April 2, 2019

Meet John Seasons and Bridgette Moody of Haunted Summer in Highland Park

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to John Seasons and Bridgette Moody.

Thanks for sharing your story with us John and Bridgette. So, let’s start at the beginning, and we can move on from there.
Our band Haunted Summer started in 2012 when we both began writing demos of what would become our first five-song EP, “Something in The Water.” At the time, we both were in separate musical projects but had grown dissatisfied and needed something new.

We were shocked but very pleased with how much support our band got right away and immediately finished the record and went on tour for the next five years. While on the road, we wrote what would become “Spirit Guides” – our first full length – and recorded it in many different studios in places like Glendale and Joshua Tree, CA, Eugene, OR, and more. That was a beautiful learning experience of both not rushing a record and living life to its fullest as a live band.

We continue to travel all over the United States with our music and have opened directly for people we look up to along the way, like The Polyphonic Spree, Islands, Taken By Trees and have shared festival lineups with Broken Social Scene, New Order and so many more. We are about to head to Italy for the first time on a tour from March 21st through April 2nd. -John

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has been smooth as humanly possible, but of course with many challenges along the way. Coming from playing music only locally in old projects to being on the road 140 + days out of the year has had its learning curves at times.

The challenges range from financial to emotional, as leaving home for that long can take its toll on both fronts. These days we find the things to be grateful for to keep things as positive as possible. Some motivating thoughts are that we are together doing what we love, making the music we want to make and traveling with our friends/band family to play for people that love our music, no matter the size of the crowd, big or small.

One thing that has kept our band consistent is that the two of us write all of the music, and are fundamentally the band. Our rotating musical family has consisted of many different people through the years, which is a fun take on keeping our tunes as fresh as possible for ourselves and the audience because they are played differently depending on the players and style. This has had its challenges as well but keeps us on our musical toes, which is great.

Overall, we are beyond grateful to everyone who has believed in us along the way. Despite our struggles, that is ultimately what keeps morale up and what keeps one foot going forward… and we are always moving forward and not looking back.

For anyone who tours this much, you will almost always encounter struggles like van troubles, learning how to keep yourself healthy while on the road, and the reality of where your band is – outside of being a hometown hero, or outside of your own mind’s ego. These are the humbling moments and are essential in making band members come together and be stronger than before… but alas, that which can make, can also break. -Bridgette

Please tell us about Haunted Summer.
Our band is called Haunted Summer, and we specialize in writing dreamy, psychedelic pop music with a nostalgic je ne sais quoi. We’ve been making music together for about six years and have released several singles, an EP, a full-length album, and an album of wildly alternate versions that document the conception of songs from our other releases.

We like to think that our signature sound involves creating lush, textural landscapes that fill the brain without (always) melting the face. It has almost become a little game for us, trying to see how far apart we can push and pull our dynamics within a single set.

Key elements in our sound are John’s guitar playing – using many different techniques and pedals to achieve his sound – and my more-of-an-instrument-than-a-voice delivery of our collaborative, and emotionally sentient lyrics. It has been an honor to have the sponsorship support of people that also believe in our abilities like EarthQuaker Devices, Guild Guitars, Ninkasi Brewing and more that helped us take our ideas and nurture them into what we are today.

What we are most proud of is that, throughout all our years as a band, we have never compromised our sound or aesthetic, and we remain open to throwing out the rules and embracing weird textures. We also embrace the supernatural energy that fuels the music, and in a sense, becomes the song itself. A floating, individual entity – a child made of energy and sound. We believe this still sets us apart to this day, and it continues to be the part of the band that brings the listener into more empathetic territory. -Bridgette

What role has luck (good luck or bad luck) played in your life and business?
Luck has so much to do with how far anyone get with their passion’s pursuit in life. Hard work pays off in its ways, but it is impossible to discount that there is a well of amazing music out there that never gets discovered, even on the smallest scale, and the fact that our tunes broke that barrier is mind-blowing to us.

We were lucky that people were interested enough in our demos and our first EP that it kept us on tour and playing in front of people for years. We earned respect, and more opportunities arose across the country because of our willingness to put our lives on the line and share our music with people who wanted to hear it. Hell, they wanted to hear us? We had to find a way.

Those early leaps of faith led to many partnerships and eye-opening/mind-blowing moments like playing huge shows with major national and international artists. It is a shame when people in the industry discourage bands from trying their own luck with emailing for opportunities.

If you’re a brand new band with little-to-nothing under your belt, it may not work for you, but any group that has pushed themselves to build their own resume of shows, tours, recordings, and sacrifice should put themselves out there. If you don’t ask, you’ll never know.

It’s all about letting go of ego and learning to embrace rejection too. Everyone will see plenty of “NO” pursuing their life’s passion, but it’s all about rolling the dice and building a ladder with how many times you do get a “YES” in this industry. Good music and hard work has a lot to do with it, but luck always has a hand in the deck. -John

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