BIO:
Music has the power to transport us: to carry us to mysterious places and explore new worlds.
On Flood, Moreland & Arbuckle's debut release on Telarc International, a division of Concord Music Group, the rootsy, hard-driving group from Kansas takes music itself to places it's never been. Featuring mostly original tunes, Flood presents a dynamic mix of thirteen acoustic and electric songs, each performed with all the subtlety of a passing freight train.
Ever since guitarist Aaron Moreland first met singer/harpist Dustin Arbuckle at an open mic jam in Wichita in 2001, Moreland & Arbuckle have established themselves as a force to be reckoned with. Along with Brad Horner on drums, the group features Moreland playing everything from National steel to a cigar box guitar, and Arbuckle singing and playing harmonica.
Moreland & Arbuckle are traditionalists and innovators at the same time, merging old school Chicago and Delta blues with garage rock sensibilities. While Arbuckle was mostly influenced by the Mississippi blues, traditional country music and bluegrass, Moreland grew up listening to everyone from Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath to Charlie Patton and Muddy Waters.
Unconfined by convention, Moreland attributes the group's growing popularity to their unique sound and instrumentation. He says, "Going three-piece, we have a great chemistry."
Guitar Edge magazine wrote, "The pride of Kansas plays Hill Country stomps like his life depends on it." The Edmonton Journal calls Moreland & Arbuckle "one of the more inspiring young acts putting a new shine on music rooted in a century-old tradition."
Moreland & Arbuckle's previous release, 1861, won the Indie Acoustic Project 2008 CD of the Year Award. The band recently performed for U.S. troops in Iraq and Kuwait. "I didn't imagine the trip to Iraq would be so grueling," Arbuckle says. "But it was an amazing experience to share our music with the soldiers. It really did exemplify the powerful spirituality and healing element that music possesses."
"Being a musician is the ultimate job," says Moreland. "What I realize is that music has always been one of the most important things in my life. In tough times, it was the one thing I could always turn to."
"When I was in my teen years, I never had any direction," Arbuckle says. "But music was a central feature in my life. It's powerful and compelling, and it's given me purpose."
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