Main points of the story:
- Mike and the Moonpies will now be called “Silverada”.
- Silverada will release their self-titled album on June 28.
- The band revealed the name change at Mile 0 Fest in Key West, FL on Friday afternoon (1-26).
- A new song will be released next Friday (2-2).
- aThe album release will be shown at the Ryman Auditorium on July 5th.
- The Silverada will make its debut after the name change Friday night at Mile 0 Fest.
For years now, one of the biggest injustices in all of country music has been the continued neglect of Mike and the Moonpies as one of the powerhouse country music bands of our time.
It is considered one of the best live performances in country music by a host of critics and anyone who has had the opportunity to see it in person. They’ve released one critically acclaimed album after another, including 2021’s One for growth, which received a perfect score here at Saving Country Music. Mike and the Moonpies were the best that country music had to offer, while remaining at the cult level in terms of following and name recognition.
Even as other independent artists have rocketed into the stratosphere over the past few years, Mike and the Moonpies have remained mostly steady, though there has been some significant sustained growth, however slow.
They started out as a real Austin honky-tonk band playing multi-hour sets to two-step bar crowds. When they added guitarist Omar Oyuk in 2019 and made a concerted effort to break out of Austin’s bar scene, their music took it to the next level. But it’s been difficult for the band to move beyond its past, partly because people see the name “Mike and the Moonpies” and think they’re a known number.
You also want to be careful not to discount what Mike and the Moonpies have done so far, and where they are as a band. For some artists, the size of the crowds Mike and the Moonpies attract and the types of press they receive would be enviable. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a gap between the amount of attention a band should receive and the attention they receive.
One of the few festivals that gave Mike and the Moonpies the attention they deserved was the Mile 0 Festival in Key West, Florida. For seven years now, Mike and the Moonpies have been the festival’s de facto house band, very popular among festival patrons. It is only fitting that after they decided to change their name after 17 years, they used Mile 0 Fest as a launching pad for advertising.
Officially unveiled at Mile 0 Fest on Friday afternoon (1-25) in an intimate event at Comedy Key West, Mike and the Moonpies will henceforth be known as Silverada. Although the name has changed, the music and musical style remain the same. The band will also have an upcoming self-titled 10-song album Silverada It will be released on June 28.
The band says in a statement
We expect there will be some upset fans but we hope you understand why we felt we had to do this and we hope you’ll continue to support us and come along for the ride!
After discussing hundreds of potential names, we finally fell in love with the Silverada. We believe it pays tribute to who we were when we started, who we have become, and who we hope to become. 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 bright side in this new chapter for the band and fans alike. It’s all about the music and the relationship we have with our loyal listeners and we hope to continue to strengthen this relationship as we grow our music and brand. We really hope you’ll join us as we take our band and music into the future.
Saving Country Music spoke to Silverada frontman Mike Harmeier backstage at Mile 0 Fest ahead of the announcement.
“I don’t think I could speak more passionately about anything else, because I’ve thought about it so much. It’s been on my mind for years.” Mike tells SCM. Mike and the Moonpies was a relevant movie at the time. It felt good when we started doing this. At the time, I didn’t know where it was going. I was just trying to play The Broken Spoke. When I was doing something in Austin, it felt good. At some point, it was like we didn’t recognize him anymore. I feel like I’m always fighting whatever connotation our name has for us all the time. It has frustrated us all over the years. Because it is bigger than that, and we want to take it bigger than that.”
The band name may change, but Silverada remains an independent band. They are not signed to a label or management company, and do not employ a publicist. They are working with WME for booking after purchasing Red 11. Mike Harmeyer’s wife, Chase, serves as the band’s manager and publicist. She was also heavily involved in the name change.
“I can tell you, we’ve talked about changing this name to death,” Chase Harmer says. “Mike had floated the idea of changing the band’s name as far back as 2012 when ‘The Hard Way’ was released – at that time we were making and hand-stamping wood chipboard CD covers to mail out the band’s first radio single, and Mike I thought at the time that the band had cut A long way to make a change. So that was something I really struggled with. On the surface you can say, “What’s in the name?” Just change it or don’t do it. But it’s really an intimate thing, especially when it’s a name that’s so ingrained in the fan community.
