Dakota Moon

From the first guitar strum on Dakota Moons Another Day Goes By to the rousing chorus that recalls one part Doobie Brothers one part Eric Clapton, you know youre listening to a group with a sound distinctly their own. Their passionate playing, soulful vocals and buoyant harmonies recall the effortlessness of Bill Withers and the broad appeal of the Eagles. We all have a wide range of influences which has had a major impact on our music says guitarist/ vocalist Ty Taylor. Bassist/ vocalist Ray Artis adds, I come from a Rock background, Malloy (percussion, vocals), brings a great R&B flavor, Joe Dean (guitarist, vocals) is inspired by a lot of Pop and Jazz and Ty rounds it out with more classic folk inspiration from artists like Carol King and James Taylor. The band even covers the classic Taylor song Your Smiling Face.

The story of Dakota Moon began on two coasts. Ty and Ray in New York and Joe and Malloy in California. An L.A. recording session for producers Andrew Logan and Mike More led to an after hours jam, and within no time, the decision to form this unique band. After Ty and Rays relocation to the West Coast, Dakota Moon quickly became one of the most popular bands in Los Angeles playing the club circuit, and developing an incredibly loyal following. Its a great feeling to connect with our audience, says Joe. Ty seconds that sentiment, We feed off of the energy of our crowds, they help us groove.

The bands passionate live performance came across to Elektra CEO Sylvia Rhone, who signed the band on the spot after they performed a private acoustic set. It sounds like one of those classic show business stories, laughs Joe. But thats how it happened. The buzz on the bands live show was so good that it landed them the once in a lifetime opportunity to open for the legendary Tina Turner on her 1997 Wildest Dreams Tour, an amazing feat for a band that hadnt even released their first single. It was phenomenal to work with Tina, says Ty. Sharing the same stage with a living legend was an experience that well never forget. Malloy adds: We matured as a band. We went from playing at clubs that have a capacity to hold 200 people to 30,000 seat venues. It was amazing to see the crowd react so positively to us – without even knowing our music. It did a lot for our confidence as a band, the whole thing was amazing.

The group is just as enthusiastic when talking about the songs on their self-titled debut album. Most of the tunes were written with producers Logan and More, including the tender ballad A Promise I Make co-written with Gordon Kennedy, Wayne Kirkpatrick and Tommy Sims, the Grammy winning team who wrote Eric Claptons Change The World. When we came together as a band, we decided that we would write with our emotions on the table, says Ty. He points to the haunting ballad Black Moon Day as an example of the group exploring the darker side of love. Tys vocal on the song is heartfelt and shadow-filled, with just the flicker of guitar resonating throughout the song.

The band can just as quickly turn a hopeful corner, like on the song She Knows. Joes dynamic vocal allows the song to build from a realized mini-anthem to a sweeping optimistic chorus. This song is about someone knowing all of your ins and outs, and ups and downs, he says. Malloy romances the listeners with the beautiful Violet. His smooth vocals glide freely over the track. Collectively, the band turns their rock side up a notch with Wont Be Alone Tonight, and Snow In July, and shows signs of a bit of the old school R&B with Sweet Lady Jane and Call On Me. Dakota Moon is not about categories and colors. Its about music with no boundaries. Were really proud of this record, says Malloy. I knew the minute we came together we had something special and we hope that it comes across on the album. It certainly does.