03.08.2010 20:00 Kulturstrand Corneliusbrücke, 80469 München

15.08.2010 19:00 Seebühne Theatron, w/ Wallis Bird 

Pour
Another glass
Just like the last
Forget your future and
Forget your past

Devil's got a piece of us
Devil's got a piece of us... all

Winter city
Streets in the dark
One office light
If you have work then you stay out late

CHORUS

Bridge up the hill
The city mirrors stars
Things are so different
They all get one if you just go far enough

Devil's got a piece of us
Devil's got a piece of us
Devil's got a piece of us all 

Tom waits at the door as you step out
Watch his hair shake
Skin and bone, pale white, scared words 
He's in a hurry and obviously he raves

No time to be lost
No question at all
Quick, fast, move away far
Far away from that town
Where you grew up (lived in)
In his getaway car

Joan's at his side
The soft side
And at the same time she's still
Quiet as the night
In the snow-white dark
And the red liqueur that kills

No time to be lost …

Do you wanna stay in your home town
Where you was born?
Or do you wanna leave this safe place
So colourful?
You don't wanna stay
No, you don't wanna stay

Tom waits at the shore as you step out
Watch his hair blow
Strong wind, small storm, little light in Joan's hand
And slowly you grow old

No time to be lost …

CHORUS

Squeeze my eyeballs
Until all I can see is black
Cut my fingers
Cut my arms and my legs

Loosen this weird knot
Wrapped around my head
Pull my heart out
Slice it carefully into bags

Put each piece on the scales
Give it a number or a Latin word
Rearrange them
In the way you prefer

Bring in cold water
Put in salt, cocaine and soap
Boil it gently
Until there's white crystal smoke

Wash my thoughts out
Keep the water locked
Shave my hair off
Keep it in a dream-safe box

Go and see if there is a soul
And if - quickly, don't let it go cold
Go and see if there is a soul
And if - quickly, don't let it go cold

There's the moonlight reflecting in your eyes
There's a bridge crossing the water to the stars
There's just enough people to observe
Standing aimless and causeless on the coast

I'm sitting in that tree, my feet are dangling with the bees
They bumble a song of peace
And all my worries gone awhile
When I think of your calm warm smile

I've been sitting all day in the top of the tree
Watching the waves on the sea
I've been waiting all night long for the morning to come
And if I get bored I get home

Tu tu tu...

And if someone asked, where have you been?
I'd answer, I tried to be a better man
And it worked out for one whole day
I've been between the earth and milky way

CHORUS

Tu tu tu...

Train keep on rollin', got a hole in my soul
Wherever my love falls to, it is out of control
Train keep on rollin', the night is so cold
I know a couple of people only waiting to get old

Roll roll roll
Roll on

Rain keep on fallin' to the rhythm of the train
Fall down on me, fall down on Jane
Rain keep on fallin', blur the trouble, ease the pain
You came a long way to go down in the drain

Roll roll roll
Roll on
Roll roll roll
Roll on

Water keep on flowin', take the blues with you
Wash out all the dust, make the ocean blue
Water keep on flowin', wherever you flow to
Wash out all the dust, make the ocean blue

You are hopeless now
Spiders crawling everywhere
And you can't get out
'Cause you're
Lost inside yourself

How can you
Be hopeless so long?
Can't we
Just break free for an hour?
Here in the garden

You are hopeless now
Spiders crawling everywhere
And you can't break out
'Cause you're 
Locked inside yourself

CHORUS

Sunlight morning, get the the time to its worth
Some folks get rich today with other people's work
And while the money's all floatin' down the curb
We don't care
We don't care

And every coin that your crises lose
It's a good sign, it's a gain for us
Ever since you say that time's been rough
We don't care
We don't care

You can't love a life that was made out of dust
You can't love someone if he's hard to trust
You can't catch a man who's right about to fall
You can't have it all

