Mike & the Moonpies at the Codfish Hollow Barn -- June 25.
Sunday, June 25, 8 p.m.
Codfish Hollow Barn, 5013 288th Avenue, Maquoketa IA
Touring in support of their most recent album One to Grow On, a 2021 release that inspired Saving Country Music to rave that "the single greatest band in country music at the moment has just released one of the single greatest records you will hear in country music in the last few years," the Austin, Texas-based ensemble Mike & the Moonpies headline a June 25 engagement at Maquoketa' Codfish Hollow Barn, their sound praised by No Depression for its “shining tautness” and “crisp precision that is marvellous.”
Founded by singer/songwriter and frontman Mike Harmeier, Mike & the Moonpies has been a regional force in country music for more than 15 years, its current lineup boasting Harmeier, drummer Kyle Ponder, guitarist Catlin Rutherford, bassist Omar Oyoque, and steel guitarist Zachary Moulton. The band's 2010 album debut The Real Country led to an invitation by Daytrotter founder Sean Moeller to take part in the concert event Barnstormer IV, and in the years since, Mike & the Moonpies have maintained a busy touring schedule opening for the likes of Jason Boland & the Stragglers, Turnpike Troubadours, and Johnny Lee. The ensemble has also earned considerable critical acclaim for albums including 2012's The Hard Way, 2015's Mockingbird, 2018's Steak Night at the Prairie Rose, 2019's Cheap Silver & Solid Country Gold, and 2020's Touch of You: The Lost Songs of Gary Stewart.
As Rolling Stone wrote in its Mockingbird rave, Harmeier "spent his youth soaking up the classic country, Western swing, and Southern rock pouring out of the jukebox of his grandfather's favorite honkytonk. He and his bandmates serve it back up on their third album, toasting influences that range from the Allman Brothers to George Strait … . Harmeier writes with a storytelling skill and specificity his heroes would appreciate – and the musicians play with the fire of the hard-touring band that they are.” Steak Night at the Prairie Rose, meanwhile, earned even more lavish kudos, with Rolling Stone going on to call the recording “one of the best country albums of the year. With its easygoing barroom sound and crisp songwriting, the record transcends the 'Texas country' tag to make Mike Harmeier’s band a necessary part of the national country-music conversation.”
Mike & the Moonpies headlines their Maquoketa engagement on June 25 with sets by Brit Taylor, Willie Tea Taylor, and the Turkey Buzzards, admission to the 8 p.m. concert is $30, and more information and tickets are available by visiting CodfishHollowBarnstormers.com.
