00:00
DJ Beowvlf
Off the Record is a show from 88.1 WKNC in which DJs talk with artists about everything from their music to upcoming tours to former bandmates birthdays. Make sure to follow WKNC on soundcloud and Tumblr so you never miss a beat. Enjoy. Thank you to Lady Moon and the Eclipse for joining myself, DJ Beowulf, on an off the Record interview for wknc. We are going to be talking about their music creation, personal styles and influences, as well as their upcoming show for the Raleigh audience at Neptunes. More discussions on that to follow later. For everyone who's present for the interview, if you guys would like to introduce yourselves, that would be fantastic.
00:41
Ngonda Badila
Yes. Hello. I’m Ngonda Badila, AKA Lady Moon. Singer, songwriter, lead singer, songwriter.
00:49
Arlen Hart
Hi, I'm Arlen. I play keyboards in the band.
00:53
Ken Reichl
I'm Ken. I play the drums.
00:56
Ntangou Badila
And I’m Ntangou.
01:00
DJ Beowvlf
But you guys aren't the. The complete band. Correct. There's two more members.
01:05
Ngonda Badila
Yeah.
01:06
DJ Beowvlf
And who are they and what do they do?
01:09
Ngonda Badila
Kula is backing vocals and Jonathan is based. And they're doing laundry.
01:17
DJ Beowvlf
Well, laundry is probably one of the most important things to do during tour. Y' all are in Nashville at the moment. How far are you into this current tour cycle?
01:28
Arlen Hart
We're about halfway and just about halfway. So we started in Brooklyn last week in our hometown, and then came down through Virginia and Asheville and Knoxville, and now we've landed in Nashville.
01:42
DJ Beowvlf
And this is for the, like, the summer Solstice tour that you're doing, correct?
01:47
Ngonda Badila
Eclipse season.
01:49
DJ Beowvlf
The Eclipse season, obviously. Other than the name of your group, what was the reasoning for scheduling these tours around the summer Eclipse season in.
02:00
Ngonda Badila
Well, I. I gave. I created the name for the band and like, kind of like the idea, like about 10 years ago, my name means the moon, Gonda means the moon in Ningala, which is the language of the Congo. And I. When I first started the band, I automatically wanted it to be called Lady Moon in the Eclipse because I felt like, you know, I'm the moon, the audience is the earth, and the musicians are the stars, and so they're like the sun. So that's kind of how it all started. And then I just kept the name and I just kept developing the concept and like the aesthetic. And as the years continued to go and as the band continued to develop, it's like bond.
02:54
DJ Beowvlf
I think that's a really beautiful metaphor in terms of calling the audience the earth. Of course they're representative of the earth. Like, as the planet entirely. But being the ones to which you direct your light is a very cool set of imagery that you use for that. I guess, just for an interesting background discussion, were there any other names that you were even considering?
03:18
Ngonda Badila
Nah, that's literally like, the first. First thing that came to mind as soon as I.
03:23
DJ Beowvlf
That spark of genius.
03:24
Ngonda Badila
Originally, my name was Lady G, because I used to. When I was. When I was playing with people, they always were like, oh, every song you're writing is in G. All right, well, I guess I'm Lady G. And I had Lady G for, like, six months. And then I started, like, musicians were interested in working with me, and, like, I just started cultivating a lot of artists that wanted musicians that wanted to work with me. And once I started working with musicians, I was like, all right, it's Lady G and the Eclipse. But knowing that I was the moon, you know, that I still had the concept of, like, the root concept in my mind. And then my brother, Young Paris, who's like a big artist now, he was like, why don't you just call yourself Lady Moon?
04:13
Ngonda Badila
Like, And I was like, I'm already the moon. Like, you know, I'd rather like that be something people find out. But he was like, no, just call yourself Lady Moon. Like that. That's going to make way more sense. And then I was like, all right. So then I changed it to Lady Moon and Eclipse, and this might be kind off the wall, I guess.
04:25
DJ Beowvlf
I personally am very intrigued by this, for lack of a better phrase, like story, describing how your name came about. My last name is actually Mooney M O O N E Y. And I've always felt a connection to the moon from. For that reason. My name obviously doesn't mean the moon or anything, but it's just my family name, and it's something that I really appreciate. So I think that's a really charming story, and it's a very powerful set of imagery that I mentioned earlier that you use for your performances. As far as your performances go, I believe you do this Eclipse tour every year, correct?
