New EP from Mick Fury and Midnight Moonshine drops Wednesday.
You can take the musician out of Syracuse, but you can’t take the Syracuse out of the musician.
Mick Fury and his mates in the party country band Midnight Moonshine packed their bags this summer and moved from Central New York to Nashville. And why not? With Fury’s hard-working style and all of their talent, they’d won the Syracuse Area Music Award for best country album in 2013 for their first swing at the genre, “Sunday Funday.”
And yes, it’s gone well in the center of things for country, Fury reports. Working with writers who’ve had a pen in the success of Diamond Rio and Luke Bryan, Fury scored with the single “Boys Night Out.”
That’s one of four songs on the new EP, “Nobody Knows My Name.” And, even with ties growing stronger in Nashville, they recorded it under the steady hand and watchful ears of Jocko Randall at his More Sound Studios back home in Syracuse. The EP drops Wednesday, Nov. 26, this Thanksgiving week. That’s just in time for the guys’ holiday trip home for family dinner and all the fixings.
Oh, yeah, and the timing is right for Fury to put on a quick solo home tour, too, on this famous weekend for going out to meet old frieds.
Fury’s tour starts with a show Wednesday night at
the Georgetown Inn, and continues with two shows the Friday after Thanksgiving, at Caz Bowl and the Limp Lizard in North Syracuse, and finishes at Parker’s in Seneca Falls on Saturday, Nov. 29.
The EP will be available Wednesday on iTunes, Google Play and Amazon, and available for streaming on Spotify.
Fury sent me a preview link, and the four songs will scratch any country party itch. “Boys Night Out” showcases Fury’s voice and the work of Joe Nasty, Greg “Goose” LaPoint and Max McKee with rolling guitar and big-hooked melody as well as a solid rhythm foundation. Think beer, buddies and a touch of All-American fun.
“Coupla Beers,” think bigger commitment to a slightly altered cause. “Kick Down My Door (Southern Mix)” and “Nobody Knows My Name” both slow it down for the heart. The first is for bad love sent packing; the sweeter second is for a love still longed.
Do you still or have you ever looked forward to Thanksgiving weekend as a time to go out in your hometown to reconnect with old friends, and can you share a special memory of a reunion? If you’re looking for a Friday or Saturday night local music show to serve as a gathering spot, what sort of music would be the lightning rod, and why? Have you ever gone back to your hometown for Thanksgiving from far away and had a hard time getting there, and if so, describe the trip.
Here’s the link for mickfury.com, which includes a lyrics video of “Boys Night Out” and videos of songs from past work.
Mark Bialczak 
I do love country music and I will check this recommendation out, Mark. Enjoy your Thanksgiving!! 🙂
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Happy Thanksgiving, Aud. 🙂
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You have so many awesome music listening opportunities there in Syracuse! 🙂
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People play, Rachel.
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looking forward to giving them a listen, mark. and that’s cool they’re home for the holidays. )
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It is a good week to plan a homecoming tour. Smart man. 🙂
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If my brothers have a chance to spend time with me, they usually don’t get me out to a bar or public place with music. I will dance until the Sun comes up! Seriously, mostly love to listen to rock and roll, but jazz, blues and country are all great, too. I have enjoyed oldies and new sounds, too. Nope, we missed seeing Kevin Costner last Thanksgiving while he played in one of the Cleveland bars. “Gone West,” I think is his band…
I have several movies reserved here at the library, taking “Gravity,” “The Butler,” “All is Lost” (Robert Redford’s sailing movie, which won awards in 2013) and then some wild, raunchy ones which are usually including actors like Bruce Willis or action figure stars. We did like Arnold S. in the “Last Stand” movie. It had a lot of good fun, team work involved. We sit at Mom’s watching movies, stopping for snacks and bathroom breaks, critiquing… This is how we ended up watching the movie about British boats playing Pirate Radio! That was a fun movie, Mark.
