Today we’d like to introduce you to Marley Moon.
Marley Moon, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Marley Moon started when I was living in Boston, attending Berklee College of Music. I was writing these songs as I was going through a breakup, just to feel better, and I realized that for once in my life I actually really liked the songs I was writing. I played a couple of shows up in Boston, but honestly, I was having a really hard time at Berklee. It kind of felt like I was drowning, and I knew if I wanted to be my best self I needed to move back home to Houston. I met my beautiful, incredible bandmates, Matt Willhelm and Chris Leon, last summer, and we started playing together in May. Getting with them, everything just felt right. We love and support each other, they’re both really great players, and I can’t imagine being in a band with two better men.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Studying at Berklee was interesting for me. On top of a lot of stuff I was going through emotionally, I felt like my male peers didn’t respect me, because I’m a girl that was there for singing. It messed with my self worth a lot, to feel so low in a learning environment. I felt that my learning environment also being so competitive wasn’t healthy for me, so I left. Things were better after I moved back to Houston, but I still had some issues finding the right people to play with, That’s actually why I started playing bass, Marley Moon didn’t feel easy until Matt and Chris came into my life. They are amazing musicians and people. They are the reason I feel the confidence in my passion that I do now.
Can you give our readers some background on your music?
Marley Moon is all about the feeling. I do really appreciate a musician that can make my jaw drop, but that kind of flashy playing just doesn’t feel right to me. I write love songs, I keep it simple. It’s about the feeling, it’s about the song. I don’t want it to be about one part of it! Not even the voice or the lyrics. I think we do a good job of finding that balance. My favorite compliment I’ve ever gotten was that we sound genuine because it is! We have so much fun playing together, and I think the audience can tell.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
Luck has played a really important role. I had some bad luck with bandmates, I had a super temporary band for a show that I had been added to when I wasn’t ready for it, but that show is where I met Matt. He was running sound, and he really liked us! It felt important when we met. I thought maybe it was because Matt is a great engineer and he might record my songs. Now I know it was important because he’s in the band! I wouldn’t have it any other way. Chris was also luck. I was jamming with a friend at H-Town Studios, desperately trying to put myself out there and find bandmates again, and I didn’t know Chris would be jamming with us, I didn’t even know he played drums. I kind of knew him from around town, but after that I just felt like we really clicked. When all 3 of us first got together, I just knew.
Contact Info:
- Email: marleymoonxo@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marley.moon/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marleymoonxo/
Image Credit:
Americ Paquette, Fiona Coakley
Suggest a story: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
