Signature Dish: Night Moves
‘Signature Dish’ is our longform interview series where we go “all in” on someone’s journey: exploring the past, present, and creative pulse of people today.
Interview with John Pelant. Lead photo by Erin Pederson. Additional images by Shawn Brackbill. Written by Heather Hawke.
Nine years ago, we spoke to Night Moves for our #15 issue (our fourth anniversary edition), since then a lot has happened… Back in 2016 they were fresh off their debut Colored Emotions and deep in the weeds of crafting its follow-up, Pennied Days. Frontman John Pelant talked about late nights alone with his demos, the pressure of the so-called “sophomore slump,” and pushing their sound into new territory without losing their identity. They were hungry, a little restless, and just starting to navigate what it meant to be a band under a label’s watchful eye.
Fast forward nearly a decade, and the Minneapolis crew – including Mickey Alfano, Mark Hanson and Charles Murlowski- has lived a whole other lifetime’s worth of stories. They’ve dealt with loss, lineup changes, creative curveballs, and more than a few questionable motels stays while touring in a van that’s… let’s just say “character-rich” (missing catalytic converter, stolen plates, exhaust leaks—the works). Out of it all comes Double Life, their first album in six years and their most personal yet.
It’s still got that dreamy Night Moves glow, but these songs carry a little more grit, a little more hard-earned wisdom. Pelant turns stolen license plates, Big Gulp hallway spills, and late-night reckonings into kaleidoscopic psych-country-soul that somehow makes you feel both seen and lifted. If Pennied Days was about finding their footing, Double Life is about holding steady even when the ground shifts beneath you – and inviting the rest of us along for the ride.
Intro/Warm-Up
It’s been a wild few years globally. Before we get into music—how are you doing these days, really? How have you been navigating everything, creatively and personally?
I’ve found that my drinking is up- probably due to some sense of doom and gloom about everything- so that’s not healthy, but creatively I feel pretty confident. I mean I’m nervous about the album’s reception and how people will dig it, but I wanna remember that I like this music and I hate most things so thattttt should count for something? Sometimes you gotta put your middle fingers in the air and pull up your britches.
The music landscape feels like it’s constantly evolving—post-COVID touring challenges, the rise and fall of trends on social media, the short lifespan of singles, albums, and music in general… What has that shift felt like from your perspective? Has it impacted how you approach your music—or how you release it?
I hate social media- who doesn’t? But ya know, we’ve never been on trend so in a way we kinda can keep doing what we’ve been doing. As far as changing my compositions to fit a more pro-algorithmic sensibility- well that just ain’t gonna happen. We didn’t do it 15 years ago- why start now? Trends come and go and that will always be the case, so don’t hang your hat on something if you don’t dig it. Someone once told me people go to shows to watch people believe in themselves- that hit me odd at first blush, but now I do think that’s true- and I think over time people are gonna come back to wanting realness…humanness…in music so maybe there’s solace in just being yourself.
Origin Story
Let’s go back to the beginning—where did you grow up, and what role did music or creativity play in your early life?
I grew up in Minneapolis, MN. I asked for a guitar for xmas when I was in the first grade, but I stopped playing it because I wasn’t good. Somewhere around the 5th grade my friends started playing instruments so I picked it back up seriously and began taking lessons a few years later. Gradually as one does, we started going to shows, which there are plenty of in a musical town like Minneapolis. Music is sorta like food and it sustained my life by spurring me forward and giving me something productive to do.
What music filled your world growing up? Do you remember the first concert you attended or the first time you felt completely inspired by a song?
It was mostly early 2000’s punk stuff like Fat Wreck Chords stuff (NOFX). I was really into AFI too, but like the pre-emo goth halloween-y shit. My first concert was a Vans Warped Tour in the Metrodome parking lot in 2000. The first time I was inspired by a song was in the 2nd grade hearing “The Boxer” by Simon and Garfunkel. I remember really liking it and asking my sister if I could listen to it on her discman- she was the one who sorta got me into music.
As you started discovering music on your own, where did you go digging? Were you a record store regular, a music blog browser, or someone trading playlists or mix CDs with friends? Who were some of the early artists that really stuck with you?