Soft rain afternoon, the sum is fine
Could be a little more, but not in these times
What you lose, it's always hard to define
We don't care
We don't care

CHORUS

The naked man calls all his friends
To be silent about the time and the place
And his friends do what they're friends for
They clean all the windows
They forget to close the side doors

Nephews, uncle, brother, sister
Babies crying, mothers whisper
And everybody's got his place in the mass
The preacher is the only one who never has confessed

Hey, you've got a love to hide
Days to live and days to die
The more you sort the more you die

He never lived to do no bad
The priest pulls out a cigarette
A single man can't be a couple
But God spread all His love and the man got into trouble

CHORUS

Blue lights flashing through the trees
A stroller can't believe what he sees
If your friends ever take a walk through the woods
A rope, a bible, used condoms, fresh air is good

It's a good way
To cross the river right here
You go there
And I'll wait here

Maybe you come back
And if you don't 
I'll wait here till I grow old

The river it flows beneath my toes
The river it runs, the river it's close
I admit we're stuck somewhere on the road
But Baby, what we've found is better
Than gold

I think it's time 
For you to walk your own trail
And I believe
That we will meet another day
Last night in my dreams
I heard myself sing

Tomorrow you come back
And if you don't
I'll wait here till I grow old
Maybe you come back
And if you don't
I'll wait here till I grow old

Baby, what we found is better
Baby, what we found is better
Baby, what we found is better
Than gold

'Cross the hill there's my hotelroom - I live there alone
I've seen you come from there, then you were gone
Last night, the battle with the clowns - thought you were there
Tasted your sweet voice, grabbed the smell of your hair

There is loneliness, hiding in your prayers
Thrown into the crowd, laughing to yourself
Sweet, tender, soft, proven bodies
Instead we're gonna find them, weeping a child's prayer

And the day isn't long enough, water's runnin' down your hair
We reached for places where they broke your golden chair
Fights would be welcome here, though we head back instead
Boogeyman closes in on us
But it seems that you don't care

There is loneliness...

CHORUS

We play high, we play low
We play with fire, we play with souls
We steal light, we still miss
We steal hearts, we still kiss

We ride home through the praries
We run dry and no one cares
You're better off, someone says
Don't look back – a day ends

Ou ……… well
Right before our eyes

We had it all, and we lost
No one left out here to trust
With the last power we defend
What was ours - a day ends

CHORUS

We play high …

… we still kiss

CHORUS

When it's cold outside and your river dried
And you can't explain how you felt
Then come to me to my bright and warm place
And together we will fight

When it's warm outside and your river pours
Miss please spell out how you felt
Then leave me here in this cold and dark room
And without you I must stand the night

There's no direction home
Just a vast blue stone
And you will fall over that stone one day
And you`ll be all alone

When it's cold outside and my river dried
And I can't explain how I feel
Then I'll come back to you to your bright warm place
And together we'll make it through

There's no direction home
Just a vast blue stone
And we will fall over that stone one day
And we'll be all alone

There ain't no direction home
Just one giant stone
Somehow I fell over that stone today
And I am almost gone

You can look down in the valley
From behind the timberline
A plane across the scenery
Leaving a thin white line

Clouds keep swifting
Up upon the sky
I'm counting things that won't have changed
Long before I die

And that little creek keeps floating
Its waves keep rolling
The world keeps turning
And no one is complaining

And the sun keeps shining
And the rain keeps falling
People go to work
Every single morning

They fall in love
With each one another
Still everyone's arranged
To have a mother and a father

And on top of that mountain
Say out your name
To me it always felt
Frightfully trivial

You have a good heart
You have a good soul
And your brain does
What it was made for

So look me in the eyes
Like that I'd spend hours
Without any heading
I'm traveling through open space

How far can you go
Without the stars'  end
Break free 
It's infinity
Inside yourself

The glass is empty
Never mind
I go searching
And you go find

I leave the trail, I lose sight
A one-eyed king that rules the blind
A dead man hanging owns no time
I beg you for respite

