Moonlight Social
Nashville, TN | Established. Jan 01, 2011 | SELF
Music
Press
Moonlight Social has it going on! “Make You Smile” is one of the best country pop songs of the year. A catchy, upbeat melody, easy to remember hook-filled lyrics and the deliciously harmonizing vocals of Burchard and Scott make “Make You Smile” simply irresistible. This song has hit written all over it. - The Huffington Post
This new single makes me positive that they deserve stardom. Somebody sign these folks up for the Big Time. — Robert K. Oermann - Music Row Magazine
But as Tennessee duo Moonlight Social understood, sometimes small gestures can help soothe big hurts.
“The next three minutes won’t change your life,” they sang on “Make You Smile.” “But you get a little better one song at a time.” - Las Vegas Review-Journal
“Moonlight Social have the makings of a country/crossover hit act. The harmonies are spot on, and the songs are full of strong dynamics blended with sensible hooks and melodies. Truly a diamond in the rough considering today's alt-country scene — this is a duo that has a very bright future.” - Matt Noveskey
“Burchard’s alt-rock licks and Scott’s country roots meld together effortlessly. As do their voices: the boy-girl harmonies throughout the record are a joy to listen to. Jennica Scott can carry a song through sonic ups and downs — think a rich, syrupy tonality with the belt-your-heart-out chops of Martina McBride or LeAnn Rimes…and the magic happens when you hear what Jeremy Burchard brings to the mix. Whether you’re a little bit country or a little bit rock ‘n’ roll, you owe this album an ear or two.” - Texas Music Magazine
Moonlight Social has managed to create a sound that is as exciting as it is original — no easy feat for ANY artist, let alone an act so new to the recording business! I also admire and am drawn to their commitment to excellence and stretching for that next rung on the artistic ladder; a quality rarely found in this era of “famous-first, game-show celebrity, ball-cap is the new hat act” pabulum currently inundating we Country fans. - Monte Warden, award-winning songwriter [George Strait, Carrie Underwood]
Every song I’ve heard by Moonlight Social is worthy of addition to the Playlist for The Big One. However, ‘Neither Are You’ is the one that has really stuck. This tune is pretty damned close to perfect. Great vocals, great lyrics, great harmonies, great guitar – pretty much explains why I haven’t heard it on the radio. Add this one to your personal playlist and get out ahead of the wave that’s sure to envelope this band. - Hal Leonard, Big Med
Moonlight Social ( http://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/#!__home ) mounted the stage at MoMo's opening for EPMB. What caught my attention was the apparent age of the band members and a female lead singer? Not a rarity here in Austin (cause we have our fare share of great female singers), but not generallyy in this twenty something age group.
When the music started and I heard this voice, I thought it was the reincarnation of Natalie Merchant...and she's not even dead! It is that sweet, soulful, husky voice. You see the lead singer then you hear her voice and it definitely makes you do a double take and then stare. Musically it was cute and would make you want to hold you gf's hand. The uptempo stuff was, well, uptempo. There is definitely a chemistry onstage with the lead singer and the guitarist/ male lead vocals that makes it fun to watch. The band as a whole really seems to be having a good time.
There is some polish that needs to be put on the live performance, but if these kids keep their heads on straight and keep that amazing voice front and center ...watch out. They may end up doing wonderful things.
Like winning contests and performing at the Hot Sauce Festival ( http://www.austinchronicle.com/Market/HotSauce/ )!
Keep it up, look forward to checking them out again and watch them grow up and hopefully blow up! - William Tompkins
This one belongs to fans of Sounds Under Radio, Suite 709 and Alpha Rev (all previous bands we’ve covered). Moonlight Social are another band that won’t be getting a whole lot of indie blog love because they’re much more mainstream-oriented than the kinds of groups covered by a site like, say, Austin Town Hall. Like the aforementioned bands, they should be finding their songs on television shows and adult contemporary radio stations any day now. I’m not a fan of everything on their recent self-titled EP, but they have a couple of really good, radio-worthy tracks which portend potential commercial success.
