It finally happened. Winter arrived. Snow fell and we woke up this past Sunday with about three inches of the stuff. I’m glad it didn’t arrive earlier, as Friday saw me at KSVR for a four hour stint of music.

I entered the studio at about 9:35pm, meeting up with Stuarto, who has the time slot before mine. A quick interview about 15 minutes before my show, another few songs, and I was up. It was requested that I attempt a transition, and as indie music is my theme, and world music is his, I figured I’d kick things off with an oldie, but goodie: “The Gulag Orkestar” by Beirut.

Of late, I haven’t been much of a concert-goer. Shows tend to last too late for me, and festivals are often too packed. However, I love small, local festivals! In July we caught What The Heck Fest in Anacortes. For August, there’s Stanwood’s very own Slow Roots Festival.

In moments we hear them: soft and simmering voices leaking in through an open window singing us goodbye songs for things we’ve needed to be released from for a long time. The latest single from The Moondoggie’s, “Fly Mama Fly”, captures for us a willowy breeze of quiet assurance. There’s no reason to hurry as lilting voices carry us through energetic guitar builds met with a hazy and dreamy sixties-esque progression. A song to bring us home, to encourage us to look around ourselves and make sure we like …

Written by Fense
Wow, everyone seems to be channeling 60s and 70s folk these days and you can add The Moondoggies to that ever-growing list of bands. Don’t Be A Stranger can be found somewhere between the folkier side of Crosby Stills Nash and Young, and country-ish side of Neil Young himself. All this is apparent in opener “Ain’t No Lord”. Hell, you can even toss The Band and Lynyrd Skynyrd and Grateful Dead in as further influences.