Tin
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12:07:48 am on August 31, 2006 | # |
It’s odd seeing a band endure what has essentially been four or so years of rebirth.
Luna Halo has changed a heck of a lot since their debut album back in 2000. Shimmer is still one of the best albums I’ve ever heard, CCM or otherwise. After losing my Shimmer CD and not being able to find it anywhere, I was apparently so bitter/whiny that a friend bought me a new copy for my birthday (probably so I’d stop complaining). I have gone out-of-town to catch these guys, so I’m a big fan. Unfortunately, I don’t think they ever caught on.
You can Google for the rest of their history, but the short of it is, the band has changed a lot. So much so, they have “buried” all of the indie EPs they released after their first album. They’d probably bury Shimmer if they could, but Sparrow continues to offer the CD on iTunes and what not.
As mentioned earlier, their sound has changed. Moving away from the Radiohead-esque melodic rock that defined their CCM days, they now play really catchy rock and roll music. And they’re still under the radar. It took them a while to get signed to a new label after leaving Sparrow, and they’ve had to build a whole new fan base. They’re still working on Texas, because each time I’ve seen them in concert, there were maybe 15-20 other people with me. Not that many.
Despite the small venues, I never took advantage of the opportunity to speak to the band face-to-face. Call it shyness, call it whatever you want, but last Sunday night, that all changed.
The lineup wasn’t bad. The Elms, a pretty good band itself, opened for Luna Halo. Timmy and I got there early, and the band members were just walking back and forth, hanging out with the crowd (I use the term “crowd” loosely). So, before and after the show, I had to chance to talk to each of them. After getting past the standard “Hey, big fan of yours” smalltalk, I actually got to share a few laughs with the band, in particular, Nathan’s brother, Cary. The conversation went in a lot of directions: talks about their new album in January, the new keyboardist they recently added, their adventures in Europe, getting dizzy while playing on stage, “light bulb” moments in songwriting, dealing with jerks and drunk people, even school. You just don’t get this kind of access to a band once they hit it big. As John Mayer once said, when asked about whether he missed the intimacy of his coffee shop days, “Sometimes you have to trade in to trade up.” I’m just glad I caught them before they trade up.
I told them I’ve been a fan since the Shimmer days, and that I try to catch them live whenever they come to Texas. They swear they remember my face, but I can’t be so certain. After all, they hardly come to Texas. They say that will change.
They came out with yet another EP, another one to hold the fans over until the big album release in January. They didn’t get the EPs until that day, so we were the first ones to purchase a copy. After getting them to sign our copy, they handed us several more… for free.
Nathan reasoned, “We’re kind of starting over again, and I wanted you guys to help us get the word out.” (and I paraphrase)
Sunday night reminded of the good ol’ days of Mae, when their shows had maybe 30-40 people. It reminded me of missed opportunities, as I never stuck around long enough to talk to any of them. Now, their concerts have 500+ people easy, so I’ll probably never get that opportunity again. But you never know. This Friday will be fun, nonetheless.
Oh, by the way, check out Luna Halo. After all these years, after all the changes, they still rock.