I came across Wise Old Moon via Idlewilde Creations. Connor Millican and Corey Pane run this multi-media organization specializing in everything from video to photography to screen printing and drawing/painting. It truly is a multi-media landscape that these boys cover. I participated in a video shoot for their Old Guitar series about a year ago or so (other amazing folks like Ian Fitzgerald, Steve Allain, Kerri Powers, and Jonah Tolchin have as well!), then they came and shot a bunch of footage for last year’s New England Americana Festival. I had been so impressed with their work and their attitude about music and community that I wanted to bring Idlewilde in to help with our Locals Covering Locals recording project and have been blow away so far by the outcome. These guys have become more than just folks I run into on occassion or business partners, they have become really good friends and people I respect wholeheartedly. So when Connor shot me an email asking for chord charts for one of my songs I was ecstatic. I have been watching their progress as a fairly new band and they have really been making waves for themselves down in CT. Playing with great bands, at great venues, and recording their new record with my good friend Eric Lichter at Dirt Floor Recording Studio. These boys are going to be a name you will be seeing around soon, I am sure of it.
The band is rooted in what we all often call Americana but explores different textures within the genre. Corey Pane switches back and forth from bowed saw to all sorts of percussive elements throughout songs. Connor Millican is the story teller and drives the songs forward with his voice and acoustic guitar. And violinist Christian Schrader paints fine violin lines on top and adds wonderful vocal harmonies to the mix. I get hints of stripped down 90s country rock like Wilco and The Jayhawks, but they are certainly deep seeded in early American roots music and that influence in evident in their music.
Connor asked if it would be ok if they covered one of my songs. While I don’t like to use this as an outlet for my own music, I was so taken aback by their performance (and how equally amazing and weird it is to see someone else singing words that you wrote) that I wanted to share it with the Red Line folks. Check these guys outs. I am trying to get them to swing through town sometime in the near future so be sure to keep and eye out and their new record should be around in the new few months.
Stay updated with them online at:
https://www.facebook.com/WiseOldMoon
Here is Wise Old Moon covering “Train Keeps Rolling” by Brian Carroll