I leave the good, I leave the bad
I leave the laughing and the sad
I go follow instead
The ten thousand voices in my head

I plan to get lost
While burning this map
I hope to be stumbling
Upon every gap

Let the trail be a circle
So I can never come back
Weeks are short and days are grey
Nights crash fast into the days

CHORUS

There's no coming further
There is no sense in walking
No logic way of acting
No sense in doin' nothing

You can't waste time
That's never been yours
You can't speak a language
That doesn't have no words

CHORUS

You're all alone in your house and you're watching the birds
Till they all fly away down the street
The sunlight eats them up and you keep on believin'
That they're meeting your God and his son 
And all beautiful ones that you lost as your fate turned around
Look away but still watch
Dont turn around …

Did you cry all night long like a warm summerrain
Did the salt melt away in the moon
I bet that your colourful eyes are still believin'
That you're meeting your God and His son and all beautiful ones 
That you lost as your fate turned around
Look away but still watch
Dont turn around …

Lay down those rocks
They're much too heavy for you sweet
What would you do if a storm came chasing you in your dreams
You couldn't run away, this burden is too strong
One day you'll die in your sleep
And return to where you're from

As I cried all night long like a warm summerrain
As my salt melt away in the moon
I bet my colourful eyes are still believin'
That we're meeting our God and His son and all beautiful ones
That we lost as our fate turned around
Look away but still watch
Dont turn around …

CHORUS

…

One day I'll die in my sleep
And return to where I belong

There's some time to lay down
Don't get off your bed
Shut down your doors and your windows
Don't let no one in the black
Time to get drunk
Fuck it up
Whatever
Get lost

Ooh Baby, rock me on
I got a weary head
Ooh Baby, rock me on
The word is on the street
That you have to leave me

There's some time to cry
Maybe find some sleep
Some time to get angry
Some time to weep
Lay your head in the wrong arms
There's always
Time to be weak

CHORUS

Time to put on your shoes
And put them off again
But then it's time to rule off
Let's get back in the game
Leave it
Change it 
Stop it
Before you get insane

CHORUS

Some time to be lazy
Don't get off the grass
The girl in your arms
Stretch out your legs
Time to turn into gold
Whatever you put on your hands

CHORUS

… you gotta leave, leave, leave, leave
You gotta leave

The Moonband
Chris Begusch
Schellingstraße 117
80798 München

mail@chrisbegusch.de
hello@themoonband.de

+49 (0)1577 - 345 65 63

If you need detailed press info about The Moonband, please visit the press section on our blog. You'll always find the most recent infos here.

You can also download this .zip. It contains all necessary information we provide. Including all words, high-res band photos, graphics and even a stage plan, if you're a stage promoter.

Dienstag, 6. Juli 2010 um 12:45 

"... Jene Fähigkeit zur Fröhlichkeit kommt Stunden später erst in der ausgelassenen Stimmung der Moonband zur Geltung, die einmal mehr deutlich macht: dieses Konzert könnte auch auf jeder Eckbank einer Wohnküche gelingen. Ebenso privat wirkt auf der Bühne die Darbietung, die mintunter an große Konzerte der Walkabouts erinnert, was am mehrstimmigen Gesang ebenso liegt wie an der Mandoline, der Bouzouki und dem Kontrabass. Dementsprechend ist die Spielfreude der Band, diese vielschichtige Popmusik der Moonband hat etwas ehrlich folkloristisches. Wenn sie dann am Schluss Bob Dylan covert, wirkt das erstaunlich homogen zum Gesamtprogramm der Band."

SZ Kultur, Dirk Wagner, 21.Juni 2010

"Andy Armstrong, der Kontrabassist der Mondbande, war spontan im Studio zu Gast, während der Rest am Soundchecken war. Am selben Abend spielten sie im Stragula, einer Wirtsstube in der Nähe vom Heimeranplatz.