05:10
Ngonda Badila
Every. Well, we've been doing it every six months, actually, because the Eclipse season is about every six months.
05:16
DJ Beowvlf
Right, right. Because there's the summer and winter Eclipses, correct?
05:20
Ngonda Badila
Yes.
05:21
DJ Beowvlf
Do you ever get a break ever?
05:24
Ngonda Badila
Well, we started the first one. We started in 2016, in the fall of 2016, and we just. Really. Just been working really hard to just be. To continue being consistent and. And catching every Eclipse season and.
05:43
DJ Beowvlf
No, sorry, you continue. I apologize.
05:45
Ngonda Badila
No, yeah. I mean, it's been. It's definitely been really challenging because, you know, it's. It's not easy to, like, manage, you know, other lives. I mean, like, everyone in the band kind of has their own life and their own, like, art and skills that they do. So it's definitely, like, a challenge to be like, all right, like, you know, sacrifice, you know, a couple weeks to do this Eclipse season. So some Eclipse Season tours are literally, like, a weekend or two. Not. It's not like, what we're doing now, which is the whole two weeks or more. So, yeah, it's a challenge, but everyone has been working with us and, you know, making it happen.
06:30
DJ Beowvlf
I can't imagine how much work goes into putting on these tours and suspending your entire life outside of making music. Are these tours backed by any broader record label, or are you doing them, like, DIY style?
06:44
Ken Reichl
We started. We started doing. We were. It's all diy and every tour we've done since the first one, we've gotten better at preparing and booking and, like, this. This summer's tour, like, this summer tour, we started booking right after the previous Eclipse season, which was in January. So as soon as those shows ended, we pretty much started booking this one. And so, like, the more advanced time that we have, the more different shows that we can do, the more new places we can visit. And so it's been working for us in that way. But it's definitely a super challenge that multiple of us in the band has to do the different parts in organizing.
07:35
DJ Beowvlf
As far as doing different parts in organizing, as well as doing different parts on stage. Considering the fact that you've been doing these tours for the last two, almost three years at this point, what's one thing that you've been able to improve upon that was incredibly difficult at the beginning?
07:52
Ngonda Badila
Transportation.
07:54
DJ Beowvlf
Yeah, I. That sounds like it makes sense.
07:57
Ken Reichl
Yeah. Everything has improved. Like, transportation is a huge one. Lodging is another huge one that we've improved.
08:06
Ngonda Badila
Communication.
08:07
Ken Reichl
Communications, like, how we internally communicate as well as, like, how we keep all the information organized and. And, like, for each place that we go to, all that. Keeping all the information organized and just. It's really. It's really just building out the framework for a business is really just what it is. And it's just. It's not, like, hard to do. It's just a lot of busy work and a lot of, like, kind of like, you know, keeping your things organized, keeping everything organized. But another huge thing is, like, we're. We're more able to visit new cities because we Have a system now of, like, reaching out to local artists in these cities that we. That we go to.
08:50
DJ Beowvlf
You want to talk about that system a little bit?
08:54
Ken Reichl
Yeah, usually. Usually what happens now is like, Lady Moon will reach out on Instagram. Well, actually, the first thing is that we. Arlen gets the date in the city. Right. So it's just straight up brute force. Email as many venues as we can.
09:11
DJ Beowvlf
Yeah.
09:13
Ken Reichl
Then when we get a response for a date, then we reach out to the artists in the area on Instagram and just DM the artist. And that's also another group force technique where we just. We just hit up as many artists that kind of, like, are aligned with our music and message as much as possible, and we just brute force reach out to all of them. And then once we get one or two responses, then we can build out the show and make. Make the promotional materials, the posters. We usually end up making posters for the opening artists so that they can promote the show because. Because we're not known in these new cities.
09:56
DJ Beowvlf
Right, right. They've got the fan base, the hometown pride.
10:00
Ken Reichl
Yes.
10:00
Arlen Hart
Yeah. It's hugely helpful.
