As one of modern country music’s rising stars, Kip Moore has managed to lift the best from both the heartland rock heroes of the late twentieth century and the kind of slick, polished pop sound now churning constantly out of Nashville’s well-oiled song machines. Put simply, the Georgia-raised artist recalls the greater tradition of Americana in his music, maintaining the often-delicate balance between sheen and a unique grit, candor, and earnestness. On his major label debut Up All Night (2012), and most recently on Wild Ones (2015), he valiantly takes up the torch as the latest passionate, heartland-oriented songwriter in a tradition that stretches back to Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, and Neil Young.
For those who would say true rock & roll is dead, Kip Moore revives it in grand form. His songs capture the thumping drums, gratifying guitar licks, and all the romantic backstreets themes that might at first seem hackneyed, but which, in the hands of a seasoned songwriter, manage to shake off the sheen of overproduction and come to life. Moore’s music excels when it’s at its most bare-bones: slightly honky-tonk blues guitar riffs distorted just enough to have some grit to them, lyrics with just enough local color. Tracks like “Everything But You” and “Fly Again” represent a genuine, laid-back kind of storytelling, the sort of songs that hone in on the best of Moore’s engaging, empathetic songwriting. Meanwhile, the inescapable Up All Night single “Somethin’ ‘Bout A Truck” is an obvious contender for a career defining track . . . and not just because it’s impossible not to sing along to. Highlighting Moore’s talent for turning an old blues progression into one of the most infectious songs of the decade, the track (which according to the artist was built around a single moment in time), after a few listens eventually becomes an honest-to-God portrait of an entire way of life.
This is rock & roll, after all, peppered with all the slide guitar licks you could ask for. Listening to Moore’s music amounts to witnessing the collapse of divisions between rock, pop, and country, and to hear him talk at length about the inspiration for his songs brings them even closer in a familiar, rose-colored light. For the city slickers, he’s created nostalgia for a youth they may never have had.
On the Me And My Kind Tour, Moore is joined by Capitol Nashville-signed artist Jon Pardi, touring in support of his sophomore major label release, California Sunrise. For his own part, Moore will be on the road again with Wild Ones (released August 2015) and the more recent Underground EP, released this past October on MCA Nashville. The two songwriters will be bringing an electric show to the Fillmore Silver Spring on Friday, December 2nd, with the all-ages show beginning at 8:00. Doors open at 7:00.
Scroll down for a look through some of both Moore and Pardi’s career highlights, and find some last minute tickets here.
Kip Moore
Jon Pardi
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