Interview: NWMS chats with Josh Hogan of The Mowgli’s

Photo credit Nicole Poulos

The Mowgli’s got their start in 2010 as a 10+ member group in the sun-drenched southern California city of Venice playing house parties and warehouse gatherings. They first hit paydirt in 2013 with the hit song “San Francisco” and the band quickly found themselves playing to sold out rooms all across the country, as well as several festival appearance such as Bonnaroo, Bottlerock and Lollapalooza just to name a few. Currently the band is on 23 date tour across America which has them in Seattle on March 20 at The Crocodile. We recently caught up with Josh Hogan (vocals/guitar) to discuss the tour, the history of the band and more. Check it out below and get more info about the show at The Crocodile HERE. Also listen to the band’s new single “Real Good Life” at the bottom of this page.

How did the band come together?

Some of the Mowgli’s have known each other since grade school. Most of the members had other bands who played together across LA every weekend. We decided to create a “super friends group” and make happy music in hopes to create a better world for everyone.

Did you play music while you were in Calabasas High School?

We all either played music or theater in high school.

What did you want to be when you were a child?

I always wanted to sing and play music. Living the dream!

What music influenced your childhood?

This answer would be different for every Mowgli. For me personally, I went through a huge R&B phase as a kid followed by punk rock.

When did you start playing? Writing?

I started playing guitar when I was 14. Writing came naturally once I learned a few chords.

When did you decide you wanted to pursue music as a career?

Once The Mowgli’s hit the scene with a record label and tour after tour, we knew that we could make this a career.

Do you write as a band or individually?

We write individually and as a group. Almost all of the songs have come to life differently.

Are you currently writing material for a full length?

We are always writing or trying to write. It doesn’t always work out so it’s important to keep working all the time. Currently we are writing and releasing singles.  

What was behind the decision to play smaller venues on this tour?

We haven’t done a headline tour in almost two years so we wanted to strip it back to basics and play some older material in smaller rooms to get the momentum back up.

How is the tour going?

The Real Good Life tour has been so much fun. We love MAINLAND and we’re happy to have them as new friends. The fans are singing the new single along with all the old ones. It feels good!

What was one thing you brought with you that you absolutely needed to remind you of home?

The one thing I didn’t bring is my dog which has been hard, but I have my family here so I don’t usually need anything to remind me of home. 

What song are you enjoying the most playing live at the moment?

We are all having so much fun with the new single Real Good Life. The energy between us and the crowd has been amazing.

What has surprised you the most about the music industry since you’ve started?

The lack of art and the overwhelming feeling of everything blending together.

Hobbies outside of music?

I love to play soccer and watch soccer and dream of soccer. Also Katie and I love traveling Europe.

Check out “Real Good Life” below and get more info about the band HERE.

Sophia Barkalakis

Music is probably the most important part of her life. Sophia is constantly searching for new material, old and new. Always looking forward to the next live show she can attend, ready to immerse herself in the sound. "There is something so magical about attending a live show that you cannot possibly feel from a recording itself that makes it worth going to", she says. She also says she's lucky to be able to combine her passion for music with her obsession of capturing moments. She finds that being able to look at a photograph and be transported to that second of your life is indescribable and she's so grateful for all those great moments.

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