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Thursday, March 28, 2024
The Eagle
EVERYTHING IN MODERATION - D.C. band The Moderate blends folksy ballads and alt-country sensibility, weaving familiar lyrical stories of lost friendship and evolving love. Their show at the Rock and Roll Hotel showcased their eclectic, quiet folk identity

'Moderate' explores rock styles

D.C. band melds blues, twang

With generous guitar riffs, twangy vocals and fun hooks, local indie rock band The Moderate create the type of heartfelt show you want to drink a beer and dance with your friends to. Their Friday night performance at the Rock and Roll Hotel opening for The Milkstains and The Breakups was no exception, with an audience full of dancing, enthusiastic fans. The set streamed from the sultry blues track "Rock and Roll," with swelling saxophone and guitar solos, to folksier ballads in which lead singer and guitarist Jim Dempsey brought out the twang in his voice.

In addition to Dempsey, band members include Mike Maloney on bass and backup vocals and Drew Marks on the drums. Despite joining the rich alt-country scene of their inherited D.C. hometown, the band's music unquestionably harkens back to Dempsey's and Marks' North Carolina roots. The trio has garnered a strong local fan base and recently opened for Denison Witmer.

The band's strong camaraderie shows in the easy way they weave their music together. The drums, guitar and bass often come together to create soaring riffs. A trademark of their alt-country musical home, the band's lyrics tell rich and familiar stories about lost friendship and evolving love.

Halfway through the set, the song "Rock and Roll" showcased the band's sound at its best and most compelling. The song's hook is immediate -- harmony layered over a laid-back, drum-driven cadence. Vocals sweep the song to its sultry crescendo, with Dempsey and Mahoney driving each other's riff. The song's musical underpinnings are eclectic-classic rock roots, with generous sweeps of saxophone-driven blues, but the band never loses its relaxed folk identity. Indeed, the band's willingness to experiment with different shades of rock without compromising its authentic sound is what makes their music so enjoyable.

"ExLovers Enemies," one of the last songs of the night, featured a different side of the same sound. Without losing the lyrical emphasis on storytelling, the band really digs into its instrumentation for a beautiful, guitar-laced track. The band members are all strong at their respective instruments, and "ExLovers" quietly shows off their talents. This song is one of their newer works and accordingly showcases the band's current musical direction: strengthening their country roots, but keeping the same thirst for experimentation with jazz and rock.

With a sound so easy to rock out to, The Moderate's upcoming local shows, including an April performance at The Velvet Lounge, promise to be more than moderately enjoyable.

You can reach this staff writer at agoldstein@theeagleonline.com.


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