Award-winning artist Jacob Moon returns to Strathmore
Photo Courtesy of Kurt Brown
Moon garnered international attention with his eclectic style and use of live looping – a performance style where music is being recorded as it’s being played in real time allowing to layer sound on sound. Small-town crowds and his previous experience in Strathmore has the musician excited about returning to perform at the church and showcase his latest songs and new approaches to the guitar.
“I’m always growing, always trying to expand and bring more people into the circle of what I’m doing and it was a really successful concert last time,” said Moon. “They’re eclectic sorts of rootsy songs of the soul, accessible to a wide variety of ages and background. There’s something there that helps me in a small town environment where the audience that shows up can be quite diverse demographically. To be able to entertain everybody is a goal that I’ve set for myself.”
Moon grew up in Kitchener, Ont. and now calls Hamilton, Ont. his home. Born to a mother who was active in choir and a father involved in a folk trio, he was exposed to music at an early age. Once he reached his teenage years, Moon took to learning the acoustic guitar and was influenced by rock bands Yes, Rush and Marillion. Yet it wasn’t until he completed his musical training at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ont. that he experimented with live looping technology, understanding that he needed to set himself apart from other performers.
That’s exactly what the father of three did. By performing covers of popular songs using the live-looping technology and recording music videos for YouTube, his presentation caught the attention of many of his musical idols. Celebrities such as rock band Marillion and Gordon Lightfoot have praised him publicly and provided him with a spotlight for his rendition of their songs. Rush also asked Moon to perform his version of Subdivisions at the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame Gala.
“It’s definitely fuel for my tank that gives me the hope and belief that on any given day I might need to continue doing what I’m doing, when people who are heroes to you come out on a limb and validate what you do,” he said. “That means a lot, it means you’re on the right track. Ultimately you can’t stop there, but it’s a good push forward and should encourage and motivate you to do more; and it has.”
Yet Moon said the stories from his own life or those around him inspire him to write original material and connect with the audience. The artist also strives to constantly learn and experiment more ways to use his guitar.
“It was a curiosity, because in your mind when you hear what the technology can do, immediately you go to what is possible,” he said. “You haven’t heard anybody express those possibilities live, so you think maybe I can be the guy who can do that. There are lots of people who have looping pedals now, but it’s what each person does with it that is their own human fingerprint on the music.
“For me, I had a very particular thing that I wanted to dig into and I wanted to have the ability to play rhythm guitar and lead guitar and drums and bass all on the same song, and that’s only really possible if you get better at live looping.”
Moon’s original songs have won awards at international song competitions including GMA Canada, Unisong, Great Lakes Song Contest and West Coast Songwriters.
Social justice is also very important to the Canadian artist, and he has been active in fundraiser concerts for numerous organizations and released a new video this week in response to the Florida shooting and the United States gun debate, accompanied by an old folk song called The Crow on the Cradle that can be viewed at patreon.com/jacobmoon.
Moon will be performing in Strathmore and Calgary this weekend, and is planning on returning to Alberta in May. Jacob Moon will be live in concert on March 16 at Hope Community Covenant Church at 7 p.m. Tickets are $15 in advance or $20 at the door, at the church or online (jacobmoon.com).