10:02
DJ Beowvlf
I guess that's one benefit to having a large entourage in terms of, like, band members. You can kind of like have one person do a little bit of everything and that gets the job done.
10:14
Arlen Hart
Yes. Yeah.
10:15
Ken Reichl
Although we. We. The system is always changing. Like, even though I just outline. Even though we just outlined how we. How we did this the past couple tours, like, we might find that we need to improve it or something change. And it's always changing and improving, of.
10:30
DJ Beowvlf
Course, and being able to recognize that there's going to be like, a need for consist. Change is a great skill set to have because oftentimes artists will go in and they'll be like, all right, this is what works. This is what we're going to do. And it can create stagnance, you know, like, you won't improve or get any better in any aspects of music making, touring, or just simply, like you said earlier, creating a business around your marketable art. So being cognizant of that is something you should be super proud of. I mean, just. Yeah, you guys seem like you're really on top of it, so kudos to you. I think that's very impressive. Going into the next thing, talking about things that are impressive, the stage presence that you all have.
11:15
DJ Beowvlf
I was able to read the articles that you sent me and all of the pictures that were in that, whether professional or just like photos that were taken of you on stage, is incredibly Captivating. I know that Lady Moon described earlier the ways in which she envisions different things, like solar bodies being represented by the artists, the backing instrumentalists, the audience, so on, so forth. But when looking at yourself as a visual piece, other than just audio creation, what aspects do you take into account? When, I guess, creating how you want to present yourself?
11:55
Ngonda Badila
Yes. I don't know. I kind of grew up in theater, and my parents were artists, and me and my sisters, we also grew up in a traditional African dance company. And my dad, he used to make, like, the costumes. He used to make the costumes, and he used to tell us that, you know, like, performing is a sacred act. And, you know, we always had to wear full regalia, face pain, like, everything, because, you know, this is a sacred app. And you are also, you know, sharing a performance. You're sharing culture, sharing traditions with the people. And so I don't know, my. When my father passed away, I kind of felt like it was very important to incorporate that into. Into whatever art I'm doing, because, you know, we don't really do the traditional dance anymore.
12:49
Ngonda Badila
Well, we do it, but we don't do it as much as we used to do it. And. And I felt like I wanted to find a way to incorporate that same magic in my own style in the project that I'm leading. And so. So, yeah, I make all the costumes, and I'm. When I'm thinking of it, I'm always thinking of, like, something that represents, like, an infinite pattern or, you know, something that will make people feel like, oh, wow, this is, like. This is, like, amazing. It's so beautiful and so magical. And, you know, this is the same experience people would get when they would see us perform in the traditional dance. It's like, wow, this is amazing. This is magic. This is. We've never seen this before. Like, you know, I want.
13:30
Ngonda Badila
I want to give people, like, a real, like, cosmic experience, like, a real experience that they may never experience in their lives. Like, I want it to be special. And so, yeah, that's kind of like where that comes from.
13:44
Arlen Hart
To add on to that, I will say when. When we're backstage getting ready and putting on these outfits and painting our faces, it does. It gives this amazing feeling that, like, we're about to do something, like, important, and music is so important in this world, and performance is. And the costumes that Lady Moon develops puts us in that, like, kind of that zone, that meditation before we go out on stage, and it really makes the whole experience special for us as well.
14:17
DJ Beowvlf
So just from Listening to that, I have so many questions that I want to ask, and then I could go off tangentially into any of them. So I'm just gonna go in order, referencing your Congolese, like, traditional dance background. Lady Moon, obviously, other than yourself and your sisters, not everyone in the group is of Congolese descent. I apologize. I know that the language is Congolese, but I didn't know how to describe the ethnicity of someone from the Congo. How do you communicate the significance of those traditional family values to someone else who hasn't grown up like that and in order to incorporate it into the art that all of you are making?
15:02
Ngonda Badila
Well, honestly, the way that I see the world, I feel like all cultures carry that tradition. All cultures carry those colors and that magic and that history. And, you know, to me, it's like, you know, we're all the same. It's just that, you know, I grew up in, you know, and with those roots, I grew up with those parents that showed me that this is where we are. And I feel like that is a part of the other members of the band. Like, and my. I'm just here to inspire that more out of them, to inspire them to also channel their roots and their culture, to see that. Wow. Like, my. My history is magic. My history is colorful. It is authentic. It is, you know, culture. It is tradition. Like, we all share that.
