Angus Barter – guitar, vocals Dave Bean – drums, vocals Mike Breen – guitar Valentina Cardinalli - vocals Samantha Letourneau - flute, vocals Dave Read – bass guitar, synths
BIO
Moths & Locusts are diehard space-rock explorers hailing from the pulsating heart of Vancouver Island. They create dynamic, heavy, melodic, fuzz-drenched explorations of the inner and outer cosmos inspired by their love of psychedelia, Krautrock, science fiction, vinyl records, and delay pedals. Trance inducing dream- scapes intertwine with visceral blazing garage rock bangers and all elements of the intervening spectrum are sampled. Always over the groove, always. The early years of Moths & Locusts brought a steady stream of west coast shows and two self-produced 7"s, one split with Victoria's New Colors. The band's passion for unique physical products saw a buzzing lock- groove on the first single and a rare concentric grooves approach to the split where two versions of Nero's Tale lie side-by-side and the luck of the needle drop determines which one is played. In 2011 the band set up camp at the Noise Floor Studio and with engineer Jordan Koop at the controls recorded a flood of material with an album's worth of arranged songs and hours of improvised jams and experiments. The following months found the boys in their home studios and their beloved jam space "The Republic of Doom" layering, arranging and whittling down the hours of audio to the essential moments. The first release of this material was a 12" 45rpm EP of a sprawling jam Escape from Sector C where the B-sideis a vinyl-only version of the same song played in reverse. It is affecting both ways, but differently so. The epic first full-length album was released on NoiseAgonyMayhem Records in 2013 and given a suitably epic title - Mission Collapse in the Twin Sun Megaverse. The gatefold cover and coloured vinyl are works of art unto themselves. The album was very well-received and spent time on Earshot's national charts. 2013 also saw the band sharing the stage with some high profile veterans, starting with psych-prog heavyweights Rangda, and rocking the main stage at the Quadrapalooza festival. The summer of 2013 brought an unbelievable opportunity - Moths & Locusts was the backbone of a psych-rock orchestra, including members of Colliding Canyons and Wolf Parade, backing legendary Can vocalist Damo Suzuki. A multi-track recording of the improvised set to a sold-out crowd beautifully captured the creative alchemy of the night and later that year the 2XLP Seven Potatoes - Damo Suzuki Live in Nanaimo was distributed to krautrock devotees around the world. Nanaimo sounds like “seven potatoes” in Japanese. Two studio sessions followed - one at Lap of Luxury in Victoria in the fall of 2014 and to the re-located Noise Floor on Gabriola Island in the spring of 2015. Another mountain of music was distilled over months in the laboratory to extract the mind altering substances contained within and enhance it with synths through distinct effects chains and input from friendly collaborators. More highlights of this period included headlining the National Campus and Community Radio Conference showcase with The Backhomes, opening for godfathers of grunge Mudhoney, and a packed Vancouver show with Dan Boeckner's band Operators. After the Operator’s show, Jeremy Schmidt (Black Mountain, Sinoia Caves) pegged Moths & Locusts sound as being like “biker disco” - a favourite original genre tag. A 2014 Vancouver Island show with Canadian journeyman Ian Blurton's new band Public Animal was a meeting of kindred spirits and plans for a split 7" were realized in 2015 timed with a shared western Canadian summer tour. The outro of each band's song is the intro to the other's making a seamless circle of sound. The tour was a total success and included live to air sessions on CFUV in Victoria and CITR in Vancouver. After the tour Moths & Locusts set to work on finishing LP #2, Helios Rising, released in May 2016 on NoiseAgonyMayhem Records and Sunmask Records. The band was asked by upstart UK-based psych label Eggs in Aspic to contribute a volume to their global psych cassette series. A free-form studio session with producer Rob the Viking (of Canadian hip hop crew Swolen Members) yielded a mountain of sounds that was sliced, diced and re-configured into the twisting trip of an LP - Intro / Outro in late 2017. The band brought their live show to to eastern Canada for the first time playing Ottawa, Montreal, London, Toronto, Kingston and Kitchener to stunned crowds. Studio contributions by vocalist Valentina and flautist Samantha grew to the full-time inclusion of these two amazingly talented women in the band’s live shows in 2018 bringing new tones and textures to their mind- melting performances, which included a second attendance at Calgary’s Sled Island, headlining one night of Victoria’s Psych and Soul Showcase and Nanaimo’s Backyard Fest, and joined the line-up at Nelson BC’s Massif Music Fest. Material from the 2017 recording session at Sinewave Studio in Saskatchewan was mined for a limited release 7” in 2018. Cocaine Kangaroo is a rolicking live show favourite while Peyote Coyote is a trip into a bizarre dimionsion. The deluxe edition includes a 4-song CD with all the tracks released from the session. The spring of 2018 brought together an incredible meeting of like minds a generation apart. Psychedelic journeyman Twink (Tomorrow, Pink Fairies, solo, etc. etc.) joined Moths & Locusts for for some live shows playing songs from his classic recordings, like the recently re-released Think Pink, and a studio session to record a collaborative album. The recording session was also attended by Canadian rock veteran Ian Blurton, Barnaby Bennett, as well as cameos by members of Sloan and Wolf Parade. The album Think Pink IV - Return to Deep Space is a multi-generational collaboration that crosses time and space and brings the best of many worlds together with songs that range from the sprawling poetic strangeness of the opening track to hook- laden rockers and luscious ballads. 2020 marks ten years since the first public performance of Moths & Locusts as an instrumental three-piece. Exoplanets, the band’s latest full-length distills several years of studio recording sessions from rural Vancouver Island to the canola fields of Saskatchewan and downtown Toronto into seven elemental songs that reflect the band at the height of their power. The album's centerpiece is the near-16-minute long title track. A forced hiatus from live shows thanks to the covid pandemic has led to a creative burst and a new album’s worth of material is taking shape and likely to see light in 2021.
