Tour Dates

Sep 28, 2024 The Hall Fargo, ND
Oct 1, 2024 Rialto Bozeman Bozeman, MT
Oct 3, 2024 The Show Room Missoula, MT
Oct 4, 2024 The District Bar Spokane, WA
Oct 5, 2024 Nectar Lounge Seattle, WA
Oct 6, 2024 Wonder Ballroom Portland, OR
Oct 8, 2024 Volcanic Theatre Pub Bend, OR
Oct 10, 2024 Lost On Main Chico, CA
Oct 11, 2024 Goldfield Trading Post Sacramento, CA
Oct 12, 2024 The Independent San Francisco, CA
Oct 13, 2024 The Catalyst Atrium Santa Cruz, CA
Oct 17, 2024 SLO Brew San Luis Obispo, CA
Oct 18, 2024 Pappy + Harriet’s Pioneertown, CA
Oct 19, 2024 Teragram Ballroom Los Angeles, CA
Oct 20, 2024 Music Box San Diego, CA
Dec 5, 2024 Ardmore Music Hall Ardmore, PA
Dec 6, 2024 Paradise Rock Club Boston, MA

It’s not often that a raffle prize at a music show is a tree, and the tree is dwarfed by the instruments on stage. But then again, Moon Hooch is not an ordinary band.

Cofresi warmed up the crowd with an energetic, extended set. A native of Chicago, IL, he is a beatsmith, drumming DJ who has collaborated with the likes of Matisyahu and Kind Dyce.

His sound he describes as “…genre bending, melodic, organic, percussive, soulful, cheeky, refreshing & eclectic.”

His setup: “Currently, I use a blend of live percussion with digital pads or all digital pads depending on the gig.”

He started the evening riffing to Stan Getz’s “The Girl from Ipanema” before moving onto Bob Marley’s “Is This Love?” He was a whirl of motion, seemingly in a trance before wiping his forehead with a towel between songs like he had already ran a marathon. He was so into the music, he said halfway through the set that he thought the orange traffic cone on stage was actually a person.

“I hope you like sand,” he added, as he moved into “Mr. Sandman”, then finishing with a lick of “It’s Tricky” from Run DMC.

Next was the main act with all their towering instruments. As you know we love Moon Hooch, last catching them at the now defunct Triple Rock in 2016, stating, “You already know the secret origin of Moon Hooch. The band was busking in the streets of New York City Subway stations and caught the attention of They Might Be Giants, who asked them to go on a national tour with them.”

What I also like is how they eventually got banned from playing in the subway for people were more interested in dancing on the platforms than catching their next train.

Now they are on stages in clubs and music festivals playing an array of saxophones:

Wenzl McGowen sported a tenor and baritone sax (with a traffic cone plunger), and one oddly shaped saxophone with a tall Byzantine look that sounded nasally, maybe snootie like a French horn.

Mike Wilbur also brought a tenor and baritone sax, and one mammoth bass that he had to strap in with a shoulder harness just to play.

They were joined by drummer Cyzon Griffin, who deserves a special shout-out for he went beat-for-beat with McGowen and Wilbur even though he was surrounded by a wall of drums and cymbals.

There is no way to correctly describe Moon Hooch’s music. You should go see them for yourself. You should definitely go for there is no way that you will not be dancing to music that blends the tenets of jazz, pep band, punk, all with the propulsive beat of dance music.

These guys should play at every sporting event except no one would end up watching any of the games. Like everyone at the Turf Club and as far back to the NYC subway stations, they would be dancing to the very last song.

Fun Fact: Moon Hooch’s NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert was ranked in the Top Fifty (#46) by New York Magazine’s Vulture just this month, two spots ahead of the Blue Man Group, which is somewhat funny since Cyzon Griffin won the Blue Man Boston Drum-Off in 2019.