I would go to a place called Roadrunner Records here in Minneapolis to look for punk CDs and ask for free posters. They had a bin in the back of all the old promotional posters that would come through the store. I would also search online for music. I did a lot of 30 second preview clips to find out which CDs would be the best bang for my buck. I wasn’t good at downloading stuff so I just did the 30 second clips and tried to keep track of which albums would be cool to buy should I find them at a store. Also, burned CDs from my friends were a big thing. It wasn’t until I got to high school where I sorta shed my punk phrase and started listening to classic rock. I recall really taking to Bob Dylan in the 9th grade, that sorta shook my world and I still like it to this day.
What was your path into music like? Did you have any formal training, or was it more of a self-taught, experimental process?
I took guitar lessons for about six years when I was younger. Outside of that it was mostly experimental/self-taught.
Did you have any day jobs along the way that influenced your art or your outlook? Any favorites?
Recently I had a day job delivering wine and spirits. That had an effect on this album in so far as it allowed me a lot of time to think about my next moves. I was working in a warehouse and driving around all day listening to the radio. I would listen to my demos in the delivery van and just sorta tweak things as days went by. There was a lot of time to think as it was a sort of solitary job, which was nice.
Creative Union / Current Project
Is this your first music project, or have you been making music in other forms before this? Did this project come together organically, or were you actively looking to build something new?
I’d say this is my third band. It came about because I was frustrated by my high school band’s recordings- embarrassed you could say- I wanted to rectify my past mistakes and record music that I liked and was proud of.
Let’s talk about your latest release. What sparked it, and what did the creative process look like—from songwriting to recording?
I always have musical pieces I’m working on. In the past I always wrote and recorded at home but for this record I took refuge at my rehearsal space. I would drive there every day like it was a day job and just mess around. I had to do this because my (now) wife was getting really frustrated with my tinkering about, so I felt in order to be free I should get to a place where the music wouldn’t blow up my life.
Was there a specific moment, event, or period where a lot of the lyrics or emotions behind the project poured out?
My wife’s father passed away a couple years ago and I remember that experience colored the lyrics for “Hold On To Tonight.” The song is about living in the past, lying to yourself, and holding on to something that is no longer real. It could also be seen as a type of love song, but I think that’s what is great about music, let the listener choose where their mind goes.
Did you have pieces of this project (melodies, lyrics, ideas) sitting with you for a while before recording? If so, how did your relationship with those ideas change over time?
Yes, I had a lot of songs several years prior to the recording of the album. What happens is they marinate and become stronger or if they aren’t good enough, they fade away, but most of them just become better compositions the longer you hold on to them and finesse them. We are always trying to come up with the best arrangements possible so there was a lot of tweaking during this writing cycle.
Has your creative process shifted since earlier releases—or even since you first started making music? Has it become more intentional or more intuitive over time?
For the most part it’s the same process as it’s always been, but for this record I did have to “clock-in” everyday and drive to my rehearsal space to intentionally create. This resulted in a lot of nothing, but you gotta keep plugging away to mine the right stuff. I don’t prefer this method of intentionally “clocking-in” but it had to happen and resulted in “Double Life”— eventually you let the intuition take you and it results in something beautiful.
Do you write best in bursts, or are you someone who chips away slowly and steadily? What helps you get into the right headspace creatively?
Largely I am a slow and steady type of writer, but there were a few writing bursts in this cycle. Things sorta snowball at a certain point and you gain momentum, but it does take time to form the “album.” I think I know when something is right, and if it doesn’t excite me then I let it go. The right headspace just comes from being alone.
Place & Space
Does travel or place influence your work? Do your surroundings shape your sound, or is it more internal for you?
I’ve found that listening to pieces in progress while going in and out of public spaces is helpful to figure out what is working and what isn’t in a song. This record was challenging because I didn’t have the comfort of writing and recording at my home, so I had to make my rehearsal space my den of sorts. Overall, I think the work is very internal and I can make it work wherever, but it just takes some time to find the right flow. Listening on headphones while walking around does something beneficial…
Where did you record this project, and what was the vibe like? Did the environment (a basement, a studio, somewhere else) impact the energy or intimacy of the songs?
