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<\/p>\nMore than a decade ago, guitarists Stephen Murray and Matt Martin launched their band, Holy Ghost Tent Revival, as a sort of hybrid between ragtime jazz and rock \u2018n\u2019 roll. Seven albums, two EPs and countless gigs later, the band looks much the same. But it sounds completely different. Reflecting that change, the band is now rechristened Moves. Showcasing a more modern soul and r&b-influenced rock sound, the group celebrated the release of its new self-titled album with a March 9 show at the Mothlight in Asheville.<\/p>\n
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From the perspective of the band members, a name change was necessary and inevitable; the idea of re-branding first arose three years ago. \u201cWe spent the better part of ten years touring like crazy people, and we realized that the music that we had put out in 2009 through 2016 was of one era, one kind of style,\u201d Murray explains. \u201cWe were feeling a little stuck; people always associated us with ragtime Dixieland.\u201d He notes that as much as the band emphasized its style change in its bios and made a point of not performing older material, \u201cfestivals would still market us as having that Dixieland sound.\u201d<\/p>\n
Murray recalls the band\u2019s collective conclusion: \u201cWe\u2019ve got to do something.\u201d<\/p>\n
Discussions centered around the idea of making moves forward. \u201cMy fianc\u00e9e suggested the name,\u201d Murray says. \u201cSo we put it in the list of 300,000 other names we were thinking of, and it just felt like the right one.\u201d<\/p>\n
Complicating matters further is the fact that the former Holy Ghost Tent Revival now operates under not one but two different names. \u201cBig Sound Harbor has the same members,\u201d Murray explains. \u201cBut it\u2019s geared toward Dulci Ellenberger taking center stage and leading the band.\u201d Big Sound Harbor\u2019s repertoire primarily features Ellenberger\u2019s original songs. Moves, by contrast, is built upon a foundation of material arranged by the band as a whole and featuring three lead vocalists.<\/p>\n
Acknowledging that the dual identity might look confusing on paper, Murray believes that it suits the creative goals of the musicians involved. All seven of them\u2014guitarists Murray and Martin, Kevin Williams on bass, Hank Widmer on horns, trumpeter\/keyboardist Charlie Humphrey, drummer Ross Montsinger and guitarist Dulci Ellenberger\u2014are involved in other musical projects as well. <\/p>\n
Murray says that that matrix of activity \u201chelps keeps our finger on the pulse, keeps us motivated and excited. To continually be creating is a really wonderful space to be in, when you can find other projects that really kind of speak your truth and what you\u2019re trying to put out in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
The collective truth of Moves is reflected in new songs, many of which have a sociological point of view. \u201cDulci openly speaks about having written \u2018Same Thing\u2019 right after the election of 2016,\u201d Murray says. \u201cIt\u2019s a call out to everyone that though we are different, we all want the same things: love, acceptance, human rights.\u201d <\/p>\n
The song \u201cSleeping\u201d is a social statement, too. \u201cIt\u2019s a commentary on the economic injustice that we\u2019re facing and the feeling [of being] overwhelmed and exhausted by it all at times,\u201d Murray says. The song\u2019s musical approach is deliberate and thought-out as well. \u201cThe build at the end brings in a little bit of chaos and rawness to the listener\u2019s experience,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
Moves brings an audiovisual component to that experience, too. To date the group has produced at least five professional-grade music videos for songs on the new album (plus one for a non-album track, an impassioned reading of the Rolling Stones\u2019 \u201cGimme Shelter\u201d). \u201cWith the re-branding of the name and dropping this album, we made the choice to create as much content as possible to excite our fan base,\u201d Murray says. \u201cWe want to make people realize that we\u2019re doing something new and different, but that\u2019s it\u2019s still the same people.\u201d<\/p>\n
While the group is celebrating the release of its twelve-song album, in general the emphasis is more on individual songs. \u201cWe\u2019re not saying goodbye forever to the idea of releasing an album,\u201d Murray explains. \u201cBut we are focusing more on singles, and meshing that content with videos or some experience beyond just audio.\u201d <\/p>\n
To that end, at least two more singles are currently in the works, with more videos to come as well. \u201cWe\u2019re going to keep pushing out new music,\u201d Murray says, \u201cso that people understand that this is an ongoing and very exciting project for all of us.\u201d The band has hopes of filling its late summer and fall schedule with festival dates and spots opening for national acts.<\/p>\n
The group isn\u2019t taking the re-branding lightly; it\u2019s been in the works for quite awhile. The songs on Moves<\/i> were recorded, mastered and completed in 2017. \u201cIt\u2019s been our baby for a couple of years,\u201d Murray admits with a laugh. \u201cIt feels incredible to finally get it out.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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