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Interview w/ Philly's own Mo Lowda & The Humble


Discover Philly's own Mo Lowda & The Humble in my exclusive chat with the band. The trio have been slowly creeping up the ranks with their brilliant indie rhythms conjuring up a bevy of emotions inside its listeners, all while maintaining a strong musical foundation that has allowed listeners left and right to come in contact with their sound to find out everything they can about the fellas. Lead vocalist Jordan Caiola was gracious enough to take some time out to talk about the band's origins, how the band got started in the Philly music scene and what it's like there, their experiences recording their latest album, "Creatures", and the magic and joy of their live sets. Here is the full transcript from our chat:

Give us your names and roles in the band?

Jordan Caiola – guitar, lead vocals

Shane Woods – drums, backup vocals

Jeff Lucci – bass

Describe the band's formation and how you all met?

Jordan: Shane and I met in high school and started jamming occasionally but I was doing my solo thing and he was playing in a couple other bands so nothing really came of it until senior year when we added a bassist and started playing basement parties and grad parties and things like that. We played all throughout college and really built our Philly fan base during those years. Our bassist left the band about 2 and a half years ago and we replaced him with Jeff Lucci... an absurdly talented player with a super unique approach to sound design and bass playing.

Take us behind your musical influences and how they help shape the sound of the group?

Jordan: That's tough because a lot of times we aren't really even sure which influences are shaping which parts of songs. I think we are all an accidental and subconscious formulation of everything we've ever heard. It comes out as a unique combination of influences that you can't always put your finger on... nor would you want to. We all have diversely different tastes but we overlap on some stuff like Queens of the Stone Age, Radiohead, Cage The Elephant, Outkast, Bibio, Andy Shauf... etc. (told you it was all over the place).

How would you characterize your sound to those who may not be familiar with you?

Jordan: Rock n roll. Gritty, howling vocals over tight grooves and layers with liberal use of delays and overdrives. Head nodding shit.

What is the Philly music scene like and how have you seen it grow over the years?

Jordan: The Philly scene seems to be pretty tight knit. It's cool to be a part of. Since we've been entrenched in it we've seen probably 5 new venues pop up... all sizes, all parts of the city. I think the main scene lives in a neighborhood called Fishtown (where we all live). Just seems to be crawling with artists. Inspiring to be around

Let's go behind the recording of your new album "Creatures" and what the whole process was like?

Jordan: We did this record all ourselves (besides mixing and mastering which was done by Kyle Pulley and Ryan Schwabe respectively). The amount of freedom was electrifying. We had a fucking blast working on it and the work flow was so healthy, and fun, but also focused. We played over 100 shows last year so it was a lot of trying to find little pockets of time when we were home to get in there and bang shit out. We're so proud of how it came out... I wouldn't change a single thing about it... but ask me that again in a year or 2

What is the atmosphere of your live shows usually like and what have been some memorable shows you played?

Jordan: Energy. Pure energy...I had a friend say to me after the show "I thought at some point you guys were gonna chill it out a bit... and then you just never did." I think the energy of a crowd and an artist are linked. We genuinely have so much fun on stage. This is what we are there to fucking do so we're not gonna phone it in. You've paid your own money to see this... you're gonna get a show... one that is different and unique each time. We also are constantly cracking jokes in between the songs. If you can't laugh in between, I think you're making something that should be fun and lighthearted far too serious.

What's coming up next for you guys for the rest of the year?

Jordan: We're finishing out a month and half tour in support of our new album Creatures right now then we have a bunch of festivals in the summer. Looking to put out some music videos as well.

How can people find out more info about you online?

Jordan: We're almost active, and super candid and silly on our Instagram (@molowda)... that's the best snapshot of who we are, but also Molowda.com, Facebook, etc.

Lastly, how has being in this band changed your life?

Jordan: It IS my life. I've hardly had time for anything else. I like it that way. It has engulfed my life entirely and it's terrifying and motivating at the same time. Can't picture my life without it at the moment. It's also brought me to countless cities and parts of the country I most certainly never would've seen had it not been for Mo Lowda.

Thanks once again to Jordan for being so rad in doing this interview! It's wonderful hearing a different perspective from artists, and learn a little more about how they perfect their craft and make their songs the way they are. It's bands like this that really make us look forward to the future of music as a whole. For more on Mo Lowda & The Humble, please visit them on the following social media links:

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