A Dirty Dozen with DARREN MOSS from ESCAPE RING – November 2021

1. Tell us a little about your latest release.  What might a fan or listener not grab the first or second time they listen through?  Are there any hidden nuggets you put in the material or that only diehard fans might find?

The song is called “Winning The War.” One of the things I struggle with in my life, and it is less and less as I work on it – is just fighting my own mind. Like convincing yourself you can do something and then the next day starting over again from square one and having to do it again. The mental exhaustion and waste of time that is. Like Groundhog Day. That is what this song is about. I feel like I am winning the war. Today. Today being the key thing, it kind of implies today, but maybe not tomorrow. I wrote the song to kind of remind me, and it has actually helped. I wanted to write something that anyone could put on and use to pump themselves up. So far people I have been playing it to have really responded. With the music I love when you mix rock music with lush harmonies. That is what we are going for here. I am not comparing Escape Ring to these bands by any stretch of the imagination, but that is what I love when I hear the Beatles, the Beach Boys, REM – that clash between the grit of rock and the sweetness of harmonies. And that is an uplifting feeling that I think supports the message of Winning The War. That is what we are reaching for anyway.

2. What got you into music, and can you tell us about the moment you realized you wanted to be a musician?

A lot of musicians say the Beatles were a big influence and I am no different, but for me it was an old copy of Paul McCartney and Wings Band On The Run album. But I love new music, love finding new music to this day, so it is also the thrill of hearing something new you haven’t heard before that you instantly connect with.

3. If you could call in any one collaborator to do a song with, who would it be, and why?

Right now I would say Nigel Godrich or Rick Rubin. Both because what I admire about their roles as producers is just the quality control aspect. They don’t seem to settle until what they are working on is great. Plus with Nigel, I love the sonic textures he seems to add to a rock record to give it a unique flavour.

4. What is your favorite activity when out of the studio and/or not on tour?  What do you like to do to unwind?

Eating at cafes and long walks are my favourite activities. The more of the first one you do, the more need for the latter.

5. How would you describe your music to someone who’d never listened to you before? What is the one comparison a reviewer or fan has made that made you cringe or you disagreed with?

Escape Ring is a project that is all about the sound of a rock band with lush harmonies and fun melodies on top. It’s like Fleetwood Mac songs put through a 2021 sonic template. We had a review of our first song “All The Way” where a fan said it sounded like The White Stripes meets early 1970’s Rod Stewart. I never thought of that – but we thought that was a good one.

6. When your band is hanging out together, who cooks, who gets the drinks in, and who is first to crack out the acoustic guitars for a singalong?

Since Covid the hanging out has been less.

7. When was the last time you were starstruck and who was it?

I am a big fan of Canadian singer songwriter Ron Sexsmith. He is so down to earth and approachable, I met him after a gig and didn’t know what to say after a few minutes.

8. What is the best part of being a musician? If you could no longer be a musician for whatever reason, what would be your dream job?

Screenwriter.

9. What is one question you have always wanted an interviewer to ask – and what is the answer? Conversely, what question are you tired of answering?

Would you like to have your review be the lead article – ha ha!

10. Looking back over your career, is there a single moment or situation you feel was a misstep or you would like to have a “do over,” even if it didn’t change your current situation?

Answering the previous question the way I did.

11. If you could magically go back in time and be a part of the recording sessions for any one record in history, which would you choose – and what does that record mean to you?

I would love to watch Abbey Road the last album being recorded by The Beatles. Now we have that Peter Jackson documentary on Apple about the “Get Back” project, what happened next? I wouldn’t want to play on it though, and neither would anyone else want me to.

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Category: Interviews