Is it too late fix the things in the world that are broken? That was the question on powerhouse Seattle guitarist Kathy Moore’s mind when she wrote her Super Power trio’s newest single, “Bad Day’s Coming,” and started planning the entrancing music video that accompanies it. To celebrate its release, the Kathy Moore Super Power Trio will be playing a live stream concert from The High Dive on July 31, 2020 at 8pm PST, which you’ll be able to watch live on the High Dive Facebook page.
Moore, who’s been on the Seattle scene for decades now, is well known for her artistry, energy, and incredible technical ability on the guitar—and this new release exhibits all three qualities, with a relatable nod to the turmoil many of us are feeling right now. “Bad Day’s Coming” was inspired largely by global warming, but its dark, grunge-like melody and cynical lyrics feel especially relevant right now as they speak to Moore’s ever-deepening anxiety over the global pandemic. The video, which reveals the sharp, jutting modern dance of Alison Burke dancing outside in black and white and shrouded in visual effects, doubles down on an uneasy, apocalyptic feeling.
“I wrote ‘Bad Day’s Coming’ before the pandemic hit about all of the things happening in the world—and fear of the apocalypse,” says Moore. “[It was partly inspired by] a gig [I did] earlier this year with a spoken word piece to the young people in the audience called, ‘I’m sorry we destroyed your planet.'”
“Bad Day’s Coming” is the second single to be released from Moore’s forthcoming album, I Won’t Let The End of the World Bring Me Down, due out in September. Recorded by Don Gunn, best known for his work with Death Cab for Cutie, the new album features a cast of Seattle greats including Alyssa Martini (Trick Candles, Tobias The Owl), Faith Stankevich (Grace Love, Marmalade), Tim Kennedy (Happy Orchestra), Sean P. Bates (Halloqueen, Medicine Hat), and Andy Stoller (Heart).
To complement this single from the star-studded new album, Moore commissioned a video from two Seattle-based multidisciplinary artists—Ruby Dunphy, known best for her work in Seattle glam rock band Thunderpussy, and Allison Burke of No Baby—after feeling a kinship with the way both of them approach art-making.
“When I first met Ruby Dunphy I felt like I knew her already. She is a remarkable musician, artist, creator and person,” says Moore. “I asked Allison to choreograph and edit my video and—if you watch the No Baby video “Breach” you will know why. She performs with wit, from the gut and with great beauty.”
Dunphy and Burke create a gritty, chaotic visual masterpiece that perfectly complements and augments the gloomy intensity of the song—which Moore says may seem uncharacteristic of her everyday persona.
“I am a very happy person and I think the reason I can remain happy is that I am constantly chasing away demons in my songs,” Moore says. “Writing this song was very cathartic.”
And, despite the foreboding, dark nature of the song, Moore has a cautiously hopeful outlook when it comes to the triumph of the human spirit. “I do not know if we pull back away from the edge of the cliff because of human nature,” she says. “Human beings have also overcome great obstacles together with the same human nature.”
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