Interview with  Pat Molesworth  of Zeelley Moon from 2018

I continued gigging as a band with the name "Touchwood." Eventually we split up because of "creative differences," and I got fed up with limiting my writing because of the tastes of my bandmates.

Zeelley Moon was born after gaining more confidence in my writing style and playing with musicians who were more in tune with my ideas.

Recording old and new songs started around 2013, but the first Zeelley Moon album wasn’t finished until July 2017.

My personal relocation from England to Wales has meant that currently more time is being spent promoting the album and writing for the next one.

I loved the name "Supertramp," but that was taken. I liked the name Moon (Keith, Paper, etcetera, etcetera), and I wanted a two-syllable word to precede it. My ex-boss was talking one day and mentioned his ex-daughter in law’s husband whose sir name was Zealy. That was it. That was my word, but spelt with two "E"s, two "L"s and another "E" after the "L"s. It looked a lot better when scribbled on a page in italics! A quick Google confirmed this was a unique word.

Zeelley Moon: A unique name for unique music.

I have also been asked to contribute in a writing role on another band’s project.

I will look at playing live with the band again late this year or next, but another album is definitely on the cards.

The prog enthusiasts seem to like what I’ve done so far.

I regard it as progressive in nature, but the influences are not necessarily “prog."

There’s a Facebook page on which people constantly ask if this or that band is “prog,” but frankly this misses the point. Surely “progressive” can be a prefix to any genre. Pure prog as defined by many is not my cup of tea. Where does this leave Zeelley Moon? I’d quote the description given in a magazine in 2017:...”an album that takes the smoky melancholia of blues and rock but stretching it into longer, more expansive dreamscapes, engulfing you in its wake." (Progression Magazine US) "Echoes of Pink Floyd & Supertramp but owning its own identity with weighty songs and melancholic instrumentals.”

Luckily I also have some excellent musicians as lovely friends.

It’s hard to know; on the one hand maybe, musicians get more exposure, but then maybe because it’s "free" the downloaders don’t appreciate it. Maybe there are more musicians getting known, but on average have a shorter career as audiences are fickle, have no loyalty and a very short attention span. I like the more emotional investment you make by buying an album maybe because of a recommendation.

If someone can’t afford to buy an album or DVD, then I like to think although most artists would appreciate their wanting to hear it at least but trading, it is another thing completely. It’s like donating your old stuff to a needy friend then seeing them list it on eBay. If I discover a song or album I like, I might recommend and tell people why I like it using words. It is simply not mine to sell or trade. As a musician, I respect the other musician’s property.

I won’t mention names but someone like that might fit the bill. Alternatively a musician whose career seems constructed. Actually no, because it’s not his or her fault. It’s the business.

Ooooh, and of course Rick Wakeman on keyboards!

The last book I read was a Richard Scarry masterpiece called, “What do people do all day." It’s a beautiful book that should be law for all children to read.

They casually wandered out the front door before the gig to get some very dodgy looking kebabs across the road!

The music was just amazing.

They were awful, but my friends thought they were great. Perhaps it inspired me to do something better.

After that, James Brown at Wembley in London was brilliant, but not as good as Prince, who just made me feel like giving up!

I actually have used the same keyboards for the past few years with no updates at all but never used the Nord for gigging as it’s too complicated (for me!)

I’m likely to buy a new keyboard in the next few weeks, actually.