by Shannon Fox
Photos by Matthew Valcourt
It was a bustling Friday night on South Street when The Black Moon’s hit the stage at Legendary Dobbs after following a successful show at World Café Live the previous week. With many of the members having grown up in Philadelphia this was some sort of homecoming for the band. The group formed at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, and it was now time to show their Philly audience what they had up their sleeve.
Heavy Harold opened the stage with their energetic feel, setting the mood for the rest of the night. The band’s upbeat drumming and steady bass lines filled the tiny room with a hard rock vibe.
Second up was Sam Haiman Band who also hail from the Berklee College of Music. The quartet describes themselves as an equal mix of Asbury rock, Texas blues, and Laurel Canyon folk. Front man Sam Haiman showed his New Jersey roots up on stage as he played an sang along to the bands original songs as well as energetic cover to Led Zeppelin’s “Good Times, Bad Times” which responded well with the crowd.
The Black Moon’s graced the stage shortly after as the crowed began to chant their name over and over again. They began with “Only Got The Night” and “The Eastern Skyline” off their current album Half-Heart & Climbing. Six musicians scattered the stage which included front man and guitarist Jake Ohlbaum, Liz Duska on backing vocals, Chris Wilder on the keyboard, Scott McIntyre with the bass, Harry Price on guitar, and Will Butera on the drums.
After an energetic start to the show the band went on to debut a new song, “Hungry Like The Wild”, from their upcoming album Less Talk…More Beard (set to release this September). The group kept the fire going throughout their whole performance and the audience responded with constant cheering. Everyone in the venue was enjoying what these guys were doing up on stage. The combination of Ohlbaum’s lead vocals with Duska’s backing harmonies were perfect when it came to tracks like “Careful With My Heart” and “Waiting by the Phone”. Duska even went on to sing solo of AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell”.
With new music on the way, the future of The Black Moons seems very promising. Their constant energy isn’t fading anytime soon.