15:54
Ngonda Badila
So I feel like, you know, even though it's for us, it's Congolese. Like, I believe that all people on this planet share really, you know, strong roots and culture and tradition and that kind of, like, historical magic. So, you know, we're all in it. And I just. I was just privileged and blessed to have parents that, you know, kind of, like, raised us in it. Like. Like, in a. In that. On that platform.
16:25
DJ Beowvlf
I know that you mentioned your father had passed away, but has your mother been able to see this incredible performance that you do? I imagine it must be, like, deeply touching to know that her children are carrying on this, like, traditional lineage.
16:40
Arlen Hart
Yeah.
16:40
Ngonda Badila
Yes. My mother does support, and she's very proud and very supportive. And my father also got to experience some of it. He has experienced it to the level that it is now, but he is. He is experiencing it like, he's. He's experiencing it.
16:55
DJ Beowvlf
That's beautiful.
16:57
Ngonda Badila
And. But, like, as a physical form, he. The last performance he experienced was actually a really big performance because I won a contest because I was studying music at Hunter College in 2012, when he passed. But I won a contest that spring, and I opened for a big artist called Wale. And it was just, like, a really big event. There were, like, thousands of students in the audience. And I won a talent show, and I got to. I was featured on BET 106 and Park. And then I also was rewarded an opportunity to open for the spring concert at college. And my dad saw that, and that was the biggest performance that he ever saw me do. And I know that he felt like, wow, this is where my daughter's head is. Like, she's really trying to go there, you know?
17:52
Ngonda Badila
So I really believe that was a really. That was, like, one of the biggest performances I've ever done and was to open for, like, artists like that with such a big crowd. And my dad saw it, so he really did get to see in physical form, like, my potential. And. But I still. I believe that he's still with us and he's still seeing it. And he. Sometimes I actually feel like he communicates to me and tells me, like, how proud he is of me and all that I've done and how consistent I've been and how I've been able to overcome so many challenges in life, like, in this passionate and, like, compassionate and patient way.
18:29
DJ Beowvlf
Thank you so much for opening up and being so raw and exposed there. I didn't mean to come across as invasive or prying into you too much. So thank you for sharing those personal manifests with me. Going on to the next thing. When sharing your art with other people, what kind of feedback have you received? And can you just discuss, I guess, like, audience interactions when recepting your music?
19:00
Ngonda Badila
Well, I mean, we could all answer that.
19:03
DJ Beowvlf
Anyone can. Yeah, of course.
19:05
Ngonda Badila
Yeah. People definitely are, like, you know, they just didn't expect it. And they're. They come to us saying things like, wow, I was in tears, or I. I just. That was such a spiritual experience. Or, I like, you. You guys are gonna be big. You guys need to be. Yeah, I get. I'm sending you so many blessings. Your messages are very healing. They're very inspiring. Like, what you're doing is going to change the world. You have a heart of this. You have, like. It's just so much. It's like. It's like. It's so many uplifting and, like, positive affirmations that are coming from the audience. And I don't know if anybody else wants to share.
19:47
Ken Reichl
Like, yeah, a lot of what we hear is, like, I needed that, or, like, we need this. Like, as if it were something that, you know, something that we happen to be creating that's in Demand. But people didn't know that they needed it or wanted it, you know, so, you know, and that's surprising. You know, that's surprising to us because we're just. We're just doing it. We're just doing it because we like to do it. But then to get the response of like, it was like a spiritual or therapeutic or an experience that was needed for their life is profound.
20:28
DJ Beowvlf
Would you say that you intend to create this spiritual experience or is it more of a release of catharsis of what's already in.
20:38
Ken Reichl
I think we're just doing it just because we like, just. We're not. We're not out to. We're not out to necessarily. I don't think we're necessarily out to like, we're going to heal people. We're just doing it because we like to do it. We like the music. The Me and the.
20:53
Ngonda Badila
And.
