Local 913, Episode 27: The Crew Of The Half Moon
Based in Johnstown, PA, The Crew Of The Half Moon brings together some very smart and talented artists. After playing in separate high school bands, Dan Oatman and Kate Rhodes started as a duo in 2012. Although the pair had grown up in the same music scene, Oatman’s background was punk, while Rhodes’ was more acoustic based. Due to lack of electric instruments, the band started off with a more acoustic, folk driven sound. After acquiring the proper electric amps and guitars, they invited drummer Claire Horvath to complete the lineup. The Crew Of The Half Moon’s unique image does not always match audience expectations of how they will sound. Oatman explains that the way they look often effects people’s perception of the band:
“We get written off for it and pretty often, too. I think a lot of people have carried some kind of sentiment along the line of “You guys look like you’re just gonna be a sloppy punk band.” Usually they come off telling us that we have an older soul than they expected us to.”
Oatman also explains the origins of the band’s name:
“There’s an old Washington Iriving story about Rip Van Wrinkle. When Rip goes out in the woods, he meets these ghostly figures that give him some kind of mead or elixir that he drinks. He falls asleep and he wakes up on the other side of The Revolutionary War. So, they’re called The Crew Of The Half Moon in Washington’s story. We really liked the idea of The Crew being a very working term and The Half Moon being a bit more abstract or distant or spiritual or something. [We liked] the cross between those two. Kate and I are Lit majors, so, you know, we’re nerds. “
Listen below to hear their song “The Party After The Show” and for more on The Crew of The Half Moon, go to their website.
