Ezra Mae and the Gypsy Moon started seducing audiences with their sultry rhythmic sounds in basements of houses in Washington, D.C. in early 2013, entrancing audiences with their smoky-style and sweet yet soulful energy. Their music is a mixture of good ol’ rock ‘n roll, with a touch of rhythm and blues to keep you in the mood, as they coast across into surf-style grooves, some garage to keep it raw, and a peek-a-boo of psychedelic undertones to move your bones.
On stage is where you want to see them, flaunting a mod-vintage, bohemian, floral explosion. They exude an energy that will get you on your feet, grooving next to someone you’ve wanted to meet. In 2014-15, the band completed a residency at The Pinch in Washington, DC, where they played and curated shows on the first Friday of the month for over a year. They’ve performed at The Black Cat, SoFar Sounds, DC9, Songbyrd Music House & Record Cafe, and DuPont Underground, to name a few.
In the summer of 2017, Ezra Mae and the Gypsy Moon released their debut album Valleys in the Dust. Two songs from the album, Summer Skies and Valleys in the Dust, were featured on NPR’s Morning Edition, Here and Now, and All Things Considered.
“This late-’60s-stanning group makes bluesy music that is generally quiet, hazy, and touched by the mystical; that stuff’s fine, but it’s the scratchy, thrumming epiphanies in songs like “Wandering Preachers” that make their time machine inviting. If you’re going to deploy those hot, hot licks and those astral-plane organs, you might as well summon some demons.”
- Washington City Paper
Perfect for a smoky, haze-filled cocktail lounge, Ezra Mae and The Gypsy Moon have an excellently refined grasp on backroom blues, with a touch of garage lo-fi for flavor. A rare treat, this DC-based foursome has good stage presence and the sort of sultry vocals that induce deep trances of wistfulness. Kicking it right after only two years on the scene, Ezra Mae and The Gypsy Moon have a sound modeled after the greats of blue”s-rock, replete with weepy guitars and thick bass lines…”
-The Deli Magazine
Since the release of the critically-acclaimed debut LP ‘Live At The Heartbreak Hotel’, DC via Pittsburgh based experimental artist Rob Stokes and his quintet have focused on consistency and showcasing vulnerability in the live setting.
With a band comprised of Jesse Sattler (Saturday Night), Andrew Pendergrast (Sealab), Sam Catherman (Sealab, Ezra Mae & The Gypsy Moon), Sean Lescynski (Sun Cycle, Devilette) & SIR E.U. Stokes aims to bring out pure, untainted emotion; with each note emitting waves equal parts heartache & consequence.
Critics have called the sound…
“Topsy-turvy, achy-brachy love songs…” “An album of fluid polyglot pop spiked with splashes of ‘Tropicalia, bossa nova, blues, punk and no-wave…”
- Washington Post
“Live At The Heartbreak Hotel is a great success in its refusal to meet expectations. It is in turn joyful, solemn, gritty, and atmospheric, but it is always unabashedly and wonderfully weird.”
- DCMD (DCMusicDownload)
“An LP about a not-so-familiar romance with a sound that eschews contemporary mandates.”
- Bandcamp, ‘New and Notable’
“All throughout, even when the tempo goes up, the vibes stay pretty relaxed. It’s easy listening that can find itself in a lounge in the ‘60s or at a jazz club today. And really, that’s what sets Live at the Heartbreak Hotel apart: it feels all at once weird, and classic.” - ThrdCoast
Charlottesville, VA-based indie rock band Stray Fossa has hit the ground running. Comprised of brothers and childhood friends Nick Evans, Will Evans, and Zach Blount, Stray Fossa blends smooth, singer/songwriter melody with a driving, grittier harmonic substrata for a complex, exciting sound. Certainly, more sound than one might expect from a three-piece.
After a few years of hiatus with band members strewn internationally, Stray Fossa is an amalgamation of self-discovery as people and musicians, a new project acting as a celebratory reunion of personalities and musical styles. The band’s first single, Sleeper Strip, was released on Bandcamp in summer 2018.
- Grace Seekins