20:53
Ken Reichl
And I mean, Lady Moon has the message of putting up positive music and message, but I don't think we're going. We're setting out to necessarily.
21:03
Ngonda Badila
I mean, that. That's definitely like an individual answer kind of question, because I. I definitely am intending to. I feel like I'm. Because my messaging and the way the lyrics that I write and, you know, the way that I, like, feel the music kind of manifesting is to heal people, is to. To make a difference, is to inspire people, is to awaken people and. And to make them see that and. And feel with the music that we are more. You know, like, I feel like it's to give them an other experience so that they can understand that there is other.
21:41
DJ Beowvlf
You know what I mean?
21:42
Ngonda Badila
We're not. Yeah, just. We're not just one thing. We are more than that. And so we. We do kind of. I feel like, you know, everybody in the band is like, even for Ken to say that, it's like, yes, we are very unique and we do want to do things in our own unique kind of ways individually. Like, we want to, you know, approach it in a very unique and way that creates identity and who we are as musicians. But also like, I feel like collectively when we create because of. Because it's so unique and it's so different, we're really like, you know, kind of creating this identity within ourselves. The music ends up sounding like that. It ends up sounding like its own thing, which. Which again is also. Even if that's not intentional, it's. It's like kind of like a spiritual.
22:30
Ngonda Badila
It's a part of the spiritual experience that people feel when they're like, wow, this is. You know, this is so different. This is like, this is something we've never heard before. Like, where are you guys even from? Like, that's definitely a question. We get a lot like, wait, wait. Where are you guys from? I'll say it on stage. I'll be like, he's from Japan. He's from France. Like, I'll tell people, like, where we're all from. But then after the set, they're like, wait, where are you guys from? Like, as if we're, like, from another planet.
22:56
DJ Beowvlf
Yeah. From the moon.
22:58
Ngonda Badila
It's really interesting. Yeah.
23:01
DJ Beowvlf
I imagine that getting all of these responses, whether requited or otherwise, as empowering and amazing as that might be, do you ever feel as though it can be a burden at times to meet those expectations and. Or exceed them?
23:23
Ngonda Badila
Yeah, but, I mean, there's. There's the burden part that I feel is that, you know, not. I don't feel. I feel like the world is awakening and that we are coming to, like, a consciousness of healing and aligning ourselves, our mind, body and soul, and just, like, you know, eating healthier, understanding that, you know, there are stresses in the world and that we need to identify with them so that we can take care of ourselves. Like, I feel like people are starting to awaken to that, but there's still, like, such a small percentage of people that are coming to the awakening. And I feel like our music is kind of for those small percentage. So the burden, in a way, is like, you know, will our music ever reach far?
24:04
Ngonda Badila
Because are people really going to wake up and, like, be able to channel this kind of, you know, openness, this music that's very open and very, like, infinite and. But I don't know. I. I feel pretty confident, you know, in what we're creating. Like, I don't. I don't think the. I don't feel the burden. And, like, you know, will people, like it or, like, what are they? What are. Or the expectations that people have? I don't feel the burden there. I feel like, you know what? Like, this is what it is. This is what we do. And, like, whether people like it or not, that's just. That's. That's. That's in the world, you know, that's up to the world.
24:45
DJ Beowvlf
That's incredibly valid. Yeah.
24:47
Ngonda Badila
But I do feel like, you know, I. I hope that more people wake up and, like, become. Come to, you know, an awakening in themselves so that they can receive this, like, music and. And, you know, and it just spreads and it awakens more people and inspires more people and it. You know, stuff like that.
25:10
DJ Beowvlf
So what were your intentions with the new single, Global Warning? Obviously, the title is. It kind of says it right there. But what was your thought process when going into writing this piece?
25:23
Ngonda Badila
Well, actually, the first thing was. So this. This song came out of a jam because we do retreats. We come together and do retreats, like, every, like, six or eight months or something. We're trying to do more of them because the band is now living in all kinds of different places. But so we had a. A jam. There was a jam that was happening during our retreat with the musicians, the drummer, bass and keys. And so I actually ended up hearing the. What they had created. They created this music and I listened to it and it, like, it was just really, like, rocking. Like, I felt like if I'm gonna do a song with this vibe, I'm gonna send, like, a really, like, powerful message. Like something that. That, that. That. That feels like rage. That feels like. Like kind of like anger.
