Pompe n’ Honey makes their recording debut with the lively EP Desert Moon. Capturing the raw energy and excitement of their live performances, the band showcases their natural chemistry and diverse array of musical influences on this colorful patchwork of both original songs and creatively arranged covers. Their affinity for gypsy jazz (a la Django Reinhardt, et al) is clear from the opening track “Fade Away”, a hard-driving original tune featuring interwoven guitar and fiddle melodies that serve to take Melissa Chilinski’s passionate vocals and swinging rhythm guitar to exciting heights. A touch of the blues is heard on “Swingin’”, another original tune that illustrates the band’s groove, harmony vocals, and infectious sense of humor. Crowd-favorite and title track “Desert Moon” transports the listener to the beautiful towering red rocks of the Utah desert, where “stands of juniper trees [are] the air’s perfume.”

 

Exquisite three-part harmonies, slide guitar, and singing saw give this track an ethereal, mystical quality, let alone the potent poetry of Melissa’s lyrics. “The Way Young Lovers Do” is Pompe n’ Honey paying homage to the great Van Morrison, giving this lesser-known classic tune their “pompe” treatment- a driving rhythm section, augmented by the athletic interplay of fiddle and banjo.

 

The band switches gears on “Stay A Little Longer”, tapping into the deep well of country swing pioneered by great artists like Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys. “Cluck Old Hen” is equal parts old time fiddle tune, raucous sea shanty, and psychedelic freakout a la The Allman Brothers Band (take the Dorian scale and make it Phrygian Dominant!). And finally, just like an experienced lover, the band lets you down gently with the heart-wrenching ballad “Could’ve Had It All”. Melissa’s voice and lyrics take center stage here, but don’t sleep on Sam Osimitz’s painfully beautiful violin solo. You could be forgiven if tears start to fall while listening to this track- there have been many tears in the band’s eyes when they play this one live.

 

All in all, “Desert Moon” is an evocative work of art, a document that offers an authentic glimpse into the hearts and minds that drive this unique band. 

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Catalog #: WMR2302