an interest in recording, starting back 10+ years ago with our 4-track cassette recorder. Probably one of the few couples out there whose "honeymoon" consisted of a week off to record (on 8-track then, and consequently never released). Building our own studio seemed to make the most long-term sense.
Given any thought to recording other bands' music on your equipment? Yes, that has been up for discussion a few times. It's been a matter of not having enough time, but it's something we might be open to in the future. *What separates the way you recorded The White Belt is Not Enough* from your contemporaries? Was this a conscious decision? If so, what prompted it?** As far as recording techniques, the values that might separate what we have done on this record is the absence of acoustic sweeteners such as artificial reverbs, delays, etc. Instead, we opted for utilizing our environment... an old Victorian home. There's a lot of natural ambience present on the record. Also, this record was 100% analog. The vinyl release is AAA, mastered utilizing one of the twelve Neumann DMM lathes in the world. We flew our tapes to Abbey Road for the mastering session. That was pretty extraordinary.
Did you have them in a briefcase that was locked to your wrist by handcuffs? That's pretty wild you went to London to master the album. An experience worth repeating with your next album? A lot of research was involved just to get the tapes over. We ended up sending the tapes a few days ahead of time. With some invaluable advice from Electrical Audio, we avoided the possibility of a search at the airport & subsequent destruction of the magnetic tapes with the waving of a wand. Still, I can't tell you what a relief it was to meet the tapes at Abbey Road & hear them still intact. I had the most brilliant experience at Abbey Road, and would definitely master there again. Our mastering engineer, Nick Webb, and I got on really well. We couldn't be happier with the results. It is mentioned on your site that you received major label interest before signing with Absolutely Kosher. What would a major label do with Moggs? Not sure. They solicited us for "demos." We gave them what we thought would scare them away. It worked. You're about to tour. It's just the two of you, right? Van or smaller vehicle? Our friend Joey will be with us. He's tour manager and will be organizing the day to day details, securing in-store & radio performances, etc. You'd think we could do this in a mini-van, right? Nope. It will be the three of us in a 15-passenger van.
What album will be playing as you roll out of SF? And into NYC? On the way out of town we'll be listening to Polar Goldie Cats (playing with them at our first stop in LA). As for NYC, hopefully something new. Our mp3 collection will have become tired by then. Do you ever like to find some awful pop or classic rock station and try to sing along with the songs, the more obscure or awful the better? I love it when I find a station playing Foreigner or Loverboy, for example. When I was a kid, I used to think those guys got all the chicks. Awesome! Three Dog Night & Ratt are so shamelessly enjoyable to sing along to within this context - one of the world's great mysteries. Once we found a station playing Gregorian chants - highly recommended for the ol' sing-along challenge. Though when I was a kid, the car stereo was all hammer dulcimers or bagpipes. My dad's from Scotland. I've also been known to free-style rap to keep myself awake on long rides. Subjects are kept strictly grade school, but it does keep me awake (much to the co-pilots delight). How often do you expect to fight in the van? Tussle? I think once a day would be healthy for everyone. No more than that, otherwise someone wins a bus ticket home.
What's your biggest fear heading into this tour? Getting turned away at the Canadian border. We're really excited to visit Montreal & Toronto. Do you have any pets? Who is going to look after them while you are on tour? You may use this forum to thank them, if you wish. We have two very, very big puppies who resemble horses. Also a kitty who is bossy. My sister will be stewarding our home and animals while we're out. She's even bringing her webcam so we can check in from the road. Yes, believe it or not, the pets were a big help on the record. They snuck their way onto several songs. Mystery Kitty can be heard at the very beginning of “Take Take Take.” So Mystery Kitty is more of a studio/session player than a touring member of the band? You've got a 15-passenger van; I'm sure there's room for a litter box. Haha, yeah her sessions usually involve attacking feet, drawing blood, etc. We'll bring her along next time... tour bus style.