Moon Hooch

Moon Hooch crafts an eclectic fusion of saxophone-driven and percussion-heavy sounds, which they have labeled "cave music." Centered on saxophonists Wenzl McGowen and Mike Wilbur, the group first developed their style performing live on the streets of Brooklyn. Through studio efforts such as the 2014 release This Is Cave Music and Red Sky from 2016, the ensemble expanded their approach by adding vocal elements and synthesizers, emerging as a respected, creative rock act.

The trio formed during 2010 when McGowen, Wilbur, and drummer James Muschler attended classes at the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music. Their initial performances took place busking outside the Metropolitan Museum of Art as well as throughout the New York City subway network. During one of these street sessions, Soul Coughing's Mike Doughty noticed them and subsequently invited the band to join his tour. Additional recognition came from sharing stages with They Might Be Giants and supporting acts including Galactic. Their first album, titled Moon Hooch, appeared in 2013 via Hornblow/Megaforce and peaked at number nine on the Billboard Jazz Albums chart.

The following year brought their second effort, This Is Cave Music, which spotlighted the track "EWI." This project ventured into bolder territory, blending '80s-style synth pop with dubstep and vocal parts. It achieved greater visibility compared to the debut and climbed to number five on the Billboard Jazz Albums chart.

Red Sky marked their third studio album in 2016. The band handled production themselves in Brooklyn, and the release included the song "Psychotubes." One year afterward came both the EP Joshua Tree and the live recording Live at the Cathedral. Then in 2018 arrived the Light It Up EP, which Tonio Sagan—grandson of the renowned astronomer and writer Carl Sagan—produced and which highlighted the single "Acid Mountain." January 2020 saw the arrival of the full-length Life on Other Planets, showcasing tracks captured through a sequence of single-take sessions.