Moon Unit: The Man Behind the Music
ZapRat
by Brittany Raines
04/22/2008
http://www.athensexchange.com/articles/746
Mark Vaughn is a man that loves music. Much of this love was sparked by
an admiration for the band mewithoutYou. Vaughn was later introduced to
“indie” music by his mentor when he was a sophomore in high school, and
the rest is history.
“The music awoke my spirits,” Vaughn said, “It’s affect on my emotions
is immense.”
Vaughn is the drummer of Moon Unit, which has been together three months
now. Each member of this four-person group has experienced a time in his
life when music was the only thing that made sense and this shared
experience fuels the music they create.
Vaughn stated that the band’s motivation for writing the lyrics is to be
that inspiration to others. When asked why he wants people to listen to
his band, he replied, “It’s just there to enjoy.”
Named from legendary rocker Frank Zappa’s daughter, Moon Unit has a
motto that life is generally good. No matter what is going on, things
will get better.
“Every person can truly find a song that they can relate to,” Vaughn said.
Vaughn says that the songs are easy to understand and easy to listen to.
He describes the sound of Moon Unit as a “mixture of piano pop and
grunge,” comparable to blending Ben Folds and Alice in Chains.
“Going Home” is one of the most powerful songs the group feels it has
written. Vaughn wants people to feel the emotion and energy that the
band feels when they belt those lyrics “It’s a beautiful day to be
alive,” the powerful ending line to the first verse.
This quartet consists of: Davis Bacon, guitarist and vocalist, Austin
Theodore, bassist, Mark Vaughan, drums and Chet Wiseman, keys and vocalist.
With their rising success and accessibility in Athens’ venues, this band
is definitely worth an evening.
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