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Kinetic Jazz Trio Returns To Great American Music Hall

By Dave Pehling

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- Taking an unusual path to success for a modern jazz trio, Brooklyn-based threesome Moon Hooch has gone from subway busking to viral videos to headlining major venues across the country.

Formed in 2010 when drummer James Muschler met woodwind players Mike Wilbur and Wenzl McGowen while they were attending the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, the three musicians started creating the kind of kinetic, danceable grooves that would get them noticed on NYC subway platforms.

Haloween Party at Union Square NY by VanBreuckelen on YouTube

The trio's propulsive beats and interweaving/independent sax lines could regularly be found stirring up impromptu dance parties at the Union Square subway station. The band built of a loyal following of fans that started turning out for their local club shows and released their debut recording in partnership with independent jazz label Palmetto in 2013. More importantly, the band was invited to join tours by former Soul Coughing singer Mike Doughty and indie rock veterans They Might Be Giants.

On subsequent albums featuring their organic brand of electronic dance music, the band expanded its instrumental arsenal to introduce vocals and synthesizers. Their live setup has evolved to find Wilbur and McGowen funneling their horns into laptops where the players are able to further loop and manipulate their saxophones with software, while Muschler has incorporated more electronic triggers for samples into his mostly acoustic kit.

Moon Hooch - Something Else (Live at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine) by Moon Hooch on YouTube

Moon Hooch expanded it's Bay Area following last summer with a rousing performance at the Stern Grove Festival in August. The band returns to San Francisco this weekend to headline the Great American Music Hall Saturday night. The trio will play songs from their latest release, the dubstep-inflected Light It Up EP. Michigan-based indie folk/progressive bluegrass band the Accidentals opens the show.

Moon Hooch
Saturday, March 24, 8 p.m. $17-$19
Great American Music Hall

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