Jeremy Moore

The passion, piercing lyrics and haunting melodies coming from Jeremy Moore make Birmingham proud to claim him as a native. Moore, a recent Samford graduate, grew up in Birmingham as a worship pastor’s kid—a “PK” as some call it.

Moore led worship for church services and Disciple Now weekends for years, honing his skills on drums, guitar and piano. Although he never anticipated a solo career, Moore went to Samford for classical music training to serve as a basis for his musicianship. Moore believes, “If you don’t know where you come from musically, you don’t know where you can go musically.”

With an ever-developing style that delights the ears, Moore’s music ranges from rock to blues, yet his lyrics primarily revolve around relationships. “I want people listening to my music to have something they can fall back on to that connects to their emotion at that moment and helps them realize either a greater truth or a deeper meaning. If someone listens to one of my breakup song after a break up, I see that as the highest compliment.”

The main priority in Moore’s life is his faith. As the Music Associate at Briarwood Presbyterian Church, he is able to use his musical gifts on a weekly basis. Moore experiences the tension between the Christian and secular music industry as many others do, however, Moore thinks that faith and music are intended to intertwine. “I think they can play a vital part in the struggle and in the content you write about. You’re asking hard questions but at the end of the day you come back to the realization that God is sovereign and He’s always going to be something you can rely on no matter what.”

Jeremy Moore is an aspiring Birmingham-renowned musician. After releasing his Perfect Mold EP in May 2013, Moore started to play at open mic nights and music competitions around Birmingham. He recently won Moonlight on the Mountain, which led to a radio spot on Birmingham Mountain Radio and the production of an upcoming EP with Higher Ground Studios. - Exodus Magazine

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- Meet Jeremy Moore. He's our featured artist today in The Birmingham Sessions, performing an original called "My Love's Ghost" with guitarist Taylor Hardy.

In the band: Jeremy Moore (vocals, guitar, keyboard), Taylor Hardy (guitar), Jared Shepard (bass) and Gavin McDougal (drums). Moore, 23, is a resident of Cahaba Heights. His latest record, an EP called "Lullaby(e)," was released on April 10. It's the follow-up to 2013's "Perfect Mold."

Q: How would you describe your music?

Moore: It’s a mixture of a lot of different things -- kind of Americana, which can incorporate a bunch of different styles. What holds it together are the melodic lines that stretch all the way across the songs. They range from piano-driven stuff to full band to solo acoustic. I would say everything is very pretty, and kind of lilting, I guess. It’s not hard rock; there’s a folky, bluesy influence.

Q: What’s your primary goal as a performer?

Moore: If there’s one thing we want to do, it’s connect with listeners so they are emotionally moved. We love the live aspect, and we don’t like mistakes, but that’s part of what makes music music. It’s raw and it’s honest. We try to be as completely blunt as possible, so there’s no hidden wall or message. We don’t like to manipulate people. It’s very pure.

Q: How long have you been playing music?

Moore: My dad’s a worship pastor. I started playing piano at 5, drums at 10, guitar at 15 and violin at 12. So I kind of do it all, all right. I think that helps, just trying to talk to band members and figure out what I need. I studied classical music at Samford, and that’s been an interesting transition. Part of my calling is to see what classical forms I can incorporate into the music I do today. It's honoring my past. The one quote that I love to use is, “If you don’t know where you’ve come from, you don’t know where you can go.” If I try to ignore everything in the past, I’m not going to have a good direction in the future.

Q: Do you consider this your primary job, a hobby or something else?

Moore: We’re trying to make it into a full-time job. I’m pursuing it until it does. Right now, I’m a worship leader in town, at Briarwood Presbyterian. There’s about 3,000-4,000 members. It’s been great to get that exposure.

Q: Is there a spiritual component to your own music?

Moore: There isn't a blatant, in-your-face type of thing. I do try to have a message of hope, and I want to empathize with my listeners, wherever they may be.

Q: Name some artists who've inspired you, and tell us why they've been important

Moore: Ben Rector has been a very, very important influence up to this point, developing the singer-songwriter sound. Lately, Local Natives have really impacted us. It’s Taylor’s favorite band. We went to their concert when they came, and it blew me away. It’s probably the most inspired I’ve ever been at one concert. Sleeping At Last has had a big influence on the piano-driven stuff.

Q: What can you tell us about the song featured in today’s video?

Moore: This is one of the few songs that we’ve co-written together. We just went to the studio, and had the initial idea for the song. At the time that I was writing this, there was a relationship that I really wanted to keep, but because of circumstances and just things out of my control, I couldn’t do anything about it. So it was kind of chasing love that was already gone. That last line, “I’m chasing my love’s ghost,” is kind of saying, “I would be all these things if you were actually here, if you were present.” That’s the story behind the song, and it’s actually my favorite song that I’ve ever written. ... You could sing it at a wedding, I think, but you’re chasing something that’s not there. It’s kind of a love song with a tainted ending.

Hardy: I helped to write a few of the lines and some of the musical parts. Jeremy’s the predominant lyricist, but I like to throw ideas at him that sometimes he bites at.

Moore: Taylor studies psychology; he’s studying to be a counselor. He brings a unique aspect to my music, and asks those questions: What does this actually mean? What are you trying to say? So it digs a little deeper.

Q: What would you like to be the takeaway for listeners when they hear you perform?

Hardy: With the songs we’ve written recently, they’re kind of emotional in nature, and he’s trying to be really honest. When we’re playing them live, any of those songs, the idea is to connect with the individual. So they can connect with it, make it their own and walk away different than when they came.

Moore: We want to engage the listener. We don’t want to be a bar band that just sits in the background. That’s great, but I think we have a special message of hope and empathy towards whatever situation somebody’s in. - The Birmingham News