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How do you define success as a musician? Is it a list of your accomplishments? Is it the sphere of your influence? Is it the strength of your recordings and live shows?

The word “legend” is showing up more and more in concert introductions and interviews, but the reference makes Ian uncomfortable. Yeah, he’s proud of playing stadiums with the Stones, arenas with Dylan and ZZ Top, showing up in movies like Slingblade, and having numerous radio hits and tv performances.  The awards are affirming and exciting; the records are an ambitious list, with a who’s who of producers and players. But it’s the soul that he’s chasing.

Ian would rather talk about the colors and sounds of the records, the connection with fans, and of spirit. He plays shows like they are the last thing he will ever do, and though he is known for his skills as a singer, guitarist, and songwriter, the ferocity and spirit are his stock-in-trade. When Ian plays, he doesn’t do it to show his ability. He plays to create a communion with his audience. When he sings, he is seeking a connection- to elevate and heal. When he writes, his songs dance with the darkness, but always hold the promise of redemption and light. 

In a time when  musicians have to think more like branding agencies, Ian’s music is uniquely original with his own unique gumbo of styles and sounds. At the same time, he has a deep respect for the past, and you can hear echoes of the lineage of the great Texas songwriters and guitarists who mentored him and helped shape his sound. Like them, he sees the music as a living, breathing, ever-changing form that shouldn’t be controlled, but left powerful and wild. He has lived on the creative edge, often confusing labels and companies, but continuously pushing himself sonically and lyrically into new terrains, and in doing so, has kept his creative spirit young and vibrant.

Reflecting on his live shows, Ian says, “I want the room to be a church, but one where everyone is included, and our collective goal is to shed the burdens, to elevate and refill the soul. I want to communicate true joy, give them a place to share their sorrows, give them a place to shake their asses, to sing along. When I talk to folks after the shows and hear how my music has helped them through the challenges of their lives … when I hear about them walking down the aisle to Satisfied, eulogizing a friend or family member to Today or Blue Sky, hearing that they knew they could keep going because of New Day … that’s when I see my success. 

Ian Moore

How do you define success as a musician? Is it a list of your accomplishments? Is it the sphere of your influence? Is it the strength of your recordings and live shows?

The word “legend” is showing up more and more in concert introductions and interviews, but the reference makes Ian uncomfortable. Yeah, he’s proud of playing stadiums with the Stones, arenas with Dylan and ZZ Top, showing up in movies like Slingblade, and having numerous radio hits and tv performances.  The awards are affirming and exciting; the records are an ambitious list, with a who’s who of producers and players. But it’s the soul that he’s chasing.

Ian would rather talk about the colors and sounds of the records, the connection with fans, and of spirit. He plays shows like they are the last thing he will ever do, and though he is known for his skills as a singer, guitarist, and songwriter, the ferocity and spirit are his stock-in-trade. When Ian plays, he doesn’t do it to show his ability. He plays to create a communion with his audience. When he sings, he is seeking a connection- to elevate and heal. When he writes, his songs dance with the darkness, but always hold the promise of redemption and light. 

In a time when  musicians have to think more like branding agencies, Ian’s music is uniquely original with his own unique gumbo of styles and sounds. At the same time, he has a deep respect for the past, and you can hear echoes of the lineage of the great Texas songwriters and guitarists who mentored him and helped shape his sound. Like them, he sees the music as a living, breathing, ever-changing form that shouldn’t be controlled, but left powerful and wild. He has lived on the creative edge, often confusing labels and companies, but continuously pushing himself sonically and lyrically into new terrains, and in doing so, has kept his creative spirit young and vibrant.

Reflecting on his live shows, Ian says, “I want the room to be a church, but one where everyone is included, and our collective goal is to shed the burdens, to elevate and refill the soul. I want to communicate true joy, give them a place to share their sorrows, give them a place to shake their asses, to sing along. When I talk to folks after the shows and hear how my music has helped them through the challenges of their lives … when I hear about them walking down the aisle to Satisfied, eulogizing a friend or family member to Today or Blue Sky, hearing that they knew they could keep going because of New Day … that’s when I see my success. 

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Ian Moore, the Seattle-based, Austin, TX-born guitar player, singer and  songwriter makes the proverbial renaissance man look lazy. Coming on  the heels of Strange Days, his most successful record since his  eponymous debut and despite a never-ending cycle of touring, Moore  offers a new release of bright, blazing rock-n-roll that combines his  legendary guitar prowess with radio-friendly songs that showcase his  elastic, soul-inflected vocals.   