Gute Neuigkeiten! ihr Debüt songs we like to listen to while traveling through open space, das sie bisher im selbstverlag vertrieben, wird im augustus in deutschland, schweiz und österreich verscheinen.

folk aus münchen und der upright bass muscle man im studio!

auftreten aufspüren kann man sie bei warmem wetter auf den stufen am königsplatz, diesen freitag im feierwerk, tags darauf beim greenfarmfest mit highland games in hallbergmoos.

neue lieder sollen im august aufgenommen werden. letztes mal fuhren sie dafür in die böhmische schweiz. saiteninstrumente zuhauf mit dabei, neue finden sie auf dem flohmarkt. produziert wurde unter freunden. und bei drei grafikern in der bande ist die liebevolle visuelle aufmachung der compact disc, der seite im dickicht des netzes nicht verwunderlich. liedtexte im booklet, dazu akkorde und bei angestrengtem üben das versprechen der herausbildung eines zusaätzlichen fingers, um den sechs saiten beizukommen. und wenn man lieder wie das unbeschwert naive sitting in the top of a tree hört, greift man intuitiv nach der gitarre, klatscht mit, fällt ein in den gesang.

unbeschwert, beschwingt klingen sie - gar wenn sie den blues haben. die gezupfte mandoline, getragen von gitarren, kontrabass und zurückhaltender perkussion macht den klang flinker - nicht dass die gitarren monoton schrammeln würden, nein! sie zupfen behände. dazu kommt noch der mehrstimmige gesang. der klang der beiden männlichen stimmen eugens und chris' vermischt mit der von katrin erinnert manchmal an das duett oh my sweet carolina von ryan adams und emmylou harris - auch wenn emmylou die töne sehr dehnt. die verwandtschaft mit ryan adams' folk steigert sich ja vielleicht noch mit den neuen liedern - falls zB lap steel wie bei den cardinals zum dauereinsatz kommt, im zusammenspiel mit banjo oder eben mandoline müsste sich das auch gut anhören. oder als neuerung verworren auf deutsch zu singen wie fink..

aber zuerst gilt es ihr debüt zu entdecken. paradebeispiel boogeyman; toller, akustischer klang. der kontrabass und der gesang geben dem stück groove, dann on top eine hohe melodie auf der mandoline, ein bisschen speeding up, rhythmus akzentuierter und eine weitere stimme hinzu.

hoffentlich sitzen sie weiterhin beisammen und musizieren und denken sich ob umständlicher versuche ihren klang zu ergründen - we don't care."

Jan-Martin Zollitsch, Samstagsmisch (M94,5), 12. Juni 2010 

The Moonband say something that resonates with me on their MySpace page in their description of “what we sound like”.  Essentially they indicate that they record alternative folk but let you know that folk is all encompassing – as is the sound of The Moonband.

The ’sensational’ Moonband pseudo themed space odyssey is definitely rooted on the prairie farmlands and acoustic porches of wherever you would call home.  With a title like “Songs we like to listen to while traveling through Open Space” or “…Open Space” as it’s known, you know right away that there must be something going on here.  You may get the impression of some progressive post rock epic, but in turn you get a warm collection of acoustic folk and indie pop and even a touch of Americana to finish it off.   I even noticed that (for me) there is even a bit of kickin’ up the heels with a songs like “Roll On Blues” & “Top Of A Tree” – and while I tend to enjoy the slower moments such as “Devil Got a Piece of Us” and “In the Garden” you know that you aren’t getting a carbon copy of tracks that simply have different song titles but carry on the exact same song vibe from the previous track.    For a band out of München Germany, they could easily be compared to a dusty road folk band out of the southern US.

