“We’re dancing on a moonbeam,” sings The Strokes’ frontman Julian Casablancas in the legendary New York rock group’s sundrenched 2020 album “The New Abnormal.”
That line was also the inspiration for the band name of Eugene-based alt rockers Moonbear.
“There was a misheard lyric from a Strokes song. … I heard ‘moonbear,’ and I was like, ‘You know what? That could be a pretty good name,’” said bassist Sebastian Brown. “It was supposed to be a temporary name.”
“Fun fact – none of us like the name, but, you know, we couldn’t think of a better one,” added lead singer and rhythm guitarist Lauden Jones.
“We like it now,” clarified Brown.
Moonbear’s casual nomenclature might come as a surprise considering the band’s sophisticated and distinctive sound. Described by Brown as “liminal alt space shoegaze pop,” adding, “there’s some space rock in there” – the rest of the band is fine with the alt rock title – you’ll know a Moonbear song when you hear it.
The Strokes once again come up as an influence, with Moonbear’s driving beats, repeating guitar hooks, and catchy progressions, often realized through Brown’s bass grooves and Jones’ vocal melodies, immediately standing out. Jones can also add a Casablancas-esque vibrato flourish to the end of his lines to go along with his soft and atmospheric vocals.
Moonbear has a darker side as well, with Jones listing Radiohead and Interpol as influences alongside The Strokes. Tracks such as “Pins and Needles” ooze atmosphere, while the massive, fuzzy guitars that punctuate “Faith” and “Dogfight” earn Brown’s “shoegaze” descriptor.
Acts such as Manchester Orchestra, Lord Huron, and Unwound were also mentioned by the band as inspirations.
Moonbear’s music is tailor-made for driving late at night – close your eyes and you can almost see the streetlights whizzing by to the bittersweet beauty of cuts like “Coma” and “Ugly.”
Moonbear was founded by Jones and Brown in 2022 when the two met in a music theory class at Lane Community College.
“I originally come from a tuba and symphonic or classical background, but I like rock music now, so that’s what I’m doing with the boys,” said Brown.
Lead guitarist George Lerczak and drummer Shun Tsuji also joined the band through the college.
“I originally met Sebastian in the jazz band program at Lane,” said Lerczak. “Then I was in an audio engineering class with Lauden and he asked me if I wanted to play in the band, and so I agreed.”
Tsuji’s story was a bit more unconventional: “So actually, George is our third guitar player, and the first player was my friend, and he invited me to join the band,” he said.
LCC has served as a hub of sorts for the band’s creative process.
“We recorded [our debut EP, “Baby’s First Television Set”] at the studio at Lane,” said Jones. “We sort of recorded it for me and George’s audio engineering final project, just because we have a ton of time in the studio and decided it would be a good use of our final project time.”
Moonbear credits several Eugene-adjacent talents for helping shape the band’s output.
“I would say a big part of it is getting it mixed and mastered by the same guy,” said Lerczak. “Shout out, Thaddeus [Moore]. He does a good job.”
Moore, a veteran audio engineer with nearly 30 years of experience, runs Liquid Mixing & Mastering in Eugene. His knowledge is a key part of Moonbear’s polished sound.
The band also shouted out recording engineer Ezryn Cook (A “chef” behind the scenes, per Brown), and University of Oregon graduate Rylee McConnell, the architect behind all of the band’s cover art up to this point.
Moonbear is deeply embedded in the Eugene/Corvallis scene, and the band is bullish on the area’s musical future.
“I like to think that Eugene and Corvallis are in this cool renaissance, or golden age, of underground music,” said Brown. “So much good stuff is happening, blowing up all around the same time. Just really, really lucky to see.”
“It’s been awesome. Everyone is super supportive,” said Lerczak. “There’s a lot of house shows. People show up to the house shows, which is fun, but pretty much every single band we’ve played with has been super nice and accommodating.”
Jones went on to preview what fans can expect at a Moonbear show: “I think there’s an energy that I feel we try to bring – it’s kind of a mix between, you know, just having fun on stage, and also, I think we care a lot about our songs. We try to treat them with some element of respect. But for the most part, we just try to make for the best shows we can.”
