Ian Moore

Pop Matters put it succinctly as they summed up Ian Moore’s career to date, saying " Sure, he’s got his peers, but he’s ballsier than Josh Rouse, bluesier than Josh Ritter, grittier than Matthew Sweet, brainier than Ryan Adams, and more muscular than Grant-Lee Phillips. Moore’s transformation from trade bluesman to restless pop chameleon maybe most closely echoed by Chris Whitley." Ian Moore is not easily tagged by genre and comparison, and in his diversity and understanding of form, he is unique in his time.

Ian carries on a legacy that runs deep in his blood. From before he could speak, he was learning music from many of the Texas greats, and that process deepened and widened as he started to play guitar as a teen. Spending countless hours on stages and back rooms, playing with his idols and mentors, and picking up the intrinsic knowledge of music that can only be learned on the stand in Austin. Ian was baptized in these fires and his career has mirrored that way of thinking. Each record, though always true to his voice, is a departure from the last, and challenges his listeners to keep up. He continues to recombine the sounds, looking back on a long road of tradition, yet endlessly crafting new ideas and sounds.
Ian has toured with the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, ZZ Top, and Paul Weller. He has performed on hundreds of radio and television shows, including the Late Show with David Letterman, the Today Show, a recent DirectTV special, and even a part in Billy Bob Thornton's feature film Slingblade! He has 4 top 20 Billboard hits, 8 albums to his name, and countless music awards. He has spent the last two decades touring from clubs to stadiums throughout US and Europe, and has cemented his place as a Texas music icon.

Strange Days is Ian's latest release, and continues on the track started last year with his soul covers record, The Noble Art. It dips back into the psychedelic side of soul and funk music, channeling Curtis Mayfield, Sly Stone, Jimi Hendrix, and P-Funk. High concept takes on man’s darker natures (the first tune Strange Days is based on Joshua Oppenheimer's 'Act of Killing) vacillate with gentle love songs, and Ian's brit-rock influences make appearances, especially on the mod sounding 'Indian Red'. "Mary Go Round', the album's closer sounds like a Syd Barret/Nina Simone mashup, a soulful, vulnerable mediation on the dark night of the soul. Ian's eclecticism is pretty much guaranteed at this point, as he's made it a primary marching order throughout his career, but it's his juxtaposition of this with his classic, soulful singing and fiery guitar playing that make him a totally unique creature. The hooks and arrangements make Strange Days a joy to listen to, and there are sonic rewards throughout, but the true liberation is that you CAN dance the darkness down while elevating your mind, and Strange Days aims to do both.