The Moonband are also an actual band (rare around this blog of singer songwriters, I know!) and this also helps the album bring a bit of a fuller sound to the late 2009 release.  There are up to 4 vocalists listed in the liner notes and it shows with numerous harmonies and layers in songs like “Tom Waits” and “Days to Live”.  I think it is also the fact that despite being fairly acoustic, they do not sit contently with a guitar but bring mandolin, Glockenspiel, ukulele, banjo, Lap Steel and stand up bass…you can’t go wrong with all these strings!  For this post I want to feature two songs that are quite stellar (no pun intended) that show the slow and aching side (The Hiker) along with a bit of German American folk (Boogeyman).

“The Hiker”
“Boogeyman”

If you have the time, I recommend a full listen (and a visit to the experience that is their website).  Something else I think needed mentioning is for you to order the physical CD – the images and “background” info is part of the charm of this release as well.  From the hints on tabs to play each song to the “space” theme of the challenge for us having 5 fingers in order to play an instrument with 6 strings….silly humans!

Slowcoustic, January 24th, 2010

"Records that are featured in the ‘Maybe you missed it’ category have one thing in common: they were not released in the current year. I admit that it is a bit odd to feature them in this particular category at the beginning of January, but nevertheless it has to be. And so The Moonband and their recent output Songs We Like To Listen To While Traveling Through Open Space is a candidate you may have missed in 2009. And besides that, it is one of two records I wanted to write about in 2009 but did not manage to do so (the other one is the Daniel, Fred & Julie release).

Hailing from Munich/Germany the five band members – Eugen Mondbasis (vocals, guitar, banjo, bouzouki, harp), Chris Houston (vocals, guitar, slide, percussion),Katrin Bobek (vocals, mandolin, ukulele, banjo, glockenspiel), Andy Henningsen(upright bass) and Elena Tschaffon (percussion) – celebrate the big band folk spirit like not so many other bands I know. This means that the music is no input overload for your ears and that they have the talent to feature all the mentioned instruments but to keep it chill at every moment. And so I would call this a folk, maybe alternative folk (whatever this means) album with lots of heart and lots of soul that goes by very soft-footed.

die "funerals & duels" benannte ep aus dem jahresbruch, auf 200 stück limitiert, deutete schon an, wo die qualitäten dieser fünfköpfigen bayerischen kapelle liegen: im sentiment, in der tiefgeschürften dringlichkeit nach harmonie und konsonanz, in der ästhetik einer eigens kreierten welt, die weit über den tellerrand hinausblickt. nämlich in die unendlichen weiten, wo es raumanzüge braucht, in denen man schiffe besteigt, um welten zu erkunden, die noch keine menschenseele gesehen hat.
drei songs der ep haben es nun auch auf das erste full length der seit 2006 gemeinsam aufspielenden band geschafft. "songs we like to listen to while traveling through open space", so der programmatische titel, gibt die richtung vor. wenn wir uns nicht gut genug unterhalten wissen, besorgen wir es uns eben selbst. und so schießt die kleine rakete mit ihren fünf insassen (eugen mondbasis - gesang, gitarre, banjo, bouzouki, harp, chris houston - gesang, gitarre, slide, percussion, katrin bobek - gesang, mandoline, ukulele, banjo, glockenspiel, andy henningsen - kontrabass und elena tschaffon - percussion) in die ferne und hinterlässt uns, den daheimgebliebenen, wenigstens ihren reisesoundtrack.
zwar zog sich the moonband für die aufnahmen zum album nicht auf den im bandnamen geführten himmelsgiganten zurück, sondern lediglich in einen entlegenen winkel der böhmischen schweiz, aber weit genug weg war auch dieser ort. um in einklang dem nachzuspüren, was die band sonst mit viel (vor-) liebe live darbietet: enthusiastischen akustikfolk, dominiert von mehrstimmigem gesang, den die beiden käptn mondbasis und houston vorgeben, den die copilotin bobek abrundet, und der so eindringlich, aber akzentuiert und feinsinnig in ein freiatmiges und doch kalorienreiches soundbild eingesponnen ist. verantwortlich dafür der gründene bass, die sparsame, dienliche perkussion nebst weiterem vielfältigen handwerkszeug: von der unstrittigen mandoline über das drippelnde banjo und die flinke ukelele bis hin zum hellen glockenspiel. vor allem die munter genutzten saiten, neben den allgegenwärtigen gitarren punktuell ins feld geführt, fordern die aufmerksamkeit, geben der sanftmut einen widerhaken.
jedem song ist eine verfängliche melodie anheim und die arrangements sind sorgfältig aufbereitet. der gesang ist anhänglich, das timbre warm. die gemeinschaft trägt, das herzstück ist die auf touren gebrachte kollektive maschine. das spürt man. und so braucht man sich um die zukunft dieser band keine sorgen machen. wenngleich es eine schande ist, dass sie nach wie vor kein label im rücken hat. dafür gilt der dank rockville, die sie wenigstens insoweit unter die fittiche nahmen, dass das aktuelle album regulär verkauft werden kann (wer zugreifen mag, geht die herrschaften bitte direkt an). 

