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mooch

/mo͞oCH/

Verb:
Ask for or obtain (something) without paying for it.

Noun:
A beggar or scrounger.

Synonyms:
loiter

Mooch, they say it’s a philosophy, a way of life, and that they don’t mind taking any beers launched their way. Well, their music has been the energy we’ve all been mooching off of since winter.

If you haven’t heard of them you should; from what I hear they’re in the top five running for The Overcast’s “Best Local Band to Have Emerged in the Last Year.” But you’re going to have to wait for the August issue to know who holds the number one spot.

Jordan Lawrence, Dan Greene, and Harry Parsons make up the self described surf-grunge/alt-pop/garage-rock band. They go by Nifty, Crafty, and Shifty. Neither will own up to which one, but I have my suspicions.

With stellar riffs and sugarcoated tunes like “Swedish Fish,” they’ll have you sweating on the dance floor or maybe even give you a throbbing neck from some moderate headbanging. You can catch them on any stage downtown, or maybe in your friend’s kitchen, singing lyrics like “reading books and magazines so I can play at the Levee, or maybe CBTGs where I can afford a drink,” and other accurate depictions of our twenty-something lives.

These guys managed to score themselves a spot at Canadian Music Week in Toronto this past May, and played a few gigs around Toronto, including a sweet and sweaty gig at the legendary Horseshoe Tavern (I can confirm that because I was there).

They sound a little like Nirvana and The Killers had a baby and Weezer raised it (sometimes The Pixies babysat … wait, have I taken that metaphor too far?). Vocals are alternated between Dan (bass) and Jordan (guitar), while Harry hypnotizes us with his beats.

There’s something simplistic about a three piece band, they’re stripped down and raw but still manage to have a well-rounded sound without any bells and whistles. They released an EP in January (you can hear it above), and they have another 3 song EP recorded, and they’re planning a full length for the fall.

They’ve spent the summer on a rampant takeover, playing gigs practically every week; you can catch them soon, Friday even, at Distortion (https://www.facebook.com/events/1446769178915558/), or the Fat Cat on August 30th with Pet Vet and Monsterbator (Fact: August 30th will be their one year anniversary of becoming a band, even if they didn’t take it out of their basement for a while).

Lots of other shows in between so you can keep an eye out here: https://www.facebook.com/moochisgood

I wish I could gamble a forecast of this sun forever, but for now I’ll just place my bets on these guys.

– By Alyson Samson