BIO
Angus Barter – guitar, vocals Dave Bean – drums, vocals Mike Breen – guitar Valentina Cardinalli - vocals Samantha Letourneau - flute, vocals Dave Read – bass guitar, synths
Moths   &   Locusts   are   diehard   space-rock   explorers   hailing from   the   pulsating   heart   of   Vancouver   Island.   They   create dynamic,   heavy,   melodic,   fuzz-drenched   explorations   of the   inner   and   outer   cosmos   inspired   by   their   love   of psychedelia,   Krautrock,   science   fiction,   vinyl   records, and   delay   pedals.   Trance   inducing   dream-scapes   intertwine with    visceral    blazing    garage    rock    bangers    and    all elements   of   the   intervening   spectrum   are   sampled.   Always over the groove, always. The   early   years   of   Moths   &   Locusts   brought   a   steady stream   of   west   coast   shows   and   two   self-produced   7"s,   one split   with   Victoria's   New   Colors.   The   band's   passion   for unique   physical   products   saw   a   buzzing   lock-groove   on   the first   single   and   a   rare   concentric   grooves   approach   to the   split   where   two   versions   of   Nero's   Tale   lie   side-by- side   and   the   luck   of   the   needle   drop   determines   which   one is played. In   2011   the   band   set   up   camp   at   the   Noise   Floor   Studio and   with   engineer   Jordan   Koop   at   the   controls   recorded   a flood   of   material   with   an   album's   worth   of   arranged   songs and    hours    of    improvised    jams    and    experiments.    The following   months   found   the   boys   in   their   home   studios   and their   beloved   jam   space   "The   Republic   of   Doom"   layering, arranging   and   whittling   down   the   hours   of   audio   to   the essential   moments.   The   first   release   of   this   material   was a   12"   45rpm   EP   of   a   sprawling   jam   Escape   from   Sector   C where   the   B-sideis   a   vinyl-only   version   of   the   same   song played    in    reverse.    It    is    affecting    both    ways,    but differently so. The    epic    first    full-length    album    was    released    on NoiseAgonyMayhem   Records   in   2013   and   given   a   suitably epic   title   -   Mission   Collapse   in   the   Twin   Sun   Megaverse. The   gatefold   cover   and   coloured   vinyl   are   works   of   art unto   themselves.   The   album   was   very   well-received   and spent   time   on   Earshot's   national   charts.   2013   also   saw the    band    sharing    the    stage    with    some    high    profile veterans,   starting   with   psych-prog   heavyweights   Rangda, and rocking the main stage at the Quadrapalooza festival. The   summer   of   2013   brought   an   unbelievable   opportunity   - Moths    &    Locusts    was    the    backbone    of    a    psych-rock orchestra,   including   members   of   Colliding   Canyons   and Wolf   Parade,   backing   legendary   Can   vocalist   Damo   Suzuki. A   multi-track   recording   of   the   improvised   set   to   a   sold- out   crowd   beautifully   captured   the   creative   alchemy   of the   night   and   later   that   year   the   2XLP   Seven   Potatoes   - Damo   Suzuki   Live   in   Nanaimo   was   distributed   to   krautrock devotees   around   the   world.   Nanaimo   sounds   like   “seven potatoes” in Japanese. Two   studio   sessions   followed   -   one   at   Lap   of   Luxury   in Victoria   in   the   fall   of   2014   and   to   the   re-located   Noise Floor   on   Gabriola   Island   in   the   spring   of   2015.   Another mountain   of   music   was   distilled   over   months   in   the laboratory    to    extract    the    mind    altering    substances contained   within   and   enhance   it   with   synths   through distinct    effects    chains    and    input    from    friendly collaborators.   More   highlights   of   this   period   included headlining    the    National    Campus    and    Community    Radio Conference    showcase    with    The    Backhomes,    opening    for godfathers   of   grunge   Mudhoney,   and   a   packed   Vancouver show    with    Dan    Boeckner's    band    Operators.    