Culture
Shadow in the Moon kicks off ‘spooky season’ tour Thursday
By: Emily Votaw
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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) – If bands were holidays, theatrical folk rock duo Shadow in the Moon would most certainly be Halloween.
So, it comes as no surprise that Shadow in the Moon kicks off a “spooky season” tour Thursday culminating with an All Saints Day show at the Smiling Skull.
Multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Jessica Bouffioux says fans have a lot to look forward to. As always, Shadow in the Moon have been hard at work evolving their sound – Bouffioux says they’ve even been revisiting and reworking some of their early releases.
Regarding the tour, in particular, Bouffioux noted this round of dates are particularly special because each one stars a rotating cast of bands, all of whom generally compliment each other both in sound and (most importantly) in vibe.
That’s to say, specifically, that out of the many things there are to love about Shadow in the Moon, perhaps the lion’s share of them could be divided into two major camps: a sort of punk rock ethos and a (in this music journalist’s opinion) rightfully intense revere for both ‘60s garage and psychedelic rock.
All of the bands sharing the bills of each stop of Shadow in the Moon’s upcoming tour sport varying ratios of each of these aesthetic aspects.
For example, Columbus-based Holly and the Byrd is a generally “indie rock” sort of band, but just take a look at the group’s photos – we can see motorcycle jackets (what else comes to mind but “The Ramones”?) and we see at least one jabot, conjuring a certain kind of “‘60s-rockstar-does-Victorian-glam” je ne sais quoi.
Detroit’s The Incurables fall more on the “garage rock” side of things; but specifically on the “garage rock side of things” that is unafraid to dip a toe or two in the infectious kind of power pop you’d associate with 20/20 or maybe even Blondie.
Hailing from Richmond, IN, Misunderstood is a real punk rock band. “Real” in what way? Well, it was formed in 2006 by a then-15-year-old band leader Lyn-Z. It’s also worth noting that on bandcamp you’ll find the group’s recordings under the name Misunderstood (We Are What We Are!!!).
Speedsuit, from Huntington, WV, describes their sound as “Garagicana,” a clever way to say it’s got the pretty hooks we expect from veteran indie rock groups like Wilco, delivered with the scruffiness that you know, you love, and you associate with garage rock at its purest.
Finally, we’ve got the wonderfully named Trash Devils from Glasgow, KY. Now this is a band with a lot of style. You don’t need to know what I think about them.
What you need to know is this:
1. Band members are: The Electric Pirate on guitar/vocals, Captain Dean on bass/vocals, and Sparky Hornback on drums/vocals. Are these their “Christian” names? We can only hope that they are.
2. In April Trash Devils released a record entitled Urine for a Treat. Highlights include songs like Recycle My Brain, Snot Rocket, and Shake Your Lobotomy.
Bouffioux hopes audiences will come out to the shows in a generally celebratory spirit.
“It is going to be a fun time,” she said. “We want to encourage everyone to dress up, have fun. We’ll have some door prizes, costume contest, some new songs to share, and just a night to celebrate rock and roll.”
Here are the details of Shadow in the Moon’s upcoming tour:
October 24 – The Empty Glass (410 Elizabeth Street, Charleston, WV) @ 9 p.m. – Shadow in the Moon, Speedsuit, The Incurables, Holly and the Byrd
October 25 – Monstercade (204 West Arcadia Avenue, Winston-Salem, NC) @ 9 p.m. – Shadow in the Moon, Misunderstood, Holly and the Byrd
October 26 – Stargazer Lounge (109 North Wilson Avenue, Morehead, KY) @ 9 p.m. – Shadow in the Moon, The Incurables, Misunderstood, Holly and the Byrd
October 27 – The Mag Bar (1398 South 2nd Street, Louisville, KY) – Shadow in the Moon, The Incurables, Trash Devils, Misunderstood, Holly and the Byrd
November 1 – Smiling Skull Saloon (108 West Union Street, Athens) – Shadow in the Moon, Holly and the Byrd, Speedsuit