Island Dreams

The Moonlighters have been working on their easygoing sound for a few years, combining interests in old-time Hawaiian music and pop tunes from the 1920s and ’30s.

By: Susan Van Dongen

   Although few of his other predictions came true, the Amazing Kreskin got one thing right on New Year’s Day. Appearing on CNN, the professional psychic announced, "We will see a new interest, after 40 years, in Hawaiian music."
   Perhaps Kreskin just got hip to the Moonlighters and wanted to share his discovery. The group has been working on its easygoing sound for a few years — ever since steel guitarist Henry Bogdan met ukulele player/vocalist Bliss Blood, combining their interests in old-time Hawaiian music and pop tunes from the 1920s and ’30s.
   "The Hawaiian element of the sound came from Henry’s preoccupation with all things Hawaiian," says Ms. Blood, speaking from her apartment in Lower Manhattan. "He especially loved the Hawaiian steel guitarists like King Bennie Nawahi and Sol Hoopii, both of whom basically invented steel guitar music and were copied by a number of musicians on the mainland.
   "The ’20s and ’30s pop music is my contribution to our sound," she says. "I love the classic jazz-pop tunes of that era and have been studying the lyric and songwriting from that time. A lot of people find our original songs to be almost indistinguishable from the classic tunes that we cover."
   The Moonlighters bring their stylish, seductive sound to the Kingston United Methodist Church May 17. The concert kicks off the "It Takes a Village" series, planned to raise funds for repairs and maintenance on the historic church.
   The two women are known for their flouncy, flapper-like dresses, Technicolor tights and whimsical leis — a little burst of island color in an urban sea. The Moonlighters’ music is described as falling somewhere between old-time Hawaiian records by guitarists such as Sol Hoopii and 1920s and ’30s pop vocalists like the Boswell Sisters and Annette Hanshaw.
   Ms. Blood says she first got a taste of Depression-era tunes while working in a record store specializing in vintage vinyl in her native Houston.
   "There was an abundance of great music from past decades available and I definitely took advantage of that," she says. "There were literally dozens of recordings of music from the ’20s and ’30s, which I snatched up and devoured.
   "I did my first recording of jazz songs in 1994, and shortly after that I got my first ukulele," she continues. "It’s a deceptively easy instrument at first, but it takes a lot of time to get the technique I use today. But yes, it is easy, and that’s why it was so popular in the days before record players and radio were invented."
   The Moonlighters began playing and performing in New York in March 1998. The band was born in 1996 when Mr. Bogdan, former bassist for Helmet, developed a passion for Hawaiian steel guitar — all things Hawaiian, in fact, including wallpaper adorned with hula dancers. Mr. Bogdan found Ms. Blood playing ukulele and singing in clubs, having moved from Texas — where she was a vocalist with avant-rock band the Pain Teens.
   Recruiting jazz bassist Andrew Hall and singer/guitarist Carla Murray to round out the group, they became a familiar favorite at Lower East Side clubs like Brownies, Baby Jupiter and Tramps Café. When Tramps closed down, they took the free time to record their first CD, Dreamland.
   In February 2002, the Moonlighters released their second CD, Hello Heartstring, on their homegrown Onliest Records label. The latest release combines dreamy, island-inspired ballads like "Hawaiian Blues" and "Beyond the Reef," Depression-era classics such as "Brother Can You Spare a Dime?" and a number of hip, modern originals. All the songs feature sumptuous steel guitar, plunky, perky ukulele and sexy-sweet harmonizing by Ms. Bliss and Ms. Murray.
   Unfortunately, Mr. Bogdan became so enamoured of Hawaii, he left the Moonlighters last year to make plans to relocate to the Aloha state. The rest of the group wished him well, enlisting guitarists Bob Hoffnar and Pete Smith to come aboard.
   They haven’t been to Hawaii yet, but the Moonlighters have played all over, including a lengthy tour of Austria, Germany and Switzerland. They’ve taken part in the QE2 Floating Jazz Festival, South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, and the New York City Cabaret Convention. The Moonlighters have also appeared on National Public Radio and gigged at the Museum of TV and Radio.
   The group’s Web site (see below) has a number of interesting links, including one for cartoonist/musician R. Crumb and his Cheap Suit Serenaders (www.timshome.com/css/). Ms. Blood says they connected through Sherwin Zwigoff, a cousin of director Terry Zwigoff (Crumb, Ghost World).
   More importantly, the Moonlighters, Mr. Zwigoff and Mr. Crumb share a mutual passion for forgotten music from the ’20s and ’30s.
   "There’s a whole underground scene of 78 rpm record collectors like R. Crumb — some of whom run labels like Yazoo Records that re-issue great old music from that time period," Ms. Blood says. "We’ve gotten lots of material from Sherwin.
   "His friends from the Cheap Suit Serenaders, including R. Crumb, are living musical treasures and very underrated. They’re keeping the tradition of American music alive, rescuing the work of great artists from obscurity. We hope we can contribute to the same cause and keep building the legacy of American composers from the last century."
The Moonlighters perform at the Kingston United Methodist Church, Church Street, Kingston, May 17, 8 p.m. Tickets cost $12. The concert is part of the It Takes a Village series to benefit the Kingston United Methodist Church repairs and maintenance. For information, call (609) 921-6812. The Moonlighters on the Web: www. moonlightersnyc.com