Getting to Know… Mojo Alice | Interview 🎤

For our 109^th interview, we chat it up with Matty Ray, the bassist of New Zealand hard rock, blues grooving band, Mojo Alice.

“It’s a blend of rock and the heavy blues groove that sets us apart from the rest and we put on a fuckin awesome live show.” Rock on – #LFG! Matty Ray, the bassist for Mojo Alice, answers our burning questions about the band on our 109^th interview on The Musical Hype.  In addition to Ray, the Wellington, New Zealand rock band is comprised of Jem Tupe (vocals), Bro-D (guitar), and Morpheus Tilly (drums). As always, this interview yields some intriguing, insightful answers (and some f-bombs for extra emphasis too!).  So, without further ado, let’s jump right into Getting to Know… Mojo Alice: Interview #109! 

Let’s get this started off right. For those who may not be familiar with Mojo Alice, what would you say makes you/your band distinct or unique? How do you rock the audience’s socks off?

To me, I think it’s a blend of rock and the heavy blues groove that sets us apart from the rest and we put on a fuckin awesome live show. We work hard to make sure no stone is left in turned when we leave the stage.

Okay, let’s explore some juicy backstories. How did Mojo Alice form and what were some of the goals or the visions you had as a band early on?

When we first met up we thought, “let’s just have a jam play some music and have a good time,” but after that first jam we all kinda looked at each other like, “ok maybe we some cool music here,” so, we just kept on jamming. Our first real goal was to play some cool music that we liked, and hopefully other people might like it too.

Let’s talk more about goals.  Have your goals or your perspectives changed since first starting out? What do your aspirations or goals look like now?

I mean, we always have goals that we set as a band, but one of main goals is to write awesome heavy, laden riffs with groove soaked drums that are locked in with the bass and a voice that can take you to the depths of hell yet soothe you sleep – and we just want everybody out there to have just as much of a good time as we do playing this music.

Wow, that was kind of poetic! Everybody is influenced by somebody else. Who would you consider some of your biggest musical influences and how are they influential?

For me it was my parents. My father was always jamming and there was always a guitar laying round somewhere, and my mum was always spinning records or playing music on the stereo but when I saw a Metallica video – the song “Fuel” when I was like 7 or 8 years old, I was like,  “fuck yeah awesome,” and also Pantera and then so many bands after that, that I still love to this day. Hell yeah, those were and are my influences and I’m still influenced now by these bands and all sorts of things that are going on around me.

Ah, the fun stuff.  What’s your craziest tour story or the wackiest thing that’s happened during a performance?  Feel free to be creative.  

I mean I don’t wanna say too much, you’re always worried about your gear fuckin’ out or something out of your control going wrong, but holy shit – fans bring you beers and shots when we’re on stage which is awesome, man. But to me, I think the best is feeling people vibing, grooving and just having a good time from the music.

Up until this point in your career, what would you describe as your favorite song you’ve recorded or performed live? What makes that song special?

For me it’s “Drop dead”. It is a combination of everything we’re about – solid heavy groove, rocking vocals and dirty guitar riffs and solos.

Is there anything else awesome, cool, or left of center the world should know about you? Secret talents or surprising tidbits?

Not really, I ain’t no special chef, I ain’t no green thumb gardener – but I can slam a few beers back quick and I have a good time doing it!

Closing things out, what is Mojo Alice currently working on, promoting that you can share with us or want us to know about? We love secrets, but there is no pressure. 

We are currently working on a new album which we hope to be recorded early next year and hope to play a few shows over the Summer. Thanks this was fun…spread the word!

Thank you so much for sharing taking the time to answer these questions, and best of luck moving forward. 

Photo Credits: Brent Faulkner, Mojo Alice, The Musical Hype