Tracker Pixel for Entry

​The MoonCats have landed:

Music | February 18th, 2025

Mooncats and Pert Near Sandstone play Empire Theatre

By Sabrina Hornung

sabrina@hpr1.com

The MoonCats describe themselves as “Americonscious Campfire Folk.” They have a clear acoustic folk sound with a sense of whimsy — think Roger Miller meets John Prine meets Old Crow Medicine show —with more toe tapping, sing-along, North Dakota charm than you can shake a stick at. They’re a three piece Americana band hailing from Bismarck to Pick City, but their origin story reaches back to Beulah, North Dakota where band members Danny Savage and Jordan Esslinger grew up and where the band was formed in 2018.

“Skye (Froelich) was in Mandan, so we would kind of drive back and forth for practice,” Savage said. “But we found a band house out near Pick City, and we all moved in, I think around 2020, or so? We all lived out there for a little while.”

The house is situated near Lake Sakakawea and became home to MoonFest, a small festival where the musicians would invite other fellow North Dakota musicians and bandmates to play, jam and collaborate. Each member plays in a number of bands, which just adds to the family reunion atmosphere at MoonFest. Needless to say, the MoonCats have strong North Dakota roots and have since become a familiar name playing throughout the region. But last year they had a game changing gig at Blue Ox Music Festival in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

“Last year, we played Blue Ox, and we were at the backwoods stage — it was a really cool experience,” Savage said. “We watched slowly as it sold out. It was a 5,000 person music festival with some really big name headliners and yeah, just an incredible experience to meet some really cool folks and make a lot of new fans.”

The MoonCats started a friendship with Twin Cities Americana band Pert Near Sandstone. MoonCats opened for them in Custer, South Dakota a few years back and eventually their managers connected. You see, Pert Near has had a role in co-curating and hosting the Blue Ox Music Festival since its inception in 2015, according to the Blue Ox website. Now the MoonCats’ biggest venture at the moment is returning the hospitality by independently booking the Empire Arts Center in Grand Forks for the North Country Hootenanny on February 22.

“It's our first major production that we're doing all the production on as a band,” explained MoonCats manager Scott Balliet. “So it's marketing, the artwork, the name of it, the rental of the theater, accommodations for the band, contracts, all that type of stuff.”

“Coming from North Dakota to Eau Claire, Wisconsin to a sold out music festival with world-traveling headliners like Sierra Ferrell and the Del McCoury Band and The Devil Makes Three, it kind of showed us, you know, there's a higher ceiling than you realize,” Savage said. “It's just been cool seeing our momentum change and, you know, the seriousness change in everyone. We're all putting a lot more in than we used to. It used to just kind of be a fun side hobby, and now we’re taking it a little more seriously.”

MoonCats currently have two albums available, “Mooncats” (2018) and “Hot Tea” (2021). Stay tuned to their socials and website for new releases. https://mooncatsmusic.com.

IF YOU GO:

North Country Hootenanny: A Celebration of Regional Bluegrass Music

Saturday, February 22, 7 p.m.

Empire Arts Center, 415 Demers Avenue, Grand Forks

https://www.empireartscenter.com/calendar/2025/2/22/north-country-hootnanny-pert-near-sandstone-amp-mooncats

Recently in:

By Alicia Underlee Nelsonalicia@hpr1.comNorth Dakota communities will join a “nationwide day of defiance” against authoritarianism and President Donald Trump’s policies on Saturday, June 14. A range of "No Kings" events…

Back-to-school season is on the horizon, but there's still plenty of summer left. Check out our favorite August attractions and events in North Dakota and western Minnesota. And if if you missed them, here are a few excellent May…

June 21, 11 a.m. - 11 p.m.Fargo Theatre, 314 Broadway N., Fargo“We Watch Shudder,” Fargo’s favorite horror podcasters, bring on the darkness during the longest day of the year. The Darkest Day of Horror Film Festival features…

Fighting the good fightBy Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.com Over two thousand rallies took place nationwide June 14 as part of the “No Kings" protest. Ten of those protests were held in North Dakota, with thousands in attendance.…

By Ed Raymondfargogadfly@gmail.comThe Fiddler on the roof was taking a big chance after two thousand years of hate Cal Thomas, who seems to hate a lot in a journalistic and broadcasting career where he expresses his conservative…

By Rick Gionrickgion@gmail.com Holiday wine shopping shouldn’t have to be complicated. But unfortunately it can cause unneeded anxiety due to an overabundance of choices. Don’t fret my friends, we once again have you covered…

By Rick Gionrickgion@gmail.com The weather warmed up quickly here in the upper Midwest this spring, sparking prime eating season. This means burger battles, food trucks and lake-season food travel. The 2025 Downtown Fargo Burger…

By Alicia Underlee Nelsonalicia@hpr1.comThe Moorhead Public Library will offer three free, all-ages outdoor concerts featuring regional bands this summer. The series begins on June 12 with the Meat Rabbits, a group that blends…

By JD Provorsejdprovorse@gmail.comHorror movie fans of the valley, our time has come! Darkest Day of Horror Film Festival comes to the Fargo Theatre on Saturday, June 21. I sat down with JD Provorse, the creator and curator of DDHF…

By Raul Gomezraul@hpr1.com Minutes before Modern’s Celebration of Life opened its door at the Sons of Norway, I was fiddling with the bar computer, trying to pull up the playlists of Modern’s work I had set aside for the…

By Alicia Underlee Nelsonalicia@hpr1.comAct Up Theatre, in partnership with Minnesota State University Moorhead, will present “The Sound of Music” on June 10-14. All shows are at 7:30 p.m. at the Minnesota State Moorhead’s…

By Annie Prafckeannieprafcke@gmail.com AUSTIN, Texas – As a Chinese-American, connecting to my culture through food is essential, and no dish brings me back to my mother’s kitchen quite like hotdish. Yes, you heard me right –…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comNew Jamestown Brewery Serves up Local FlavorThere’s something delicious brewing out here on the prairie and it just so happens to be the newest brewery west of the Red River and east of the…

By Ellie Liveranieli.liverani.ra@gmail.com There appear to be differences in the incidence of mental illnesses between men and women. For example, women are more likely to be diagnosed with depression, post-traumatic stress…

By Alicia Underlee NelsonProtests against President Trump’s policies and the cuts made by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are planned across North Dakota and western Minnesota Friday, April 4 and…

By Vern Thompsonvern.thompson.nd7@gmail.com Our trucking business has me driving almost daily from gas plants in western North Dakota's oil patch to Canada. I haul natural gas liquids (NGLs) products we used to see flared off at…