Liam Mogan is a Los Angeles based pop-country artist affectionately referred to as the surfing cowboy. Liam was inspired early on in his life by the Beach Boys, Alan Jackson and Hank Williams, getting hooked on the melodies and raw, honest songwriting. Working construction during the day and making music at night brings a humbled candor to the industry.
In this interview spotlight, I chat with Liam about the latest music, challenges, technology and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
Where are you from and what style of music do you create? (In your own words, not necessarily in marketing terms or by popular genre classifications.)
I’m from LA. My vocal tone comes across country, as does my writing (in general). However, the production is very LA, pop and contemporary. I’d say we’re riding the line between Nashville and LA, trying to find something new.
What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to keep going?
Music helps me express what I’m feeling, so there’s nothing better than when someone hits me up and tells me that my lyrics spoke to them. I’d also say the creative process is a major motivation factor.
How is this new release “Alone in the City” different than previous ones? Were you trying to accomplish anything specific?
“Alone in the City” is definitely the”pop”iest track I’ve put out. The writing style is stream of consciousness, rather than a traditional storyline. I wanted to capture that moment of coming home late, when time slows down and there’s a sense of peace that you don’t get when the sun’s up and people are around.
Name one or two challenges you face as an indie musician in this oversaturated, digital music age? How has technology helped you (since we know it does help)?
The biggest challenge is finding ways to get your music heard, and by the right people. There are so many scammers out there that feed off of indie musicians, it’s terrible. Technology has allowed me to research strategies as well as companies (reddit is great for this) and weed out the people who really care about helping musicians from those who just see them as a paycheck.
What was the last song you listened to?
“Deadroses”- blackbear
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?
I’m 100% mp3s. Unless it’s a special occasion I’ll pull out the vinyl, but digital is just so convenient.
How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?
Spotify, and for no other reason than that’s just the first streaming service I ever used.
Where is the best place to connect with you online and discover more music?
I’m most active on Instagram (@liammoganmusic), where you’ll find behind the scenes content!
Anything else before we sign off?
Thanks for the interview! I have one more track to be released in 2020, then a full barrage of them starting in 2021 (how crazy is it that its already coming up :/ )