Jennica Scott and Jeremy Burchard are the heart and soul of this group (though I imagine that they have more playing with them live) which just won the Austin Chronicle Sound Wars with their song “Neither Are You” – undoubtedly a contest-winning-worthy track. Scott channels Natalie Merchant, and Burchard’s arrangement places the song squarely alongside other KGSR regulars like Matt Nathanson, Mat Kearney, and Imelda May. The music has just the right amount of bittersweetness for the lyrics’ sentiments, and Scott really sells her delivery. The other EP highlight for me is the appropriately-named slow burner “Slow Release (Wounds to Words).” I feel the same about this one as I did about Sounds Under Radio’s epic ballads. The song takes its time and builds around a sweet guitar melody and stomping bass drum into inevitable melodramatic melancholy. Apparently, I have a real soft spot for these kinds of tracks. But even on my least favorite song, “Even If,” I really like the melodic contour of the refrain, “You got me where you want me / Even if you don’t want me at all.” I don’t think the lyrics make any sense, but Moonlight Social’s gift for pop melodies render that irrelevant; it’s just a great moment of songwriting.
There’s a lot of potential with this group. Give “Neither Are You” a listen, head here to support them and buy the EP and then check out Moonlight Social at Sunday’s Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival where they share the bill with other OVRLD-featured artists Schmillion and the Bright Light Social Hour.
–Carter - Carter Delloro
Moonlight Social is a unsigned band out of Austin, TX that recently sent in their CD to us asking if we could give it a review. Not knowing much about the band and only hearing one song prior through a website we did not know what to expect when cracking open the CD and throwing it in for a play. After about 5 minutes of listening to the CD, our minds were made up pretty clearly.
The band is made up of only 2 people. Jennica Scott and Jeremy Burchard. For the CD Jennica did most of the vocals, and Jeremy did the instruments with backup vocals. For live performances through research on the net, it seems they have others that fill in for the instrumental spots, but the heart of the band remains with these two people. This is a relatively young group just forming in early 2011, but has already been selected to the SXSW stage for performance.
The music is listed as rock, but that is very deceptive. I would not call what Moonlight Social produces rock music at all, because when I think of rock, Octane on SIRIUS/XM comes to mind. This music would not fit on there. The music is almost a cross-genre between pop and country. Most of the songs on the CD can be compared to the type of music that is produced by Taylor Swift. In fact, if Moonlight Social is as good live as they are on the CD, I could see them opening for Taylor Swift and having no issues keeping up. Yes, this is a strong statement, but is very indicative of the quality of product that they have.
Jennica has one of those sexy voices that attracts you the minute that she starts singing. The vocals are on key, and the feeling just draws you into the song. Jeremy has great harmonies with Jennica and the duet is one of the more powerful that we have heard come across our desks. The harmonies are rich and on track, and heavily compliment the solo voice of either Jennica or Jeremy on each song. Personally I think Jennica is the stronger of the two vocals as one of the songs where Jeremy leads in vocals seems to lose its luster. This could be the attraction of Jennica’s voice and the dominance that she can command without trying.
Every song has that “15 second” factor of if it is going to keep you or lose you down. Within that first 15 seconds you want to hear more. The music actually has meaning and tells a story throughout each. Much like the “Inlike – Somewhere in Between” review, I can see a story that the entire CD tells if the music was arranged in a different order, but gets lost if you only listen to each and every song.
Only ranked number 110 on ReverbNation.com for Austin, TX is very surprising. This tells me that this artist is a diamond hidden in a ton of coal. Moonlight Social is well worth the money to buy the CD as the sound is awesome, and the music is the type that you can listen to over and over again without it getting old quickly. The only downfall is that they could not fit more songs on the CD. We can not wait to hear more from these guys. - Frank Arena, Project Backstage
The arrangement is beautifully conceived, the vocal sounds incredibly expressive, and the song's melody sticks in one's head after just one listen. In fact, I was singing along by the second chorus...pretty difficult not to be impressed by this little beauty. - TAXI A&R
"Mixed with care, the tracks combine light and intense music professionalism. From the first notes on "Neither Are You," we know instantly we're in for a treat...songs like [those on the EP] should be considered calling cards for their limitless capabilities." - A&R Select
"An insatiable amount of talent and great charisma is very much the dynamic of Jeremy Burchard and Jennica Scott, who form the band Moonlight Social...we could learn a lot about how perseverance and dedication has taken this band to a plethora of opportunities." - Boarding Pass
Discography
Make You Smile EP (April 13, 2018)
Rub A Little Dirt On It — Single (October 2, 2015)
Heading South (July 21st, 2012)
EP (May 5th, 2011)
Photos
Bio
It’s not easy uprooting something you’ve grown for years and moving it from comfortable soil to unfamiliar territory. But in the summer of 2016, that’s exactly what Moonlight Social did. Jennica Scott and Jeremy Burchard loaded up the van, a trailer, a few other cars, the dog and the cat, and, with a bittersweet goodbye, put Austin, Texas in the rear view.
