Hello, Kim Moberg

Photo by Rachel Moberg

Hey Kim, thanks for taking the time to answer my questions! Hi there!

Thank you for the interview!

So, first up, please introduce yourself to our readers. And also, tell me something about you that I won’t know.

Well, I am a singer/songwriter born in Juneau, Alaska, of the Tlingit tribe, and I currently reside on Cape Cod in MA. I started writing songs in 2014, the same year I set out to overcome my lifelong battle with debilitating stage fright. My current career is music, but prior to 2014, my career was in the financial industry. One of my favorite things to do aside from making music is cooking!

What can you tell me about your new album, The Seven Fires Prophecy: Suite For Humanity?

Growing up, I knew very little about my native Tlingit heritage, even though my maternal grandmother lived most of her life in that culture. It wasn’t until I was older that I realized this disconnect was by design, so I set out to learn a bit about my culture and that of other Indigenous nations in the region where I live now in Massachusetts.

I learned about the ancient Anishinaabe legend called “The Seven Fires Prophecy” and found it compelling and relevant. Hundreds of years ago, the Anishinaabe people were visited by seven prophets who each gave them a prediction about the future of humanity and each prediction, which covers a specific time period, is referred to as a “fire.” I wanted to share this legend with non-Indigenous people so I wrote a song about it. Months later I performed it at a show with a songwriter friend who suggested I write a song for each of the fires in the prophecy. It took me awhile to figure out the best format to tell the story in song, but once I settled on the format of a suite, the songs came.

Which of the songs was the toughest to move from concept to finished song?

That is a very interesting question that no one has asked! Each had their challenges mostly because it was very important for me to stay true to the actual legend versus creating my own story.

I would say the answer is ‘The Third Fire - The River’. That song presented itself to me as very repetitious: no chorus, no bridge and a very simple melody. I felt it might be boring and kept trying to change it and reform it, but every time I tried, it didn’t work and just didn’t feel right.

I understood that its repetition underscores the feeling of a nation rowing along the river in unison from island to island. Once I accepted that, I could embrace its simplicity. My producer understood it right away and worked hard to create a detailed, yet subtle, soundscape that helped paint that picture sonically. For example, while recording the percussion shaker, he did it in a big, rowing motion.

If I had only enough time to listen to one song on the album which one would you want me to hear, and why?

I would say ‘The Seventh Fire - The Crossroads’ because it was the first one I wrote for the suite and provides a little more overview of the prophecy than the others.

What does the recording process look like for you? Some people spend a long time in the studio finessing, some people are in and out. I know budget plays a big part but what’s your preferred way of working?

I have had the good fortune to record all three of my albums with engineer/producer/multi-instrumentalist and composer Jon Evans (Tori Amos/Sarah McLachlan), who is an artist in every sense of the word. I knew he was the only producer for this project. He is not Native American, but in the spirit of different cultures coming together like the prophecy teaches, I knew he would immediately understand and respect the importance of presenting this story in a way that would both honor the legend yet mold the suite to sit comfortably the Americana music genre. 

You are correct that budget plays a big part so I always arrive at the studio with songs that are finished from my end. They are able to stand on their own when I perform them as a solo artist. I send the songs to Jon a few weeks before recording so he can listen and get a feel for what he wants to add. We record my guitars first, then a scratch vocal over the guitars so that Jon can work his magic. Most of the time I am in the studio while he records and layers and while it’s a back-and-forth discussion process, it’s mostly me shaking my head yes to the musical colors he adds to the songs.

For me, singing in a studio is very different than singing to a live audience. We’ve found that adding my vocals after his production helps me to bring more energy and emotion to the songs during the recording process.

Photo by Barry Schneider

What was it about the prophecy that made you want to make an album based on the Anishinaabe legend?

It’s no secret that we are in troubled and dire times. According to the legend, we are currently in the time of The Seventh Fire where humanity has a critical choice to make. If we choose correctly….if we choose to live with one another - and our Earth - in respect and kindness, we will light The Eighth Fire, the fire of eternal sisterhood, brotherhood, and peace. While I recognize that this is a tall order, I will never give up the hope that we can do it. In the song ‘The Seventh Fire - The Crossroads’, I have a line that says “And the fire still burns”. To me, that fire represents hope.

“The Eighth Fire - Wings of the Winds” is not part of the prophecy, but it is my vision of us getting to the time of The Eighth Fire.

How important is your Indigenous heritage to you?

The more I learn, the more important it is becoming. I feel like a veil is lifting and the walls of construction are fading.

And how do you feel it is seen generally in the US and Canada?

As people become aware of a history they were never taught, as the blinders are being removed, I think people are beginning to realize that there are important lessons to be learned not only from life before colonization, but from Indigenous nations that exist in today’s world.

If I wanted to learn more about Indigenous culture, where is the best place to start?

For information about Indigenous people in southeastern Alaska, where I was born, there is the Sealaska Heritage Institute.

And information about Indian boarding schools.

You’re living in Cape Cod now, a beautiful part of the world, what is your favourite thing to do there?

We moved to Cape Cod nearly 30 years ago for the beaches, the community and the quality of life. All these years later, those are still my favorite things about living here.

What’s your favourite song from another artist?

Ha! There are so many that it is impossible to choose. That’s like asking a mother if she has a favorite child.

What's the best bit of merchandise you have available?

I have Tshirts, mugs, aprons, hats and other merch available at my website store:

What’s your best story? Music-related or otherwise.

I’ve been married for 29 years this month and my 2 favorite stories are how our two daughters were born. Both of their stories are very different and very beautiful, just as they are.

Of all the “careers” I have had, being a Mom is by far my all-time favorite and in my opinion, the most important yet the most undervalued by society. What could be more important than having a role in shaping the future of human beings?

Finally, you can ask me any question you like, what would you like to ask?

What brought you to start Campfire Tales? And thank you so much for doing it!

Now that is a tough question! Basically I wanted to try and use whatever little platform I could have to promote music that I like. Mainly for artists that are not on major labels, but not exclusively. Hopefully, I can do some small part to help balance things out.

You can find out more about Kim by visiting her website. You can also see what Kim is up to on Instagram. You can buy Kim’s music on Bandcamp or stream from all the usual services, including our preferred service below, Tidal.