Blue Moon Rising has been recording and performing bluegrass music now for 15 years, and over this time, they’ve released 6 strong records with a wealth of fine original material. And founder Chris West has something special in store for their many fans this year.
West has assembled a group of BMR veterans to play a limited schedule, based on the demands of their various collective commitments with other acts. And he says that a reunion band album is in the works as well.
“We’ve been playing some reunion shows with members of the original band. In January, we played at the 10th Annual Blizzard Bluegrass Weekend in Bismarck, ND. Everyone had so much fun getting together again as friends and playing music, that we decided to continue Blue Moon Rising with this lineup.
Going forward, the band will consist of former Blue Moon Rising alumni Keith Garrett (mandolin), Justin Jenkins (banjo), Tim Tipton (bass), Randall Massengill (guitar), and current members Brandon Bostic (dobro), and myself (guitar). Keith and Justin will continue to play with The Boxcars and Grasstowne, respectively, and Blue Moon Rising will book dates as our schedules allow.
We are also very excited to be working on a new record to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the band. The album is scheduled for release this fall, and will feature original songs from within the group, as well as songs from Ronnie Bowman, Townes Van Zandt, and other great songwriters we admire. The new release will showcase some of the band members from years past.
We are thrilled to reboot Blue Moon Rising, and look forward to getting back on the road!”
Blue Moon Rising will continue to be represented by Mike Drudge at Class Act Entertainment.
Reunion band shows will be posted on the BMR web site.
