Hello!  We’re WALK THE MOON from Ohio, USA.  Right now, we’re touring Australia for the first time with our good friends The Rubens.  We just released a deluxe edition of our self-titled debut album in AUS that we’re really excited about promoting while we’re here.  When we head home, we’re going to take the rest of the summer to write a new record, which we hope to put out some time in 2014.

Firstly it would be rude not to ask how the awesome band name Walk The Moon came about?

The band’s name came from one of our favourite songs – “Walking on the Moon.”  The Police were a big influence on us early on, and we still look to them for inspiration.

What’s your earliest memory of performing and who inspired you to start? 

My first performance was at a friend’s wedding… There was a cover band playing, and I sat in on guitar for “Mustang Sally.”  I think I was fourteen at the time.  The band leader threw me a couple solos, and I ended up totally hooked on performing.

Paul McCartney was my inspiration to start playing.  I just loved the Beatles.  Still do.

You must answer this question honestly. What and where was the first gig you went to?

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First gig was the Black Crowes and Lenny Kravitz at Riverbend in Cincinnati, though I really went to see their opening act, Everlast.

You’ve recently been supporting FUN. on their US tour, do you have any dirt to dish on them? 

We actually supported them on their European tour, which was a crazy rush, as there’s just no way we could have gone in to Luxembourg and played for 1,000 people on our own at that point in our career.  It would probably be rude to divulge details, but they definitely live up to their name.

You’re about to tour Australia with The Rubens, who you’ve toured with in the UK, how did both of these tours come about for you?

It just seemed like a good situation for both of us – we could take them to Europe, where they had never been, and put them in front of some humans, and they could do the same for us in AUS.  It was a no brainer for us.  Hopefully they feel the same.

What Aussie bands are you currently digging?

We are eternally worshipping Empire of the Sun, and we really like a lot of stuff The Temper Trap has done.  We’re also really into Ali Barter, who we were lucky enough to tour with on this run. Also, Tame Impala & The Rubens of course.

If you could curate your own festival, where would it be, who would be on the bill, how many people would you let in and what features would it have? 

Oh man, that’s a lot of details to figure out right on the spot!  We’d do the festival on Catalina Island, off the coast of San Pedro in California.  Fans would be ferried in and it would be three days of music on the beach.  Rum and tequila would be served.  We’d have a variety of up and coming bands and established acts… The Killers, Bon Iver, St. Lucia, The Mowgli’s, Haim, Vampire Weekend, Jack White, Portugal. The Man, Magic Man… WALK THE MOON, of course…

Because it’s more fun to do things together, which living artist would you most like to collaborate with?

David Byrne!  Talking Heads have been a huge influence on us, and it would be a real honour to have the opportunity to collaborate with such a legend.

What is your band’s music the best soundtrack for? 

I think summer.  Road trips.  Driving somewhere at sunset with someone you can’t keep your hands off of.

Tell us why we shouldn’t miss the last of your first headline shows in Australia on Sunday the 26th May at The Standard in Sydney?

You absolutely should not miss our headline shows because we just do not know when we’re going to get back to this sector of the world again and we want to party with you.  Bring your dancing shoes.

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