Finally! We’re back up and running. Man, how we’ve missed talking to all of you. So many records to talk about, people to shit talk, and reasons we still think The Florida Georgia line are douches. Moonrunners was solidified as a family when we did the show, and now that the site is back up and running, it’s our mission to make this little family bigger and better than ever. There is no reason this site shouldn’t be the Pitchfork of the South. None whatsoever. Not having the site for those few months was like missing a central piece of myself. I’ve grown to love this place and all of the people who visit. We’ve got some new writers who’ll help us pump out the content and we’ll be banging with all kinds of new stuff to drop on you folks.

Strap in, it's only gonna get better.

It’s great to be back and don’t worry, we still hate Blake Shelton.

Here we sit in Chicago at the end of March, just over a month away from our very first MoonRunners Music Festival! The event will take place on April 27th, 2013 at Reggie's Rock Club and Music Joint. We are all very excited to be putting this event on for you all! Tickets are selling fast, and it is sure to be a sell out. For those who have not purchased tickets yet, I suggest you do so now from Ticketfly! If there are still tickets available at the door, the price will be $37.

We first announced this Festival about eight months ago, and we can not believe it is finally sneaking up on us. We are very proud of the fact that word has gotten around the country with NO support from the outside. Aside from our friends at Muddy Roots, and a few independent websites and podcasts, we have done all promotion, funding, and advertising on our own. Even the website that WE made specifically for the site, and put on all the handbills has never been updated... It blows me away that so many folks have purchased tickets and know about this event with no help from other marketing (even websites that claim to support ALL independent artists and events, no matter who is hosting it, pretends like this event is not happening). That just proves once again how tight this little community is! So, again, thank you all! With any luck, the event will be a success, and we will start planning 2014 soon!

The event will also feature some great vendors from across the country including: Muddy Roots Music, The Classics Pomade Company, Roots Riot Music, Big Star Vintage Clothing, and Walk the Plank Productions.

Since we first announced the festival, we have had many lineup additions, and even added a third spot for artists to perform! It just keep getting better and bigger. We also added an "after party" with James Hunnicutt. He will hit the stage in the Music Joint immediately following the nights headliner, Shooter Jennings. As we stand now, we have 24 artists in one day! I hope everyone gets there early (doors are at 10:30AM), and stays until the end! It will certainly be a long, exhausting day and night, but, something that will surely live in your memory forever. Reggie's also has a great menu, so eating will not be a problem while there. Also, we will offer a 3rd floor rooftop bar, with tables and free billiards, etc., where there will be no live music. For anyone that needs to sneak away for a bit and relax, this will be the place to do it! And, of course, there is a huge record store with thousands of new and used vinyl for sale! I also hope you all check out some of the artists you may have never heard before. There are plenty of talented folks on this bill that are flying just below radar. I hope that this Fest can be a breaking point for many of them, as they all deserve it.

Now, many of you have been asking for a schedule for time and stages. Well, we are not going to give time slots to you until you arrive. We are taking a cue from old school punk rock festivals, in hope folks don't show up for a particular artist and just leave without discovering someone new. Outside of the two headliners, Shooter Jennings and Scott H. Biram, closing the main stage, the lineup is pretty random in who plays when. Your favorite artist just may be hitting the stage at 11:00 am. But, everyone will be giving a schedule at the door when you arrive. This Festival is just as much about discovery and up and comers, as it is for the established artists that we all know and love. But, that being said, here is a schedule of who will be performing where, in NO particular order:

Rock Club Stage:

Shooter Jennings

Scott H. Biram

Lonewolf OMB

Robert Dean

The Calamity Cubes

Last False Hope

Carmen Lee and the Tomorrow River Two

Ol' Red Shed

T. Junior

Possessed by Paul James

Fifth on the Floor

Music Joint Stage:

James Hunnicutt

Owen Mays and the 80 Proof Boys

The Dirty Generals

Aran Buzzas

Hellbound Glory

CW Ayon

Rachel Brooke

Pearls Mahone and the One Eyed Jacks

Jayke Orvis and the Broken Band

Record Breakers (in store performances):

Nellie Wilson

Banjer Dan's Banjo Workshop

Adam Lee

Lou Shields

Jake Cox

We can not wait to see you all there! It will be one for the books. If anyone has any questions regarding tickets or venue information, please email me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

We are proud and humbled to announce that our inaugural festival has sold out. With literally no outside support or promotion, we managed to get a venue full of folks from across the country to make flight plans, book hotels, figure out car pool situations, etc. and all come together for one simple reason, the music!

