Elijah & the Moon Discuss Mountain Jam 2013 + the Power of Ke$ha

Elijah Wolf-Christensen released a solo EP, 'As Tall as the Sun,' in July 2012, and since then, things have been moving pretty quickly. One of its songs got placed in a Subaru commercial, and Wolf-Christensen began adding musicians and building a proper band. Now called Elijah & the Moon, the group has an LP due out this summer, and they recently embarked on a U.S. tour that stopped Friday (June 7) in Hunter, N.Y., for Mountain Jam 2013. Before taking the stage, Wolf-Christensen and bassist/vocalist Gianluca Minucci sat down for a quick chat with Diffuser.fm. Check back later for full video of the interview.

Elijah, we hear you’re from the Catskills. What’s it like playing in your own backyard?

Elijah Wolf-Christensen: For me, it’s amazing, man, because I tried to come every year in the past. I remember being up on the hill, Friday, at around the time we’re playing [today].

You have a new album coming out soon. What should we expect? When’s it due?

Gianluca Manucci: We recorded this record as a group. The style we refer to, lovingly, as “romantic folk.” It has folk roots, and there’s a lot of classical influences; we have a string quartet play on the record. We recorded the record in Eli’s house in the mountains, and there’s a real home-made feel to it. We’re releasing it later this summer.

So this is basically the first full-band album. Elijah, what was it like writing with a full band?

EW: It was amazing. Gianluca and I have been working together for some time now. We all met at a music conservatory downstate [Suny Purchase]. We’re very close friends, and I’d come to him and say, “Hey, check out this song, man. What do you think?” And he’d usually end up in the studio with me recording it. So it really just felt like a natural progression.

Who would you say are your primary influences?

EW: The Fleet Foxes. We love them.

With the rise in popularity of bands like Mumford & Sons and the Lumineers, do you feel like you’re part of a “moment” in music history?

EW: We absolutely feel connected to these other bands, because we’re all inspired by the same things. I’m sure they grew up listening to the same stuff we did. I’m a huge Bob Dylan fan. Also Peter, Paul, & Mary and Crosby, Still, & Nash.

We see you’re playing with Ke$ha in August at MusikFest. If you are approached by her, what will you do?

GM: I actually just wrote a paper about how Ke$ha’s music is really well done, but it’s also comparable to 5 Hour Energy. Something that’s a really quick fix that’s not good for you, but feels really good in the moment.