The Soundtrack Of My Life
Kip Moore
The singer-songwriter on the special records, artists and gigs that are of lasting significance to him.
“I can’t think of anyone that inspired a generation more than Eddie Van Halen.”
He broke out with machismo-laden hits like Somethin’ Bout A Truck, but Kip Moore, whose singer-songwriter nuances have long placed him outside the bro-country camp, is an introvert at heart, happiest when he’s exploring remote places across the world.
Right now he’s riding out the lockdown period in the Kentucky mountains. “I’ve been doing a lot of rock climbing, a lot of reading, a lot of sitting by fires at night,” he tells us. “I’m well aware of the weight of the situation, and I know that there’s a lot of people that are scared and struggling, but for me personally this time of simplicity and taking a step back… I’ve been okay with it.”
Not that he’s gone fully reclusive. Moore’s about to release his fourth album, Wild World, a mature yet fresh blend of soaring 80s heartland and contemporary country depth. He tells us about some of the records that have led him this way…
THE FIRST MUSIC I REMEMBER HEARING
My dad was always taking us on fishing trips, and I remember hearing the Little River Band’s Cool Change, Bob Seger’s Against The Wind, Creedence Clearwater Revival… My dad had those old cassette tapes, and he’d play those and talk about how much he loved the melodies. I’m glad he had good taste. He wasn’t wearing out the Bee Gees, y’know?!
THE FIRST SONG I PERFORMED LIVE
Simple Man by Lynyrd Skynyrd. It was that and The Weight by The Band. I didn’t start playing guitar till I was eighteen, and from twenty to twenty-two I was playing in bars in South Georgia. I remember playing those two songs, just acoustic. I’m sure I was a little nervous but it seemed to go over good.
THE SONGWRITER
Jackson Browne. It was kind of all at one time that I really discovered Dylan, Springsteen and Jackson Browne’s catalogues; from [the age of], like, twenty-five to twenty-seven that’s all I listened to. I feel like that’s when I really paid attention to the craft of those singer-songwriters. But I’ll never forget hearing Jackson Browne’s These Days for the first time. It absolutely wrecked me.
THE SINGER
Sam Cooke. Man, that voice could penetrate a steel wall. It just had so much gusto and so much feeling. You feel every fibre of the man’s soul and what he’s doing, and it’s just the purest, most God-gifted voice I’ve ever heard. Keep Movin’ On was one that I loved.
THE GUITAR HERO
When I think ‘guitar hero’, I think of who was the person that made me wanna pick up a guitar, and that was Eddie Van Halen. I can’t think of anyone that inspired a generation more than that guy. The way he played, the way he dressed, everything about him. I remember seeing the video for Panama for the first time and it just, y’know, there was just so much energy screaming out of that track. And Mark Knopfler was another one that had such a distinct style. Mark was probably more the style that I gravitated towards.
THE GREATEST ALBUM OF ALL TIME
I can’t say who has the greatest record of all time, but what I can do is say which was the most pivotal for me, what I’d consider the greatest for me, which would be The River by Bruce Springsteen. I don’t think I’ve ever been more attached to a record than I was to that one.
THE BEST LIVE BAND OR ARTIST I’VE SEEN LIVE
Again Springsteen. He’s the complete master of the craft, for me.
THE MOST UNDERRATED BAND
The Allman Brothers. I know that people have reverence for them, but I don’t feel like they get quite their due for how great they were as a band. In their heyday, in the seventies when they were really grooving, what a fucking band. So much cohesive spirit. You can really feel that they’re constantly playing off each other, that they’re listening to each other. They were masters of that. And I’m speaking of when Duane was in the band.
THE BEST RECORD I MADE
This one I’ve just made, Wild World. From top to bottom I feel like it has the most depth, the arrangements are the most interesting for me, lyrically it’s the strongest for me. I’ve got special ties to all my records, but as far as the songwriting aspect goes this one’s the strongest.
THE WORST RECORD I MADE
Honestly, I would have approached Up All Night a little different, but at the same time it’s hard to argue with what that record did for me – that record was huge for me.
MY SATURDAY NIGHT/PARTY SONG
Sturgill Simpson’s Sea Stories. That song has always made me wanna get rowdy – always makes me wanna kick back a few drinks.
THE SONG THAT MAKES ME CRY
These Days and All Good Things by Jackson Browne. I think about my dad every time I hear All Good Things, and his zest for life [Kip’s father passed away in 2011]. And These Days, I’ve always felt like whenever I’m listening to that I’ve got a direct mirror on myself. I don’t know if I’ve ever connected with a song more personally than that one.
MY GUILTY PLEASURE
You almost don’t wanna throw jabs at bands, cos that’s what it implies. But as far as something that’s maybe a little bit on the cheesy side, Erasure, Little Respect. That song always puts a smile on my face.
THE SONG I WANT PLAYED AT MY FUNERAL
My Way, Sinatra. Or Bring It On Home by Sam Cooke.
Wild World is out now via Snakefarm Records.