MEET THE BAND: Terry Campbell (guitar, harmonica, lead vocals, songwriter), Evan Stone (lead guitar, backup vocals), Justin Chambers (bass, backup vocals) and Steve Deurlein (drums)
A GLIMMER OF SUCCESS: The band began recording back in 2012 as Campbell, who was playing solo, recorded one album by himself and self-released it. In the wake of its release, he put a band together with a little help from Stone. Prior to forming New Moon Rising, the two had gone to the same high school together and jammed on occasion. Stone helped him put a band together and then Stone officially joined the band. After a "great summer" of playing Cleveland bars, the group started writing new music and released its second full-length, 2014's Bohemian Nervosa. It recorded that album at Suma Recording in Painesville with engineer Paul Hamann and mixer Jim Stewart. To support the release, the band played acoustic shows as a duo before expanding to a quartet. The group had what it refers to as a "glimmer of success" in 2015 when one of its songs was played in the background of American Idol.
WHY YOU SHOULD HEAR THEM: The band intentionally defies categorization and draws equally from the reggae-tinged rock of Jack Johnson and from indie rock acts such as My Morning Jacket. Its latest effort, Surreal, represents the second in a series of three EPs. "We knew we had some good songs and we went into the studio and it was fun, but there was pressure and a lot of work as well," Campbell says. "We wanted to get the songs to sound like we wanted them to sound. It took us two months and sometimes one or two of us would go in and record. It wasn't like the first EP when all four of us were in the studio. Working in the studio isn't my favorite thing in the world to do because you're on a crunch for time. We captured the songs the way we wanted them to do. A lot of our songs sound very different from each other. They're very eclectic and it's just what comes out." The songs on this EP tend to be on the "slower side." The title track features falsetto vocals and a jazzy guitar riff. "I just want to write something that feels good and sounds good," says Stone. "I'll bring rhythm guitar and melody to the band and they help me see the songs in a different light. The title track was actually written over the past couple of years. Some of the songs are acoustic demos that I've had for two years." Attending a Pigeons Playing Ping Pong and Vibe & Direct concert earlier this year helped give the album some direction. "We jammed on 'Surreal' to warm up and what you heard on the album came out organically," says Stone. "We just wanted to have fun with it."
WHERE YOU CAN HEAR THEM: facebook.com/newmoonrisingmusic
WHERE YOU CAN SEE THEM: New Moon Rising performs as part of Autumn Encore, which takes place at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 26, at the Agora Ballroom and Theatre.
