At some point during the transition from physical media to virtual libraries, the categories and tags employed to classify music exploded. Instead of a handful of large-umbrella terms, such as rock, pop, country, folk, blues and R&B/soul, and a few sub-genres therein, a never-ending slew of descriptors were created and applied—all the better to shape recommendations and keep the consumer connected. Makes sense, right?
Such categorizations create an environment in which customers aren’t exposed to anything that might make them uncomfortable, after all. It keeps them, at least in theory, tuned in. Fans of acid rock might dislike acid jazz, for instance, just as acid jazz aficionados might turn away from ambient jazz or bebop—that’s the presumption that drives the narrowcasting approach.
For casual music fans, i.e. those who lean on playlists to fill the void, it makes sense to an extent. Playlists are the new radio, after all—not that radio has gone anywhere. For the rest of us? There’s much to gripe about. When I worked in a CD store in the late 1980s, it was customary for customers to inquire about whatever oddball album I’d chosen to play. The same was true in other stores. You’d walk in, hear an exquisite, previously unknown song playing, and walk out with its album home among your purchases. Now? Recommendations tend to feed us the same-old, same-old.
Such thoughts come to me, at any rate, while grooving to Take a Trip, the debut album from MoonShroom, a “jamgrass” band from Lawrence, Kan. The four-piece group, which dubs their sound “grassadelic,” consists of Lily B Moonflower on guitar and vocals, Jake Keegan on dobro and vocals, Zach Bozeman on upright bass, and Colby Allen Walter on mandolin, vocals and electric guitar. With Moonflower and Keegan as the chief chefs of the bunch, they mix bluegrass, jazz, country and even some Memphis-styled R&B into a good-time gumbo.
The 10-track opus opens with “Sunflower State of Mind,” which finds them rejoicing in their home state; Moonflower’s lead vocals, as elsewhere on the album, are intoxicating, while a few tweaks toward the end extend the song into “Freebird” territory. Keegan takes lead on “More With the Miles,” a plaintive declaration of love. The sweet “Take a Trip,” an ode to the camping lifestyle, channels Patty Griffin’s “Traveling Soldier” once it hits the chorus. Here’s a YouTube clip of Moonflower and Keegan performing it at Crater Lake in Oregon:
“Somewhere on a Mountain” is a blast of breezy bluegrass fun, with joyous vocals coming together and each member of the band taking a turn in the spotlight. The moody “Drivin’ Through the Night,” on the other hand, digs into the dark side of life, gradually picking up speed until the engine sputters to a stop. “Waves of Love,” for its part, rides the wild surf that is l’amour in heartfelt fashion. Here’s a clip of Moonflower and Keegan performing it at Sunset Cliffs in southern California:
“Do the Damn Thing” flavors the set with blues-rock. “Deep within, I got what it takes/I’ll keep on pushing despite my mistakes/They tear me down, but I’ll never break/Gonna do the damn thing/No matter what they say,” Moonflower sings, channeling her inner Tierinii Jackson. It could well be a Southern Avenue song, in other words. It’s damn good. “Livin’ the Dream,” with Keegan on lead, is essentially the flip side of the same equation. The uptempo “Weekend With Me” celebrates weekend escapism, while the frenetic and fun “Party on the Moon” adds in horns while doing the same.
In short, Take a Trip is well worth hitching a ride with. It’s both a good companion for the road and fun raconteur for late-night revelries.
(The album will be available to stream from the usual suspects come Friday, June 27, and can be purchased from the band’s web store.)
The Old Grey Cat 