OTHER LIVES

Other Lives, an indie rock band based in Stillwater, Oklahoma, formerly known as Kunek, plays simply beautiful music. Their musings are often redolent of a more organic Radiohead (think less synth, more classical instruments) with a touch of folk. The band has recently begun to change their sound into more polished orchestral works. Their utility musician, Jonathan Mooney, has been climbing for a little over two years, and he plays nearly anything you want him to: accordion, keyboard, piano, guitar, bass, violin, vocals, etc. Visit their website at myspace.com/otherlives.

Explain the change to your new sound.
We’ve decided to put a lot of restrictions on ourselves for the album we’re working on now. We are writing songs that are more orchestrated and use different instrumentation. Most of the new songs aren’t written for guitar or piano. Instead we have classic strings or horns carrying the song. It can be a very long and tedious process, but we’re having a good time with it. Right now we’re recording a three-song EP.

How long have you been playing music?
My father bought me a guitar when I was about 13 and taught me to play. He’s always been a huge influence on me as a musician. As a band we’ve been playing together for over six years now.

What are most of your songs about?
We usually don’t write about the same subject more than once, but lately we’ve written a few songs about the dust bowl. It’s something that is historically significant to us because of where we grew up, and there’s something about the imagery that draws us to it as well.

What’s your favorite instrument?
At the moment, it is the violin. I started playing it about 3 years ago when classical music started to become a big influence in our music. Violin can be a harsh instrument to listen to sometimes, but when there’s several playing together it’s one of my favorite sounds.

Ever get to go climbing when you’re touring?
In most cities we hardly have enough time to find a good place to eat let alone find something to do, but every now and then we get to camp out in a city for a few days. Last year we spent a good amount of time in Los Angeles, so I would head to Malibu Canyon to do some climbing every chance I got. It’s pretty much all sport climbing, and my day usually involved teaching whomever I’d convinced to come along to lead belay. The last time I went out to Malibu Canyon we were about to start a tour, and I got a message from our manager saying if I break a leg he’d break the other one.

Is it a good escape from the never-ending gigs?
For the most part I really like touring. I meet a lot of good people and the guys (and girl) in the band are always fun to be around. At the same time it can get pretty rough going from the van to the venue to the hotel everyday, so I try to get out of the routine whenever possible. Whether it’s climbing or just going on a hike, being outside makes life so much better on the road.

How come you guys are still in Stillwater?
Life has always been good here in Stillwater, so we’re not really dying to leave or anything. I don’t know if we’ll stay in Oklahoma forever, but right now it’s a great environment for us to be creative in. It’s easy to get away from everything and avoid any distractions that might exist if we lived in a bigger city, which allows us to really focus on what we want to accomplish musically. I get funny looks sometimes when I say it, but I love the landscape here and all there is to do outside. Not to mention, there’s some really good climbing in Oklahoma.

Other Lives’ EP will be available this summer on iTunes and selected record stores nationwide.