FEATURE: Kansas City Act Monta At Odds Share New Single “Other Side Of Yesterday”
Monta At Odds is a Kansas City combo led by the brothers Dedric and Delaney Moore. The two have played music together all their lives and have been exploring the Monta At Odds sound since the band’s debut in 2000. Dedric’s pulsing, melodic bass and Delaney’s artfully unhinged synthesizers frame the band’s central character, which is fleshed out by a talented cast of musicians and collaborators.
Now into their second decade, Monta At Odds is rounded out by vocalists, guitarists, and songwriters Mikal Shapiro and Teri Quinn, Lucas Behrens on guitar and synth and Matthew Heinrich on drums. This newly shaped group released the Zen Diagram EP back in May 2020, slipping into more post-punk leanings. Now onto their second single of 2021, “Other Side of Yesterday” has Monta At Odds reworking their sound to bring out shoegazed guitar signals, slo-mo psychedelic darkwave, dub echo, and warped disco.Inspired by a recent trip to Peru, “Other Side of Yesterday” is a moody and trippy song about working in sync, aptly bringing together a cross of styles and tones for a compelling and surprisingly groovy piece.
Read more about the group and the new single below in an interview, and listen to track here:
Q: What is “Other Side of Yesterday” about?
A: Delaney was visiting an old city in Peru and sent me a message saying “Hello from the other side of yesterday.” I thought that was a great quote.I took his description of his experiences in Peru and worked on the lyrics. For me, it is about reducing the noise of the world and finding that internal peace we need from within as well as with the special people in our lives. This ties into the chorus which is about that feeling you get when you and your partner/best friend/relative are in harmony. You can almost finish each other’s sentences. And this brings joy amidst the struggle to exist in the hyper-speed world. We wrote the song pre-lockdown but it now has a relevancy that wasn’t planned. Let’s keep chilling out people and take some time to find ourselves and what really is needed and those who make us happy.
Q: How has the expansion of the band affected your sound?
A: In the past, Delaney and I occasionally would sing. The Argentum Dreams album featured Your Friend as the sole vocalist.
This is the first time we have had three vocalists in the band. So having three distinct voices that we can blend is exciting and a challenge to make room for them. I feel like we are in our classic Fleetwood Mac era. Mikal has such a laid back approach and it fits so well with our dreamy songs. Teri has a style that fits the direct vibe of our more aggressive style. I fit somewhere in between and work on complementing the style of whatever song I’m singing. It’s been a great tool to have available to work out harmonies and blend our voices. Delaney and I have always loved Italian Cinema where the voice is used as an instrument either solo or in those amazing orchestrated choirs. This gives us a chance to add that element to our sound.
I would have never thought Monta at Odds would have more vocal songs than instrumentals. When we started, maybe one of two songs had vocals so it has definitely evolved our sound. More people equals more opportunities of expression outside of just Delaney and I so we always welcome the chance to hear something unexpected brought to the song. I also like the energy that comes from bouncing ideas off of each other so it’s great to have more voices to help shape our songs. My role then turns into collecting these ideas and molding them in so it fits the “Monta” sound.
Q: How has the songwriting process changed with the new line-up?
A: Monta at Odds has never had the same lineup so Delaney and I have learned to become fluid with our sound and how we proceed with new members. Once we find out their strong points then we can focus on writing around that. The core of the song is the two of us putting our divergent ideas together. Then we test the song in a live setting and see what everyone comes up with for parts. I’ve learned to dial back the background elements so that we have some space for the vocals to fit in and each part that is played stands out in the mix. I’m more inclined to do producing and engineering versus a lot of playing. I love diving into sound and the variances that can happen with a slight button adjustment or adding an effect. Mixing is one of my favorite things to do to drift away and lose myself in the music. More people adding more sound options is thrilling to me.
Our focus has always been what is best for the song rather than stroking an ego about how cool that sound is. If it doesn’t fit the song then it goes no matter who played what. That’s been a great thing to learn by setting aside our egos and focusing on the song itself. Any new band members hear our creed and then do their best to adhere to it. It keeps the final sound of the song as the goal.
Krystof is a great baritone player with his ability to add in melodies that weren’t there. Lucas is a multi-instrumentalist who can add great rhythm and punctuated sounds. Matthew Heinrich is a fantastic live drum machine that can lock in with the actual drum machine to the point that it is tough to tell who is playing what. Teri adds directness to her bass that focuses on locking into the drums. Mikal really leads the live show with her presence. Live, I get to direct the band and play synth and guitar. I was formally the live bass player so it’s been a great way to expand my abilities. Our recording style is more in line with Tortoise where performers can play different parts for different songs and then we figure out who plays what live.
Q: How have you managed to stay inspired as a band for 20 years?
A: Delaney and I have always looked forward. We don’t reminisce about the early songs or the early days. We are avid music listeners and continue to discover new acts to admire as well as vintage acts that we missed out on. We have a thirst for new music and sounds so that keeps us always looking at new ways to write and new styles to implement into our rolodex of influences.
Funny story to me; I had Spotify on random and I stopped what I was doing and said “Man, that’s a great vibe. Who is this?” It turns out it was a song from our 2009 release Outono. It cracked me up as I had forgotten about that song entirely.
Q: What is Kansas City’s music scene like and how has Monta At Odds fit into it?
A: I tell everyone that KC has an equal or better band in every genre that tours through our town. I love how vibrant and exciting the scene is. We don’t have just one style that is prevalent. There is a lot of collaboration of musicians that lead to special events, one time features, and new bands. And for every veteran act there are new acts forming and keeping the tradition going. KC music is past over just as KC has been a fly-over town. With the arts scene growing and the media runs more stories about what a great town it is to live in, I hope the music scene will get more national attention of which it definitely deserves.
Just within our band, Mikal Shapiro has her own laid-back indie-roots band. Teri Quinn has a Gothic Appalachian project with her banjo. Krystof Nemeth leads the darkwave band Emmaline Twist. Matthew Heinrich plays in a psych rock band Mysterious Clouds with me. These are all examples of the scene and I would probably have not run into them and asked them to join the band if the scene wasn’t so supportive of each other’s shows. It’s been great to have an outsider band like us to be welcomed into alternate venues as well as established live music venues.
Q: What is next for Monta At Odds?
A: Gigs! We actually get to play shows again. It’s been a long break for regular shows. We’ve done a couple socially distanced outdoor shows but it will be nice to visit some other cities and play our new material. Look out 2022. You might see a lot of us.
We’ve also been filming videos for all our songs on Peak of Eternal Light so we will keep releasing them throughout the year. That’s been a great way to interpret the song visually and bring new meaning to the songs.
During the lockdown, like everyone else, we had time to record. We are about 75% finished with the next release. Thankfully, home studios have come a long way and we were able to work on our parts in the safety of our homes. With a little luck I hope to have our new record finished by the end of the year for a spring release. Always moving forward!
