Red Moon Rise’s self titled album has to be one of the most exciting things to come out of these “pandemic years”, and for good reason. Not only is the musicianship inspired, and the songwriting great for an introductory album, but the way that this album came together is equally inspiring.
Like many other bands over the last couple of years, this album was recorded and mixed in bits and pieces in home studios, living rooms, and more. And to my ear, the album doesn’t suffer for it at all. Sonically I’d put this album up alongside recent offerings from other rock revivalists like Dirty Honey or Greta Van Fleet, but with real nods to the bands that preceded them - The Allman Brothers, Pink Floyd, Gov’t Mule and more.
The band is comprised of Jim Hayes on vocals and guitar, Mike Nappi on lead guitar, Fabio Amato on drums, and Tom Parsells on bass. The album’s 39 minute length seems to be the perfect fit for these 10 songs, as they’re packed with interesting parts that’ll have you coming back for multiple re-listens.
The album kicks off with “Ain’t Got Love”, which has riffs for days, a killer solo, and introduces us to Jim Hayes’ incredible vocals - whose tone and lyrics are fantatsic throughout the whole album. Up next is “Roam”, whose verse gives me heavy Stevie Ray Vaughan vibes, almost like Double Trouble could be the backup band here. The groove laid down by Amato and Parsells is great, with some nice understated organ playing too.
After that we move into what is my favorite couple of tracks on the entire album, starting with “Dark Eyes”. That down home, delay soaked slide intro is really something else. There’s lots of percussive ear candy going on (more cowbell please!), and some great interaction between the rhythm and lead guitars. The album shows its more acoustic side with the track “So Tall”, featuring good acoustic playing, along with some beautiful modulated verse and pre-chorus notes. Speaking of modulation, because this is a guitar blog, I have to point out that beautiful lead tone smack dab in the middle of the song, which I truly am in love with.
We have some wild delay and fun harmonized notes to start off “Burning Love”. And something that stands out about this song and its placement, and all of the songs to come before and after it, make the album’s sequencing feel just right. Every track really flows into one another. Which makes “Burning Love” a perfectly subdued track to move into what could easily be a single, in “Wishing Well”. With funky guitar, and drums drenched in reverb and delay, this track is a lot of fun. The addition of chimes adds a nice touch to the overall feel to the song too. If you’re a fan of dub style songs, the mixing on this song is excellent. Will Rinaldi worked closely with the band to mix this album, and did a fantastic job. Can you believe this came out of a home studio?
The album kicks into “Cherokee”, which might be the bluesiest song on the entire album. If you’re a fan of smokey blues, you’ll love this song. But to be honest, the song pales in comparison to what comes next, in “The Noose”. The tune might be the strongest on the entire album, all packed into a song just under 3 minutes. After some soulful vocals and jangly acoustic playing, the band ramps up and keeps going from there - truly a standout track that seems very inspired.
The album doesn’t slouch with its last two tracks either. “Carnival” is a heavy hitter, and after a very cool distorted bass line midway through, the entire band kicks into high gear for the last 2 minutes of the song. Which brings us to the album’s closer, “Mama I’m Gone”. The song is a great way to end this experience, clocking in at just under 5 minutes, it’s the longest track on the album, featuring a cool outro solo. As the song fades out, I’m already thinking about what to expect next from this band.
If you’re looking for a great, straight ahead blues rock album, then you owe it to yourself to check this one out. I can’t wait to see where this band goes next, and hope to sometime soon see this performed live.
Check out the album here. And make sure to follow them on Instagram and Facebook.