Photos and review by: Jason Robey

CHARLOTTE, NC —It might have been below freezing outside, but the party was scorching hot inside the Neighborhood Theatre on Wednesday night when the Moon Zooz tour made a stop in Charlotte. 

The bash got started with a 45 minute DJ set by Honeycomb. With an arsenal of sounds, effects, and club beats, he got the packed room jumping along to his improv show. Over the course of his stage time, he hit all the bases, with a drum and bass foundation, spacey keyboard parts, and even a jaw-dropping beat-box breakdown. 

By the time Too Many Zooz took the stage, the room was packed wall to wall with enthusiastic fans cheering for the New York trio. The instrumental group features the incredibly animated Leo P playing the baritone saxophone, as he dances around the stage with a manic energy that can’t help but to rub off on anyone watching. Trumpet player and keyboardist Matt “Doe” Muirhead traded licks with Leo throughout the set, with David “King of Sludge” Parks center stage, playing a marching-band-style stand-up bass drum with various other percussion attached. Over the course of their hour-long set, the group masterfully captured the audience with a sound they describe as “brass house,” which translates to an infectious blend of Afro-Cuban jazz, big band, funk, and EDM.

Moon Hooch brought a similar, yet unique energy to the stage, with their lineup also comprised of a drummer along with two members primarily playing various types of saxophones. Describing their style as “Cave Music,” as in “like House, but its more wild, more jagged, more free, more natural to live in,” Moon Hooch filled the venue with the low-end vibration from Wenzl McGowen’s baritone sax, which got even more powerful when he picked up a large traffic cone and held it to the the end of the instrument. The band is also known for their environmental activism, including raffling off a tree at every show, which decorated the stage until it was given away at the end of the evening.

Following each group’s sets, the two bands emerged all together for an encore dubbed “Moon Zooz.” This super-band has released two singles in the past week, “Moon Zooz, Pt. 1” and “Space Cow,” which were both part of the evening’s encore. The final jam of this night of pure uninhibited spirit brought Honeycomb back to the stage with the bands for a raucous performance that left the crowd cheering for more.

Follow Moon Hooch and Too Many Zooz on their social media channels for tour dates!