Katie Earl (center) talked about her career with the Mowgli’s and shared stories about recording and touring in this edition of “A Conversation.” (Photo property of Photo Finish Records & Island Records)
By: Jacob Elyachar, jakes-take.com
One band that I have enjoyed covering since Jake’s Take’s inception is Los Angeles-based alternative rock band the Mowgli’s.
Since the band debuted, Colin Dieden, Josh Hogan, Katie Earl, Dave Appelbaum, Matthew Di Panni, Spencer Trent & Andy Warren’s feel-good music has put permanent grins on their fans’ faces.
In 2013, the group recorded their debut album, Waiting for the Dawn, for Photo Finish & Island Records. The group received critical acclaim from both fans and press alike, which allowed the Mowgli’s to make appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Conan and Jimmy Kimmel Live.
Last month, the group released their superb sophomore album: Kids in Love and continue to travel across the country to catch up with their fans and promote the album.
I had the privilege to catch up with the Mowgli’s vocalist and percussionist, Katie Earl, while the group was in between tour dates for an exclusive Conversation.
Jacob Elyachar: When did you get interested in music? How did that passion turn into the desire of having a career in the music industry?
Katie Earl: I actually have been more passionate about performance more so than music. I grew up performing musical theatre and sang in choir. As I got older, I started doing improv comedy. While I was doing improv, I had a lot of friends who were in bands. Since I had a singing background, they asked me to record background vocals on one song and then…all of the sudden I was singing on all of the tracks and playing shows with them! Now, I am somewhere between Florida and Texas on six years deep in this career with the Mowgli’s.
JE: How have the Mowgli’s grown as a group since the release of “Waiting for the Dawn”?
KE: Waiting for the Dawn was the very first album that a lot of the Mowgli’s ever made! It was a real big learning experience and we worked with only one producer on that project. The recording process took us over a year or two to complete and once it got picked up, we began to tour with it. It became the driving force behind our career. Once, we started to set out and make our sophomore album, our creation process was very different. We worked with more than one producer on the album and grew as artists. The group put more attention to this album, because we knew that this was not just for us anymore. Kids in Love was for our fans, our team and our lives. As a group, we improved playing live, found our places within the band and learned about our identities as musicians.
The Mowgli’s showcased their growth as artists in their sophomore album: “Kids In Love.” (Album cover property of Photo Finish Records)
JE: What were some of the challenges that the group faced while recording “Kids in Love”? How did you overcome them?
KE: I did not perceive the challenges that we faced throughout the creation process as a negative challenge; there were positive challenges. Every challenge that we faced during the making of the album was rewarding, Meeting those challenges that we faced over the recording process were true tests of our artistry. Another big difference between the two albums was time limit. Our mantra for Waiting for the Dawn was “It will be done when it is done, nobody is waiting for it!” This time, it was a little bit different. Our fans were ready for a new album, while our record label stated that they wanted the album to be released by this date. However, when we were ready to release our album…our label wanted us to squeeze a few more songs onto the album. The band met every challenge with a strong positive attitude and faced any challenge head on!
JE: Currently, the Mowgli’s are continuing their latest nationwide tour. What do you personally look forward to the most about touring? The least?
KE: The thing that I least forward to the most about touring is that we do not get to shower everyday. (Laughs) It can be very rough with seven guys around, but it is really not that big of a deal. We have really grown to love all of these cities and we know our fans’ names and faces. Some of our fans were 18-years-old, when we first started touring. Now, they are turning 21 and are growing up right before our eyes! We love connecting with these kids and look forward to seeing our friends in different cities.
JE: Could you please describe the Mowgli’s relationship with your fans to my readers?
KE: We truly, truly love them! Without their support, we would not have a reason to get on this bus and travel city-to-city. The band comes from this notion that “the fans are the reason why we make music” and it is their project, as much as its ours! We are in the music industry to make them feel good and to make ourselves feel good. Sometimes, we have fans come up to us and say that “I had a rough day and after I saw your show, it made me a whole lot better! “ It is important for the fans to know it is the exact same way for us. If either of us had a rough day, it all starts to fade away when we start to perform. When we hear our fans sing our songs back to us, it makes our day a lot better too! We are very grateful for them!
JE: If you had the chance to meet with aspiring musicians who want to have a career in the music industry, what advice would you share with them?
KE: I would advise them to say “Yes” to everything! Every experience that you have as an artist is going to open a new door for you. Also, do not sacrifice who you are and what you believe in, just do what you love to do with an open mind and opened heart.
To connect with Katie on Twitter, click here: https://twitter.com/katiemowgli
For more information about the Mowgli’s, visit their website!
You can also follow the Mowgli’s on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter & YouTube!
