Summer officially ends on Sunday. I don’t know about you, but I intend on holding on for dear life. The thought of another New York winter is … well … cold and the antithesis of pleasant, sunny, and all those summery adjectives. What I need is some music to help me ward away the chill in the air and focus only on the chill of cold beer, warm sunshine, and a beach somewhere. I need some mental transportation music. Thankfully, I have Joe Moorhead.
Moorhead, an acoustic-guitar wielding, laid-back, tropical musician originally from Cleveland, Ohio – there is an ironic contradiction blatantly noticeable in that appositive – provides the summer grooves you need to keep the spirit of warm weather alive during cold months. His band is your quintessential college quartet, and they can be seen playing college venues and festivals throughout the United States (Tour Schedule).
All of the tracks, which can be heard on Moorhead’s website, can best be described as fun. The tracks, like Moorhead, are relaxed and comfortable. They are perfect for swinging on a hammock while enjoying the sweet heat radiating off the orange sand and … uh, yeah, sorry, back to my desk. It’s easy to get lost (in a good way) in the excellent tunes. Here is the first single off the new album Tides are Rising (released last month), “Sunshine Driving”
The piece starts with a toe-tapping blues riff that echoes a groovy Dave Matthews-like jam. Moorhead’s vocal is loose and easy. The hip verse turns into an island chorus. It’s a strange made-up adjective, I know. The best way I can describe it though is a melody concoction you are most likely to hear while on an Island. It’s an interesting juxtaposition with the blues guitar. Great piece.
The Music Court 
Kind of a poor man’s Jack Johnson, no?
Definitely.