Young Adult: Tell YA a little bit about yourselves when you were younger…where did you grow up?

Max and the Moon: We all grew up in Chino Hills, CA. The brothers, Matt and Dillon, as well as John, grew up skateboarding the streets of the hills together and kept in contact throughout the years. Zachariah, grew up as a singer-songwriter by himself and eventually started writing with John in high school. Then the entire band eventually started making music together. But mostly we were all big goofs in our younger years.

 
YA: How did you all meet?

MM: Well Dillon and Matt are brothers, so they met at birth and then John came in and started skating with them. They stayed friends for a while and simultaneously, John and Zachariah played music together. Then Matt and John started to form a band and invited Zachariah and Dillon in to collaborate on some songs. Ever since then, it’s been that way for Max and the Moon.

 
YA: How did you get your start in entertainment?

MM: We all had our share of experiences in other bands; we would play in backyard shows when we were younger. Zachariah actually played in an 80s hair metal band when in high school! Matt was in a punk band. John was in a local band called Jenair. Dillon jammed around with a ton of musicians throughout the years. Finally we all had similar realizations about making a career out of music. And now we are continuing that dream which will hopefully continue to come true!

 
YA: California seems to have a pervasive thematic current on your music – tell us a little more about that.

MM: Well, we can’t really help BUT sound like a California band. We think that the artists whose music sounds like authentic Cali music are actually the ones who don’t realize it. It sort of forms out of the friendships and experiences we’ve lived through while growing up in California.

 
YA: What has been your biggest success to date?

MM: Getting a residency at the Bootleg Bar in October. A lot of bands we admire have been able to do that very same thing. So it assures us that we are doing something right. We are excited for what kind of buzz it will bring us and what will come after in terms of opportunities.

YA: Do you guys have a mentor? If so, tell us a little more about him/her.

MM: We work very closely with our producer, Barrett Slagle, from Artisans Label in Fullerton, CA. He has become really important in collaborative situations and we hold his opinions very close to our hearts. We enjoy working with him and are always impressed with his work.

 
YA: Quick: Pick one adjective to describe yourselves!

MM: Imaginative.

YA: Who are some of your favorite artists or bands?

MM: The 1975, Tame Impala, Bob Dylan, Bon Iver – These are basically bands and artists that inspire our writing directly.

YA: Who would you most like to work with?

MM: Brian Eno or Peter Gabriel would be a couple of artists we’d like to work with. We think it would be really fun. Also, we think something very creative would come out of it.

 
YA: What do you have coming up?

MM: We have a residency in October at the Bootleg Bar, every Monday night with some very cool bands joining us like The Ceremonies, Y Luv and Branches. We also have a double sided single coming out with two new songs, “All I Know” (our current single that’s out) and “Crazy”. And we have two new music videos coming shortly after those releases.

 
YA: What can you tell others pursuing the same career?

MM: We can tell them to keep on keeping on. It sounds generic but it’s really important to believe in yourself and what you’re doing. It helps to know that at some point, if you keep doing what you’re good at, eventually it will all work out in your favor. You eventually develop this system that becomes and supports your voice. Eventually the thing you create becomes its own sound and rides in its own groove and flow.

 
YA: What are your favorite books or what books are you guys currently reading?

MM: The Road by Cormac McCorthy, Moby Dick by Herman Melville, and Walden by Henry Thoreau 

 
YA: Where do you see yourself in 5 years? In 10?

MM: In 5 – Signed and touring with very respectable bands. Hopefully we are creating really good music and collaborating with a ton of musicians. In 10 – Headlining stadium concerts like Red Rock Amphitheater and making a career out of our music.

 
YA: What are three things you want your fans to know about you that they might not?

MM: 1) We self funded everything we’ve ever put out.

2) We would like Starbucks to sponsor us because of all their coffee we drink. And we would like Wonderful Pistachio Company to sponsor us since we eat so many of their pistachios!

3) We all have a common favorite dessert. Yoghurtland.