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The Soft Moon performs at Rock and Roll Hotel in DC on Jan. 19, 2019. (Photos by Andy Jillson; Words by Mickey McCarter)
With a scattershot of noise and an urgent, shadowy vocal, The Soft Moon launched the band’s recent show at the Rock and Roll Hotel, setting the tone for an evening of looking within to unearth pain and sorrow.
The Soft Moon (Photo courtesy Ticketfly)
Luis Vasquez, better known as The Soft Moon, has spent the past year ruminating to the music of his latest album, Criminal, released nearly a year ago via Sacred Bones Records. He brings further dark contemplations to the Rock and Roll Hotel on Saturday, Jan. 19.
Luis Vasquez aka The Soft Moon performs at DC9 on April 29, 2018. (Photo by Paivi)
In his recordings, Oakland, California’s The Soft Moon, aka Luis Vasquez, sounds distant and submerged, stitching together a mosaic of murky shapes on frameless canvasses. Amidst a backdrop of ominous tones and layered guitars, the heavily treated vocal parts often seem to emerge from the vortex of sound like leaves in an updraft. It’s the kind of technique that works well in the studio, but can be difficult to present live. So as I awaited their set Sunday night at DC9, I was curious to see how it translated to the stage.
The Soft Moon (Photo by Marion Costentin)
The Soft Moon aka Luis Vasquez released Criminal, his fourth studio album, via Sacred Bones in February. In the wake of its release, he’s now on tour, and he will perform at DC9 on Sunday, April 29.
The Soft Moon performs at the Cloak and Dagger Festival in Los Angeles on Oct. 21, 2017. (Photo by Paivi)
In mid-October, The Soft Moon announced he would release his fourth studio album, Criminal, on Feb. 2, 2018, via Sacred Bones. He dropped “Burn,” his latest single, then headed to Los Angeles to perform at the Cloak and Dagger Festival on Oct. 21. Paivi caught him on camera.
Sascha Konietzko of KMFDM performs at the State Theatre in Falls Church, Virginia, on Oct. 5, 2017. (Photo by Paivi)
If you’re in Los Angeles this weekend, you may well want to pop out to S. Broadway for some nights of dark pop at The Globe and The Tower Theatres on Friday and Saturday. That’s where you’ll find the Cloak and Dagger Festival – Dusk Till Dawn, featuring headliners The Jesus And Mary Chain, KMFDM, She Wants Revenge, Poptone, TR/ST, Com Truise, The Soft Moon, HEALTH, Cold Cave, and many more.