Tara Crimson Moonshadow
Frank Moody
Gary Skipper
The first member and founder of the band is lead vocalist, bassist, and acoustic guitarist, Tara Crimson Moonshadow. As the chief songwriter, Tara started the band as a way of broadening her horizons of musical expression in the way of instrumentation. “I didn’t want to just play the guitar and sing as a one woman act for the rest of my life,” says Tara. “I wanted to give the songs depth and character through other instruments, other voices, or even other writers. It also gave me an outlet to be front person or be in the background, singing harmony or playing another instrument. Most importantly, I wanted the songs to choose their own attire.” Tara’s earliest musical experiences growing up in northern West Virginia were a combination of folk, bluegrass, country, and roots rock. As she migrated south and intermingled with the Nashville singer/songwriter scene and various cultural groups, her music began to reflect those unique experiences - adding the flavors of blues, Southern rock, and new age to the melting pot. Frank Moody, lead guitarist and second member of the present lineup, heard about the band through a mutual musician acquaintance. Born and raised in Alabama, he began bashing out heavy metal and punk rock tunes in high school and soon absorbed the influences of blues, rockabilly, and Sixties psychedelia. He has a strong sense of dynamics and contributes soulful, melodic leads. Gary Skipper, drummer and percussionist, and the third member to join the band was recommended through a childhood friend, who also became a co-writer of the band. A native Nashvillian, Gary grew up listening to and emulating various progressive rock and heavy metal bands. In time, he has gone on to study and incorporate fusion jazz as one more by-product of his creative, hard hitting, progressive style of playing. Besides skillfully blending many divergent styles of music, one of the most impressive aspects of the band is their ability to dissolve boundaries and concentrate on making great music. Here’s a few things that their listeners have to say about their music: “They all click really well together. Each one compliments each other’s music.”___ Karen Howington “Rockin’! I mean they’re awesome. It takes the old music and gives a whole new vibe to it.” ___ Natasha Farmer “I love them! They are really good. More people should know about them. They are a treasure.” ___ Dana Farmer “They are fabulous! They are fantastic!”___ Angelica Deville “ The music makes me feel like dancing!"___ Karen Howington
