Above the Moon (ATM) is Kate Griffin, Shawn Murphy, Kyle Griffin and John Gramuglia.
ATM have been creating alt rock they want to hear since 2016. Incorporating a diverse group of influences from singer-songwriter and rock, to shoegaze and pop, the band has carved out a distinctive sound that is authentically them. The band’s vibe is characterized by Kate's powerful vocals, which range from soulful and introspective to gritty and aggressive. Her lyrics touch on loss, relationships and everyday life.
2023 ushers in a new era of Above the Moon. Only dropping EPs and singles until now, this year the band released their debut full-length record. Recorded by the band, for the band, “Mine Again” was a labor of love and learning over the past year. Completely done start to finish at Bottle Hill Recordings – Shawn ran the board and engineered all of it from the band’s homebase in Madison, NJ. The LP captures the DIY, raw energy the group brings to their live shows.
How did the band form and what does the band name mean?
Kate: We came together in late 2015 as a result of Craigslist! Shawn had an ad out looking for an original band, and I answered it. Shawn and John were friends from a previous job, so he came in on drums. We’ve had a few guitar/bass lineup changes, but in 2021 my brother Kyle joined us on bass to finalize our current lineup.
No one can really remember where the name came from. I had a song called Moon, written way back in 2007, which was one of the first songs the band played as a group. It didn’t make it onto the first EP (it’s on our second), but when we finished recording the first EP, we had to come up with a name. We were sending out different “moon” themed names and phrases, and this one stuck.
Previous musical projects? How'd you first get into music?
Kate: I played clarinet and then piano in elementary school, but started playing guitar in 2000 after watching a group of boys completely massacre Come Out and Play by The Offspring at my 8th grade talent show. Since then I’ve been in bands or music projects consistently for 23 years. Some bands were Ado Famous, Threeve, Future of the Party.
Shawn: I started playing guitar in middle school and have been in bands ever since. When I first joined Above the Moon I was playing bass and when our guitarist left I took that opportunity to move over to guitar, which I love. I’ve played in numerous unknown bands but this is by far the longest running and most enjoyable project I’ve ever been a part of.
John: Typical story…started banging on couch cushions and pots with wooden spoons. Got a toy drum set when I was three. Did the school band thing for years, open mic nights in bars while I was a teenager, was in a bunch of different rock bands…and here we are!
Kyle: I tried to learn guitar when I was in elementary/middle school but I quit that pretty quickly (too hard on the fingers). Near the end of middle school my two good friends made a band and needed a bassist, so they encouraged me to try it and it stuck. I have been playing ever since. Beyond my first band, Stonehenge, and Above the Moon, I have played in cover bands and open mic Blues bars around New Jersey.
First concert that you ever went to?
Kate: ‘N Sync was my first real concert. Not at all ashamed, and still hoping for a reunion tour. Locally, it’s too hard to remember, but I spent a lot of time in high school going to see The Escape Engine at NJ VFW’s and KOC’s. My cousin Amanda played bass for them and I traveled all over NJ every weekend to see them play. Through them I discovered a whole slew of local bands and venues.
Shawn: My first concert was Foo Fighters at Roseland Ballroom in NYC in 1995. I still have the ticket stub! It completely changed things for me and made me want to form a band and play shows.
John: Scorpions/Motley Crue when I was 15. Game changer.
Kyle: I cannot remember my first concert, but my favorite would be the Presidents of the United States of America at the Stone Pony. The venue was small, the band was personable, and they sounded exactly like the record. They just loved playing and you could see and feel it. The intimacy of the venue made the experience a special one for me.
What's your writing process like?
Kate: Usually I will come up with the skeleton of a song - melody, lyrics, chord progression and send it to Shawn to see if it’s worth pursuing. Or sometimes Shawn will send a riff for me to build off of. We send ideas back and forth and if we think it’s something viable we’ll send a rough demo out to everyone to try it at practice. That’s where John and Kyle play a huge role in developing the mood of the song. Everyone plays a pretty big role in what ends up as the final product.
What other artists or songs inspire your music?
