Goodbye Mike and the Moonpies, hello Silverada.
Don’t worry, though, nothing has changed but the band’s name, and their first single under the new moniker is proof. The lead single off of their upcoming self-titled album Silverada, “Wallflower” fits perfectly within their existing catalog, and perhaps more importantly the beloved Texas outfit’s iconically unique aura, yet it marks a new beginning for the band 17 years after its inception.
An unequivocally honky tonk band, Silverada is right at home with “Wallflower.” Cleverly written and full of imagery, their latest track takes the listener right to that dive bar we all know and love, dimly lit by walls adorned with neon lights, as the narrator describes the scene from behind a pool table and a patron at the bar by herself, a wallflower, catches his eye.
It’s a tale as old as time, chronicled through many a country song past and present, but with Silverada’s tight sound and unmatched authenticity, “Wallflower” shines as a debut under the new brand.
Give it a listen here.
“Well alright, it’s Friday night, and I know where to find ya
With the bar flies and neon lights buzzin’ all around ya
You twirl your hair like you don’t care that no one sat beside ya
You’re begging for it now, wallflower”
I don’t know about y’all, but even as the venues get larger and the hype around Mike and the Moonpies, now Silverada, gets louder, I always imagine these guys burning it down on stage for a rowdy crowd at the local dive bars in which plenty of their songs take place. And that sure isn’t any insult, because these guys are at the very top of the list in terms of the genre’s best live bands. They are as down to earth as it gets, and everyone knows they like to have a good time, so even as they continue to climb the country music ladder as Silverada, these types of songs will always be right in their wheelhouse.
For those of you who may have missed the news, one of country music’s favorite honky tonk bands arrived in Key West, FL this past week for the annual Mile 0 Fest as Mike and the Moonpies, and left as Silverada, after announcing the name change during one of their sets at the festival.
Such a name change had been on the table for quite some time, as members supposedly have discussed the topic frequently and proposed changes all throughout the band’s 17 year existence. As they continue to grow both artistically and popularity, it became more pertinent that the band move on from their iconically eccentric title, in an effort to take the operation to the greater heights for which they know they are more than capable.
The band posted a heartfelt message to their fans on Instagram shortly following the announcement.
“After careful consideration and much deliberation, it is with an abundance of excitement and hopefulness that we are announcing we will be changing our band name to Silverada effective immediately.
After 17 years as Mike and the Moonpies, we feel the time has come to retire our old moniker. We have felt for some time now that we need a new name to bring the band into the future and allow us to grow musically and professionally as well as expand our fan base even further beyond the current die hard loyal fans we are fortunate enough to know, love, and appreciate. We’ve only made it this far because of our fans and we are forever grateful.
The band has accomplished some incredible things and progressed immensely over the past decade and a half, musically and personally, and we now feel our old name does not reflect who we are or the art we are creating currently. As we continue to grow and evolve our music into something that makes us happy and satisfies our hunger to be better musicians, entertainers and people, we feel our name must evolve along with us.
We will, of course, still be performing all of the songs from our entire back catalog, the same as before, along with the 10 brand new songs from our self-titled record due out June 28.
We do anticipate that there will be some upset fans out there but we hope you will understand why we feel we must do this and hope you will continue to support us and come along for the ride!
After discussing hundreds of potential names, we finally fell in love with Silverada. We believe it pays homage to who we were when we started, who we have grown into and who we hope to become. You know from our songs that we have a deep affinity for all things Silver and Gold and we hope our fans will see the silver lining in this new chapter for the band and fans alike. It’s all about the music and the relationship we have with out loyal listeners and we hope to continue to nurture that relationship as we evolve our music and brand. We truly hope you will join us as we take our band and our music into the future.
Thanks for listening and the continued support over this past 17 years! Here’s to the next chapter!
Mike, Zach, Catlin, Omar and Taylor – Silverada”
This record is going to be something special for these guys, so keep an eye out for June 28.
In addition to frontman Mike Harmeier, Silverada is comprised of Zach Moulton on steel guitar, bassist Omar Oyoque, Catlin Rutherford slinging guitar, and drummer Taylor Englert. Together, they made up one of the tightest bands in country music for nearly two decades as Mike and the Moonpies, and they’ll continue to do the same for many more years as Silverada.
As we await the new record Silverada, though, keep spinning the good ol’ stuff.
“Cheap Silver”
“Hour on the Hour”
“Beaches of Biloxi”
“Steak Night at the Prairie Rose”
