Mood Tattooed
Brooklyn’s Mood Tattooed is the organic audio outfit of Hagan Knauth who readies his debut album Hushed Tarantula for release October 18 via the NYC by PDX imprint Blankstairs, sharing the plush strums of psych-kissed strings heard on the lush mind opening “Velvet”. Hagan blends together classic folk elements of acoustic guitars that are interwoven with captured sounds from field recordings where a host of other items are added to the mix to make for an uplifting experience. Information gleaned from the mission statement of Hush Tarantula pertains to something of a change that occurs in the listener from Knauth’s arrangements that are directed at what he refers to as the “zone of the intimate and the internal.” From these inward emphases, the true Mood Tattooed transformation of the entire self takes place upon the first as well as multiple meditative listens.
Having grown up in the farmland heart of central New York and attending SUNY Purchase; the Mood Tattooed sound takes cues from holistic happenstance that feel as natural as the change of seasons from summer to autumn, the way leaves change colors & the fields reap their fourth quarter harvests. “Velvet” feels as if it was informed by all the aforementioned & more as over-dubbbed echoes of Hagan’s voice ghost into the mix of fluttering chords that create the sound of a day beginning & going about the business of things & schedules. The sounds of vintage rustic Americana hymns can be heard in the shimmer of the acoustic strings while woodwinds are later added to make for an otherworldly, yet grounded audio world of infinite wonder. After the following listen to “Velvet” be sure to read our insightful discussion with Mood Tattooed’s Hagan Knauth.
We would like to hear all about what sorts of adventures you embarked upon with the making of Hush Tarantula.
I ventured into my head for this record. It was written during my sophomore and junior years at SUNY Purchase, and I was dealing with the collision of my past self, my past insecurities, and the present challenges of becoming an adult in college. In school it became apparent to me that I was consumed by self doubt, and you could consider Hush Tarantula a musical exorcism of those feelings.
What prompted you to gravitate toward the musical craft of making such holistic found & enriched organic arrays of sounds?
My childhood home sits across the street from a dairy farm in central New York, so my formative experiences were outdoors. Natural soundscapes were a part of those experiences. Frogs announced spring, crickets announced fall, and quiet announced winter. So I have a personal attachment to those kinds of sounds and wanted to include them on what became a very personal record. I’m quite fond of my crickets.
What is the story behind adopting the moniker of Mood Tattooed and how exactly does one go about feasibly tattooing a mood on oneself?
The moniker is taken from a composition by Les Baxter, a world-music composer who gained popularity in the 1950’s.
I first heard “Mood Tattooed” while laying on my friend’s dorm room floor in freshman year. The secret of how to tattoo a mood has gone to the grave with Les Baxter.
What have you been inspired by lately in the worlds of music, film, literature & more?
One record that has had a huge impact on me is A River Ain’t Too Much to Love by Smog.
I recently attended a screening of Under the Shadow at the Baltimore film festival. It’s a new horror film that’s set in 1980s Tehran, during the Iran-Iraq war. After the screening my girlfriend told me that she noticed me muttering “it’s not real, it’s not real, it’s not real…” to comfort myself. It’s one of the best films I’ve ever seen, and it’s a terrifying expression of the trauma that people experience during air raids.
As for books, I’m currently reading A Guide for the Perplexed, it’s a series of conversations with Werner Herzog. If you are a creator of any kind, you can learn from Herzog’s mad genius and stories of self reliance.
Best things happening in Brooklyn right now that more people should know about?
The Lot Radio is a great hang, and has opened its doors to good people. My friend Kroba spins on Monday mornings.
Mood Tattooed’s debut album Hushed Tarantula will be available October 18 through the NYC by PDX label Blankstairs with pre-order available here.
