* En anglais uniquement
Rooted in folk-rock and woodsy Americana,
the Moondoggies take influences from such vocally inclined groups as
the Byrds,
the Band, and
the Flying Burrito Brothers. Although hailing from Seattle, seeds for the band's formation were planted in nearby Everett, Washington, where Kevin Murphy (vocals, guitar), Robert Terreberry (bass), Carl Dahlen (drums), and Caleb Quick (keyboards) formed a teenaged band while attending Cascade High School. The students discovered their talent for three-part vocal harmonies, and when Murphy returned from a summer-long stay in Alaska in 2005, the four friends reconvened in Seattle to form
the Moondoggies. Taking up residence at a local dive bar named the Blue Moon Tavern,
the Moondoggies honed their craft and soon netted a contract with Hardly Art, an imprint of Seattle's own Sub Pop Records.
Don't Be a Stranger, the band's woozy debut, appeared in 2008, with the mature
Tidelands following in October 2010. Third album
Adios I'm a Ghost, released in 2013 and aided by the addition of multi-instrumentalist Jon Pontrello to the band, fell somewhere between the two in sound and tone. The band spent plenty of time touring behind the record, sharing stages with the likes of
Blitzen Trapper,
Dawes, and
the Head and the Heart. Jon Pontrello added pedal steel guitar to his arsenal of instruments in time for the recording of the fourth
Moondoggies album, 2018's
A Love Sleeps Deep. ~ Andrew Leahey