Artwork by Ishaq Fahim// photo by Srdjan
by Trish Badger
by Saga Sig
Biography- Moji Abiola
Influenced by a multitude of genres including classical, soul, rock, punk, and jazz, Moji Abiola fuses together pieces of vocal prowess along with the complexity of emotion through music in her compositions today. After attempting to go in the direction of Opera, Moji took a break from music until one fateful night in 2009 Glen Hansard pulled her on stage to sing with him.
Shortly thereafter, she found herself yet again singing alongside Hansard when he opened for the musical giant Bruce Springsteen in Ireland. These fateful experiences ignited the flame for music yet again as she begin to heavily write while searching for the right mix of musical companions. Her adventures in music have led her to collaborations from Ciudad de Juarez, Oslo, Copenhagen, Reykjavik, Canada, Texas and places in between. She continues to pursue her passion and challenges herself to find new and exciting ways to communicate with others through her music.
“Music is magical… You are creating something from the intangible. Music touches the soul and can grab you firmly. Creating music honors the Creator.”
BIO: MOJI THE BAND (2014- 2016)
Opening up an aural world without limitations, Moji Abiola embarked on an open and honest approach of making music free from gimmicks and limitations. Joined by David Garcia on the drums, Moji’s sketches began to take flight with the sounds and movements of a multitude of influences but also deeply rooted in blues and jazz.
After adding guitarist Tony Creagh to the mix, the songs that were once pure and simple sketches from her guitar and keyboard turned into melodic and rhythmic masterpieces of modern music. Resonating with honesty, emotion, and soul, the trio crafted an entire album true to their original mission and unique sound. Recording an album that ventures from dark to light, rhythmic to calm, powerful to gentle, the trio of MOJI released their EP, Desert Son in May 2015. After playing countless shows, festival line-ups in NYC, Austin and Houston, Texas the band parted ways with Moji Abiola taking time to focus on music and travel after leaving her career in Houston as an engineer.
During those travels, Moji met some exciting musicians with whom she would later collaborate. In Norway, she met Torgeir Waldemar and Mattias Hellberg and write folk-leaning tunes. While in Iceland, Moji & The Midnight Sons, a Blues Rock group was formed with Bjarni M. Sigurðarson and Frosti Jón Runólfsson.
BIO: MOJI & THE MIDNIGHT SONS (2015-2017)
From electric blues to swampy, low-country rock & roll, Moji & the Midnight Sons create their own geography with What I Saw on the Way to Myself, a globetrotting debut album that brings together American vocalist Moji Abiola with Icelandic musicians Frosti Jón Runolfsson and Bjarni M. Sigurðarson.
Brought together by a shared love of groove, grit, and guitars, the three bandmates mix their mutual interests — the riff-heavy rawness of Led Zeppelin, the punch of Bruce Springsteen, the dirty swagger of the Rolling Stones, the soul of Big Mama Thorton — into songs about leaving behind old lives and starting new ones.
Moji & the Midnight Sons recorded What I Saw on the Way to Myself in a former outdoor shed in Iceland, with Bjarni producing the sessions and Hallur Ingólfsson engineering the session. There were no isolation booths. No AutoTuning. Instead, the band focused on capturing an honest sound, turning culture clash into some of the hardest-hitting blues-rock on either side of the Atlantic.
The band toured in Iceland and were part of Iceland Airwaves 2016. In 2017, Moji & The Midnight Sons toured the U.S. in support of their debut. On the anniversary of their debut, the band parted ways to pursue other musical interests.