Viking Moses Concert

Enjoy an acoustic concert with Baltimore musician, Viking Moses! With opener Ben Dobrowski from the Dobro's. $10

“Viking Moses, otherwise known as Brendon Massei, is a nomad of sorts. He’s a high school dropout who’s been perpetually on the road since 1996 with much of that time spent with his acoustic guitar on tour or supporting artists such as Little Wings, Ted Leo, Will Oldham, Cat Power, the Microphones, and Devendra Banhart.”

“Nearly 13 years since his proper debut as Viking Moses, Brendon is slated to release his 5th album, Cruel Child. As one would expect from someone who is noted for having consistently toured since 1993, Cruel Child offers a dozen dusty and deep and wistful explorations of the soul written in such a manner they could only have come from a master traveler of dark and imposing paths both literal and philosophical.”

From a recent innterview with Viking Moses:

•Where do you find inspiration?

I am inspired by unifying, transformative themes, particularly experiences that transcend geography and time, themes that unite persons who may otherwise feel disconnected and alone in their walk through life, themes that aren’t typically expressed in popular music.

•Can you describe your creative practice?

My creative process with music starts at the subconscious level, working through mantra-like chord progressions, and improvising vocal melodies that intertwine through the chord progressions. From there, I mouth nonsense sounds, and start constructing lyrical ideas. Once I feel strongly about the music, the melody, and the early lyric phase, I set the music aside to start refining my lyrics more deliberately. While this is all happening, I don’t write anything down or record anything. I will typically finish “writing” a song within an hour from when I started. Then I write lyrics down in paragraph form with no music notation, no indication of meter or cadence. Next, I will spend several hours playing the song from memory, only referring to the paragraph of lyrics I jotted down. Then I go to sleep. When I wake up the next morning, I attempt to sing the song from memory. If I forget the melody, or if I don’t feel as strongly about it, the whole work goes in the trash. If I remember the song, and if I still feel strongly about it, it usually survives to be recorded and performed for the public. While this process has never been a deliberate strategy, it has had its practical advantages, and it could help explain any “catchiness” that my songs may have.

•You write music- are there other ways you express yourself creatively?

I feel that my relationship with songwriting is remarkably pure, in that it is completely self-serving. It addresses deep and profound issues that I struggle with, it celebrates people and moments that are sacred to me, it’s a platform where I can laugh at things that maybe I only find humor in, it helps me understand my place and responsibilities in the world, and it gives me perspective to look at different situations objectively. Yet, it allows complete freedom of fantasy and no need for expertise. It’s a place for fundamental truth regardless of any historical accuracy.

Trying to deliver music to audiences is a completely different relationship for me. I am extremely selective about what I share with the world. In recent years I have felt an urgency to sing and play my instrument more masterfully for the benefit of my listeners, to be more present and interactive for the benefit of my listeners, to be more mindful of communities for the benefit of my hosts, and of business goals for the benefit of my partners. And there are thousands and thousands and thousands of remarkable artists also trying to enrich the world with their offering, and there are more tools accessible to most people that can materialize and deliver these offerings. To be heard in this landscape and connect in a profound way with an audience, in my experience, requires more conscious and deliberate creative force than songwriting, and it can be quite an adventure!

Whether it is music, or other expressions of art or business or education or community development or cultural exchange, almost any activity I can imagine requires remarkable creativity to set oneself apart from the crowd and be heard in a unique way that is honest and relevant and compelling; and this conviction is something that occupies me wholly.

•What music, books, other are you enjoying right now?

Apart from the music I make, and that of the artists I work with at Epifo Music such as Jesse Ainslie, Adrian Aardvark, Hamish Hawk, Spencer Kingman, Golden Ghost, etc., I have been getting down with: Junglepussy, Bbymutha, Ski Mask, Jordi Savall, Sharon Van Etten… But I blast my old school favs on the reg too like Leonard Cohen, Nirvana, Townes Van Zandt, all the outlaw movement guys like Waylon, Willie and the boys… Lana Del Ray can do no wrong. On long drives I’m usually rockin’ my boy Marc Maron’s WTF podcast… I love all the juicy true crime stuff like Crimetown and Shittown… And I listen to a lot of university lectures on history, religion, language, etc. Same goes with the bulk of my reading. Right now I’m reading some antiquarian books on the history of monetary systems and finance.

•You seem to travel a lot. How is it different than a stay put lifestyle? Benefits and drawbacks?

There are benefits and drawback regarding both in my experience, and lately I strive to find a healthy balance. I think it is important to contribute to and be part of a home community, whether that’s family, work, or neighborhood; and to experience and be part of the world beyond. From the former, we can achieve stability and humility; the latter we can achieve self-distinction, broader understanding of the world and our place in it, and a profound sense of unity on a human level.

•What does a typical day look like?

Two weeks ago I was performing in Italy and Spain to start getting the word out about our new album Cruel Child, and to shoot some music videos. Yesterday I drove 1300 miles to obtain and have Apostilled some certified vital records for an upcoming consular appointment, en route I visited a former client and met his newborn child. Today I am about to visit a friend in Delaware who is visiting from Ireland a few days, but before I leave in an hour, I am preparing paperwork for work visas overseas, and developing a business plan for a prospect in Baltimore. Sometime this evening, I will need to step away from my friend to do some social media outreach for a historic preservation summit taking place in Austin, Texas next month and touch base with our New England hosts for this Viking Moses tour next week. O yeh, and I think we’ve got to get the ball rolling again on a line of Viking Moses brand tee towels that are in progress.

•What’s the meaning/origin of your band name?

My friend and colleague Spencer Kingman came up with this name. I always defer this question to him, but he has never given the same answer. One of my favorite responses was, “Just look at him.”