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Modern West, Kevin Coster’s band! Dang, Robin, that would have been great to see in a bar!! I saw them at an outdoor show in Syracuse, a free festival, it was so packed I couldn’t move. I did not enjoy that part of it at all, to tell you the truth. It was kind of claustrophobic.
The movie thing with the Fam sounds fab! I liked the Pirate Radio movie a lot, too. The Butler is great. You’ll love it. Forest Whitaker is so outstanding. 🙂 Happy Thanksgiving!!!
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Tragically, my Thanksgiving will be void of any hometown friends/music/food. It’s not our turn to go to Ohio for scrumptious kielbasa and lasagna feasts. Instead, we are going to feast on my mother-in-law’s traditional Irish burnt-up, dried-out, overcooked turkey. The Irish are masters of the written word and I love the music but, Jaysus, keep ’em out of the kitchen.
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Good gawd, Mark. You gotta wrangle some sorta boiled potato with butter out of the deal at least, That Ohio feast sounds delectable. Fresh and smoked kielbasa?
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Going to Ohio on Thanksgiving is like going to food heaven. My mom, and now my sister, makes their stuffing with sausage. The first bite makes me eyes roll up into my head and a tear trickle down my cheek. We only go there every other year, so do you know what that means? That means BREAD STUFFING. Gag.
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My mother made bread stuffing and sausage stuffing when I was a kid. So spoiled. The turkey was not the hero at Polish Thanksgiving. Just a bit player. You got that right.
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Congratulations of Mick Fury’s newest album, another group of great songs, too. I am rooting for these Syracuse Music Award winners, Mark! With Luke Bryan winning awards, so glad that Mick Fury is associating with those powers that be, so to speak. I loved Diamond Rio, who did perform at our Delaware County Fair in the late 90’s. Wonder how they are doing.
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Yes, I have not heard how they are doing in a while. Diamond Rio was THE country band in the ’90s. Good call on that one, Robin. 🙂
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By the way, I am from Cleveland where Kielbasa and lasagna reigns over most of the food places. My brother will make a homemade corn bread in his bread maker, cook up some hamburger with onions, sage and celery, add the chunks of cornbread to the greasy pan with the meat and veggies. We aren’t big into regular sausage but will possibly have eggs with kielbasa cut into circles fried up with butter and hash browns for breakfast on one of the four mornings I will be visiting family!
Hope you have a happy Thanksgiving, hope you don’t mind my ‘butting’ in here, Mark and friend!
I need to cross over and visit your posts, Cleveland rules! Smiles, Robin
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Kielbasa and eggs for breakfast. Yum Yum Yum Yum. Enjoy, Robin!!!
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Hi Robin. I’m Mark, too. That should make it easy for you to remember. I left Clevo long ago but in many ways, I’m still there. My family is still on the west side. I go back a couple of times a year just to get a decent meal. I am happy to report that my 13-year old daughter loves bratwurst and the Cavs. I’m trying to keep her away from the Indians and Browns, though. No reason she should suffer the same way her father does.
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I so echo Worm Keeper up there. Old-school Johnny Cash works for me, but not fan of Billy Ray Cyrus and Vince Gill and whatnot. Not saying they are not musically talented. Just don’t get anything outside of being mildly annoyed from listening to their tunes. Each to their own! And that is what makes this country beautiful.
No Thanksgiving drama here. Alternate years of going to mom and mother-in-laws. What are your holiday plans? Are you and Karen cooking up turkey, stuffing, the works?
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Lumping Vince Gill together with Billy Ray Cyrus is the first sin I have seen you commit on the typing keyboard, Liz. Vince is one of the best bluegrass AND country guitarists and songwriters we’ve got, possesses a striking tenor voice, and does not ever go for easy mainstream hits. Off my soapbox now.
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lol, I KNEW the day would come when someone finally figured out that much of the time I don’t know what the bleep I’m talking about. And of course my $$ was on you to be the one to do that, Mark 😉 Sorry to put Gill and Cyrus in the same category. I do get that they are not. Having said that, Gill’s music is not on my List.Though maybe I haven’t listened to his bluegrass tunes? Any you’d recommend?
