The Moon Upstairs

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The Moon Upstairs is an American psychedelic rock group. Principal songwriter, guitarist, and pianist, Sharif Dumani formed the group after he and bassist Aaron Ebensperger toured and collaborated with rock 'n roll soul man Cody ChesnuTT, who was hailed the new Arthur Lee (Love) for the neo soul generation. Along with Mark Sogomian (guitar) and Josh Mancell (drums) (later adding Dave Baine, ex player in Good Time Women and Jonathan Wilson), the then four-piece recorded eleven songs, strings arranged by Lavender Diamond's Steve Gregoropoulis. The Moon Upstairs sat on these recordings while members did outside recording work and Dumani toured with The Tyde (Rough Trade Records), filling in for Ben Knight on their 2006 tour with The Black Angels.

Before a release, The Moon Upstairs' first review came after Phil McMullen of respected Ptolemaic Terrascope passed their demo to George Parsons of Dream Magazine, which led him to say in Issue #7: "This superb Los Angeles-based band makes some beautifully crafted, varied baroque psychedelic melodic sounds here. Sometimes rocking and ruling with a swaggering heaviness that recalls Bevis Frond on overdrive and just as capable of Lennony Beatlesque pop-craft or spare melancholic balladry… recall(s) prime exponents of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s – from The Left Banke to Pink Floyd. But they sound like a real band, not some sort of theme park dress-up act. They hang it all on these real songs, choruses, hooks, with a notable sense of the dynamics of songcraft and pungent transportational mojo. Thanks to Phil McMullen (Ptolemaic Terrascope) for turning me on to this band."

In 2007, independent label Gifted Children Records signed The Moon Upstairs putting them alongside such established artists as Silver Apples and Women and Children and released their debut album, Guarding The Golden Apple on June 26, 2007.

They have played SXSW (Austin, Texas), The Mission Creek Music Festival (San Francisco, California), The Folk Yeah! Festival (Big Sur, California) and have played with such diverse acts as Trembling Blue Stars, Damon and Naomi, Elf Power, Dead Meadow, Silversun Pickups, Moris Tepper with PJ Harvey, The Black Angels, The Gris Gris (Birdman Records), Chrime In Choir (members of Nation of Ulysses and The Fucking Champs), Apostle of Hustle (members of Broken Social Scene), Medium Medium (Cherry Red Records), The Ditty Bops (Warner Bros), Mammatus (Holy Mountain), Residual Echoes, and more.

In September of 2007, they toured alongside Silver Apples.

Their band name is taken from a song by Mott The Hoople.

[edit] Members

[edit] Discography

  • Guarding The Golden Apple (2007, Gifted Children Records)

[edit] References