6 years ago, I attended a relatively unknown, but an up and coming band out of Los Angeles. Tickets were roughly about $20 for standing room only and the venue had a nice size audience in attendance.
Before the main act graced the stage, the opening act set the tone and precedent that it would be money well spent. The opening act was named “The Internet†(if not familiar with the group the lead singer and all members have gone on to have solo albums while master piecing close to 3 classic albums “Feel Goodâ€, “Ego Deathâ€, and “Hive Mindâ€).
Allow me to backtrack to the opening performance of this Jazz trio called “Moonchild†that was relatively new, but the way they took the stage and had the crowd engaged, their presence was powerful.
FAST FORWARD
Saturday Night October 26th, 2019
Location: Trees in Dallas
Moonchild the Jazz trio that wowed and gained a fan in Lawrence, KS is now the main act.
FLASHBACK
Let’s go back to the first performance where I saw Moonchild. During the performance, I saw how incredibly talented they were by watching each member play a minimum of 2 instruments during the performance. The lead vocalist Amber had a scratchy voice, but was very charismatic; the bright redhead seemed to weave between singing and playing the keys and saxophone, all the while keeping everyone captivated.
Talent RIGHT?!
Fast FORWARD again.
At the concert hall, Trees, the standing room was a little more congested and the ticket prices had doubled, but it was well worth it. Now, at this point, they were the focus and their opening act was a melodic one-man show by the name of Kiefer. He took control of the tone and set the crowd up perfectly as he played. His vibe, tone, flow made you feel as though you were sitting around the fireplace with friends. He did a phenomenal job paying homage to J Dilla; Kiefer is no small name; already touring, composing 3 songs on Anderson Paak’s split duo Oxnard and Ventura, as well as studying at UCLA where another famous alum KAMASI WASHINGTON got his beginnings.
Before we move too far into the show.
Check out his LP’s
HAPPYSAD
BRIDGES
and his 2019 release SUPERBLOOM.
So, as it would stand, Moonchild graces the stage and somehow it was the most intimate setting, low lights with relatively calming music and a glint of intimacy as I gazed over the balcony and saw couples enjoying each other. Everyone swaying to the melodic instrumentation, paired with subtle yet powerful lyricism. It looked to be a scene from a perfect night out and Moonchild was merely the auxiliary for the fun. Then boom Amber and the group falls into what they do best, musical composition. Amber playing the flute, sax, and keys while weaving between the mic and dance moves. A guitar, drum, and sax solo also found their way into the show. I mean honestly, it was pure music and not much else. That is until randomly the music stopped and a script was read. Surprisingly to all, Moonchild had made it a point to research charities and organizations that would help minorities in various avenues and chose different ones based upon tour location. Wrapping together a powerful performance with something not foreseen and or expected was refreshing as hearing live instrumentation, and seeing the love in the air. Moonchild found a solid way to move the crowd in a variation of ways and has amazing music to accompany them.
Their latest Album Little Ghost is available on all streaming platforms and their previous Album Voyage is also still a great listen.
A lot of times we find pain, synthetics, and hate as the basis of our daily diet but on this evening it was merely Instrumentation, Intimacy, and Activism; not only were our souls and hearts fed but so were our minds. For that, I thank Moonchild and look forward to more of the music soon.
– J. Hall
Hello,
