Utter Trash--Miranda's Moon

Moon Over Cleveland

An interview with Johnny Takeaway of Miranda’s Moon

By Bob Ignizio

Miranda’s Moon (Johnny Takeaway – vocals, guitar, and keyboards, Retro Rocket – lead guitar, Bot - bass, and Jewbacca - drums) is not an easy band to categorize. Although there’s a definite garage punk foundation, the band colors that with influences from pop and psychedelia. Lyrically, the band often delves into surreal sci-fi territory. Even the band’s name is weird. Vocalist Johnny Takeaway says, “Our original bass player came up with it. We wanted sort of a spacey idea. Miranda is a moon of Uranus, so Miranda’s Moon is a moon of a moon. But we like to be somewhat cryptic. It can be interpreted in a lot of different ways. That’s fine with me. People can dream up whatever pleases them.”

Miranda’s Moon started out as a trio under a different name at the turn of the century. They were a more of a straight forward garage punk band at the time, but before long their approach began to change. Johnny says, “In summer of 2001 we became a 4 piece and changed the name of the band. The music was becoming different then, as well. That’s when the whole space idea sort of came about. When we expanded to a 4 piece, that’s when we realized we could do more complicated stuff, little bit more intricate with more voices and more instruments.”

The inspiration for the band’s spacey new direction came partly from Johnny’s love of science fiction, and partly from…other things. Johnny says, “I am a pretty huge sci-fi fan, and that sort of helps me along the way. Science fiction is something that I’ve had a long interest in, but I wasn’t really into some of the more technical or scientific things until fairly recently. I don’t want to incriminate myself in any way, but I must say being exposed to certain mind altering substances was certainly a step into that world. It really got me thinking about stuff like that. It’s an infinite garden of inspiration”

Although the band’s lyrics can get far out at times, really they’re often metaphors for more down to earth concerns. Johnny says, “If you’re writing about a subject that you don’t want people to know exactly what your saying, or you’re writing about a person and you don’t want them to get it, metaphor works well. That way people aren’t going to understand exactly what you’re talking about, but it might relate to them, because metaphors can be a little more universal. If they can find something that really strikes them, then so much the better.”

Of course, some people say they don’t care about lyrics in rock music. To that, Johnny says, “Lyrics are a part of the song, and they have to be strong for the song to be strong. Some of the best music that I’ve heard has strong lyrics that make you really think. The right word at the right time can really enhance a song. It’s true that sometimes you’ll go to a live show and can’t understand a single word the singer is singing, but the band is really ripping and you have a good time. But I think lyrics have to be valued just as much as a drum beat or a guitar line.”

For the most part, both the music and lyrics for Miranda’s Moon are written by Johnny. He says, “The rest of the band adds little parts and helps in the arrangements. I tend to come in with all the parts written, but Retro comes up with his own solos and I don’t play drums, so Jewbacca comes up with the drum beats” Hey, when you have a guy in your band who can write as well and as prolifically as Johnny does, incorporating a wide range of genres, you let him. You can hear for yourself on the band’s 9 song self titled CD.

Although he has a wide range of musical influences, one band in particular that inspires Johnny is the genre defying Ween. Both share the same musical adventurousness and, to some extent, combine good songwriting and solid musicianship with humor. Johnny says, “Ween is hilarious. I don’t know to what extent they try to be, or if it just comes natural to them. But for Miranda’s Moon, it’s kind of hard. I would say only the songs that come in a burst of inspiration, where you write them in 10 minutes, really capture that. “Cupcake” on our demo is certainly one of those. Humor is probably one of the hardest emotions to portray in music. Even in classical music, with pieces that are deemed humorous, it takes something very special to get it across.”

As for getting the music of Miranda’s Moon across, that isn’t always easy. Despite the fact that the band can draw a respectable crowd, Johnny says, “I don’t think the people who book shows know what to do with us. We don’t easily fit into any category.” And, as the live tracks available for download on the band’s website attest, Miranda’s Moon has continued to evolve and expand their sound. It may make things a little harder, but it also makes the band stand out as being truly unique. That’s an all-too rare thing these days, and it deserves to be supported.