Interview with Full Moon Rising; a truly heartwarming musical project

Music has always been that special friend that I can turn to in times of trouble, times of celebration or just plain anytime!  Music truly has a magical effect on me and I love when the first time I hear some music, it truly touches my soul and makes a positive impact on me. Recently for me, that music has been of Full Moon Rising. I learned about Full Moon Rising shortly after we ran our interview with Raz Klinghoffer of EarlyRise.

Full Moon Rising is an International Music Project by the highly talented Daniel Tyler Pohnke. Shortly after losing his mother in 2000, Daniel was inspired to write his first song. That was the beginning of the heartwarming and soul touching journey of Daniel’s music. He then set off to record his songs in various countries collaborating with a different producer and unique culturally diverse musicians on each track. From that, “Brave New World – The Time is NOW!” was born.  It is an amazing work of art that captivates your every emotion and nurtures your soul. You can watch a spectacular video which tells more of Brave New World album story here:

We had the pleasure of interviewing Mai Segev and Daniel Tyler Pohnke and are pleased to bring you that interview here:

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Music Junkie Press: First for you Mai, how did you first get involved with the Full Moon Rising.

Mai: It was one of those times where the world carries you where you need to be .…
I planned to go to Africa, but ended up in India, where I met Daniel – 6 or 7 times within a 6 weeks period, in the same place.  5 months later, we met yet again, but this time, he shared a bunch of new songs that started to form.  We spent a lot of time talking about current events and how music can change the world, and, although he suggested we work together, I refused, claiming I wanted to figure out what I wanted to do in my life .… The world, however, had other plans… and sure enough, 2 months later, I found myself booking Full Moon Rising shows in various venues across India.  Funny how life turns out 🙂

Music Junkie Press: Full Moon Rising truly exemplifies how music has a life of it’s own and can heal, comfort, inspire and so much more. Can you remember what is your earliest memory of music helping you through a situation or a struggle?

Daniel: I am really happy that you experienced this with our project and yes, we too believe music, being an international language, crosses cultures and borders, heals, inspires and CAN change the world. The first song I ever wrote was for my mom’s funeral and instead of focusing on how sad and upset I was feeling, I chose to focus on her smile and the joy she brought to my life and then turned that into a universal message of how important it is to cherish the moments with those we care for because we never know when they might not be with us anymore.  From the reaction that I received with the song, it began to be a blueprint for the music that I would continue to write about various situations in life and how to overcome hardships.  And more recently through the recording of “Brave New World – The Time is Now” I realized that we can go even deeper and use frequency to assist in healing and inspiration as in songs like “Blue Water Rise” which was recorded in the frequency of 528.

Music Junkie Press: How long did it take for the recording of Brave New World?

Daniel: Well that depends where you want to you want to throw the start pin.  The songs began to come through me while I was trekking the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal in 2008.  Many of the songs were written and re-written in India and Israel in 2009 and 2010.  The first production began in October of 2009, but since this whole record was an living organic process, interconnected with our personal growth and lifestyle changes, in which each track took on a whole life of its own, it spread the production and post production all the way until the end of 2012.  So I Guess you could say anywhere from 3 to 5 years 🙂

Music Junkie Press: What are you working on next?

Daniel: When I wrote the song “Brave New World” I had a vision of a sea of people all gesturing their hands in the air to the beat of the song.  These gesturers where not just the gestures of an audience inspired by the music, they where the movements of a sea of full empowered individuals.   Each day we work towards this vision.

In the forefront we are focusing on creating a unique representation of the music and messages of “Brave New World – The Time is Now!” that translates into a living experience while also raising money to finish editing a Full – Length Documentary of the recording and processes of the album.  “Brave New World – The Time is Now” is actually the first in a series of albums focused on various aspects of Human Empowerment.  The second album,  “Brave New World – Give Love,” is ready to begin production.  

Music Junkie Press: Is there a possibility of touring in support of this incredible album or a live DVD? I can only imagine how inspirational it would be. 

Daniel: Infinite Possibilities!! Yes yes ….  As I mentioned, our main focus is translating this album into an interactive Live Experience capturing all the dynamic qualities of this album.  We envision a new format of live music in which the audience will leave with much more then the inspiration and high vibrations that come with the musical performance, they will leave as a part of this Brave New World.

Music Junkie Press: The world has truly been your home but where does Full Moon Rising call home today?

Daniel: After spending the last 6 years of traveling/living in India, Israel, Egypt, Thailand and parts of Europe, we just returned to my roots of Southern California and have settled in Long Beach for the time being.

Music Junkie Press: If you could go back and talk to your 14 year old self, what advice would you give to yourself?

Daniel: Lean towards the things that make you the strongest, both physically and mentally, always know that you are good enough and loved, and, no matter what anyone says or thinks about you, follow your heart!

Music Junkie Press: With today’s technology growing at a rapid rate and how there was the addition of the internet, social media, camera phones, is there something from today’s technology that you wished you had when you were growing up?

Daniel: Honestly, I am happy that most of this did not exist when I was younger.  I was content with actually spending time and playing with my friends and coming home to messages on my answering machine.  It created bonds with my family and friends that I still cherish to this day.  When I look around at the younger generations, I am amazed at the amount of time that is spent using devices and social media even when in each others company.  I also see parents giving their kids an iPhone so that they can focus on something else other then their children’s needs.  I just wonder what this will create in our interpersonal relationships with upcoming generations.  Yes, it would have been fun to have all this, and I am an electronics geek, so I would have LOVED it, but for me, it is lacking in the inherent depth that I find so necessary with HUMAN connection.

Music Junkie Press: Lastly, is there anything else you would like to share with our audience?

Daniel: First of all, thank you so much for reading.  I hope this will move you to have your own experience with our album and a live show. We look forward to co-creating a Brave New World with you, from moment to moment, song to song.

We invite you to listen to the complete “Brave New World – The Time is Now!” album for free at http://www.fullmoonrisingmusic.com/bravenewworld.html.  

We believe that our fans are our roots, so, if you like what we do, you can visit our Full Moon Rising Roots page at http://www.fullmoonrisingmusic.com/roots2013.html.  
Join us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FullMoonRisingMusic?fref=ts, 
and Twitter: http://twitter.com/fullmoonrising_ 

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I strongly encourage you to take a listen. You may just find yourself in a better place than you were before you listened with your heart fuller and a bit more clarity in your life. It is a gift to your ears and soul.  One of my most favorite songs from the album is HIGH and you can check out a video for it here:

 

So make sure to head over to their social media sites and stay up to date for more great music and news from Full Moon Rising! I will leave you with another awesome video, this time it is for “Earth Speaks Up” another remarkable song with a beautiful and much needed message:

 

~ Enjoy, Marisol

Information & Links:

• Website: http://www.fullmoonrisingmusic.com/bravenewworld.html
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FullMoonRisingMusic
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/fullmoonrising_
• Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/Fullmoonrising01