“It’s a very different climate right now. When we hit a city, it doesn’t matter  that i have 14 records, radio hits, etc. The only thing that matters is if we  can really show up and leave the people feeling they saw something  amazing. It keeps me hungry, and I like the challenge” says Moore. 

For years, Ian has had his eyes on the challenges faced by musicians of  every stripe, having experienced the spectrum of artist successes and  tribulations over a nearly 30-year career. In response, he founded the  artist’s healthcare alliance SMASH (Seattle Musicians Access to  Sustainable Healthcare) and has joined the board of NARAS for the Pacific  Northwest as governor and head of the advocacy committee. 

You might have been surprised to hear Moore’s voice popping up on major  network shows on prime time television this past year; several selections  were prominently being featured as performances on both American Idol  and The Voice (“Satisfied” and “Blue Sky”). 

Moore’s story is often told and probably familiar to most critics; his initial  record on Capricorn propelled him to national tours with the Rolling  Stones, ZZ Top and Bob Dylan, acting in the acclaimed indie feature Sling  Blade and having Ice Cube direct the video for his track “Harlem.” 

Moore deviated from his initial blues-oriented guitar sound on subsequent  records, touching on graceful pop songs and the psychedelic as well as  British pub rock and deep Americana. Toronto and its 6 tracks represents 

those influences in such a way that they have informed his songwriting,  but is likely more recognizable as a strong collection of the kind of guitar  rock his core fan base would respond to immediately. 

On the triumphant “You Gotta Know My Name”, Moore lampoons rich,  entitled hipster kids. “They get their marching orders from Pitchfork and  fill their brains with coke and MDMA, looking for soul and depth”, Moore  explains. “The chorus is a way of claiming my space as a person that has  been slogging it out, in and out of fashion for most of my career, with a  deeper sense of music, style and substance than the people that might  quickly write me off.” 

The anthemic “Lords of the Levee” is a contemporary, relevant take on the  atmosphere of the U.S. right now.“   It’s an attack on group thought,”  Moore says, “which is most typically shrouded in God and country, that  allows people to do some really terrible things. I wrote it about the  Alabama voters rights act, and how the people that opposed it used both  God and country to justify their abhorrent behavior.” 

And it captures Ian’s blistering live sound probably better than any  recording he’s released in recent memory.   The catchy, propulsive  “Looking for the Sound” is a play on the record title “El Sonido  Nuevo,” which he wrote with his last group, the Lossy Coils. “It comes  from a Mighty Boosh skit, but the gist of the song is about what it is to be  a touring musician, trying to build soul and culture, still believing the same  things I believed when I was 18, and looking for open hearts and minds to  feel it.” 

On other tracks on the record, “Satellite” and the slightly outrageous  “Rock N Roll,” Moore explores the underbelly of rock, the bright side and  the dangers of living your life in the magic of midnight

Ian Moore, the Seattle-based, Austin, TX-born guitar player, singer and songwriter makes the proverbial renaissance man look lazy.  Coming on the heels of Strange Days, his most successful record since his eponymous debut and despite a never-ending cycle of touring, Moore offers a new release of bright, blazing rock-n-roll that combines his legendary guitar prowess with radio-friendly songs that showcase his elastic, soul-inflected vocals.  “It’s a very different climate right now. When we hit a city, it doens’t matter that i have 14 records, radio hits, etc. The only thing that matters is if we can really show up and leave the people feeling they saw something amazing. Its keeps me hungry, and I like the challenge”  says Moore.

For years, Ian has had his eyes on the challenges faced by musicians of every stripe, having experienced the spectrum of artist successes and tribulations over a nearly 30-year career. In response, he founded the artist’s healthcare alliance SMASH (Seattle Musicians Access to Sustainable Healthcare) and has joined the board of NARAS for the Pacific Northwest as governor and head of the advocacy committee.

You might have been surprised to hear Moore’s voice popping up on major network shows on prime time television this past year;  several selections were prominently being featured as performances on both American Idol and The Voice (“Satisfied” and “Blue Sky”).

Moore’s story is often told and probably familiar to most critics; his initial record on Capricorn propelled him to national tours with the Rolling Stones, ZZ Top and Bob Dylan, acting in the acclaimed indie feature Sling Blade and having Ice Cube direct the video for his track “Harlem.”

