Shut up and dance with Walk The Moon

I’ve always thought it was interesting that Walk The Moon’s first big hit is called “Anna Sun.” (Get it?) The inescapable party song was something of a summer anthem back in 2011, and when I got the chance to interview one of the members back then, he said it was actually inspired by a teacher the guys had back in college.

“We told her about it shortly after writing it,” said guitarist Eli Maiman. “We sent her a recording of the song, along with the lyrics, and she actually asked us to change the line, ‘Your shoulder in my mouth,’ saying it was too suggestive. We didn’t change the lyric, but we don’t think she’s mad about it. She likes the song.” Well, so did I and a lot of other fun-loving Pinoys.

A few years and two full-length albums later, the Cincinnati, Ohio-based band has finally made their way to the Philippines. Maiman, drummer Sean Waugaman, bassist Kevin Ray and vocalist Nicholas Petricca are in Manila this week at the invitation of Ayala Malls to play several shows. At a brief press conference, the foursome showed up sporting funky hairdos and wearing 80s-inspired, Parker Lewis Can’t Lose-shirts. It’s no secret that the band has a fondness for the decade of shoulder pads and mullets.

“The guitar solo; that ought to make a comeback,” said Ray, in answer to a question about what from the 80s did they think should be resurrected. “I mean that’s the reason I wanted to play guitar. And somebody told me I could be the most famous person in the world if I played bass.”

Walk The Moon’s music, I wrote back in 2012, is like what you would imagine a bunch of college kids would be playing on their way out of the campus to have a few beers on a Saturday night. On the new album, there is still that vibe, but there’s an unmistakable maturity and an awareness of things beyond their immediate consciousness. “Different Colors,” for instance, is a statement about equality and diversity, particularly considering LGBT rights. “It’s not just tolerating but celebrating our differences, what makes all of us special,” said Petricca.

But the band certainly never let go of their kooky personalities and nowhere is this more evident than in their massive hit “Shut Up And Dance.” The song is so big it got them a pass to play at this year’s Lollapalooza festival, as well as stage time with Taylor Swift at one of the stops in her current tour. Funnily enough, just like “Anna Sun,” the song is actually inspired by real events. And it almost didn’t make it to the album, which is called Talking Is Hard.



“We were recording at this place in Northern Kentucky, and we thought we were done, but the team asked us to write a little more and I’m really glad they did because it was during those extra writing sessions in LA that we wrote ‘Shut Up And Dance.’

“We were out in a club and there was this girl in a backless dress and sneakers and she actually told me to shut up and dance with her, so yeah, it’s based on a true story,” he added.

Going through the comments on the YouTube for the video for “Shut Up and Dance,” which has so far racked up over 84 million views, it’s clear that the band has their share of haters. But that’s to be expected. Nobody, not even The Beatles themselves, is safe from comments ranging from casual criticism to all-out contempt. But I can only speak for myself when I say that whenever I play their songs, especially “Aquaman,” “Anna Sun,” and “Shut Up and Dance” (which I haven’t gotten tired of just yet despite listening to it constantly for the last few months), I just feel an overwhelming sense of positivity and good vibes. And for a band to be the cause of  that, that’s never a bad thing. — BM, GMA News

Walk The Moon is playing free shows today (August 19), 5 p.m. at UP Town Center and 7:30 p.m. at TriNoMa, and Thursday (August 20), 5 p.m. at Market! Market! and 7:30 p.m. at Glorietta Activity Center.

Paul John Caña is a magazine writer and live music geek. He is also co-founder of libreto.org, an online collective of writers and artists. Email him at pjcana@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter and Instagram @pauljohncana.