Three men approach a White Plains, NY studio within the Music Conservatory of Westchester where I regularly shoot my A-Sides sessions in. They standout instantly. One is dressed down in jeans and has his cellphone glued to his hand. Next to him is a much taller guy with slicked back hair, stylish gray slacks, and a match overcoat that cries "swagger." The third guy is wearing an almost Indiana Jones-modeled hat, a Fonzie-free leather jacket, and looks like me 30 years from now. The first guy is the tour manager for London-based buzzworthy star Willy Moon. The second guy is Moon himself, and the third guy is... wait for it... my dad ladies and gentleman. My old man arrived early for a lunch date, and crashed the Moon filming. Prior to setting up for the interview (as you can tell by the shakiness of the camera - it didn't take long), my dad cracked wise - usually at my expense - and ran up to the piano within the studio to serenade us with a Gershwin medley. If I was 13 or 17 I'd be humiliated. But, I'm not and I wasn't. Neither was Moon, who clearly realized that second to perhaps having his song "Yeah Yeah" played on an iPod commercial and making an appearance on Vh1 just a day prior, this was the highlight of his young career. I'm, of course, kidding. Once my dad left the building and let me do my thing, I asked Moon about that thing that he does so well.
Moon is on a roll, and it's no wonder really. The 23 year old's unique style, which combines pop, rock, dance, and every genre under the sun, can best be described as a word I'm making up just for this post - "contemporetro-y." That vibe caught Apple's eye, and there are more killer tracks to come off his debut albumHere's Willy Moon, which drops April 2. Watch my interview with Moon below, replay the mental image I gave you of my dad playing Gershwin for him in your heads, and find out everything you need to know at willymoon.com.
About A-Sides with Jon Chattman:
Jon Chattman's "A-Sides Music" series usually features artists (established or not) from all genres performing a track, and discussing what it means to them. This informal series focuses on the artist making art in a low-threatening, extremely informal (sometimes humorous) way. No bells, no whistles -- just the music performed in a random, low-key setting followed by an unrehearsed chat. In an industry where everything often gets overblown and over manufactured, I'm hoping this is refreshing.