Big Texas Nights feat. Mike and the Moonpies w/ Chad Petty

Mike and the Moonpies

Mike and the Moonpies are a professional honky-tonk band. They are self-managed and don’t have day jobs, gigging four or five nights a week at bars and private parties around Texas. A typical Moonpies set is a mix of ’70s hardcore country standards (Doug Sahm, Gary Stewart, Freddy Fender) and their own songs, which have good hooks and lyrics about heartbreak and hard living. Frontman Mike Harmeier’s from a suburb of Houston, and grew up going to the rodeo. Guitarist Catlin Rutherford’s family used to own a dance hall in South Texas. He recalls a time Johnny Paycheck came through and asked for a glass of water before the show; instead of drinking it, he startled everybody by plopping his dentures in. “We’re gonna start getting out of state more but right now it pays for itself to go in the same circle: Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Austin,” says Harmeier. On one hand, this makes them a throwback to an earlier breed of dancehall-circuit performers. On the other, they’re just doing the practical, 21st century thing: constant touring, digital record releases and self-promotion online. The parking lot is its own spectacle at the White Horse, where they play every Thursday. To get to the door you’ll pass Cadillacs, choppers, and the occasional mule. Mike Judge has been spotted there, and is a fan. He makes a cameo in their music video for the song “Tape Machine,” from their new self-titled EP. Their forthcoming full length album “The Hard Way” is due out in early November 2013.

Mike and the Moonpies on Facebook | Mike and the Moonpies on Twitter | Official Website

Chad Petty

Chad Petty is a singer/songwriter from Bryan, TX and frontman of the local band Walking Bear.

Chad Petty on Facebook