I came across Moonily while covering one of my favorite Los Angeles based punk bands, The Paranoyds, for Buzzbands. Venues had just started to reopen in mid-2021 and The Paranoyds were playing The Echo. To me, it was one of the first big local nights and the place was packed. I recall during The Paranoyds set fans were having fun crowd surfing. It was such a joyous time to be back listening to live music. The three members of Moonily also joined in the crowd surfing craze of the night, coming to the stage together. Their set had already put them on my list of new favorite bands and their fun stage dives cemented that opinion all the more.
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| Moonily at Harvard & Stone |
I continued to run into the band every so often. Seeing them playing live as well as just hanging out at Little Joy Cocktails in Echo Park. I loved how tight knit the band was and how they were out supporting other bands.
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Moonily at Harvard & Stone
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Let's fast forward to pre-Halloween 2024 and I noticed they were doing a free show at
Harvard & Stone with another favorite band
Pagoto. Of course, I circled the date. It being pre-Halloween, bassist Safaa Kaderi went all out with face-painted as the Joker, singer-guitarist Marissa Trujillo wore a wig along with a Chelsea Wolfe t-shirt (which probably wasn't part of the costume but I figured I'd mention it), and drummer Alison Berry went with a simple matching bucket hat and tie. They also brought a white sheet with a ghost face to cover the monitor. The crowd was pressed close to the stage. Trujillo asked the crowd, "How's it going?" The crowd responded with a vocal cheer.
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Moonily at Harvard & Stone
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As a side note: Pagoto's drummer is Ellie English of
L.A. Witch. It just so happened that Moonily and L.A. Witch were going to be on the same bill come November 1st (this blog being posted after this date). I think Moonily and L.A. Witch would make perfect tour partners and that the November 1st show shouldn't be a one off. English wasn't the only L.A. Witch member at Harvard & Stone. Sade Sanchez was in the crowd to support both bands.
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Moonily at Harvard & Stone
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The band takes the Gregorian chants and updates it for a post-punk style that never lets up. The music is always relentlessly pushing forward. That sound can be highlighted in "Evil Eye" from their 2020 album
Phase One. Let's just take the lyrics that are simple, but filled with meaning. "
Watching things happen. When they shouldn't happen." Those lyrics are repeated throughout the set in a haunting fashion by Trujillo, causing one to mediate on those words. Helping with the mediation are the cycled intense loop played by both Trujillo and Kaderi. Driving the occasional shift in sound volume and beat speed is Berry on the drums. It is a 5 minute musical piece meant for one to contemplate your place in this world.
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Moonily at Harvard & Stone
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Setlist: Home, Obsess, Evil Eye, Rewound, Eli, Easy, Land Mermaid, Fun, Dust.
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