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Get To Know Washington D.C. Band Moozy

by The Alchemist

Moozy is a fully independent band from Washington D.C. born from a collaboration of musicians Dylan Rockwell and Pat Gunning. They’re an extremely talented duo that has really caught our attention on their most recent release “Tru Love”. We had the opportunity to ask them some questions, which you can check out below! 

What first got you into music?

A: I think originally we were just middle school kids looking for identities and we found one with music. I remember thinking as a kid “ok, if I practice really hard for like a year then I’ll probably be like the best guitarist at school and then I’ll be cool.” Pat had a similar high school experience thinking that playing in a band would increase his “cool” factor. I think he still does. I’ve always been slightly competitive with music, for better or for worse. Usually for better I think. It’s all for the sake of the art at the end of the day.

How did you first start developing your career?

A: We both played in a lot of bands growing up. I played in mostly classic rock cover bands and Pat played in some original pop punk groups. I was simply a guitarist with no vocal abilities whatsoever but I never liked the original songs that singers in my band would write so I slowly started trying to write and sing myself. Nothing much came of that until college, where Pat and I met. We honed our chemistry playing in a band called Knockout Perez in college. We played a LOT of shows at parties, bars, etc. and just had a grand old time. I think that experience is crucial to the music we make now. I was in school for Music Production, and the guy who produced my first EP of original music, Ben Soldate, absolutely blew my mind by turning my solo acoustic tunes into full productions. From there I had a taste and I’ve been producing my own music ever since. I love the process of bringing a song to fruition. I’ve also produced several other artists around DC, including the up-and-coming bands You and Me and You, Drew Beckman + The Boundary Boys, Columbia Breakers and more. I’m a producer for hire so if you know of any groups looking to record let me know! Sorry for the plug. Not that sorry though, you don’t have to put that in there haha. 

What is the most challenging part of your creative process?

A: The most challenging part of our process is that we do it all out of my home studio. There are a fair amount of limitations when operating this way, but it also gives us the flexibility to take our time. I prefer to have the freedom to spend as much time with the songs as we want, without a studio meter ticking and costing us a small fortune. The limitations come into play in a few ways. It takes a lot of setup and acoustic treatment when we record, especially for drums. We also can’t record simultaneously because we’d end up with guitar amps bleeding into drum mics and that’s not ideal. So yeah it becomes much more difficult to capture the energy of a live performance as if we were playing together. But also, since there’s no cost to us we can do as many takes as we need! It always works out eventually. 

Any side talents?

A: We do a lot of half-assed impressions of our favorite movie and TV characters. We both love movies and 9/10 times can find something in a movie to endearingly ridicule. We both also love football and probably spend too much time on the couch on Sundays cheering for our teams. Finally, Pat juggles and Dylan can throw a pigskin a quarter mile (that’s a movie reference but also true). 

Who would you most like to collaborate with/what music artist do you most admire?

A: That’s a tough question, there’s a couple DC artists that are super dope that come to mind, like Bartees Strange and 2012 Bid Adieu. D.C.’s music scene has a lot of character and, we feel, that it’s still a widely untapped market. There’s so much talent around here that the rest of the city has yet to consume. We’re hoping to help change that. As far as artists I most admire I can’t narrow it down to one so I’ll just say I admire anybody who is making the music they want to make and continues doing so regardless of reception.

What is the best advice you have for artists in the very beginning of their career?

A: I feel like we’re pretty early in our own careers but I’ve always taken the mindset that if I want this to be my job, I need to treat it like a job. Do something productive towards your goal every day and make sure to define your expectations, otherwise you’ll never feel like you’ve reached them. 

What does being from the DMV mean to you? 

A: I think there’s an under appreciated music scene in the DMV. I want to be part of our city gaining actual notoriety as a hub of great art. There’s so many bands in the area that I love and that I truly believe have what it takes to blow up and I think it’s just a matter of time before it happens. 

Favorite food spot in the DMV? 

A: Before the pandemic you could find us every Monday night (and probably even some other nights) at Boundary Stone, playing some songs at their open mic. Fingers-crossed that they’re able to open again soon!

What’s next for you?

A: We’re currently in production of a full length album and we’ll hopefully be releasing singles for it by early spring.

Check out the latest by Moozy, “Tru Love,” below

The Alchemist

Alchemical Records is your source for music in Washington D.C., Maryland, Virginia and wordwide! Visit us on your favorite social media site and tell us how Alchemical Records helps you discover and stay current with great artists.

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