Moore deviated from his initial blues-oriented guitar sound on subsequent records, touching on graceful pop songs and the psychedelic as well as British pub rock and deep Americana. Toronto and its 6 tracks represents those influences in such a way that they have informed his songwriting, but is likely more recognizable as a strong collection of the kind of guitar rock his core fan base would respond to immediately.

On the triumphant “You Gotta Know My Name”,  Moore lampoons rich, entitled hipster kids.    “They get their marching orders from Pitchfork and fill their brains with coke and MDMA, looking for soul and depth”,  Moore explains.  “The chorus is a way of claiming my space as a person that has been slogging it out, in and out of fashion for most of my career, with a deeper sense of music, style and substance than the people that might quickly write me off.”

The anthemic “Lords of the Levee” is a contemporary, relevant take on the atmosphere of the U.S. right now.“   It’s an attack on group thought,”  Moore says,  “which is most typically shrouded in God and country, that allows people to do some really terrible things. I wrote it about the Alabama voters rights act, and how the people that opposed it used both God and country to justify their abhorrent behavior.”

And it captures Ian’s blistering live sound probably better than any recording he’s released in recent memory.   The catchy, propulsive “Looking for the Sound” is a play on the record title “El Sonido Nuevo,” which he wrote with his last group, the Lossy Coils.    “It comes from a Mighty Boosh skit, but the gist of the song is about what it is to be a touring musician, trying to build soul and culture, still believing the same things I believed when I was 18, and looking for open hearts and minds to feel it.”

On other tracks on the record,  “Satellite” and the slightly outrageous “Rock N Roll,” Moore explores the underbelly of rock, the bright side and the dangers of living your life in the magic of midnight.

Toronto releases May 25, 2018, on Last Chance Records in t he US and on Rough Trade in Europe. Moore will be touring in support of the record in the U.S. and Europe for all of 2018.

Ian Moore, the Seattle-based, Austin, TX-born guitar player, singer and songwriter makes the proverbial renaissance man look lazy.  Coming on the heels of Strange Days, his most successful record since his eponymous debut and despite a never-ending cycle of touring, Moore offers a new release of bright, blazing rock-n-roll that combines his legendary guitar prowess with radio-friendly songs that showcase his elastic, soul-inflected vocals.  “It’s a very different climate right now. When we hit a city, it doens’t matter that i have 14 records, radio hits, etc. The only thing that matters is if we can really show up and leave the people feeling they saw something amazing. Its keeps me hungry, and I like the challenge”  says Moore.

For years, Ian has had his eyes on the challenges faced by musicians of every stripe, having experienced the spectrum of artist successes and tribulations over a nearly 30-year career. In response, he founded the artist’s healthcare alliance SMASH (Seattle Musicians Access to Sustainable Healthcare) and has joined the board of NARAS for the Pacific Northwest as governor and head of the advocacy committee.

You might have been surprised to hear Moore’s voice popping up on major network shows on prime time television this past year;  several selections were prominently being featured as performances on both American Idol and The Voice (“Satisfied” and “Blue Sky”).

Moore’s story is often told and probably familiar to most critics; his initial record on Capricorn propelled him to national tours with the Rolling Stones, ZZ Top and Bob Dylan, acting in the acclaimed indie feature Sling Blade and having Ice Cube direct the video for his track “Harlem.”

Moore deviated from his initial blues-oriented guitar sound on subsequent records, touching on graceful pop songs and the psychedelic as well as British pub rock and deep Americana. Toronto and its 6 tracks represents those influences in such a way that they have informed his songwriting, but is likely more recognizable as a strong collection of the kind of guitar rock his core fan base would respond to immediately.

On the triumphant “You Gotta Know My Name”,  Moore lampoons rich, entitled hipster kids.    “They get their marching orders from Pitchfork and fill their brains with coke and MDMA, looking for soul and depth”,  Moore explains.  “The chorus is a way of claiming my space as a person that has been slogging it out, in and out of fashion for most of my career, with a deeper sense of music, style and substance than the people that might quickly write me off.”

The anthemic “Lords of the Levee” is a contemporary, relevant take on the atmosphere of the U.S. right now.“   It’s an attack on group thought,”  Moore says,  “which is most typically shrouded in God and country, that allows people to do some really terrible things. I wrote it about the Alabama voters rights act, and how the people that opposed it used both God and country to justify their abhorrent behavior.”

