Live Review: Moon Hooch Bring a Crazed Atmosphere to Electric Haze
Some of the best nights are when a live band is doing what they do best with literally everyone in the building dancing and moving around in energetic fashion. The vibe is positively contagious, and this particular feeling increases with each song being performed. This is exactly what I experienced when I saw the New York City jazz fusion trio Moon Hooch perform at Electric Haze located on 26 Millbury Street in Worcester on May 9. Presented by Shepheard Production, it was a raucous environment and an excellent time. With this being said, I would be remiss if I tried to sum up the show in just one paragraph.
Opening things up was Teddie X, which was some person dressed up in a giant bear outfit. They kicked off their DJ set by proclaiming that bears are taking over the entertainment industry due to the loss of their natural habitat before going into an array of big beat electronica. If I had to be honest, this made me think of what would happen if Keytar Bear and Deadmau5 fused together to create a musical entity. I mean that as a compliment though, because it was a really cool thing to witness with the initial folks in attendance grooving to the music and Teddie X at one point even dancing with a few of them. One thing that was a bit strange was how the performance ended somewhat abruptly, but it did garner an applause regardless.
As the venue started filling up, Michael Wilbur from Moon Hooch went on stage to announce that there was a raffle for an apple tree on stage with the winner being announced at the end of the night. Soon afterwards, Wilbur and Wenzl McGowen created a dynamic with their saxophones that took the room over with an infectious energy flowing through the premises. Drummer Jules Jenssen backed the rhythms with his beats and fills while Wilbur and McGowen alternated with their solos and a few folks were clapping along. Out of the trio, McGowen was the most active by playing the synthesizer at one point, standing on top of one of the monitors during several instances, immersing himself within the audience and even using a traffic cone as a mute. Wilbur made his presence felt as well by singing vocals on a few songs and as I alluded to earlier, it was an incredible experience from start to finish with Western Massachusetts hip hop artist Jackson Whalan joining the band on stage for a freestyle to close out the initial performance.
Afterwards, the audience wanted more, and Moon Hooch delivered with a stellar encore that resumed the flurry of saxophones from Wilbur and McGowen along with including a killer drum solo from Jenssen. Before Moon Hooch left the stage, they held the raffle for the apple tree which had two people that were announced deciding the winner with a classic game of rock paper scissors. The winner got the tree, the loser got a bag of apple seeds to plant their own trees and that was it. I had a blast and I also have to say that the art that’s all over the walls at Electric Haze is wicked cool to gaze at and Dreamz Animation deserves some recognition for providing the stellar visuals on the screen behind the performers. If you ever get a chance to check out a show at this spot near Kelley Square in Worcester, you should definitely take advantage of it.
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