THE MOONLIGHTERS began playing and performing in New York in March of 1998. The band was born in 1996 when Henry Bogdan, who played bass for eight years with HELMET, and had developed a passion for Hawaiian steel guitar, met Bliss Blood, former vocalist with the awesome Texas avant/noise/rock PAIN TEENS, who had moved to New York and was playing ukulele and singing around town. Merging their interests in Hawaiian guitar and 1920's pop & jazz, they recruited jazz bassist Andrew Hall and actress/singer/guitarist Carla Murray on vocals and rhythm guitar (after Henry had quit Helmet). The band quickly became a familiar favorite at lower east side clubs like Brownies and Baby Jupiter, and then began a residency at Tramps Cafe that lasted from May 1998 to July 1999. When Tramps closed down, they took the free time to record their first CD, "Dreamland", named after one of their six original tunes on the CD. In February of 2002, they released their second CD on their Onliest Records label, this one entitled "Hello Heartstring" with 8 original tunes, and since have written more original tunes and made a 4 week tour of Germany in May 2002.

Their sound is somewhere between old-timey Hawaiian music, such as the great records of Sol Hoopii and Andy Iona, and pop records from the 1930's by vocalists like The Boswell Sisters and Annette Hanshaw. But within this sonic context they also write originals such as the darkly poignant "Blue and Black-Eyed" that are very decidedly modern in flavor. One thing is certain-- you have never heard a band like THE MOONLIGHTERS!