Meet Mose Richards | World Traveling Teenager, Engineer and Artist Adult, Future Really Cool Elderly Neighbor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Mose Richards and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mose, let’s talk legacy – what do you want yours to be?
My nickname in Philadelphia, moreso my neighborhood of Manayunk, is “Mose of Manayunk.” I often wonder when I’ll eventually leave this place, or IF I’ll ever leave at that. Which begs the same question, what will be left of me when I’m no longer physically here? The first thing that comes to mind is that I hope a few of my songs become ear worms for a few people that I’ve met along the way, either at an open mic or at a show. However, a legacy is something so much bigger than having one absolute banger in your arsenal of songs that people hum to themselves sometimes. I hope that my legacy will be that I was a brutally honest, charismatic, personable smartypants. I guess if you want a more sophisticated way of saying it, I hope that people remember me as the musician who came out of the woodwork in the Summer of 2021 to an open mic night, and eventually became a senior sound engineer just because they wanted to learn something new and invigorate the local music scene. I hope I am remembered as the unapologetically queer person that I am, and a person willing to stick their neck out for what they know is right; a person with humility and integrity. And potentially an affinity for silly tattoos and questionable fashion tastes.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My art all stems from my personal life – I greatly admire songwriters that can take a story from history, make believe, or elsewhere and compose around it. Every song I’ve ever written bar one has been directly about my life and what happens around it. Most of my songwriting takes place in my notes app on my phone; I write ideas down to revisit them later, sculpting songs

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I would immediately see whether or not the Phillies are in town – I love baseball, and you can get decent seats in the 400’s over home plate for a decent price. I’d love to go to a Friday night game.

One of my favorite places in the city is Laurel Hill Cemetery in East Falls. When the weather is nice, I love grabbing a coffee and a snack and taking my journal and a book to the cemetery in my tote bag, and taking a long walk deep into the cemetery. A while ago, I would only go here when I was sad, looking for a tranquil place to get in my feels, cry a little bit. Now, I go there to get in touch with myself. I’d rather go to Laurel Hill than to a park – maybe it’s the solemnity, how tucked away it is from everything, or maybe it’s the way it makes me not feel alone when I am. It’s gorgeous, historic, and always has something new to find.

The Art Museum and the Barnes Foundation are also favorites of mine – it’s perfect for an early morning outing that leaves you with the rest of the day to explore other parts of the city, like Old City or South Street. I recommend at the Art Museum, starting at the top floor when they first open and working your way down, as there will probably be next to no one at the top floor.

Some of my favorite restaurants in Manayunk are The Goat’s Beard in Manayunk (I don’t drink any more but when I did this was the only place I’d ever get a cocktail, they’re truly the best in the city,) Lucky’s Last Chance (I eat here a little toooooo often,) and my favorite hole in the wall Chinese restaurant that I live a few blocks from, China Wok. And if you’re wondering about a cheesesteak and which is the best in the city, I think the answer is, whatever is closest to your house and feels like home to you. As long as it’s on a fresh roll with fresh meat. Philadelphians can crucify me if they want to for that one, but that’s my take. Go birds.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
When I was fifteen, I won a scholarship to study abroad in a foreign country – I chose to go to Italy. I think a lot of the momentum I have that powers me to set big goals and have no qualms about reaching them stems from the fact that I can say I was applying to a scholarship my freshman year of high school that would send me away from everything I knew for 10 months with nearly no hesitation. Jenny and Mike Messner of the Speedwell Foundation, the couple who provided me with my scholarship, should definitely receive credit for propelling me into a life of knowing that I am capable of achieving what I put my mind to.

In my current state as an audio engineer and a musician, I have to shoutout the community around me, specifically the people I have met that empower, encourage, and inspire me to be more active, more insightful, and push myself. Like the Messners and that scholarship, human communication and watching others do incredible projects with their talents is enough to keep me going. Sitting behind a soundboard every weekend watching bands do their “thing,” I often think “wow, they’re having so much fun. They love what they do. I want that for myself.” That’s what keeps me going.

And to the future, I have to shout out my neighbor Bonnie. She’s what I want to be when I grow up – a talkative, energetic person with a ton of memories made, with a ton of hobbies and love for their community.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moseofmanayunk/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kara-richards-370683281/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerosmith

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3ZOHW18rNmuddEtt5al12v?si=Q_KE_zm_S7qit5zGjvHhUQ

Image Credits
outdoor photo of me singing: @keeloverart on instagram