Interviews: Moonshade

In this new occasion, we have had the opportunity to interview the Metal band Moonshade from Portugal. Check out the interview and follow the band on their FACEBOOK PAGE.

1. Where did you get the idea for the band name, you planned it or came out just like that?

Our previous drummer, Cristiano Brito, came up with it, and it sort of “came out like that”. However, “Moonshade” does have a double meaning. During a solar eclipse, the moon casts its shade over the entire world. Simultaneously, a “shade” is another word for wraith or ghost. So it can mean “solar eclipse” while evoking images of ghosts wandering in the moonlight.

2. Why did you want to play this genre?

We are all very passionate about metal, and we all consume a lot of it. When you’re that passionate about something, you want to contribute, to bring something new to the table.

3. Did you know each other before the band was formed?

Our friendship started with the band.

4. Each band member favourite band?

That’s a hard one, but we’ll give it a shot. Our singer Ricardo’s favourite would be Insomnium, while for our guitarist Pedro that would be Rammstein. Our bassist Nuno is more inclined to Metallica, while our guitarist Daniel is more of a Dead Can Dance kind of guy.

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?

Music that reaches from post-punk and darkwave to hip hop, or from classic heavy metal to progressive rock, as well as literature, cinema and other fine arts. 6. Where was your last gig? We played at Moita Metal Fest in Lisbon (Portugal), sharing the stage with Extreme Noise Terror, Decapitated, as well as an amazing roster of Portuguese artists such as Gaerea and The Voynich Code, among many others.

7. Where would you like to perform?

Anywhere that would allow us to share our music with as many people as possible. Megafests such as Wacken and Hellfest come to mind. It would be amazing to do a more “generalistic” huge festival that doesn’t really feature metal, mainly to see people’s reactions.

8. Whom would you like to perform with?

The bands we mentioned earlier as our favourites would be amazing to perform with. Metallica especially, even if it’s not everyone’s favourite. It would be an honour, not just because of their legendary status but also due to the importance they had for heavy metal.

9. Whom not?

Bands who don’t work hard. At the underground level, if you don’t generate hype for yourself or your band, you’re destined for those classic underground shows with about three to five people in the audience. The only way you can avoid that is selling tickets, sharing online, pasting posters and delivering flyers, making giveaways, recording good music, good videos, interacting with fans, and generating hype in general for your band and the events you participate in. If you’re one of those bands that just sits around thinking they deserve attention without actually getting your music out there because you think you’re too cool to do that, don’t even bother talking to us, because we’re not booking a show with you.

10. Any of you has ever suffered from stage fright? Any tip for beginners on how to beat that?

Stage fright is great, it gives you adrenaline, it’s an amazing rush. If you’re a beginner and it bothers you, just soldier through it and focus – you’re there to play the songs you rehearsed a million times, you got this.

11. What bands have inspired you the most?

We draw a whole lot of inspiration from bands like Dark Tranquillity, Insomnium, Amorphis, Paradise Lost or Swallow the Sun, to name a few.

12. What's the weirdest thing a fan has ever asked you for?

Our fans usually don’t ask for weird stuff, but we have had people wanting to join the band that lives in Brazil or Denmark. We’re from Portugal, by the way. 

13. What do you think of your fans?

The ones we met are usually great people! Nice, incredibly supportive and with a great sense of humour. They often leave us speechless, and they’re incredibly loyal. Here in Portugal, you see underground bands with thousands of views online that can’t even put fifty people in a small venue, but our fans always show up and go completely wild on our shows. We’re incredibly grateful for that. 

14. What do you think of our site?

Looks great! It’s amazing to see that some people still take time and dedication towards divulging new music. Projects like yours are essential for upcoming bands such as us.

15. Something to add?

To everyone who’s reading this, we humbly request that you give our music a chance. Our latest release is our debut album Sun Dethroned, which is available on Spotify, iTunes, Youtube and Google Music, while our merch can be acquired at either our Bandcamp page or our official store at Bigcartel. For now, we’re touring the Iberian peninsula, which includes Spain, Portugal and the Basque Country, so if you’re from anywhere near, we hope to see you there!