Fusing the gut-level emotive sound of blues with the lean, wiry power of indie rock,
the Moaners are a two-woman two-piece rock & roll combo hailing from Chapel Hill, NC, comprised of former
Trailer Bride frontwoman
Melissa Swingle on guitar and vocals and
Laura King, formerly of another Chapel Hill band, Grand National, on drums and sometimes guitar.
Swingle and
King first met when
Trailer Bride and Grand National played a show together.
Swingle was impressed with
King's abilities behind the drum kit, and after
Trailer Bride split up, she approached
King in hopes of putting together a more rock-oriented project. The duo dubbed themselves
the Moaners, and following plenty of regional touring, the band signed with Chapel Hill's Yep Roc label in 2004. Shortly afterward, they went into the studio with
Southern Culture on the Skids guitarist
Rick Miller, who produced the group's first album,
Dark Snack, which was released in early 2005.
Blackwing Yalobusha followed two years later, produced by former
Squirrel Nut Zipper Jimbo Mathus. ~ Mark Deming