After    the Operator’s   show,   Jeremy   Schmidt   (Black   Mountain,   Sinoia Caves)   pegged   Moths   &   Locusts   sound   as   being   like   “biker disco” - a favourite original genre tag. A   2014   Vancouver   Island   show   with   Canadian   journeyman   Ian Blurton's   new   band   Public   Animal   was   a   meeting   of   kindred spirits   and   plans   for   a   split   7"   were   realized   in   2015 timed   with   a   shared   western   Canadian   summer   tour.   The outro   of   each   band's   song   is   the   intro   to   the   other's making   a   seamless   circle   of   sound.   The   tour   was   a   total success   and   included   live   to   air   sessions   on   CFUV   in Victoria   and   CITR   in   Vancouver.   After   the   tour   Moths   & Locusts   set   to   work   on   finishing   LP   #2,   Helios   Rising, released in May 2016 on NoiseAgonyMayhem Records and Sunmask Records. The   band   was   asked   by   upstart   UK-based   psych   label   Eggs in   Aspic   to   contribute   a   volume   to   their   global   psych cassette   series.   A   free-form   studio   session   with   producer Rob   the   Viking   (of   Canadian   hip   hop   crew   Swolen   Members) yielded   a   mountain   of   sounds   that   was   sliced,   diced   and re-configured   into   the   twisting   trip   of   an   LP   -   Intro   / Outro   in   late   2017.   The   band   brought   their   live   show   to to   eastern   Canada   for   the   first   time   playing   Ottawa, Montreal,   London,   Toronto,   Kingston   and   Kitchener   to stunned crowds. Studio   contributions   by   vocalist   Valentina   and   flautist Samantha   grew   to   the   full-time   inclusion   of   these   two amazingly   talented   women   in   the   band’s   live   shows   in   2018 bringing   new   tones   and   textures   to   their   mind-melting performances,    which    included    a    second    attendance    at Calgary’s   Sled   Island,   headlining   one   night   of   Victoria’s Psych   and   Soul   Showcase   and   Nanaimo’s   Backyard   Fest,   and joined the line-up at Nelson BC’s Massif Music Fest. Material   from   the   2017   recording   session   at   Sinewave Studio   in   Saskatchewan   was   mined   for   a   limited   release   7” in   2018.   Cocaine   Kangaroo   is   a   rolicking   live   show favourite   while   Peyote   Coyote   is   a   trip   into   a   bizarre dimionsion.   The   deluxe   edition   includes   a   4-song   CD   with all the tracks released from the session. The   spring   of   2018   brought   together   an   incredible   meeting of   like   minds   a   generation   apart.   Psychedelic   journeyman Twink   (Tomorrow,   Pink   Fairies,   solo,   etc.   etc.)   joined Moths   &   Locusts   for   for   some   live   shows   playing   songs from    his    classic    recordings,    like    the    recently    re- released   Think   Pink,   and   a   studio   session   to   record   a collaborative    album.    The    recording    session    was    also attended by Canadian rock veteran Ian Blurton, Barnaby   Bennett,   as   well   as   cameos   by   members   of   Sloan and   Wolf   Parade.   The   album   Think   Pink   IV   -   Return   to   Deep Space   is   a   multi-generational   collaboration   that   crosses time   and   space   and   brings   the   best   of   many   worlds together   with   songs   that   range   from   the   sprawling   poetic strangeness   of   the   opening   track   to   hook-laden   rockers and luscious ballads. 2020   marks   ten   years   since   the   first   public   performance of    Moths    &    Locusts    as    an    instrumental    three-piece. Exoplanets,    the    band’s    latest    full-length    distills several   years   of   studio   recording   sessions   from   rural Vancouver   Island   to   the   canola   fields   of   Saskatchewan   and downtown   Toronto   into   seven   elemental   songs   that   reflect the   band   at   the   height   of   their   power.   The   album's centerpiece   is   the   near-16-minute   long   title   track.   A forced    hiatus    from    live    shows    thanks    to    the    covid pandemic   has   led   to   a   creative   burst   and   a   new   album’s worth   of   material   is   taking   shape   andlikely   to   see   light in 2021.