Interview: Freddy Jones Band discuss NASA using “In a Daydream”

Over the years, older songs have been finding a new life thanks to various TikTok videos and placements in film/TV. Freddy Jones Band's hit single "In A Daydream" recently gained a new audience after being selected as NASA's wake-up music for the Artemis II crew. We had a chance to speak to lead vocalist/guitarist Marty Lloyd and bassist Rich Ross about the song's inclusion in such a massive moment, a new re-recording of the song, and performing in front of families today.

MP3s and NPCs: The band's beloved single “In a Daydream” saw new life recently as NASA Artemis II's wake-up music. Did NASA contact you about using the track or was it a surprise for all of you?

Marty Lloyd: This was probably the most asked question following the event. I started joking around about the prospect of getting a phone call from NASA to let me know they were about to use my song. Haha! No, we had no idea. I found out the same way everyone else did. I literally thought it was a leftover April Fools joke that someone must have seen somewhere when I first started getting texts! Then I saw an ABC News clip and a BBC clip and then the NASA tweet, etc., etc. I almost fell off my chair!

Rich Ross: It was a complete surprise to us. Marty and I started getting a massive amount of texts around lunchtime on April 3, and at first we didn’t know what was going on. Then after we recovered a picture of a NASA tweet on X, we realized NASA had used “In a Daydream” as wake-up music for Artemis II. It was an incredible moment. Something we created years ago finding its way into space like that. It’s hard to even put into words.

MP3s and NPCs: Following the NASA Artemis II event, you've decided to re-record "In A Daydream" for the second time following the 30th anniversary version. How did you go about re-recording the song this time around?

Lloyd: We had the new version completed already but knew it needed to be mixed, and we had loose plans to start shooting a video of some kind. We were not sure if it was going to be a video of us playing a collection of songs or if we were going to do something with the newer Daydream recording. Blasting the song off into space made it pretty clear that we were going to need to have it mixed and shoot a video right away!

Ross: This version really came from the energy of that moment. We went straight into the studio to create what became the Artemis II Reimagined version. It’s the same spirit of the original, but with a fresh perspective, more atmospheric, a little more cinematic, kind of reflecting the scale and emotion of what we felt seeing it connected to space. We have the extended version mixed by Grammy award-winning Producer, J.J. Blair, and we have the reimagined version mixed by another outstanding Grammy award-winning producer/mixing engineer Warren Huart.

MP3s and NPCs: An accompanying music video for the song features footage from the Artemis II mission. What was it like working on the visual?

Lloyd: We gathered in Phoenix to shoot the video with imagery that we thought served the song and occasion such as waterfalls of stars pouring on us and fiery solar blasts engulfing the setting. The producer added Artemis mission imagery. We are still looking forward to seeing the finished video ourselves! We moved as fast as we could.

Ross: The Artemis II Reimagined version of “In a Daydream” is really a journey through some of the most beautiful visuals of space. We shot the performance in Phoenix with a massive screen behind us and carefully chose imagery that captured what we imagined and felt during Artemis II’s journey. It turned into something pretty powerful visually.

MP3s and NPCs: Do you have any fond memories of working on the original music video for "In A Daydream"?

Lloyd: Well, that's an interesting question! I suppose the best part of that day was climbing up on top of the building we lived in to shoot on the rooftop, which was really just a bunch of monkeying around. I remember the drummer throwing his sticks up in the air and us all jumping around. It felt like a low-budget film student project. Not sure if it's so bad that it's bad, or if it's so bad that it's fun and entertaining!

Ross: That’s all Marty.

MP3s and NPCs: Freddy Jones Band still play shows across the country today. Do you often see families come to your shows?

Lloyd: This has been a great topic over the last handful of years. We are seeing younger people at shows, sometimes with their parents, who grew up listening to our music in their homes. How amazing is that?! The interesting thing about this happening is they seem like they revere the band in a bright light from listening as kids. I remember the music that played in my home growing up, and I thought of those artists as legends! My parents couldn't get enough Neil Diamond if they tried! It became part of the soundtrack to our holiday gatherings, so I can imagine how these younger curious fans feel about hearing the songs live in person. What a joy to have them along for the journey.

Ross: It’s amazing. We’ve got fans who have been with us since high school, and now they’re showing up with their kids. A lot of those kids are teenagers and know every word. It’s fascinating to see how the music has carried across generations like that.

MP3s and NPCs: The band's last studio album was 2015's Never Change. Could fans see another album in the future?

Lloyd: I suppose anything is possible. It just seems today like singles are the way to go. I often refer to Never Change as my Everest. We were at Base Camp for quite some time writing batches of songs and gathering in Nashville or Chicago with producer Justin Niebank and working through these and singing them into his portable gear in hotel rooms, etc. We tracked at The Castle in Franklin, TN and added to it along the way in various studios all over. It was quite an undertaking, but I'm super proud of that record and those songs.

Ross: The traditional studio album isn’t as common as it used to be. These days, it’s more about releasing singles or EPs. That said, we’re always creating, so there will definitely be new music, just maybe not in the old-school album format.

“In a Daydream — Artemis II Reimagined” will be released on May 15 alongside an official music video. More information about Freddy Jones Band can be found here.