Mike and the Moonpies formed in 2007 and released their first album, The Real Country in 2010. Since then, the band fronted by Mike Harmeier has released a total of nine albums including two live records. They’ve also been touring tirelessly and honing their sound since their formation. Many heard the quirky name, got curious, and found high-quality, toe-tapping Texas honky tonk. That changed last week, though, when the band moved away from their snack-cake-inspired moniker.
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On Friday (January 26) Mike and the Moonpies announced that they planned to change the band’s name to Silverada, “effective immediately.” The band explained their position in a statement on social media.
The Final Statement from Mike and the Moonpies
“After careful consideration and much deliberation, it is with an abundance of excitement and hopefulness that we are announcing we will be changing our band name to Silverada effective immediately,” the statement began.
“We have felt for some time now that we needed a new name to bring the band into the future and allow us to grow musically and professionally as well as expand our fanbase even further beyond the current die-hard loyal fans we are fortunate enough to know, love, and appreciate,” the statement continued. “We’ve only made it this far because of our fans and we are forever grateful.”
The statement went on to say that the old name no longer reflects the band or the music they’re making. As with any band, they have evolved over the years. They believe the band’s name should evolve with them.
About the new name, the statement said, “We believe it pays homage to who we were when we started, who we have grown into, and who we hope to become.” The band added, “You know from our songs that we have a deep affinity for all things silver and gold and we hope our fans will see the silver lining in this new chapter for the band and fans alike.”
The statement clarified that they would still be playing all of their old songs live. Additionally, they have ten new songs from their upcoming record that drops in June. Listen to “Redbird,” the first release from the upcoming record, below.
The Fan Reaction
Days later, fans are still talking about the band’s name change. Most were surprised, some were even upset about the change. However, the fans almost universally agreed that they would listen to Silverada just as much as they did Mike and the Moonpies. As Shakespeare wrote in Romeo and Juliet “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” The video evidence below, taken from Silverada’s first world premiere at the Mile 0 Festival, proves that the adage fits here as well. At the end of the day, the music is what matters and the tunes remain top-shelf.
Featured Image by Dave Creaney Photo
