“The Moonshine gets the musical heritage of my Appalachian Mountains. There is conscious blending of the old and new here, sort of like moonshine in a martini glass...except this works better.”
— Dave Stallard, Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine
Bio
The Moonshine is an idea on the rise. Taking the magic of the stringband as their foundation and journeying through the wilds of all music that has shaped them, this music is original and dynamic, with deep roots into Folk, Indie Rock, Oldtime, Gypsy and Cajun traditions.
After a chance meeting on a fire escape in Portland, Oregon, the husband and wife duo at the core of The Moonshine fell - luckily not off the fire escape - but instead in love, and they've been making music together since 2005. Songwriter Michael Gerard Levasseur (Michael the Blind) and multi-instrumentalist Rachael Renee' Levasseur (now married) founded the postmodern stringband The Moonshine in 2012 along with a revolving cast of some of the PNW’s most unique and sought-after pickers. Together they toured the Western United States extensively playing countless shows and festivals, releasing two full length albums, and contributing the score for a documentary film. Just after releasing their second album, 2016 took Michael and Rachael across the country to Athens, Georgia, where they eventually hooked up with additional band members and hit the road again to share the music with folks in TN, AL, SC, GA, and FL. 2019 brought big changes resulting in a return home to the Rose City where they are again playing shows around the PNW as a dynamic quartet featuring autoharp, guitar, fiddle, and upright bass. Guided by the vision of Michael’s engaging lyricism and ephemeral arrangements, this shifting cast of talented Moonshiners bring their vibrating strings and vocal chords to original rock and roll songs, grassed-out rock covers, rocked-out bluegrass covers, and their indie rock take on old-time classics.
Band members:
Michael Gerard: Vocals, guitar, songwriting, whistles, effervescence
Rachael Renee': Vocals, harmonies, autoharp, mandolin, guitar, keys, shoutouts
Susanna Low-Beer: Harmonies, fiddle, viola, train whistle, puns
J Elwood Johncox: Harmonies, upright bass, mouth percussion, shaker
James Rossi: Mandolin, fiddle, booming harmonies, face-melting solos
Additional members
Rob Keller: Harmonies, upright bass, slaps, zingers
Nicholas Lindell: Fiddle, viola J Elwood Johncox: Harmonies, upright bass, mouth percussion, shaker
Maxwell Countryman Skewes: Banjo, sassy jokes, slick moves
Darren Moore: Upright bass, bounce, loving kindness
