For Moonstone Continuum, space is the place

“Epic” is the first adjective that can jump to mind when describing the music of the Moonstone Continuum, followed closely by “weird.” “Epically weird” is not far off the mark either. The sextet claims to be an "Orthodox Lunarian Organization"—a supposedly ancient religion with a different paradigm of history, multiple conceptions of reality, and a distinctly fecund and erotic bent. Exactly what that means is hidden somewhere in the polysyllabic, mystic sermons and writings of leader  Reverend Micah Mackert, who fills the band's website and live shows with fulsome orations that could be cousins of George Clinton's more outlandish astro-histories.

Is it a joke? If so, Mackert and his Moonstone brethren are very good at keeping a straight face. Whether they're true believers or just really committed to a performance, Moonstone's bizarre energy is truly powerful: It’s dirty, sexy, mind-altering rock 'n' roll, powered by giant prog-rock keys, screaming guitars and thumping drums. Mackert, acting as the Lunarian mouthpiece, shakes and stumbles across the stage as if possessed. It’s a sight to behold, and not a surprise that Moonstone snagged a spot at First Avenue’s annual “Best New Bands” showcase on Friday. The A.V. Club caught up with Mackert while the band, which has a record coming out in February, was on the road to try to shed some light on Lunarianism.

The A.V. Club: If I wanted to convert to Lunarianism through the Moonstone Ministries, what are the basic precepts I should understand?

Micah Mackert: Lunarianism is a religion that is based on a personal, individual journey towards factualism. It puts a lot on the individual to be discerning and analytical in the way that they approach consciousness, and doing that correctly is difficult for a lot of people. 

AVC: What is “factualism”?

MM: You have to realize that Lunarianism is a living, breathing force in a person’s life, so it is very difficult to get into foundations, because it is about being very receptive to different approaches to consciousness and being really honest in appraising reality and how it is functioning.

AVC: In the live performances, your sermons focus on fecundity and nature, and the cover of your upcoming record by artist Michael Gaughan features what appears to be a hermaphroditic space creature populating a pair of planets. What’s that about?

MM: The image you are speaking of is on the cover of the record. That is a beautiful portrait of “Salivia”—in the very late North Lore era, probably 3,200 years ago, there was a different paradigm structure to existence. Salivia was sort of the initiation as the child population which inhabited First Earth, which is the child planet of the twin planets; when they strolled to the precipice of pubescence and were translated through Salivia into adulthood, on Second Earth.

AVC: Does your “Salivia” have any relation to the hallucinogenic drug salvia divinorum?

MM: No, no, there is no relationship there.

AVC: Is there a strong tradition of Lunarian music?

MM: We have quite literally pillaged and ransacked history looking for shreds of resonances from which we can piece together some of the older ancient musical themes, but we use those to create something different and maybe more involved.

AVC: Who are some historical Lunarians? Are the Bach fugues Lunarian? Were Emerson, Lake & Palmer Lunarian? Was Anthrax?

MM: None of those you have mentioned, to my knowledge. It’s difficult to know, as I said, generally because of the persecution Lunarians experienced—once a Lunarian comes into celebrity, they are forced to sacrifice acknowledging their own faith, so it is very difficult to tell, especially in recent times. I don’t know that I know of any other contemporary musicians who have acknowledged being Lunarian.

AVC: You were a student at Sarah Lawrence College. What did you study there?

MM: I no longer study anything there. When I was there I was studying history of religions, comparative studies, and theology. But I found the environment there to be restrictive of really penetrating scholarship, so I extracted myself.

AVC: How does the recorded Moonstone differ from the live experience?

MM: In the live experience we structure things a little bit differently, and there is sermonizing in the show, but with the record, you have a meticulously pieced-together experience. You have Lunarian scriptures right in front of you that come with the record, and it might be easier to experience it contemplatively when you are listening to the record as opposed to seeing a live show where it can become very difficult to restrain you emotions and behave reasonably, [inducing] a sort of manic reveling.

AVC: What do you do in your personal lives to maintain that lucid opening?

MM: Well, I always find that socializing helps. We do a lot of, I wouldn’t call it a "prayer" kind of deal, but we spend a lot of time in Aaron [Baum, keyboardist]’s Ford trying to allow ourselves to resound within as a group and thereby snatch nodules of interest from the ether, and that’s magnetically. Most often we are not driving because it is dangerous to be operating a vehicle if you receive a significant message. It is also somewhat safer now that Aaron’s Ford is a Dodge.