Published July 3, 2020
Part 1 in our series titled 20:20 — 20 questions, 20 answers.
In this, our premiere edition, Brandon Moore, founding member of Jalopy, out of Springfield, Missouri — except when in Springfield, Missouri — tells us that all he needs to write a song is hope, not paper nor pen nor keyboard. Just hope: “Looking forward to something,” he explains. “Changing toward something. Currently that flame is dim. I’m still hopeful, yet it’s hard to find inspiration.”
Here’s to more hope.
~ NoteWorthy Music
Brandon Moore. Photo courtesy of Brandon Moore.
20:20 with Brandon Moore
NWM: 1) Describe Jalopy in 20 words or less.
Brandon: Jalopy is an original group consisting of well-weathered songwriters — spinning rock tunes from different eras into funk.
NWM: 2) What is your favorite Tarantino movie?
Brandon: Four Rooms.
NWM: 3) You can play the role of a band’s utility player — shining at any position. How do the different instruments affect your mood and/or personality?
Brandon: Playing multiple instruments definitely describes my personality — kind of all over the board.
NWM: 4) Beatles, Stones or Zeppelin?
Brandon: All three — Beatles, Zeppelin, Stones in that order.
NWM: 5) Name a favorite Brandon Moore song.
Brandon: Oh s***! [Note: Bandon self-censored.] That’s a really hard question. It changes constantly. I think right now it’s a soon-to-be-released song called “What You Said.”
NWM: 6) You have told us it’s been hard to write on lockdown. What in particular fuels your inspiration? Do you have a special space or other necessity for writing?
Brandon: For me I found that hope is my biggest inspiration. Hope is always present in every one of my songs.
NWM: 7) Who might we be surprised to find on your playlist?
Brandon: Hall and Oates
NWM: 8) Describe Brandon Moore in 20 words or less.
Brandon: Dreamer. Peaceful warrior. Scattered. Hopeful. Traveler. Always wondering. Addict. Father. Friend. Always trying to BMoore.
NWM: 9) What is a favorite cover you and/or Jalopy perform?
Brandon: It’s constantly changing. At the moment I think it’s “Magnolia,” by J. J. Cale. It’s a deep breath in the midst of a lot of movement, which our set can be.
Jalopy: L to R: Brandon Moore on guitar and vocals, Kelly Brown on keys,
Jerry Twyford on bass and John Anderson on drums. Photo courtesy of Brandon Moore.
NWM: 10) Weirdest show?
Brandon: There’s been a lot of weird shows. Shows with snow. Shows where people do crazy things. The weirdest shows for me are the ones where you get hired to play and people show up who don’t seem that interested.
NWM: 11) I’m sure there are more names than we have time to list, but who jumps out as the biggest influence on your music or career?
Brandon: A long list. I’m striving to always be a songwriter. So, the one person that always comes to the top for me is Paul Simon.
NWM: 12) What is your favorite movie?
Brandon: Caddyshack
NWM: 13) What are your before-you-go-on-stage rituals?
Brandon: Meditation. Time to myself. Calmness.
NWM: 14) What instrument holds the most fascination for you and do you play it?
Brandon: I think still to this day it’s the guitar. My fascination for it is still growing. It’s the first instrument I had a passion for.
NWM: 15) What are three things that make you smile?
Brandon: That’s hard to narrow to three. It’s literally almost everything. I spend my days smiling. The big ones are love. Family. Creative energy.
NWM: 16) Once you have the hope, what is the creative process for you to turn that hope into a song?
Brandon: My style consists of finding songs through playing a lot of progressions or music that I like. And then repeating it over and over and over while singing over it until the words come out. Most of my songs have been written in my head. Then later I finally find the time to write them down on paper.
NWM: 17) What are your non-musical gifts/talents?
Brandon: Optimism. I’m also a decent listener. I think.
NWM: 18) What was your most memorable performance and/or venue?
Brandon: I have so many memorable gigs for so many reasons. This one’s probably the hardest question you asked. I kind of lump all the gigs into one big grateful act. Just feeling blessed to have even got to perform one time.
NWM: 19) What song/album could you play on repeat?
Brandon: [Paul Simon’s] Rhythm of the Saints.
NWM: 20) What is one thing you would want our readers to know about you that we might not know to ask?
Brandon: I don’t think there’s much about me you didn’t already know to ask. I’m a pretty simple person who lays it all out. What I’m about is my family, my friends, and music. And whatever it takes to combine all those three together as often as possible.
To follow Brandon as a member of Jalopy and other combinations of combos, and to buy stuff, visit here: https://www.facebook.com/bmooremusic93/
Read Part 2 of our series: 20:20 with Daniel Rodriguez
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