Viking Moses (or The Viking Moses!) is a band fronted by Brendon Massei, an American

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music gen ...

noted for being on tour since 1993. Founded in 2003 and currently based in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, the group features a rotating cast of musicians. Viking Moses has worked with the

Alan McGee Alan John McGee (born 29 September 1960) is a Scottish businessman and music industry executive. He has been a record label owner, musician, manager, and music blogger for ''The Guardian''. He co-founded the independent Creation Records label, r ...

Poptones Poptones was a record label launched by Alan McGee after the demise of Creation Records in 1999. Its roster included The Hives, January, Arnold, Cherrystones, King Biscuit Time, Thee Unstrung, The Boxer Rebellion, Beachbuggy, Pure Reason Rev ...

record label as well as Portland-based

Marriage Records Marriage Records is a small, independent record label formed in Portland, Oregon. It was founded in 2001 by Curtis Knapp and Adrian Orange. The label has released a number of albums by musicians such as Adam Forkner, Dirty Projectors, Little Wings ...

History

Brendon Massei began touring regularly around 1993, first under his own name, then under the moniker Supperbell Roundup, before finally settling on Viking Moses in 2003. In the style of rock/soul, Viking Moses became known in 2004, thanks to Devendra Banhart's ''Golden Apples of the Sun'' compilation and good words, followed by a signing by

(

Creation Records Creation Records Ltd. was a British independent record label founded in 1983 by Alan McGee, Dick Green, and Joe Foster. Its name came from the 1960s band The Creation, whom McGee greatly admired. The label ceased operations in 1999, although ...

founder, manager of

Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment'ksar''with its surrounding feeding source, the palm grove, within a relational and circulatory nomadic system.” The location of oases has been of critical imp ...

and

Mogwai Mogwai () are a Scottish post-rock band, formed in 1995 in Glasgow. The band consists of Stuart Braithwaite (guitar, vocals), Barry Burns (guitar, piano, synthesizer, vocals), Dominic Aitchison (bass guitar), and Martin Bulloch (drums). Mogw ...

). Viking Moses has toured with

Scout Niblett Emma Louise Niblett (born 29 September 1973), better known by the stage name Scout Niblett, is an English singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. Niblett debuted in 2001 with her first full-length studio album ''Sweet Heart Fever'', and h ...

Phosphorescent Phosphorescence is a type of photoluminescence related to fluorescence. When exposed to light (radiation) of a shorter wavelength, a phosphorescent substance will glow, absorbing the light and reemitting it at a longer wavelength. Unlike fluor ...

Little Wings Kyle Field is an American musician who releases material under the moniker Little Wings. Early life Field was born in Alabama in 1972. As a child, his family relocated to Los Angeles, California, where his father worked as a coach for the UCL ...

, and The Shivers. Massei is also known for bringing musicians including Deer Tick's John McCauley, Mike Sherk of Mandarin Dynasty,

Nat Baldwin Nat Baldwin (born February 21, 1980 in Rochester, New Hampshire) is an American bassist, improvisor, and songwriter. He's released several solo albums since 2003 and is also known for being a former member of Dirty Projectors. In 2020 he released ...

of the

Dirty Projectors Dirty Projectors is an American indie rock band from Brooklyn, New York, formed in 2002. The band is the project of singer-songwriter David Longstreth, who has served as the band's sole constant member throughout numerous line-up changes. The b ...

and

Jana Hunter Jana Hunter is an American songwriter and musician based in Baltimore. Early life Hunter was born in Texas. Recording and band membership Hunter was signed to Gnomonsong, a record label run by Devendra Banhart and Vetiver's Andy Cabic. ...

on their first tours. Massei was close with

Jason Molina Jason Andrew Molina (December 30, 1973 – March 16, 2013) was an American musician, singer and songwriter. Raised in northern Ohio, he came to prominence performing and recording as Songs: Ohia, both in solo projects and with a rotating cast of ...

of Songs: Ohia and

Magnolia Electric Co. Jason Andrew Molina (December 30, 1973 – March 16, 2013) was an American musician, singer and songwriter. Raised in northern Ohio, he came to prominence performing and recording as Songs: Ohia, both in solo projects and with a rotating cast of ...

fame;Remembering Jason Molina: Viking Moses
" Retrieved June 2015. following Molina's death, Massei wrote about their friendship in an article for ''Common Folk Music'', and contributed to a covers album benefitting the late singer's family, titled ''The Static and the Distance''.

In film

Massei's tour warrior antics have drawn him attention, including a 2011 feature-length documentary by Pulse Films titled "Werewolves Across America" about his life and lifestyle as a touring musician. In 2012, the song "Dancing by the Water Day", from the 2006 release ''Crosses'' was featured in the film '' Kelly + Victor.''

Discography

Albums

* ''Crosses'' (2006) * ''The Parts that Showed'' (2009) * ''The Conquest Night'' (2012) * ''Jahiliyah'' (2014) * ''Cruel Child'' (2019)

Single

* ''Werewolves in The City'' (2006) (cover of ''Tv! Tv! Happy/Werewolves In The City'' by the band ''Quem Quaeritis'' writing by ''John Thill'' on the LP)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Moses, Viking Year of birth missing (living people) Living people 2003 establishments in Maryland Songwriters from Maryland