Utah pianist spans classical-pop divide

With those credentials, it's somewhat surprising to discover that Moss has also been the keyboardist with the pop group Air Supply for the past eight years. "Pop music is a horse of a different color," he said. "I feel like I'm a fish out of water, but I enjoy being with Air Supply."

He also manages to mix the two together occasionally. Graham Russell, one of the original members of the group, always gives the individual people in the band solo spots during the band's concerts, Moss said. And Moss likes to surprise the audience at those times. "I like to throw in something classical. That catches everyone's attention."

Moss relates that it was happenstance that he joined Air Supply. "I was at Daynes Music — at their old location — rehearsing one day. They had a great but quirky recital hall with a couple of 9-foot concert-grand Steinways. It was a perfectly good location to rehearse, and I used it a lot."

One day, owner Skip Daynes approached Moss and told him that Russell, who lives in rural Utah, had come into the store and said he was looking for a pianist to replace Guy Allison, who had left the band to play with the Doobie Brothers.

"Air Supply was leaving soon for a major tour of South America, and Graham told Skip he was looking for a classically trained pianist who has chops," Moss said. "And Skip told him he probably knew somebody who fit the description."

Moss admits that he never auditioned for Russell. "I called Graham, who was in Los Angeles, and he told me to come out there, which I did. We rehearsed for four days and did one concert in Thousand Oaks, Calif. Our next concert was in Lima, Peru." And the rest, as the saying goes, is history.

Playing with a pop band is considerably different than playing in a classical trio, Moss said, especially as far as audiences go. "Audiences really participate in pop music. They're very passionate about what they hear."

And what audiences hear at an Air Supply concert depends on where the band is playing. In the United States, where radio stations have labeled the band "romantic balladeers of the '80s," people want to hear the old hits. Abroad, especially in Asia, where the group is probably even more popular than in America, audiences expect new material. Russell writes all of the group's songs, and he satisfies this craving for something new by releasing an album every 18 months.

An indication of Air Supply's popularity in the Far East is that they were invited to participate in a huge music festival in Hong Kong last November, which was aimed at bringing tourists back to the city. "There were major stars at this festival," Moss said. "Prince opened and the Rolling Stones closed."

Moss said one of the reasons for the band's popularity and longevity is that no venue is too large or too small. "We play any venues, from Indian casinos on reservations to basketball stadiums." The band also takes its act to exotic locales. "We've played in Vietnam, Brunei, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon."

After nearly a decade with Air Supply, Moss said he still plays from charts that local pianist and accordion player Steve Keene arranged. "After all these years, I still have them on the piano, and everyone still jokes about it."

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