Most of the drums and bass were recorded at Pachyderm in Cannon Falls, MN. It’s a beautiful place 40 minutes south of the Twin Cities. The drums for “Ring My Bell” and “Hold On To Tonight” were recorded at a vibey little studio in NE Minneapolis called Casino Time. All the other pieces were recorded at our rehearsal space in Minneapolis in an industrial area surrounded by factories and garbage dumps. The rehearsal space vibe was a little tough at times because I had a next-door neighbor who lived in his space. He was wheelchair bound and would piss in BIG GULPS from the nearby gas station. He had two large pit bull guard dogs. Often the dogs or he would spill the piss cups wherever they might be- hallway, bathroom, his own room. There would be daily domestic disputes between him and his partner. He would smoke in his unit which would trigger to turn off the AC or heat. So, it smelled pretty bad and was always either too hot or too cold. When you go to work every day as I was trying to do, it was rough having this be the climate, but I like to think this made its way onto the tapes.
Were there any limitations—technical, emotional, or logistical—that shaped how this record came together? What track are you most proud of, and why?
We were searching for a producer at one point, and we had a few bad meetings which led us to self-produce the album. It got to the point where we felt “why are we looking for someone to produce the album when all along we have the sound and vision?” So, we convinced the label we could do it ourselves and have someone mix the album which would be the keys to success.
My personal favorite is “Daytona”- it was a song that was birthed out of me banging my head against the wall for a couple days straight just looking for something to happen. All of a sudden in the eighth hour of the day I came up with a melody and a chord progression that cracked me wide open. I came back the next day and wrote the structure. Within a couple weeks I had lyrics which were influenced by someone stealing the license plates off our van. Sonically it’s a new texture for us, which is a thrill. We had a pedal steel player add some licks on top of everything and it really takes you to a trashy, sunset, hot swamp of a headspace.
When did the album title click into place for you? What does it mean in the larger story of this record?
Our guitar player Chongo came up with it. I wanted to call it “The Gumdrops,” but we all kinda saw the light that it wasn’t exactly right. I believe Chongo was able to see the collection of songs from the outside, where I was too close to it all to know what it should be called. “Double Life” felt like it encapsulated the overall cinema of something that is extra, deviant, strange, heartbreaking, immoral, desperate, psychotic, and alive.
What part of the process—writing, arranging, recording, releasing—brings you the most joy?
I like writing and recording the most. It is at this stage where you feel the most excitement for something new. It feels boundless, magical, and personal. That all sorta goes away when you put it out in the world. And more specifically, I like the demoing stage right before you go into a nicer studio to grab fancy drums tones and such.
Visuals & Aesthetics
Let’s talk about the visual world around your music—how hands-on are you when it comes to artwork, press photos, videos, etc.? Do you see visuals as an extension of the music, or something separate?
I give a lot of inspo pics to people who do our photos and artwork. Videos are tough because they are expensive and I don’t really find them all that meaningful, but they can be important promo material. They can also not move the needle at all. I think album art and band photos are important though. I think things should look the way they sound in your mind. I am not a designer so it’s always challenging finding people who understand you and your vision. I do my best to get across my vision, but it’s always been a battle with every record we’ve done.
With social media being so omnipresent, do you feel pressure to “present” your work a certain way—or does it give you more freedom?
I do feel pressure. It’s almost like a whole new level of the game you have to beat. I’m not good at it though, and maybe that’s just who I am in this new stage of the biz. I think we all hate social media and if you can telegraph some authenticity along with pertinent info (date/time/music/who/what/where/why), well then maybe that’s just enough to help you get through.
Performance & Life
What’s your rehearsal or creative space like? Any weird rituals, memorable moments, or mishaps worth sharing?
It’s messy and chaotic, but I know where everything is and at this point, we are set up to demo and rehearse so it is…functioning! When it’s not caked in big gulps of piss, BO, and drugs it can be quite charming.
How do you mentally prepare for a show—and how do you wind down after?
I need to be alone at a table with a bunch of colorful paper, a sharpie, and wine. I write out the set lists for every show. If I can do this for an hour or two before the show I can get into the zone. Ideally, winding down after the show would just be us having a sip in the van out back or in the greenroom chatting with one another.
Touring can be chaotic—any personal hacks for eating cheap, eating healthy, or staying grounded on the road?
We used to sleep 5 guys in one room, but we ponied up and started getting two rooms, which helps immensely. Going to grocery stores is the best way to eat healthy and cheap. It gets expensive eating out for every meal. I swear by buying a gallon jug of water when you need it. A jug a day will keep you straight.
Final Question:
What’s something you’ve learned—about music, about yourself, or about the world—that’s shaping what you want to create next?
Enchantment is the key. In order to stay moving upward and onward, you need to stay enchanted.