We’ve joked about my sitting on your therapist couch and I’ll share that I have sat on therapists’ couches before, once to work through some city-country stuff that my husband and I struggle with. And the therapist encouraged me to think back–what was it in my past that makes me so averse to all things country? Never did have an “ah ha!” moment, but for whatever reason, most things country make me cringe. Though that’s just me–folks who enjoy country do not necessarily make me cringe. Have I made myself clear? 😉 Likely not, but that is why I’ve spent time on therapist couches.
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Thank you, Liz, for being so you. 🙂 You don’t have to ever like country music. No skin off of my nose. Hey, I was born in Brooklyn and raised on Long Island and never even heard of country music until somebody told me that my southern rock bands in college were straying in that direction. Country what?! My musical horizons really began to broaden when I became the music writer in 1991 and began REALLY listening to all genres for my job.
Anyway, put down your wall, dear woman, against “all things country.” Apple pie! Whisk brooms!! Real ponies. 🙂 Come lie down and I’ll go get my yellow pad.
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Appreciate you appreciating my doofus-ness. We can only be who we are, yes? 😉 So, yes to the apple pie and ponies are ok. But a whisk broom? Am far too citified to even have a clue what you’re talking about. ???
p.s. Do you have any Vince Gill recommends for bluegrass tunes?
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Hi Mark. if I was going out on the town with friends for some music I ‘d likely choose country. I also like country crossover or country rock. I find live country shows are entertaining. I also like the old rock and pop. There are only a handful of new rock pieces that i enjoy. If i was going out with a girlfriend to a small venue, I might choose blues.
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I can tell we are similar vintage Paul. Grew up with similar songs on the radio and turntables. 🙂 Blues in a bar. Yupper.
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This is everything I hate about country, but I liked them better than I thought I was going to. I suspect Nashville will like them just fine. For whatever reasons, I have a really hard time with modern country. I LOVE bluegrass, and I like old school country. I like pop (sometimes), but I generally don’t like when pop starts playing footsie with country. Just stop that already!
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How have you and I not met before now? Johnny Cash? Yes! Country-crossover mess? NO!
(not saying this is that, Mark, but just taking over the comments here…)
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THANK YOU!
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What makes this band interesting, Wormy, is that they were a rock band first, then decided to go country, instead of a country band first, that decided to go rock. Anyway, Mick takes his songwriting seriously and I’m sure he will read these comments and consider what folks have to say. He’s young, in his 20s, and his music may yet become even more country in the old-time sense.
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I have a feeling we are a vocal minority. Country fusion is HUGE, just not my thing. I’m from Oklahoma. I feel like my opinion should matter here. But really, really doesn’t. I am far left of center. My bff is a proper American, and she loves the stuff. (bleh!) I listen to indie rock, jazz, blue grass, classical, old country (e.g., Johnny Cash), electronic music, oldies, classical Indian music, etc. Just about anything but modern country fusion and the kind of rock these guys probably played before this; I am probably the least applicable opinion possible. True confessions, I do sort of like Taylor Swift, in theory. I feel like she could be good, if the music industry would leave her alone. (This may be delusion on my part.) She’s always doing interesting team-ups with people who are ACTUALLY good. This makes me feel like she has good taste underneath it all. She’s obviously a good performer.
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Your opinion does matter here. You are allowed to NOT LIKE THE FUSION. Taylor does have good taste. The week she was the sole coach on The Voice, her mentoring and tips to these hopeful singers were better than any of the other folks on the show, ever. Go to town liking whatever you want, Wormy. Here’s a good bluegrass guy for you. Banjo goodie Tony Trischka is from Syracuse.
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If me and the girls are going out for a night of music, it’s mostly always Blues! Glad one of your locals is finding success Mark!
Diana xo
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Blues is hot, Diana. I love the blues. 🙂
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