26:17
Ngonda Badila
And, you know, my. You know, my. A lot of. A lot of my lyrics and my music right now is very inspired by the conditions of the planet, the conditions of our spirit, of our soul, the conditions of our relationships and, like, and our social status in the world. And so, you know, I don't know, I just. I just. In the time, I think it was like, winter, and I was, like, so frustrated with, you know, the hot and cold that was happening in the winter. Like, some days it was, like, hot and some days were cold. It was just getting, like, a little crazy. And then.
26:48
DJ Beowvlf
It's not natural.
26:49
Ngonda Badila
Yeah, not natural the way that it's happening. And then there's all these stories about global climate change and, like, you know, all these. There was a lot of earthquakes that were happening, and I even had some friends that were, like, having to be removed from their homes.
27:04
DJ Beowvlf
Hell, an earthquake just happened in LA the other day.
27:08
Ngonda Badila
Yeah, this earthquake.
27:09
DJ Beowvlf
Two of them.
27:10
Ngonda Badila
Yeah, to these extreme levels. And there's, like, hurricanes happening all over, like the forest fires. Like, there's just. So. There were so many things happening that year. And I was like, oh, my God, like, the. The planet is mad. I feel like Earth, like, because we are Earth. Just the same way that we experience all these emotions of anger and rage and sadness or happy joy, and, you know, the. The earth feels it too. We vibrate with the earth.
27:38
DJ Beowvlf
She's screaming.
27:40
Ngonda Badila
So I feel like the Earth. The same way that we can get upset. We have to understand that The Earth can get upset. Like, the Earth can get mad and, like, do, like, so. Or do things.
27:50
DJ Beowvlf
So don't worry about it. You're all good.
27:52
Ngonda Badila
I really felt like the Earth. The Earth wanted us to send a message saying that it is upset and that. Don't, don't disregard these, you know, these natural disasters. These are actually, you know, messages from the Earth expressing its anger and rage. It's not. It's not just, you know, just a coincidence or just whatever. It's actually the. The. The emotions of our planet that is trying to communicate with us that it's very upset. And so I felt like, yeah, that's kind of like, lyrically at least, and melodically that's kind of like, what. What is. What I'm trying to express in this song is that, you know, the earth is mad.
28:40
DJ Beowvlf
Now, of course, one person, let alone six people, cannot be expected to calm or soothe or heal the Earth themselves. But it is important to take care of yourself when dealing with all of this turmoil, both culturally in your community and when communicating these things to a broader audience. How do you do that? How do you. How do you remain stable when seeing yourself as a conduit for speaking out?
29:15
Ngonda Badila
It took a journey. It took a journey to get there because I definitely used to get, like, really upset and get, like, really stressed out. You know, when I felt like, you know, I would see. Yeah, I would just see people being distracted and kind of, like, doing their own thing and, like, eating really crappy and, like, you know, just not really taking care of themselves, not really taking, like, not really considering, like, the. The. The critical condition of things. And it was frustrating, but then, yeah, it really was about me just channeling my own self, like, getting my own self right, you know, making sure I'm healthy, making sure I'm, you know, finding my peace and not getting stressed out and stuff like that and. And hoping that can be an inspiration for other people, which it has been.
30:03
Ngonda Badila
And, you know, I stopped thinking about it in a way of, like, I want to save the world. I started thinking about it as, like, I just want to save myself. And, like, if I can be an example for others, then that's. That's me contributing and extending that. That healing. So. Because that, honestly, that's, like, the best way to keep my peace and my balance. I don't know if anybody else in the band has something to say. I know that we. We all are spiritual in our own way. I definitely create, like, rituals and, like, ceremonies with my community or with Myself to help me, you know, just kind of be. Remain connected with myself, remain true to myself. And I know Arlen, he's a Buddhist.
30:50
Ken Reichl
Yeah, yeah.
30:50
Arlen Hart
Meditation definitely helps and exercise, and particularly on tour, it can get pretty tiring. So it's easy to want the junk food and want the readily accessible comforts and things like that, but it's important to step a little bit beyond that and push yourself to not fall or not succumb to those things on tour in order to keep the energy up.
