Farewell Luna is the brainchild of Jared Wohl. Formerly the lead singer and guitarist with the group N.O.O.E., he continued working on material after the band split up and it led to the new group. Presently it is still a solo project, but he is currently in the process of getting a full band together. I caught up with Jared and asked him about the new project and the debut EP he recently released, By The Morning.
Where does the “Farewell Luna” moniker come from?
Farewell Luna is sort of a metaphor for saying goodbye to something one thought they couldn’t live without. Pretty much a “carpe diem” type of attitude. Over the past few years I’ve come to many crossroads and I’ve realized that life is too precious to not live in the moment. The name is an ode and my promise to always be true to my underlying passion for music. Without getting too “spiritual,” we don’t know where life will take us, but one can’t be scared to explore. I received a blog write up from Brent Burns of Kick Kick Snare and he said it best; “when one door closes, another opens.”
What are your goals for the new project?
I write and play music to inspire others the way that I’ve personally been inspired through music. I want others to be able to connect with my music on various different levels. It’s the reason that a lot of my lyrics are somewhat abstract. Everyone goes through life on his or her own path and I’d love for my fans to be able to relate to my music however they’d like. Music is art and I believe that musical/lyrical interpretation should be left to the listener.
Professionally, I’d like to release a couple of singles and remixes over the next few months along with my first full-length record. Performing is my favorite part of being a musician and if I could tour with one of my favorite bands I think it would be an amazing experience. Additionally, I feel that many of the fans that enjoy my favorite bands will definitely take a liking to Farewell Luna. Lastly, I’m an advocate for helping those in need and if there are any relative opportunities that I can devote my time to, I’m all for it.
Being a solo project, how did the recording process work for you?
My debut EP was recorded with minimal time and resources. My producer and I finished the EP in about four days and to many people’s surprise, the recordings and percussion were all created and tracked using GarageBand. I pretty much sat there beatboxing the drum parts and my producer pieced it all together. It was a fun process to hear everything come together. Prior to recording the EP I had some scratch tracks of the songs that I recorded at home on my own, but had never heard everything come together besides what had been playing in my head in prior months. It was cool to hear the finished product.
How would you describe your music, and how does the writing process work for you?
It’s soulful, alternative music with electronic undertones and a Motown influence. Since it’s my solo project, I write all of the music for Farewell Luna, but definitely find inspiration through playing with other artists. Personally, I’m constantly writing music, whether it’s vocal melodies, guitar riffs, percussion, or other instrumentation.
As for lyrics, I write them after the music has been established, and then voilà, the song is created. I’ll write lines to songs from time to time, but I like finding lyrical inspiration through the tone and feeling that I receive from the music itself. I’m a huge fan of Brandon Boyd and Incubus, Miike Snow, Kimbra, Alex Clare, Empire Of The Sun, and anything from the Motown era. Nevertheless, my musical taste is pretty eclectic to say the least. I want to feel moved when I listen to other’s music, and that’s exactly my motive with my own music.
Are any particular songs favorites of fans or yourself?
“By The Morning,” the title-track, has been getting a lot of love from music bloggers and fans. I can’t really say if I have favorite, but I love the driving chorus in “Chemicals” and the character of “Awake.” I’m working on some brand new material and remixes at the moment that I think my fans will be pleasantly surprised with.
Have you done any live shows, or do you have plans for any?
Lately most of my time has been spent doing promotion for my EP, including PR through various indie music blogs and radio station interviews/performances, but I’ve played acoustic sets at Maxwell’s in Hoboken and Crossroads in Garwood. My old band and I played throughout New York City at venues such as Canal Room, Sullivan Hall, Arlene’s Grocery, along with venues in New Jersey such as Mexicali Live, Starland Ballroom and others. Lately I’ve been contacting venues in New Jersey and New York City to put a list together and I’ve also been networking with other local artists to hop on additional bills from time to time. If any bands need an opening acoustic act, I’m all for it. Once my full band is established, I’ll be planning for performances accordingly.
How can people get your music and find out where you’ll be performing?
Fans can keep in touch and receive performance dates and other updates through the Farewell Luna Facebook page, facebook.com/farewellluna. As for purchasing the EP, it’s currently being sold through all of the digital distributors including iTunes. If fans want to purchase the EP off of Bandcamp, they can pay any price they’d like. All donations will be used for future recordings and are much appreciated!
