Our six piece band is down to five as our drumming friend Matty Fresh has moved to Texas for new employment. He played his last show with us on Monday night and we had a great time, even while silently angry at him for abandoning us for something as silly as being able to financially support himself.

Be well in the vast grandness of Texas, Matt!

But not to worry, we’re already actively seeking Matt’s replacement; now that we’ve had the taste of our sound with drums, we’re hooked.

Our next show is on Thursday the 22nd at Martin’s in downtown Roanoke — it’ll be our first time there, so y’all come out and help us pack the place!

We’re proud to announce that there’s now 50% more Blue Moonshine! The addition of Shaun Dickerson on bass and Matty Fresh on the drums has freed Will up to play lead guitar and given us a lot more driving danceable energy! We like to call it “grass with ass.”

The video above is from Awful Arthurs last week, our very first live performance with our new friends. The song is one of Warren’s great fiddle tunes, “Roswell.”

We’re hot on the trail of more gigs for the new and improved Blue Moonshine — you next chance to catch the show is May 22 at Martin’s Downtown Bar & Grill in Roanoke.

We’re working on lots more gigs for 2008 — stay tuned!

February
7 - Awful Arthur’s, Downtown Roanoke
22 - Corned Beef & Co, Roanoke - Private Party

March
20 - Awful Arthur’s, Salem

April
2 - Awful Arthur’s, Towers, Roanoke
4 - Blues BBQ, Downtown Roanoke

May
18 - Private Party, Vinton VA
22 - Martin’s Downtown, 413 1st street SW, Roanoke

June
27 - Friday’s Alive, Lexington, VA

Not to be outdone by Mr. Farmer, our own Mike Mitchell was voted Floyd’s Entertainer of the Year by the readers of the Floyd Press!

We already knew he was good but our own Will Farmer just got voted one of Roanoke’s best male vocalists by the readers of The Roanoke Times!

If you haven’t already gotten hooked on the “discover new music game” fun that is theSixtyOne.com, now’s the time!

Create an account and “bump” Blue Moonshine’s “Your Love is On My Mind” — it just got “hot” and posted to the homepage about 10 minutes ago and we’re excited!

Thanks, as always, for your help and support — it’s great to know you’re listening!

The annual Roanoke Times Music Poll is happening now until December 19 — you voted us one of Roanoke’s favorite bands before, help do it again! Vote Blue Moonshine for favorite local band, and Warren Amberson, Will Farmer, Mike Mitchell, or Phil Norman for male vocalist!

Click here to vote in the poll (the first page is “national” music, the second page is the local stuff!)

theSixtyOne is a great new site for discovering new music, and now you can find us there, too!

The premise is simple — you vote for songs you like, and if it becomes popular, you earn more points! The user experience is really well done, and there’s lots of great music in lots of genres.

Sign up for an account and tell ‘em bluemoonshine sent ya — and “bump” our songs! Your support is the best there is.

www.thesixtyone.com/bluemoonshine

Cast your memory back to February and you’ll remember that Phil took part in FAWM, the February Album Writing Month challenge to write 14 songs in 28 days. We’re proud to announce that one of his 14 songs, Your Love is On My Mind, was selected for FAWM’s annual compilation CD to represent the quality and diversity of the songs written for the challenge this year. Warren & Will contributed mightily to the recording — enjoy it here, or download it on our myspace:

Your Love is On My Mind

For those of you in Roanoke looking to get out and enjoy this evening with some good time music, we’re going to be at Awful Arthur’s Towers — come on out!

Our own Warren Amberson, bless his heart and all his vital organs, just found himself nominated for a 2007 IBMA award for “Recorded Event of the Year” for the live record he made playing with Vassar Clements, Tony Rice & The Low Country All Star Band. It’s a great record, made even more special because it documents one of the last gigs Vassar ever did. Proud to make music with ya, Warren.