31:28
Ken Reichl
Yeah, for me it's been more just like not letting, or, you know, it's a long journey, but not letting external factors disrupt my internal mechanism of just balance and peace. Because, you know, anyone, anybody can just think about it. Anything that's happening externally in the world that's outside of our bodies and just easily let it stress us out or just kind of bring us, you know, ruin our equilibrium. So. So my thing, definitely meditation is something I'm catching on to as well and just valuing my state of being in any given moment over the concerns that I have about the external world. And this isn't necessarily to say like, I'm not paying attention to what's going on or I don't care about what's happening outside. It's that I'm just not. I'm.
32:24
Ken Reichl
I'm aware of it and I care about it, but I'm just not letting it, you know, ruin my day.
32:32
DJ Beowvlf
Is like, of course you can't do anything if you are incapacitated or unhealthy in any way because of the external factors that can be degrading. And so many horrible things happen on a daily basis. And being a band of major. I apologize for studying being a band primarily made up of people of color and with a woman as the front woman and comprised of several women other than her, it can, I imagine, subject you to a lot of the intersectional difficulties that exist on a daily basis for people who exist within those demographics. And as you mentioned, taking care of yourself is the first step to making any sort of change.
33:27
DJ Beowvlf
And it's very impressive to see all of you not only do that, but to take those values and messages that you so strongly incorporate into your own lives and bring them to the music and the stage and the earth to which you sing. I guess that leads me into my next question, saying what values do you hope most to impress upon your audience?
33:51
Ngonda Badila
What, what value?
33:52
DJ Beowvlf
What values? Just like what is important to you to share with the audience.
34:00
Ngonda Badila
The most important thing is to share like authenticity is just to be. Just to give your. Give your best and like, you know, keep it real, you know, because there was definitely a time where I was like not authentic in a way that, where I wasn't. I was just like thinking too much about the experience. I was thinking too much about how I'm coming out, like what. How I'm doing it, how I'm moving, how like I was thinking too much. And I feel like it wasn't authentic. I wasn't really being who I am. And, and I feel like my, the value to me comes with just being who you are.
34:48
Ngonda Badila
Like, you know, like even like last night it was a really challenging show for me because the night, the two nights before we did two hour sets that like started at like 11 and ended at like 1 or 2 and I--
35:06
DJ Beowvlf
Two hours set, geez.
35:08
Ngonda Badila
Yeah. One of them was in a venue where they smoked cigarettes and so. And I actually feel like it like affected my voice. Like it like messed up my voice a little bit. So last night, you know, I was like performing and I realized I wasn't able to hit like certain notes.
35:26
Arlen Hart
But.
35:27
Ngonda Badila
And sometimes when that has happened in the past, I'll like, you know, I just won't want to give my best experience. Like I feel like I'll, you know, I won't feel good about myself and I'll just like, I'll fake it. I'll fake what I'm feeling. And to me. And I realized last night I was like, you know what? I just got to keep it real. Like let me just do my best. Like let me just keep it authentic and you know, let me just still be happy, still be smiling, still really give like what I'm really feeling right now and what it really is, the situation and not to like and give it to the audience instead of like giving it to myself with all this worry and all this tension.
36:07
Ngonda Badila
And so yeah, that's what it's me when it comes to the value is just you know, giving my best and you know, giving them the most authentic experience that they can get. So I don't know that. Tanya, do you want to say anything? Well, I was going to say something about the self care which kind of goes along with what she just said. And to me it's very important to always be mindful of intentions and everything that we do in life. And especially when it comes to music and performance, it's very important to like really know what you're doing it for and really understand what the purpose is and why you feel like, you know, that's something that you want to do and make sure that's something that's making you personally happy in whatever ways you're making yourself understand that.
37:00
Ngonda Badila
And not just doing it because it's like, well, I'm just doing this for the people. I'm just doing this because it's something that I feel like is something that people need. It's like, what is making you happy about whatever you're doing in life? And like, what is the intention behind what you're doing? So for her to be saying that, you know, the intention is to be authentic. Authentic. That's her intention. For me, a lot of my. My purpose is in similar ways. It's similar things. But you know, it's definitely. I'm definitely inspired by the messages. So that's what makes me, you know, kind of like I'm losing my train of thought because I'm trying to answer both questions at the same time.
