It is sometime in the early 2010’s, you live in New York City and you are on your way back home from work. Normally, you take a familiar route, but on this day, you find yourself in a different part of the subway. Echoing deep from within the subway, you hear a throttling commotion of brass and drum. Out of curiosity, you creep closer to get a better view of what’s happening. A golden sheen draws your eyes to the bodies of two saxophones, instrumented by none other than Michael Wilbur and Wenzl McGowen. Maybe, in McGowen’s saxophone, you see a traffic cone sticking out; this has been his trademark for some time now. This duo, along with the original drummer James Muschler, would busk in NYC, eventually growing to such a level that, as of today, they have 126.5k monthly listeners on Spotify and actively tour around the world, performing their same musical antics for all of their devoted followers.
I reached out to saxophonist Wilbur to learn more about this band and who they are. As I give his responses, I will shorten them for clarity. I would also like to preface this by explaining that their drummer is currently Jules Jennsen, but previous drummers include Cyzon Griffin, Ethan Snyder and Muschler. In an interview with him, he reveals the source of their name, saying that it “came from the universe…it was a spontaneous name decision and had no forethought behind it at all.” It is fitting that their band name was produced sporadically — by mode of ‘vibes’ — because that is what their music is all about. He goes on to elaborate that their music is like “a high energy dance party…spiritual blast off music.” As someone who has been to two of their concerts, I can assure you that it is an otherworldly experience being within earshot of their booming horns. Flashing lights, dense vibrations and hypnotic melodies all wind up the crowd, resulting in a night to remember. How did these musical icons actually wind up together in the first place, though? They met at The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in New York City. Wilbur elaborates, “we were both auditioning for the John Coltrane ensemble, and we met there.” Although both Wilbur and McGowen are fans of Coltrane, Wilbur does explain that “I like the classics…the legends” but “I mostly look within for inspiration, not really into anybody these days.” Now, when they started off busking in the early 2010’s, they did it as a way to “make money on the street,” but since then, they have evolved greatly. Now, Wilbur says that Moon Hooch stands for something bigger than themselves: “I want to inspire people to express themselves and to achieve greater things than they currently see as possible. And I want to uplift people out of their daily suffering and connect with their essence through the music. And if I can do that, I feel like I've succeeded.” His desire to inspire and uplift ties into the idea of the American Dream. During such a tense and chaotic time in the United States, Moon Hooch stands as a beacon of what is possible for anyone who dreams big. Wilbur explains, “We're living such a…fortunate life…we have the jackpot in a lot of ways, like we have a group that we can go anywhere in the country and sell hundreds of tickets, and have fans that are loyal and want to hear our music and willing to…drive great distances to hear us…it really is a dream, you know? It’s like a dream come true.” He elaborates, “Yeah, we're living the American dream…and Wenzl came over here from Europe, so he's really living the American Dream. He's an immigrant. And yeah, here we are doing it, and 14 years later. So yeah, I love it, man.”
At the end of the day, Moon Hooch fans will be quick to point out that the traffic cone saxophone is one of the band’s unique features. So where did it come from? Wilbur regails that story: “So originally, we were using a cardboard tube to drop the pitch of the saxophone, because the longer the tube, the lower the note. And then one show, we lost the cardboard tube, and Wenzl grabbed a traffic cone and stuck it in the horn. Went to a plumber shop and got, you know, something to fix it on the horn with. And, yeah…that was the birth of the traffic cone saxophone, Iowa City.”
This band is known for their funky music and busking proficiency (and traffic cone antics), but they aren’t just a group promoting “spiritual blast off music”. Something that some fans might not be aware of, as I initially wasn’t, is their persistent involvement in the environmental movement. Wilbur explained that “every night, we raffle off a tree and basically use all the donations to throw tree planting events around the country where. We have all of our fans come together and plant trees.” For 10 years, this has been a practice of theirs. Their deep care for the environment cements them as influential in more than just the musical sense.
Moon Hooch has been around for over a decade now. Wilbur reflected on the challenge of being an artist and the passion that he holds for creating music: “The thing is, when you become a pro, it's less about excitement a lot of the time, and more about just going and doing it. It is a job, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. It's just you go to work, you know what I mean. And as an artist, as a professional artist, you show up no matter what, no matter how excited you are, and the Muse rewards you for that.” The Muse is often used within artistic circles as a personification of the creative force that offers artistic inspiration.
With regards to their recent album Yesterday’s Problems, he has just this to say: “it has a lot of bangers.” I cannot disagree. While they seem to have songs that have already become quite popular —“Nostrovia” already has 161,210 plays on Spotify about a month after release — my personal favorite song is “Moonrise.” It is a driven song that pumps me up and is somewhat reminiscent of their earlier songs, which I also love.
Moon Hooch has been to Ithaca on various occasions. Wilbur says that “The Haunt is where we used to play a lot,” but since The Haunt’s closing, they have played at Deep Dive. Although they were unable to make an appearance in Ithaca for 2024, Wilbur said with certainty, “yeah, we will [be back].” Wilbur was particularly enthused about the prospect of performing for Slope Day, when questioned, replying with “That’s dope, yeah definitely!” Perhaps, the Cornell community could see a couple familiar saxes blasting their jams above Cayuga Lake in the future.
Moon Hooch is currently on a tour, with upcoming shows across the west and east coasts of the United States. If you have ever enjoyed music that draws from pure passion, that exists to inspire and invigorate, and always results in unbridled fun, then Moon Hooch awaits your eager ears.
Caidan Pilarski is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences. He can be reached at cwp56@cornell.edu.
