What inspired the name of the band? What are your influences and are they the same as when you started out?
The name Mote comes from my Dad. I was working in a lot of different bands, none were working out. I finally thought, I know what I want to make, I’m doing all the writing in these other groups, and I decided to go out on my own. I wanted a name that could be the name of a band, but also represents who I am. My Dad called me Mote when I was a kid and when that crossed my mind, it seemed perfect to encompass who I really am and what I do. To a large degree I think there is something very child-like in my work and relationship to music as well.
Some musicians that inspire my work are; David Bowie, Wolf Alice, Sharon Van Etten, DIIV, NIN, Warpaint, and Grimes.
How do you approach songwriting?
It’s always different, but I do always begin with the music first. I play bass, guitar, keys, or sometimes start a tune by programming a beat first. Once I do one part, it kind of tells me where to go next, including when I reach the place where I want to write lyrics. Every piece conveys something.
Sometimes I have a concept musically that sends me in a direction, but I don’t usually have a lyrical theme in mind at the beginning.
Why do you write the sort of music that you do?
I write what I want to hear, what excites me when I hear it coming out of myself. I write the sound of how I feel.
How do you decide what songs to perform live?
For live work it’s also all about vibe. My vibe, the vibe of the weather that day, the feeling in the air all give me a sense of what songs I’ll put in the set. I like to play high energy shows, so I don’t do too many slow ones, but you have to have a blanked setlist. I also typically want to play my newest stuff because I feel it’s my best.
What plans do you have for the future?
We have 3 new singles coming out over the next 6 months. I just put out a single call “Industrial Love,” and am promoting that, and doing some solo shows in Berlin this summer. We’ll start playing some full band shows next year.
You can check out “Industrial Love” here:
https://open.spotify.com/track/3zTOldW6A7HDFyZweo2lqB?si=8381f13080484bd2
Cheers for the interview!