Meet Seth Findley

Today we’d like to introduce you to Seth Findley.

Seth, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My love for music began with the drums. I grew up in church and remember staring at the drummer every Sunday, wishing I could do what he did. In 7th grade, I bought my first kit and took lessons for about 6 months before my teacher told me there was nothing left for me to learn from him. I made it a goal to practice every day and eventually was the main drummer at my church by 9th grade.

It wasn’t until I joined choir in high school to check a fine arts credit off my required course list that I learned I loved to sing. It was through my involvement in choir that I decided I wanted to try to write my own music. So, I picked up guitar and a little bit of piano, learned about 5 chords, and started writing. At the time I also began splitting my time at church drumming, and now leading the church band from the front with a guitar, singing.

The daily combination of drumming, singing in choir and church and figuring out how to write songs alone in my bedroom really started honing in my skills as a songwriter. I didn’t know what I was doing, and still don’t feel like I have a clue. All I knew is what I liked to listen to and what I thought sounded good. I’m under the strong impression that you can only make music as good as what you consume as a listener.

In college, I had a handful of songs written that felt like they needed a band. Honest Men was formed by me and my 2 friends from the church band Zach and Brooks. 5 years later, we’re about to release our sophomore album and have so many great things in store for the next year.

During my pursuit of Honest Men, I began writing songs that didn’t quite fit with the band’s sound. The songs were a little more brash, edgy, pop-centered, and unfiltered. Shit was hitting the fan in my own life and those experiences were naturally coming out in the music I was writing. As we wrapped up our Honest Men album, I knew I still had more to say but didn’t feel like it belonged under Honest Men’s moniker. So, I started a solo artist project under the name moony.

moony has been such a freeing expressive artistic experience for me. It’s not that I think I’m doing something revolutionary, but to have an outlet with “no rules” lyrically and sonically has been so fulfilling both mentally and emotionally. The songs are fully and completely “me”. I co-produce them with my best friend and producer-extraordinaire Michael Guillot who brings out the best in the songs and understands my musical brain better than anyone else. He also brings to the table production elements that elevate the songs entirely.

I have no idea where moony is headed or where it’ll end up. All I know is that I’ve hit some sort of zen flow musical stream of writing songs I’ve never been more excited about, and it seems like people are connecting with them. Honest Men is thriving, alive and well (and is about to begin writing our 3rd album), while moony creates in the gaps and blesses the people with music from the brain and heart.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
When I first started moony in 2020, I thought it was going to be a dumb pop side project. My first single ‘pretty’ was a big catchy upbeat pop groove and I expected most of the songs that followed to be in a similar vein. After I released ‘pretty’ it took 6 months to even write another moony song, as I was wrapping up the Honest Men album and going through personal life change/transition. When I came back to the drawing board for moony, my entire perspective had shifted. I could not write songs ‘for’ an audience, I HAD to write songs for myself. It HAD to be real for me. Authentic. So, I started writing, unfiltered both lyrically and sonically. What was birthed from those writing sessions became a much more alt-pop-punk-rock vibe that I never expected to come from moony.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I write and produce music for my band Honest Men and for my solo artist project moony. I’m most known for my involvement in Honest Men and have only recently started writing and releasing music as moony. I’ve never really tried to sound a certain way, I just kind of write in the moment and don’t know what I’m doing. Not sure what would set me apart from others, especially given all the incredible artists I’m friends with, but I like what I create and would probably listen to my music if I wasn’t the one creating it! I just write what I like to listen to.

Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
My life drastically changed during Covid but not due to Covid. So no, Covid didn’t teach me any interesting or important.

Contact Info:

• Email: hellomoonyme@gmail.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/sethismoony
• Facebook: Facebook.com/sethismoony
• Twitter: twitter.com/sethismoony
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDcnaBDAj-CmrF5XtIZsVlw
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/sethismoony

Image Credits
Images by Corey O’Connell and Daniel Baros