One More Moon - One More Moon

One More Moon

One More Moon
self-released; 2016

3.6 out of 5

By Dan Weston
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Eric Quigley (vocals/acoustic guitar/harmonica), Chris Rawlins (bass), Aaron Schapiro (percussion) and Roger Smith (electric guitar/harmony) are One More Moon. The band from Chicago has not been around too long. They formed in 2015 and basically was the expansion of Quigley’s solo project. 

​The band plays pretty straightforward rock without too many deviations except elements of the blues. On their self-titled release One More Moon I was impressed by the songwriting and I thought the delivery was also solid. I have to admit the production and recording quality felt a little bit amateurish. The quality sounded good when it was just a couple of elements like guitar and vocals but when the full band played together the mix was shy of what you might consider commercial standards. The drums in particular could have used some better treatment.

The first track “Dependent Upon A Dream” opens up with what sounds like someone cracking a beer and taking a sip. It’s a fun, enjoyable song and not much more than that. The riff feels about as familiar as apple pie. It’s anthemic Americana. It’s the type of song that you could imagine being played in a bar on a Friday night. 

“Melody” is a little more nostalgic. Quigley doesn't sound anything like Hamilton Leithauser from The Walkmen but at times the song has a similar quality.  One of the band's most inspired moments comes around the three-minute-mark. The combination of vocal harmonies, subtle guitar and pronounced snare work makes for a winning combination.

“'Til Dawn” opens in a typical hard rock/blues fashion. The songs rocks but is pretty predictable. That being said the harmonica is the best part of the song with its blazing lead. “Headstone Trippin'” is another song that sounds like a rocking bard band while “Killing Time” may be the highlight and I felt it to be the emotionally resonant song out of the batch which brings to mind The Strokes. They close with the most epic sounding sound of the batch entitled “Yours (& Yours Alone).”

One More Moon is a solid band. The performances are good and I thought the songs were easy to enjoy. I would like the band to explore a little and see what else they can do to stand out from the herd. I don’t think you can argue they have a popular, ubiquitous sound. 

In band years they are still infants. I think they have a good foundation with this release but I am interested in hearing their evolution.

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