PandaCorn is the result of a misdated Halloween gig and also a new collaboration between Moose Jaw based singer songwriters Megan Nash and Brodie Mohninger. They play the Owl Acoustic Lounge, Jan, 17.
“We were playing what we thought was a Halloween gig and Megan had a unicorn costume and I had a panda costume,” related guitarist/ keyboardist Brodie Mohninger adding when they called to confirm the gig, they learned it wasn’t a costume party or even a Halloween gig at all, but they still had the costumes.
“ But somebody thought it would be a good name — Pandacorn,” he continued.
While he has backed Nash many times for her solo gigs, they have been playing together as Pandacorn for about a year.
Mohninger, who was playing in an experimental jazz/ rock/ progressive rock band called Brain Sauce before Pandacorn and Nash, who has a successful solo career, thought Pandacorn was a great outlet for songs which didn’t fit in with either projects.
“Megan is a very accomplished singer and Brain Sauce plays a lot of experimental music. But we spent a lot of time working on two part vocal harmonies, (with Pandacorn)” he said.
“So that’s the biggest difference,” he said adding as a result the songwriting process was a lot more collaborative between the two.
They have also been trying out different drummers, so for this short weekend tour of Alberta, also including stops in Calgary and Edmonton, Edmonton drummer Nick Davies will be joining them to kick things off in Lethbridge.
“ He plays with Alex Vissia, so I know him from there,” he said.
“It’s hard to find a drummer in Moose Jaw who is able to tour. He’s a great guy and a great drummer so I’m looking forward to that,” he continued.
He noted touring in the winter is tough, so they just focus on weekends.
“I remember one time touring with Brain Sauce. We blew a tire on the on the highway by Leduc and a blizzard was coming in. Luckily the guy driving the bus slowly guided it to the side. It was just brutal. The RCMP had to pull us into town for two kilometres in reverse,” he related.
Nash and Mohninger have been working on eight new songs to be released soon.
“It will feel really fresh for us to go out there and play them,” he said, promising a rock and roll show on this tour.
— By Richard Amery, L.A. Beat Editor