das klienicum, 06. Dezember 2009

"Band der Woche: The Moonband
Ja, das gibt es in München noch: Eine komplett akustisch aufspielende Band, bestehend aus vier Instrumentalisten, die nebenbei auch noch ganz wunderbaren mehrstimmigen Gesang zum besten geben. Die Moonband tingelt seit ein paar Jährchen durch die mal mehr, mal weniger hippen Locations nicht nur in der Isarstadt und präsentiert dabei eine schöne Mixtur aus eigenen Stücken und ausgewählten Covers der Americana/Folk-Ecke. Immer berührend und vor allem live zum dahinschmelzen..."

Cultpilot - cultur im netz, 26. Juli 2009

"Den Abend eröffnet The Moonband. Das 3-Jungs-1-Mädel-Quartett kommt aus München, klingt aber, als hätte es sein bisheriges Leben auf einem Raddampfer auf dem Mississippi verbracht. Mit ihrem melodischen, frischen Folk erobern die vier das Publikum im Sturm. Vor allem der Wechselgesang zwischen Christian Begusch und Katrin Bobek verleiht den stimmungsvoll arrangierten Songs eine besondere Spannung, und die für Indie-Ohren und -Augen eher ungewohnten Instrumente Mandoline und Kontrabass machen die Live-Darbietung äußerst reizvoll. Eine vielversprechende, sehr sympathische Band, auf deren Debüt-Album im Herbst man gespannt sein kann!..."

Radio M94,5  07. Juli 2009

"... mit zwei gitarren, einem standup-bass und mandoline bewaffnet, verzauberten die münchner das zur hälfte gefüllte orangehouse mit einer musikalischen palette aus folkklassikern und eigenen songs, die demnächst auch auf dem debutalbum veröffentlicht werden sollen. die dynamik stimmte, die freude am spiel war ersichtlich,(...) und verstärkten bühnenpräsenz. die fand vor allem ausdruck in einem mutigeren gesangsvortrag und beseelterem zusammenspiel. der wiedererkennungswert einiger der eigenen stücke, denke ich, ist hoch und kann nur bedeuten, dass man diese band im auge behalten sollte..."

das klienicum, 01. Oktober 2008

"...So this post is going to be easy as it is full of artists that I am not very familiar with.  I intend on listening to each one a bit more (of what they have to this point) as each one shows a lot of potential to become regulars on my personal playlists. (...) I then leave this with you readers of Slowcoustic, spread the word. (...) Last but not least is The Moonband from Munich, Bavaria with the track “Days to Live” from their EP entitled “Funerals and Duels”. Other than recently opening for the great Bowerbirds, I am really out of info on this group (even their MySpace page is only in German).  I might have to make a request of my German connection for all things music to get more info…but for now click on the lime to visit the Moonband’s MySpace page."

Slowcoustic (Canadian Blog), Friday Discoveries, filed in Best New Music, 10. Oktober 2008