A Moment Electric

A Moment Electric is an Upstate-based quartet that combines elements of the old and new into an exciting, unique sound. The band starts with the best aspects of late 1960s psychedelia, expanding its songs into alternately intense and ambient experimental jams.

But A Moment Electric also mixes in some modern rock muscle, adding heavy riffs and sharply melodic hooks to keep the music focused. It's a surprisingly sophisticated sound for a band that's only been together since 2013.

“I think the idea behind it is that we pull a lot of influence from early psychedelic bands, but that doesn't mean we're just doing what they did before,” said Justin Sardinha, who, along with William Epps, handles vocals and guitars for the group. “It's more about experimentation than the classic rock feel, though we really appreciate what has been done musically in the past.”

Despite the exploratory nature of A Moment Electric's music, Sardinha said that the band, which also includes bassist Andre Van Parys and drummer Brandon Gallagher, is disciplined when it comes to both songwriting and live performance.

“Most of the time, I'll have the lyrics and the structure of the song, but the song isn't created until we all come together to work on it,” Sardinha said. “Live, there's definitely more room for improv, but there's still a specific structure.”

A Moment Electric, which will perform Thursday at The Radio Room in Greenville on a bill that also includes the Matthew Butcher Band and Silverscreen Orchestra, also draws inspiration from the visual aspect of the psychedelic era.

As the band performs live, its members are backed by a '60s style color and light show to go along with the music.

“For me personally, it's about wanting to see a band as much as I want to hear them,” Sardinha said. “It's a performance, both visual and auditory. It's a show.

“We actually have someone creating the visuals along with us who's close to the band and familiar with our songs, and so he improvises while we play. He creates the images live.”

Sardinha said that A Moment Electric (which hopes to have a full-length album out next year) gets a lot of satisfaction from each other's playing, but that an energetic audience can propel the band even higher.

“A lot of the energy in our shows comes from us,” he said. “We all feed off each other. But when there's a strong reaction, it definitely feeds us. Getting a reaction from the audience just pushes us even more.” - Vincent Harris (Herald-Journal)

We’ve covered countless talented bands from South Carolina, and it looks like we won’t be stopping anytime soon. A Moment Electric is a five-piece band out of Greenville, South Carolina. In November, they released their Far From The Feeling EP, a dark, moody yet melodic journey. On this EP, listeners will be treated to spoken word style singing that only reverberates the angst driven lyrics. Each song feels darker than the next, but the EP’s title track, “Far From The Feeling” is easily the darkest of the four, questioning their own existence and possibly even wanting it to end.
“I’m looking to God with no hope in my eyes
If I can’t have life
Then why won’t I die
Take this darkness that I’ve kept inside.”
What’s wonderful about this EP is even though it is very short, A Moment Electric makes the most of it with brooding interludes, and mini guitar solos that contain as much fierceness as the vocals themselves. Each song is given plenty of time to build, and each instrument has its time to shine. At the end we are left to only wonder what the next song would sound like, and that is a great accomplishment for a new band.
Far From The Feeling is far from being a sunny, energetic album, however it is still an impressive piece of work from this quintet. From beginning to end, the songs are cohesive, well-structured and executed with an amount of passion that is seriously lacking in the top forty world. Any fans of dark, melodic blues/ rock n’ roll are highly encouraged to give this band a listen. This is the first chapter of a very exciting journey.
For those in the Greenville area, A Moment Electric has some exciting new events coming up, so be sure to keep tabs on their social media sites for more information. - Kerriann Curtis (WordKrapht)