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Moonlighter Break Even Against All Odds

Bandy around the term pop-rock and the mind initially goes to some sort of middle of the road, fashion-driven dross that neither delivers the immediacy of the former nor the integrity of the later. But what if there was a way of taking the instant hook and inherent melody of a pop approach and weld it onto a driving, urgent and robust rock vehicle. Surely anyone who could do that would be carried head high through the streets, would be called saviours, the rainmakers of this current music drought, would be regarded as heroes and brave cross-genre gene splicers of the modern musical age. Or if you are looking for a more modest title you could just call them Moonlighter.

And it is this balancing act which sets them apart. As popists and rockists wage pointless pitched battle, moonlighter adhere to the cult of the song, preferring to take the role of tunesmiths who exalt composition over flash and muscle. If this retrospective is the perfect rallying point for those who have long understood that this middle way has always sported brilliant acts — pop acts muscled up by a dash of rock, rock acts whose bluster is tempered by indie details and indie acts happy to explore pop immediacy — why can’t more bands understand this simple equation.

A&R Factory Present: Heffron Drive

Based out of Los Angeles, CA, Heffron Drive is an Alt Pop band started in 2008 by lead singer Kendall Schmidt and Guitarist Dustin Belt. The duo began making music together when they were teenagers. Both Kansas natives met while living on the same street in Burbank, CA called Heffron Drive, which ultimately inspired the name of their band.

Before Heffron Drive had a chance to take off, Kendall booked the lead of a television show/music group and gained worldwide popularity as the lead Singer of the Nickelodeon/Columbia Records project Big Time Rush. After 5 years of success, Kendall, alongside guitarist, Dustin Belt, got back in the studio together as Heffron Drive.

The two best friends and band mates have been busy touring all parts of the world since the revival of Heffron Drive. From Europe to South America, the Philippines and all over the US. Their first album Happy Mistakes was released in 2015, shortly followed up by Happy Mistakes: Unplugged; per the fans request for an acoustic album. Happy Mistakes is a soaring example of how pure songwriting can be. The music is thoughtful and meticulously crafted to go along with lyric and melody that pull on every individual heart string.

 

So far the band has only impressed and they aren’t slowing down anytime soon. With the release of their two new singles “Rain Don’t Come” and “Don’t Let Me Go” in 2016 they have brought a new sound to their music that has pleasantly surprised the fans and attracted new listeners. These two new singles push the limits of what HD is all about; unforgettable music. “Rain Don’t Come” is a heart racing track full of desert vibes and incredibly thoughtful production. “Don’t Let Me Go” is the new sound for the project, showing the love that Heffron Drive has for electronic music while keeping their unique sound alive.

The band has been hard at work in the studio writing and producing new music. Their first new song of 2017, “Living Room”, was released January 13th, followed by an EP entitled “The Slow Motion EP” released February 10th. They will be playing a few shows in Mexico in January, and then of to Europe for a full European tour in February.