37:44
DJ Beowvlf
But I appreciate the effort.
37:46
Ngonda Badila
Definitely. Intention is very important when it comes to self care.
37:51
Ken Reichl
Yeah. And I will say, like back the. With the values, like, I think a huge part of it is like showing. And this, you know, this is. This is a challenge that we've had since the beginning of getting this message out, both musically but also visually through like our visual content online, which I help out with making, which is the message of like, of our cosmic identity. Like making our. Making us human beings, like understanding ourselves as cosmic beings rather than, you know, our socioeconomic being status and that, you know, we are on a planet that's blasting through space, you know, like it's a spaceship. I mean, it really is kind of like a spaceship. Lady Moon says it often on stage and.
38:44
Ken Reichl
And that cosmic alignments occur regularly on a regular basis and that we can use celestial bodies that are in cyclical motion, regular motions, stable motion, that they. It's almost like a clock, you know, that we can use as a tool to recognize that, like, aspects of the physical reality of the celestial bodies do represent aspects of our internal being. You know, the sun representing our mind and the earth representing our body and the moon representing our soul. Our. Our soul and spirit. And that they do come into alignment. They actually do come into alignment twice a year, you know, and that we can utilize those periods in which they do come into alignment to remember that. Oh, like, okay, I got. This is my period, the Eclipse season. This is the time in which I can focus on my.
39:42
Ken Reichl
Whatever weaknesses that I want to focus on or focus on. My strengths, you know, like, you can actually use the cosmic elements of our lives as reference points for. For improving ourselves. And I think that message is. Is part of, you know, the name leading with Eclipse and Eclipse using tour. And we're trying to get this message out in that way through. Through copy and music.
40:10
DJ Beowvlf
Well, I'd like to say thank you to each and every one of you for sharing with me your autism, authenticity and the many ways in which you work together to create this experience that you share with your audience. I know that Raleigh will most certainly get to experience this wholeheartedly on. I believe the date is Thursday.
40:32
Ngonda Badila
Yes, Thursday.
40:33
DJ Beowvlf
It's the 12th. What time doors open and what time is the show?
40:37
Ngonda Badila
It's 11.
40:38
DJ Beowvlf
11.
40:40
Ngonda Badila
Is that Thursday?
40:42
DJ Beowvlf
Yeah. Yeah, the 11th is Thursday.
40:44
Ngonda Badila
Okay, Thursday.
40:45
Arlen Hart
Yeah. Doors are at 9. The show's at 10. And we got a local group. The materials on the show as well. They're awesome.
40:54
DJ Beowvlf
They are very cool.
40:56
Arlen Hart
Yeah. So we're psyched to check them out too.
40:59
DJ Beowvlf
Well, thank you so much for talking to me today. Like I said, we will definitely get this podcast out prior to the show and try to promote it as best as we can. I really enjoyed speaking with you and I'm sure I could ask a million more questions because you all have so much, like, thought and energy to give that I would just love to sit and listen and receive. But I am just grateful for the time that we had and I hope that you guys have a really incredible show coming up on Thursday and tonight, obviously. But you know, Raleigh,
41:31
Arlen Hart
Thank you.
41:32
DJ Beowvlf
Of course, if you have any last comments that you'd like to make for. For the future listeners of this podcast, this is the time to do so.
41:39
Ngonda Badila
Just happy Eclipse season.
41:42
DJ Beowvlf
Happy Eclipse season.
41:43
Ngonda Badila
Happy Eclipse season. And, you know, make sure it takes some time to align with, you know, good, healthy, positive environments and people and, you know, situations. And this is a great time to do that. It's a very powerful time to go into transformative ways of moving. And yes, it's very challenging, but it's definitely a powerful time to do that.
42:10
DJ Beowvlf
Like I said, thank you so much, Lady Moon and the Eclipse. Every single one of you, please pass along my best regards to the two members who would not be with us today. And I hope, like I said, I hope you have a killer show tonight and in Raleigh.