To settle on a new name, Mike and Chase headed to Texas in search of inspiration, specifically pioneering work in Texas literature, Lonely dove.
“I’ve had a list of band names on my phone for years, and last year, I started reading the entire Lonesome Dove series in hopes of finding the perfect name hiding in there.” The chase continues. “We even had little pieces of paper with names stuck to magnets that we stuck to the refrigerator to group them together as possible names the same way we did when we chose our son’s name Brazos. My parents would text me in the middle of the night with names. Mike and I went through every page of the book Terms that he had memorized in his studio. From song lyrics, to obscure place names and historical events in Texas, to trying to figure out the name of that local band that approached Robert Duvall on “Tender Mercies.” So many name ideas but nothing clicked. Anything. And recently, all the guys joined their group text thread and started brainstorming ideas and it came together relatively quickly and very organically from there.
Along with Mike Harmeyer, Silverada consists of guitarist Caitlin Rutherford, steel guitarist Zachary Moulton, bassist Omer Uyuk, and drummer Taylor Englert who replaced longtime drummer Kyle Ponder in March 2022. All of these musicians are considered at the top of their game. Their talents. craft by their peers.
“The band is committed to this idea.” Mike Harmer says. “We’ve talked about it for years. And the funny thing is, we’re doing it at a time when it’s starting to look pretty good. But I still think we’re shot through the roof because of the ceiling that we feel is there. We live in a world now where it’s not the climate of what we do.” Its better than ever.
The big question many fans will ask is: Will this all work out? There are some previous examples that we can refer to as comparisons.
Underground Country music fans may remember the saga of Reno, Nevada-based band Hellbound Glory. Frontman and sole remaining original member Leroy Virgil went back and forth about keeping the name, moving on from it, and everything in between. At one point, he held a state funeral for the name, and later revived it. Virgil recorded under his own name as well as The Excavators. He has since returned with Hellbound Glory and has kept it. Hellbound Glory also remains an underground band, despite having a strong cult following.
Another example is the major Texas music group The Wilder Blue. They started out as Hill Country. But when there was a trademark dispute with the name and it became clear that it created confusion from being a ubiquitous term in Texas, they made a change. If it affected the band negatively at all, it wasn’t clear. Probably not, and a more recognizable name helped.
Perhaps the best example of a mid-career name change in the modern era is the bluegrass/folk/Americana band Mandolin Orange. They changed their name to Watchhouse in April 2021. Although it may seem like a small and perhaps unnecessary change, it was a huge success for the band. Where before Mandolin Orange was a permanent middle-class name on festival posters, it has since become a major act in roots and Americana.
According to Mike, the success Watchhouse had in changing their name gave them confidence that it could work, and they used the band’s transition as a template.
“We have a great connection with the people who love us. I don’t want to push them away.” Mike says. “But I feel like these guys are there with us. I’m trying to grow it and get more fans who haven’t had the chance to hear us. I’m worried about the moment we announce it from the stage, whether we’ll get booed. But honestly, I’m ready to rip the band-aid off. “I want to say: ‘This is how we’re going to the future.’ Join us, do this thing with us. Let’s take it to the masses like we’ve never done it before.”
Big names in Texas music like Wade Bowen, Courtney Patton and Jason Eady were on hand at the announcement party in Key West in support of Silverada. It was hosted by Joseph Hudak of Rolling Stone, who has also been a huge supporter of Mike and the Moonpies over the years. The band will take the main stage at Mile 0 Fest on Friday night (1-26) to announce the new name to the rest of the world. They will also release a new song next Friday. They will also be playing the album release show at The Ryman Auditorium on July 5th.
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For more coverage of Mile 0 Fest and Silverada’s name change, keep tabs on Save Country Music and follow along On Instagram.
Mike Harmer announced the name change from Mike and the Moonpies to “Silverada” in Key West. Notice the look of relief on his face then.
Full story here: https://t.co/z5l5S3UZNA pic.twitter.com/5JJoj8RvLh
– Save Country Music (@KyleCoroneos) January 26, 2024
