Crazy Moon

Local band Crazy Moon is hoping to make some buzz with its debut single, “The Letter.”

Made up of lead singer/rhythm guitarist Tom McDermott, lead guitarist Stevo Cossentino, bassist Rich Cossentino and drummer/producer Jesse Gimbel, Crazy Moon defines itself as a vintage-inspired rock band, but its single is straight up blues with some serious soul to it.

Recorded in the local studio Jesse Gimbel’s Basement, the band’s instrumentation is clean and on point and keeps the song running smoothly. But what makes Crazy Moon stand out among its fellow rock bands is the McDermott’s vocals. His bluesy voice and vocal range give real emotion to the written lyrics and conveys the heartbreak of “The Letter.” This guy is a seriously talented singer.

Crazy Moon plans to release its 12-track debut album, Sights on a Sunless Sea, on August 10. Although the album is largely vintage-inspired rock, the band tells us also touches on the sounds of other classic genres like soul, dance rock and some psychedelic.

“‘The Letter’ is a heavier song as far as our [sound] goes, but the album covers a lot of ground with hints of influence from Michael Jackson and Prince to more modern indie rock like The Black Keys, Jack White, and the Alabama Shakes,” Rich Cossentino said.

Check out the music video for “The Letter” below and download the single here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfgS6aTh0yk). - Samantha Cressman of XPN's The Key

Vintage-inspired Philly rock band Crazy Moon got our attention with its debut single, “The Letter,” back in July. It’s hard to top such a powerhouse single, but Crazy Moon equally wowed us with its debut full-length, Sights on a Sunless Sea, released online this week.

This doesn’t sound like a debut album, but a fifth or sixth album from a veteran band. The album has twelve extremely distinct tracks — each one has its own identity. Some are straight-up rock, others have a hint of psychedelic to them, a couple are completely dance rock and then there are the blues-rock anthems like “The Letter.”


Without a doubt, “The Letter” is still the star of the album. Don’t get me wrong, the whole album is a hit, but it’s almost impossible to top a song like “The Letter.” If Sights on a Sunless Sea were a movie, “The Letter” would be the Oscar-winning lead actor and the other eleven tracks would be the lesser-known, but still fantastic, supporting cast.

The title track is the only one that comes close to topping “The Letter.” Opening the album, it does its job of drawing the listener in right away. A lot of that credit has to go to lead singer Tom McDermott. His voice is soulful and his vocal range is impressive.

The album’s closing track, “Everywhere For Two,” is the perfect way to end it. It’s a slower, quieter track with a fading melody that wraps up the album. It’s like sailing on calm waves. Sights on a Sunless Sea has a little bit of everything to it and as far as debut albums go, this one will definitely leave you wanting more from Crazy Moon.

Sights on a Sunless Sea is available for download now through Crazy Moon’s Bandcamp; listen to the entire album below, and catch the band’s album release party at The Grape Room on October 3rd. Tickets and information can be found at the XPN Concert Calendar. - Samantha Cressman of XPN's The Key

Crazy Moon "Sights on a Sunless Sea"

There’s a good indie rock scene going on in Philly right now, but none of them quite capture the soul and upbeat feel that Crazy Moon possesses in their signature sound. Their latest release “Sights on a Sunless Sea” is a great example of how awesome songs with catchy hooks can sound so good! While their style is definitely current in a lot of respects, there are nods to classic rock, psych and soul in their sound that really set their songs on another level. The hooks during the chorus parts of the majority of the tracks are so good and well crafted that you’re just going to have to hear it to believe it!

The first thing I notice on this record is definitely how professional the recording sounds and the clarity of each individual instrument is crystal clear! The vocal work is way up in the forefront with a soulful, bluesy style who’s vibrato and harmonies are completely on point. The guitars have great tone whether it’s totally clean or the gain is turned up a bit for a little more of a rockin’ distorted part. The walking bass lines really set the songs off as well as the drumming that is straight forward, yet has subtle intricacies that really pique the listeners interest and other instruments are brought out depending on the songs vibe to make accompany the band to create an appropriate difference that is really interesting!

With a forceful falsetto yell, the title track, “Sights on a Sunless Sea” starts the album off with a rocker! The whole song has a real upbeat and soulful feel that if you’re head isn’t nodding you might just not be alive while listening to it. When the bridge comes in the guitar riff, stops in the song and the wah infused solo make it all that much better! The chorus to “Maggie” is completely undeniably catchy! The bass line in this song kills it extra hard and all in all, this song just flat out rules and is my favorite on the record! Slowing things down a bit “Roisin” invokes a 50’s ballad theme that breaks up the album really well and shows off the band’s ability as well as their diversity as players. Picking up the pace a bit is the funky sounding “Waiting on You.” This track definitely has a jam-like feel to it, but lacks the total nerdiness that comes along with that genre, instead the vocals smooth it out and the subtle horns in the background bring it to another level. Belting out a classic inspired rock track “Over Yonder” this track takes about a minute to prime your senses, but when it takes off you’ll feel the power of this song immediately. When the bridge comes in there’s a psychedelic guitar solo that adds a ton to the song! With a european folky start “Take The Freeway Home” brings their 60’s psych / dub rock side to the forefront! This song combines two genres that wouldn’t usually go together at all and in a seamless fashion they make it work really well! If I could have two favorites on the album this is the other one for seer originality. Almost like you were listening to this track on an AM radio, the mix on “Intermission (LIHTH)” has an alt-country vibe to it, but still holds on to their sound that you’ve come accustomed to after the last few tracks. A powerful guitar line starts off “The Letter” and when the whole band comes in, it’s an explosion of soulful blues oriented rock that is extremely emotional. The blistering guitar solo half way through is as powerful, if not more, as the vocal work is on this track. I personally was blown away by how awesome the vocal work is on this track! Bringing back the 50’s vibe “You’re Mine” brings the album back down to earth with this upbeat track that rules for much different reasons than the other tracks on the record. “Ghost Hip” is up next with an atmospherical sound not yet heard on the album that is really interesting. A really somber whistling part on “Next To You” slows the album down even more. A distorted vocal part comes in and as the song progresses it starts to put up the mood! By the middle, it turns into a complete rocker that is, again, really powerful! Finally, “Everywhere For Two” ends the record with a slower rockin’ track that definitely rules and finishes the album perfectly!

Crazy Moon has definitely released a solid effort with “Sights On A Sunless Sea!” It’s definitely a different kind of album than I’ve reviewed on the site previously, but I feel that its what really makes our scene great with this level of diversity! When they have shows posted we’ll be the first to let you know. In the meantime, check out “Sights On A Sunless Sea” below and get stoked on this band. - Aaron Stampa of Radio Static Philly