Bayside - Tall
KT Tunstall - Dark Side of Me
The Beths - I’m Not Getting Excited
Superdrag - Keep it Close to Me
RHCP - Minor Thing
Eliza & The Delusionals - Save Me
Snarls - Marbles
The Beths - When you know you know
Blly - All I Do
Foo Fighters - Under You
Kate: KT Tunstall is an artist I continually return to because she’s just incredibly talented both as a musician and a lyricist. Her sound has evolved a lot, but she’s rooted in great songwriting, so whether I see her solo or with a full band, I’m always impressed. Bayside has been my favorite band since high school, and they have an aggressive energy that I really relate to, which sneaks into a lot of our stuff.
Shawn: This is a hard one! While recording our latest album, Mine Again, the two artists I put on the playlist really inspired me over the course of those sessions. Superdrag is one that I come back to often. They were kind of a one hit wonder in the 90s but their albums have a ton of bangers including Keep it Close to Me which I added to this list. I also was inspired by the DIY nature of The Beths. Like me, their guitarist records all of their records and he was a major inspiration for me to take the plunge into recording. He also is a super nice guy and has provided me a ton of advice about mics and plugins on his Discord channel.
John: I would’ve put Bayside on the playlist, but Kate did already haha. But…the way Chris Guglielmo from Bayside lays down drums speaks to me. Plus he has the GLI thing going on in his last name like me. We often joke at practice how ‘this is the Bayside part’ and so on. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery!
Kyle: It is hard for me to choose just one artist or song. I consider my musical influence very expansive (from ‘50s blues to modern indie). From BB King and Cream, to the Foos, RHCP, and the Beths, I look to enjoy all sorts of rhythms and sounds depending on my mood and feeling in the day. My style has been heavily influenced by all of these artists and I try to incorporate those playing mechanics into our songs.
What's the live experience like and your philosophy on playing live? Do you think the music live should be identical to the recorded version or should it be its own thing?
Kate: Playing live makes me very nervous, because I’m a perfectionist and I identify as more of a songwriter than an entertainer. When you record you can re-do things until you’re happy, but playing live you get one shot, so it’s important to me that we’re really well rehearsed. If I can get through a whole set and have it be super close to what’s on the album, then to me, that’s a great show.
Shawn: Playing live is a lot of fun but also nerve wracking like Kate said. While we try to keep things close to the recordings it’s not a goal of mine. We have layers of guitars and vocal harmonies that could only be recreated if we had a choir so as long as the tones and balance are right we’re in good shape in my opinion.
John: Oh man. I love getting in there and letting it rip. On stage, behind the drums is my happy place. I love to bring the energy myself, and also riff off the band and anyone who might be feeling it in the audience. When that happens, it’s incredible. I think, as long as we are tight as a four-piece and we nail transitions, breaks and so forth in songs, it’s a win.
Kyle: Like Kate, I also get very nervous before shows. Not only do I want to play well for the crowd, but for myself and my bandmates. We all work very hard so I want to ensure I do my part to help our sound be its best. While I hope we recreate our recordings live well for the people, I love to riff and inject new fills/add-ins to my playing of songs live. I do this to enhance the experience for those listening (to get a unique experience of a song we recorded) and for myself to have some fun with it. Playing music should be an enjoyable experience for all involved.
Has the band toured? What has the touring experience been, best shows? Worst shows?
Kate: We haven’t toured, and while the idea is fun to think about, from day one we agreed that this is a serious hobby, and our families and jobs come first. We’re at a point in our lives where old school touring just isn’t a reality, but we do play out as often as we can in the tri-state area and are always looking to play in new places or with bands/musicians we’re fans of.
Our best shows are probably the ones where a lot of our friends and family come out - it’s always nice to play for people who genuinely want to see you do well. We recently played a great show atCrossroads in Garwood- we love it there. And in 2018 we played Maplewoodstock, which was awesome in that it’s probably the largest show we ever played, and was super fun.
I can only recall two “worst” shows, and at both we were on super late, and it was just us and the sound guys. Playing in an empty room is somehow more nerve wracking than a huge crowd. It was a bummer. We sounded great, though!
What's up next for the band?
Kate: We’re already writing new stuff! Before Mine Again even came out we wrote and started playing a brand new song, Kid Gloves, at shows. Since we recorded the LP all ourselves we kind of opened a new can of worms where now we can record anything and everything whenever we want. We’ve got a few new ideas in the works already, so most likely what’s next is more shows and even newer music.
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