And it captures Ian’s blistering live sound probably better than any recording he’s released in recent memory.   The catchy, propulsive “Looking for the Sound” is a play on the record title “El Sonido Nuevo,” which he wrote with his last group, the Lossy Coils.    “It comes from a Mighty Boosh skit, but the gist of the song is about what it is to be a touring musician, trying to build soul and culture, still believing the same things I believed when I was 18, and looking for open hearts and minds to feel it.”

On other tracks on the record,  “Satellite” and the slightly outrageous “Rock N Roll,” Moore explores the underbelly of rock, the bright side and the dangers of living your life in the magic of midnight.

Something heavy is happening to Scott H. Biram. There he is, eyes rolling back in his head, arms outstretched, consumed with bliss, exhaustion, or guilt, being consigned to the old crimson river. In this moment, being baptized in blood might be Biram’s dark epiphany, the 12 songs of Nothin’ But Blood a conduit for an emotional fight or flight, relaying a deep personal grapple between the pure and the impure, good and bad, the beautiful dream and an ugly reality.

What in the past has been expressed through reeling irreverence and spirit-lifting profanity (which he’s still got in spades; don’t worry) is here a more penetrating, and chilling, version of The Dirty Old One Man Band– self-examining and penitent, yet still as crazy as a jack-eyed preacher. On his ninth album (and fifth for Bloodshot Records) ‘blood’ is many, often inherently contradictory, themes: life, death, suffering, evil, commitment, legacy, atonement. Even in its title, ‘Nothin’ But’ could mean ‘all encompassing’ or ‘it’s no big deal.’ Literally, all or nothing.

There are songs where Biram — the hard-living, whiskey-loving lifelong Texan — howls of mortality (‘When I Die’), sin (‘Backdoor Man’), and guilt and frustration (‘Slow & Easy’), all the while struggling with which side he’ll end up on (and it probably ain’t the one with golden halos and white wings). He deftly sews together a myriad of flawed everymancharacters: nostalgic, stoned veteran (‘Nam Weed’); boozing, jealous lover (‘Alcohol Blues’); and sadistic muses (‘Church Point Girls’).

The rousing Black Flag-meets-Son House boot-stomper ‘Only Whiskey’ punches a hole in the notion of temperance and rewrites the meaning of monogamy — the story of a man so disillusioned with romance he reserves vice as his permanent bed partner. In ‘Gotta Get to Heaven’, fervent ‘hallelujahs’ allude to a youthful and impious Biram, who quit churchat 10 years-old but also found his life’s calling when an African-American Baptist choir performed for his grade school.

Throughout Nothin’ But Blood, recorded at Biram’s home studio and Cacophony Studios in Austin, TX, SHB’s distinct songwriting style encompasses his penchant for sludge metal and palm muting (‘Around the Bend’), the raw sucker punch of punk rock (‘Only Whiskey’), profound truths of sentimental acoustic blues and country (‘Never Comin’ Home’), the cleansing powers of gospel hymns and spiritual ballads (‘When I Die’), and folk tales from the early 20th century (there has never been a more beautifully creepy and morosely slinky take on ‘Jack of Diamonds’).

When you boil it all down in a simmering cauldron, Nothin’ But Blood is storytelling about wrongdoing and redemption. Scott H. Biram’s music is from the soul, for the soul, of the soul — and with this album, the spiritual buckshot lodges deeper than ever.

Since his arrival as a solo artist in 1993 and his self-titled debut on Capricorn Records, Texas Music star Ian Moore’s journey has been one of perpetual forward motion and constant change. The record included the hits, “Satisfied” and “Blue Sky”, and even featured the track, “Harlem”, which was made in to a music video by rap icon, Ice Cube.
Moore’s upcoming “Strange Days” EP was birthed from Ian channeling all the influences from his childhood,soul music and the blues, while carrying forward all the hard-earned life lessons acquired on his journey that allow him to infuse these songs with a depth that only comes from years and miles. Moore’s ability to straddle genres like a Neil Young or a Jack White is obvious.
By paying tribute to such luminaries as Curtis Mayfield, Otis Redding, Aaron Neville (even covering “Hercules”), and Sly Stone, Ian Moore can offer music politically charged at times, as well as the heartfelt love song filled with emotion and purpose.