Moray: Live at the Launch Pad

I managed to catch most of the Moray set last night at the Launch Pad in downtown Albuquerque. This neo-retro power pop trio proudly picks up the grunge torch that was all but lost when Kurt Cobain left this world and Billy Corgin thought dance music was a good investment for his ample talents. (Not!)

Fronted by (shirtless and well-defined) lead guitarist and vocalist Ryan, the band rounds up with (also shirtless and chesty, with mohawk to boot) Ian on bass guitar, with an explosive drummer aptly named "Animal" bringing up the percussive back-end. This act churns out one finely crafted rock anthem after another, (including Pumpkins & Hendrix covers that exposed their influences beautifully) interlaced with slow-tempo pop ballads that kept the (many) young girls in the audience swaying to the beat.

I picked up their debut album as a pre-release promo for a measly five bucks - available at live shows until their record release party, scheduled for some time in mid-January. Throwing it on after the bars closed while cooking myself a snack, I caught a glimpse of that torch as it once burned brightly in the Seattle of the early '90s, then thought I could see it collapsing time for the present, and into the future. Check these cats out.

Moray, rock, music, grunge, powerpop, shirtless, sexy, Hendrix