The loss of a dear friend may be considered a blessing in disguise for Alex Deep. If his friend hadn’t passed, it’s possible that he’d be well on his way to CEO of some business just as his friends and family had hoped for, instead of literally pursuing his dreams as he is now; as the front man of the 70s inspired rock band known as Merlinmoon.

After his friend’s passing, Deep experienced a recurring dream of a wizard beckoning him under the light of the night moon. For years, the same dream ate at Deep and as he trudged on through college.  He wondered if refusing to acknowledge whatever message was being conveyed was the right thing to do.

With the help of a philosophy teacher, Deep began to explore the dream and reflect upon the lifestyle he was living. Upon graduation, Deep was convinced he needed to travel to figure out his life.  When he returned from his three year hiatus, he abandoned his business degree and pursued his dream full time—he never saw the wizard again, but Merlinmoon was born from his ashes.

Merlinmoon’s style is often described as a meld of 70s psychedelic electronic rock, but the description leaves much to be desired. Watching them perform live this past Thursday at the famous Whiskey A Go Go, I feel like it just doesn’t prepare you for the great amount of emotion in the performance; and really, the immense depth of the philosophy behind the music. Feel free to take a look at a clip of the performance below. At times, it felt like a spoken word performance that asked us to question our lifestyle rather than a rock concert. Were we taking advantage of each day?  Living in each moment to the best of our ability? Not only for ourselves, but those who would have but could not?

Merlinmoon’s first EP was “Poppyfields” and its tracks are included on the second album, entitled “Stoned by Dreams”.  Set to drop on the 22^nd of this month, the album really illustrates Deep’s penchant for concept records and the title track makes that clear.

When I first started performing, people would always ask me if I was on drugs. If I had any weed or coke. In this industry, you come by it a lot, but that’s just not me. Being stoned by dreams is about getting on pursuing your dreams in your life, being in your life.

Perhaps, Merlinmoon may not seem that groundbreaking to some, but they definitely struck a chord with me.  Deep is an inspirational musician and person, who illustrates the saying that there is a silver lining to every cloud. The honesty in his music is reflected in his life.  Already at work on a fourth album, Deep is overflowing with the passion he seemed to lack in school; and, I personally cannot wait to see what more he has in store for us.

Check out the website for yourself and keep me posted on your feelings on this up and coming band.