Life & Work with Liv & Walker of Sun and Moon

Today we’d like to introduce you to Liv & Walker of Sun and Moon.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started? 
Walker: I moved to Tempe in November of 2021 after the pandemic completely shifted the course of my life. After settling in, I began searching for other artists to collaborate with. I joined a few Facebook groups, and I’d regularly scroll the musicians’ section of Craigslist. In the following months, I played in a couple bands and jammed with a few different people, but nothing stuck. It wasn’t until March of 2022 when I came across the Facebook post of a singer looking for others to work with. She didn’t have any samples of her singing, but she really vibed with the instrumental tracks that I sent her, and it seemed like we had similar desire for the style that we wanted to create. 

Once I did hear her sing, I knew right away that we could make some incredible music together. We started off just learning a few covers and doing some open mics. Sometimes, we’d go out for the first Friday to practice performing for some tips. Then in the winter and spring of 2023, we started working on originals, as well as developing the live set and playing longer shows. And by the summer, we had begun recording the EP. Now we’re just in the process of finishing that up and we’re hoping to have it released in the next month or so. 

Liv: I moved to Arizona at the height of the pandemic in October of 2020. I had been teaching English abroad in Thailand and lockdown really changed the landscape for foreign teachers. I was here for about a year and a half before meeting Walker, and it was a very transformative time, to say the least. 

Singing was something that got me through and allowed me to express what felt dormant for a long time. I had such a drive to connect with other musicians and create. I posted on a Facebook group that I was seeking collaborators, and though I got a lot of responses, Walker was the only person I got back to. 

He sent me some samples of his production work and I was impressed enough to meet him for coffee. We kind of just hit it off. I felt comfortable around him, and when we met to play together, I was absolutely buzzing on the drive home. I knew I had found something special and that our styles blended together beautifully. 

We’ve accomplished so much together since that first meeting; it’s amazing to look back on. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Liv: Definitely not a smooth road, but it has been rewarding. One of my main obstacles has been finding my voice as a songwriter; it’s an emotional process. There were months where I had such an intense creative block that I almost gave up. Sometime last year, I got accepted to join the Peace Corps, and I was about to move out of the country. But that was a door I had to consciously close in order to choose this path. 

I have a long history of moving from one thing to the next, but music has been a stabilizing force for better or worse. I’ve tried to run away from it, but it goes too deep for me to do that. My commitment to music is helping me evolve as a person. When I’m able to lean into the challenges is when I see the most growth in myself and in my work. 

Walker: One of the greatest challenges for me has been creating the live show and all the technical stuff that goes into that. It’s really important to me for us to present our complete sound, with full arrangements, as opposed to performing with vocals and guitar or piano alone. Essentially, we can have a full sound, without needing a full band and dealing with the challenges that come with that. 

But learning to do this has taken a ton off work. And it’s the type of work that I really don’t like doing. But I have finally gotten to a point where I feel pretty competent with it. And seeing it all come together so well has made it all worth it. 

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Walker: Not surprisingly, the thing I’m most proud of so far is the release of our first two singles. We put a ton of work into those, and we’ve gotten some really great feedback from a lot of different people. So that’s been really great motivation to finish the EP and release the rest of the songs. I’ve really always been more of a producer and studio musician that a performer. I love being able to indulge my perfectionism and getting everything exactly how I want it. 

As a producer, I’m always trying to cultivate a unique sound or aesthetic—both in terms of our broader style, but also on a track-by-track basis. My initial desire to work with Liv was in large part because of that. I thought that she not only had a really unique voice but also one that would work really well with the sound that I had been developing at the time. 

And I think we’ve been really successful at creating a unique sound which on its own sets us apart. But we also put a lot of thought and effort into other aspects of our artistry, like our image and the ability to connect with people in a holistic way. The music and the overall aesthetic is a really authentic reflection of who we are and what we love. 

Liv: I’m inspired by my experiences. Whether I’m writing or performing, I’m often calling back a feeling and expressing from that place. Because I’m very sensitive and intuitive, creating often feels like the most authentic way that I’m able to interface with the world. To be able to express like that while also contributing to something bigger, creating something totally new with someone I love is the essence of this project for me. 

I’m proud of this upcoming EP because I wrote these songs, so I’ve been with them from the earliest stages. I’ve seen their evolution. Getting to a point where people are listening to them and forming opinions about them is surreal. 

I think what sets us apart from others comes through in the music. I don’t know what I would compare our sound to. It’s one of a kind. 

What does success mean to you?
Liv: Success is a sense of peace within myself that’s reflected in my external world. In order to really be successful, both need to be present. I think it’s possible to have everything and still feel empty inside, and vice versa. 

When I envision my ideal life, the main thing it includes is plenty of space and time to be creative and flow through my days how I want to. I imagine not having certain restrictions in my life, and that can only come with a level of security that we’re working to cultivate. 

I’m very aware that the path to success for me is an inside job. I’m constantly working on my internal landscape to be sure that when we reach these goals, we have for ourselves, I’m fully able to receive and appreciate them. 

Walker: I think, for me the most important thing is sustainability. I just want to be able to live comfortably, focus on being an artist exclusively, and have the resources necessary to create the best possible work that I can. Of course, I want to be able to affect people in a really meaningful way. And it feels so good to know that I’ve been able to do that on a small scale, but I’d really love to have a wider audience. 

And I try not to get too wrapped up in my ego when I’m feeling that validation from others. I think it’s really important to find some kind of balance between the artist and the audience. You really can’t have financial stability as an artist without a certain size audience and the appreciation and support that comes with that. 

And I think to a degree, that validation is almost an emotional necessity. Being performers, we put ourselves in this very emotionally vulnerable position. And it takes so much work to put it all together, to rehearse, to even get to the point of performing—at least at a professional level. When you go through all that and you put yourself out there and then you don’t get much of a response, it can be really disheartening. So, I think having an appreciative audience, having people that genuinely resonate with our music is another important aspect of success. 

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sunandmoon.sound/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100083247070892
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0LIn99smX8GpsPJ1aznsjA
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1wRjFAu646Nq4clwoXoueE?si=Ak7JA5IRQNuf-DCjTeq1Cw&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=copy-link&nd=1&fbclid=IwAR3ObpCH9HamLBXynixJijX5bgKhey7lvZzEP83YvtDokqF_EdnPFrQIzLM&_branch_match_id=1183779605518248450&_branch_referrer=H4sIAAAAAAAAA8soKSkottLXLy7IL8lMq9TLyczL1vcoTzXwjapKK3JJsk9LSs7JTLH1LHcMMihItPAyTvHVTS3O86v08XYJqwxI8SzL8AqLDzJPs8zzzjAMicwJczfwDUozKfDNMwwzyLJ0NPPwBABYcHh9ZQAAAA%3D%3D

Image Credits
Christine Jewel