Author: Max Brzezinski
If you’d like us to send you/your group an Artist Questionnaire, message ncmusic@dncr.nc.gov
Up today, Moonshine State.
Capsule summary-style, describe your band(s) (its members, home, history)
Moonshine State is an Americana band out of Western North Carolina fronted by violinist/singer Elizabeth McCorvey and guitarist/singer Raphael Graves. They have been playing together as a duet since July 2023, as well as alongside a diverse array of Western North Carolina talent for many years. They enjoy collaborating on original music and putting a modern/creative twist on covers.
How long have you been in North Carolina, and what's your relationship with the state?
Raphael has been in North Carolina since 2006 and Elizabeth has been in North Carolina since 2015. Both artists have spent years touring the state and performing in listening rooms, barns, vineyards, dives, stadiums, concert halls, schools, curbsides and beyond...the soul of their work derives from their lived experiences here in Western North Carolina.
What North Carolina artists do you listen to most?
Elizabeth: Falllift (Charlotte); Rhiannon Giddens (Greensboro); Emanuel Wynter (Charlotte); Hannah Kaminer (Asheville); Lillie Syracuse (Brevard)
Raphael: Hope Griffin (Asheville); Eric Congdon (Hendersonville); Santiago Y Los Gatos (Asheville)
Favorite North Carolina musical memory/moment?
Performing "From Wilmington With Love" in Wilmington with Ben Folds, Jim Lauderdale and WNC artists to raise money for Helene recovery efforts.
Favorite non-musical North Carolina memory/moment?
Raphael: That's a hard one, but I think it's a two-way tie between seeing the 360 degree view on top of Black Balsam Knob in Pisgah forest for the first time as well as sinking my toes into the ocean on Carolina Beach for the first time! Such an ecologically diverse and miraculous state.
Earliest North Carolina memories?
Elizabeth: Going to Montreat, Black Mountain as a 12 y/o
Raphael: Renting a cabin in Cashiers when I was 7 and playing Duck Hunter on Nintendo for the first time there with my brother.
Has North Carolina been a good place to be a musician?
Most of the time - many people in WNC truly appreciate what it takes to bring art and music to the region. They are familiar with the hard work and hustle that it takes to make this career work - and they know good music when they hear it, because our region is rife with amazingly talented musicians.
What would make it better?
More businesses willing to pay their musicians a higher rate.
What is the musical community around you like?
Elizabeth: Insanely talented. Humbling. Full of people who are excellent at their craft and willing to put in the hours of practice and intention to constantly make it better.
What are the important shared sensibilities between you and your collaborators? Divergences?
When we get on stage to play, it doesn't matter if there's one person in the audience or 2000; we are going to put on an energetic and delightful and thoughtful show. We both care about the quality of the performance.
When did you know you wanted to be a musician?
Elizabeth: I was playing the violin in orchestras from a kid until my late teens and assumed I might do that long-term, but after my first gig where I got to play and sing on stage, I never looked back.
Were your inclinations towards music encouraged?
Elizabeth: yes, I come from a very musical family.
Raphael: Not in the least. Most often discouraged and laughed at. Unlike Elizabeth, I do not come from a musical family.
Do you have a good ear?
Elizabeth: Mostly. I can play the violin along with any song in any key in almost cany genre whether I know it or not...except jazz. I don't know what's going on in any jazz song at any time. I have an excellent ear for harmonies.
Raphael: That's a hard question to answer! I've been told a few times by different folks in music that I have perfect pitch but I don't quite have the musical literacy to properly use that to my advantage. I like to think I have an excellent ear for melody and arrangement.
Technique, feeling, and concept — what's the relation to you as a musician? As a listener?
Raphael: All are obviously important depending on the scope of work you do. As a performer I tend to celebrate feeling and exploration over technical proficiency. I have tremendous respect and admiration for folks that perform more technically than I do and I grapple with imposter syndrome constantly. Concept I think is one of the most important aspects of how I create. I always have a vision for a large picture with every project I'm in. I absolutely love the process of executing concepts.
What would your fans be surprised you love to listen to?
Elizabeth: Nothing at all. And I love it when people give me recommendations based on what they see that I love to sing.
Raphael: I'm hard pressed to think of anything that would be surprising...but I suppose Carpenter Brut or Gojira might be unexpected.
Are there misconceptions about you and/or your music you'd like to correct?
Elizabeth: - Not a misconception, per se, but I just hope people notice that even our fun songs have lyrics that are thoughtful and political and make a statement that is meaningful or vulnerable for us.
Raphael: I'm with her on this. We've experienced critique like anyone else. I just hope our writing lyrics directly from life in WNC or, more broadly, the American south with our specific stories and experiences is explored or at least heard.
Do you view your music as self-expression? Or is it more abstract? Or both?
Elizabeth: self-expression
Raphael: ultimately self-expression. Though, I appreciate exercising abstraction and exploration as often as possible to better equip myself to express authentically.
How has your work changed over time?
Raphael: Different musical adventures mean different things as they arise. My work went from being a pure vehicle of expression or contempt to becoming a full time job with nuanced responsibilities. It's been a journey I wouldn't trade for anything.
Is there a red thread that connects your earliest work to your most recent?
Raphael: I'm a rock singer. Moonshine State has been my way of accessing my roots and writing more accessible material. It's taken discipline and measured patience to perform, write and educate myself in this genre. I like to think that fans that are aware of my previous work could draw many similarities.
Does humor have a place in your music?
Raphael: I'll be damned if it doesn't.
Does spirituality?
Elizabeth: Absolutely
Raphael: I'll be damned if it doesn't!
Is your music political?
Elizabeth: I hope so!
Raphael: Everything I do is political. There's no way around it and I would never see that as an inconvenience. The personal is political. Songs about being poor, what freedom means to us, what love looks like...I'd never slap the "political" label on it. But I just can't personally see how politics isn't involved.
Do you care about gear?
Elizabeth: I wish I didn't have to. I couldn't be less interested in sound production or pedals or reverb - it's a necessary evil to me. If I could always be unplugged, I would be.
Raphael: Yes. I'm always curious about refining production nuance in the studio or on the stage.
Is music a job, a vocation, or hobby for you?
Elizabeth: all three!
Raphael: I'm with her.
Do you care about music critics and what they write?
Raphael: I love hearing different perspectives. Everyone's a critic and there isn't a thing wrong with it in my book. Do I "care?" I suppose I care that we have the ability to express what we like or don't like. That's critical in keeping a healthy ecosystem of creation alive.
What makes good music? Bad music? What do you love in a great song, hate in a bad one, and what renders you indifferent in a blah one?
Elizabeth: music is subjective, so I assume there's something out there for everybody. Just because I don't like it doesn't mean it's bad.
What does the genesis of a song for you look like, how does it come about?
Raphael: a melody or a sound. A young concept of putting life into some perspective or story...Most often the music comes first and inspires the lyrics.
Do you have your audience in mind as you write?
Raphael: No, just me.
What is the typical "workflow" for one of your songs from beginning to end?
Raphael: Oh it's complete and utter chaos. Flow is a horrible way to describe it!
Do you theme and conceptualize projects beforehand or do you prefer spontaneous creation?
Elizabeth: Both. We write both together and separately. Raphael has this unmatched ability to improvise on the spot during sound check, so some of our completed songs come from snippets he was just noodling around with as he followed his train of thought. Then we expand on the concept over time until it becomes a song with a form.
Hopes and schemes for 2025 and beyond?
Release the debut Moonshine State album in early summer, hit the road, play loads of new towns and venues and see more of our beautiful state. Hit us up! We might come perform where you are!