I think this says so much about our community and unity. Something that started as just an idea, flourished into an actual date, than into a phenomenal lineup, and than a capacity crowd. To sell out Reggie's in Chicago, IL for a 21+ all day event, is near unthinkable. It just doesn't happen often.

I want to thank all of you who believed in this, the artists, and the fans. From the bottom of my heart, I never thought it would get this big. I was worried for months after tickets didn't move as fast as I'd hoped. But, really it just took a little time for word of mouth to travel. Suddenly, I was getting emails from both coasts, the south, north, everywhere, with people "hearing" about the Fest, but now knowing enough details to confirm the trip. We didn't have a website for the fest until just two weeks ago, thanks to our personal web designer, Owen Mays.

I am sorry for all those who did not get to buy tickets. I hope next year you will be able to attend, as this will certainly be an annual event. We already have plans for headliners in 2014!

We can not wait to see you all on April 27th, 2013 in Chicago. Thank you all so much. If you see any of us, please come say hello!

If you would like to purchase the Official event T shirt visit Solitary Records.

Ah. It's that time of year. The time when Jason Galez and company announce the lineup for, what has come to be, the pinnacle underground roots festival, Muddy Roots, in Cookeville, TN.

Now, in it's 4th year, the fest will have the biggest name they have ever had. The guys have been hyping the headliner for a few weeks now, with posts such as "You will lose your mind", etc. Some may have thought Hank3. Maybe a legend like Merle? Nope. We get Black fucking Flag.

Here is my view on this addition. To grow, a festival NEEDS to evolve. Does anyone remember when Bonnaroo was a 90% jam band festival between 2002-2004? And, in 2005, after having almost an identical lineup for three solid years, got the likes of Tom Petty, Radiohead, Sonic Youth, Bonnie Raitt, and Beck? The pseudo hippies thought they had lost their festival, yet, if you saw the lineup, a lot of the past artists were still coming back, but they also added new genres to attract more crowds.

Granted, Bonnaroo is a much larger scale festival, but, my point is clear. Sure, the first three years of Muddy Roots have been amazing, but the lineup was often similar. Announcing Black Flag as a headliner was nothing short of brilliance.

The ticket prices are the same as last year and we will still get Goddamn Gallows, Dale Watson, Joe Buck, Shooter Jennings, the return of Larry and his Flask, etc. etc. Plus, we get the essential hardcore punk band that started it all. I couldn't be more excited for this. The pairing is perfect for most everyone is attendance. I am sure a few purists will disagree, but that comes with the territory.

Now, let's talk about the lineup. Greg Ginn, founder and only member to last the entire existence of the band will be on guitar. That was enough for me right there. But, we are also treated to Ron Reyes, the front man from 1979-1980. Ron may have only been in the band for a short while, but in that time, Black Flag released arguably one of their best EP's, "Jealous Again". In my mind, he has the best voice of any of the 4 singers of Black Flag. Keith Morris is OFF! doing his own version of a reunion, with Flag (yawn). And, I don't want to hear people crying about Henry Rollins not being there. If you are a true Black Flag fan, you should be happy. Rollins was the weakest of all the singers, and is only known as the "face" of the band because of his autobiography of the band he released and his current popularity outside of music. Who knows where Dez is, but I am perfectly happy with Ron Reyes as lead singer. Ron famously quit the band while on stage in May of 1980 because he was sick of the shows becoming too violent. Seems like he'd be right at home at Muddy Roots, a fest were violence is frowned upon. The drummer will be Greg Moore, a new comer to Black Flag. A live bassist has not been announced yet with Greg Ginn's alter ego, Dale Nixon, credited as the session bassist.

And, what about the crowds that have been attending Muddy Roots? 75% of us are old punk rockers. Plus, their is never a shortage of gutter punx. Hell, I personally have seen Black Flag shirts and many patches of attendees at past fests. This also is not the first punk band at Muddy Roots. My band, Last False Hope, have been a part of it since 2011, and have had some of the wildest and funnest crowds over the weekend. A few unfamiliar critics may have been taken a back by the hardcore vocals, but the fans sure don't mind. To say that Joe Buck Yourself is not punk rock is silly. And, The Goddamn Gallows and Filthy Still pride themselves in their punk roots.

I personally think this is a huge step for Muddy Roots and the future of the festival. I couldn't be more proud to be a part of it yet again this year. My one concern is if the Black Flag fans, who are not yet familiar with this movement, will know or care to hear any of the other artists on the festival. I guess we can only hope we turn these like minded folks onto some more great artists! We will see ya in August!

Tickets can be bought HERE!