The very first song I ever covered as mrmoth was “Dress Rehearsal Rag.” The first public interest I ever received in this band was from Leonard Cohen fans who were seeking out the cover and despite mine being a very unusual style, they were generous and accepting. There’s something about being in the cult of Cohen that unifies people who normally wouldn’t ever find each other. I mean, he was a folk artist and this band is this one. So already it’s unusual to string those disparate elements together. But such was his voice.
There’s remarkably little I can write originally about the legacy of Leonard Cohen but I can tell you that I have a very dog-eared copy of Stranger Music and a thick anthology songbook that have been my compasses as a songwriter. I, like so many musicians, wouldn’t be who I am without him. To say he will be missed is a woefully inadequate expression of the thought.