About 14 hours and 850 miles later, they planted themselves in Nashville, Tennessee — roots fully intact.
And then they got to work.
Moonlight Social formed all the way back in 2010, when Scott and Burchard met as members of the University of Texas Longhorn Marching Band — Scott as a trumpet player, and Jeremy as a member of the drumline.
Over the next six years, they toured consistently, playing hundreds of shows throughout more than a dozen states. They played huge festival stages in Wisconsin with the likes of Thomas Rhett and Florida Georgia Line, and they played intimate songwriter nights in Texas with critical darlings like Hayes Carll and Jack Ingram. They performed debut single “Heading South” with the Longhorn Band during an epic basketball game halftime and they completed marathon weeks of seven shows in four days during SXSW.
They also released two singles to Texas radio, building their core fan base the old fashioned way. And their brand of genre bending country garnered plenty of accomplishments and praise in the process, from being named one the Best New Bands at the Austin Music Awards to winning Grammy-sponsored showcases.
As a vocalist, Jennica Scott earned comparisons to some of country’s biggest female stars, like Shania Twain, Martina McBride and Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland. Jeremy Burchard won admiration for his emotive baritone vocal and eclectic guitar playing.
And even in the band’s early years, the industry took note of the duo’s unmistakably original take on country music. “I’ve heard thousands of bands, and I’ve never heard a musical blend quite like this,” producer CJ Eiriksson (U2, Matchbox Twenty) said after hearing debut album Heading South. “It sounds great.”
“Moonlight Social has managed to create a sound that is as exciting as it is original,” said Monte Warden, award-winning songwriter behind cuts for artists like George Strait and Carrie Underwood. “I also admire and am drawn to their commitment to excellence and stretching for that next rung on the artistic ladder; a quality rarely found in this era of ‘famous-first, game-show celebrity, ball-cap is the new hat act’ pabulum currently inundating us country fans. ”
In 2015, Moonlight Social began travelling to Nashville, taking meetings and co-writing with everyone from bona fide pros to young upstarts. That year, they released “Rub A Little Dirt On It,” which went on to win the SongDoor International Songwriting Contest for Best Country Song (and place in countless other competitions).
Upon hearing the single, Music City’s most well-regarded critic and historian Robert K. Oermann said, “This new single makes me positive that they are destined for stardom. Somebody sign these folks up for the big time.”
So why did Moonlight Social choose to move to Nashville, leaving behind much of what they built over the past half decade?
“We owed it to ourselves and to the amazing people who helped us over the years to give it everything we’ve got,” Burchard says. “There’s an attitude shift in Nashville that is embracing really cool, unique sounds in country music. You see it in artists like Little Big Town, Maren Morris, Brothers Osborne and Miranda Lambert. We’ve got an opportunity to be a part of something bigger.”
That opportunity manifests itself in the duo’s first release since 2015, “Make You Smile” (co-written with Jo-Leah Tilbury, who also co-wrote their award-winning “Rub A Little Dirt On It”). The new song flips the typical “hook-up” culture concept on its head, using the pair’s mutual heartbreak as the underlying basis for a “misery loves company” theme rooted in musical therapy.
Co-produced by Burchard and featuring a supporting cast of some of Nashville’s finest players, the tune is the first new single from a forthcoming EP.
Upon the release of "Make You Smile", The Huffington Post called it one of the best country pop songs of the year and "simply irresistible." Moonlight Social released the follow-up song "Bad Side" in January 2018.
As a band that traversed the country world and underwent all the growing pains associated with it, Scott and Burchard are poised to carve out and occupy their own space in country music. Despite the ever-changing popularity tides of the day, Moonlight Social has stuck to their guns and made the music they wanted to make.
Band Members
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