“Don’t expect a whole lot of talk in between songs,” said Brown, adding, “We’ll play to the best of our ability. That might not always be the best, but, you know, I think we have fun, and we’ll try and bring a lot of fun.”
The band’s commitment to taking their songs seriously reflects their creative process. Jones described his lyrics as “pretty self introspective,” and the band’s songwriting as “really, really collaborative” most of the time.
Tsuji added, “I wasn’t really a big rock fan, so when I joined the band, I try to listen to the songs so I can create the part that they want.” He might not have the genre background, but Tsuji’s command of the kit is that of an experienced indie rock drummer. All four members are integral to the band’s sound, and the rhythmic wrinkles of tracks like “Baby’s First Television Set” are a highlight.
The band has plans for more standout moments in 2025, with the group’s second EP due for a late February/early March release.
“They’re all bangers. It’s gonna be a great EP,” said Brown of the upcoming five-song project.
“We got to record with an organ which was a lot of fun, and a Fender Rhodes. That’s used pretty sparingly on the EP, but it’s on there,” added Lerczak of updates to the band’s music.
“Shun may have added some glockenspiel in there as well,” laughed Jones. “We recorded this one at Lane as well. This time we came in for quite a few sessions over, like, two weeks during this last summer.”
It’s the next step for the band, all current or soon-to-be graduates of Lane.
“I’m finishing up my associate’s at Lane in audio engineering, to catch up with these boys. But then I might pursue classical upright bass,” said Brown. “We’ll see. Or maybe I’ll just pursue the band.”
While waiting for the next EP, fans can next see Moonbear at a Valentine’s Day show at Eugene’s Monster House venue. Lerczak also mentioned a to-be-announced EP release show.
It’s looking up for Moonbear. Entering 2025, the band isn’t chasing a moonbeam – they’re dancing on it.
You can find Moonbear online: Spotify, Bandcamp, YouTube, and Instagram.
This story originally appeared in the January 2025 edition of The Commuter.
Read the full conversation below:
What’s the story behind how you guys started as a band?
Lauden: Well, we met at school. We all went to Lane Community College, and me and Sebastian met first in our music theory class, and we wanted to start a band, and we found everybody else one way or another.
So do you guys all have a background in music?
Sebastian: I originally come from a tuba and symphonic or classical background, but I like rock music now, so that’s what I’m doing with the boys.
That’s great. So how did you guys meet George and Shun?
George: Well, I originally met Sebastian in the jazz band program at Lane. Then I was in an audio engineering class with Lauden and he asked me if I wanted to play in the band, and so I agreed.
Sebastian: And Shun’s a funny story. Shun, do you want to tell it?
Shun: So actually, George is our third guitar player, and the first player was my friend, and he invited me to join the band.
Something that’s impressed me with your music is that you have a very consistent sound in all the music that you make. If I hear a song, I know that it’s you guys, which is pretty impressive with a local band. So, can you guys tell me how you built the Moonbear sound?
George: I would say a big part of it is getting it mixed and mastered by the same guy. Shout out, Thaddeus [Moore]. He does a good job. But, yeah, I’d say that’s a big part of it.
Lauden: Yeah, that’s a big part. And, you know, I don’t know if it’s on purpose from us at all, but you know, I’m sure we have our playing habits and whatnot. And like George said, we get the mix and master from the same guy.
Do you have any influences from bands that have informed your sound?
Lauden: We have a lot. I feel like it kind of changes depending on when. But I guess I’ll start. For me, The Strokes are a huge influence. Radiohead is a huge influence on me, Interpol, things like that.
George: Yeah, I like those bands as well. And then lately I’ve been listening to mostly, like, Unwound … and those are my favorites right now.
Sebastian: Yeah, for me, it’s been Manchester Orchestra and Lord Huron – probably my go-to.
Shun: Yeah, I wasn’t really a big rock fan, so when I joined the band, I try to listen to the songs so I can create the part that they want.
So what’s your songwriting process? Is it one person who comes up with a song and you guys kind of all build your parts around it, or is it all all four of you?
Lauden: It really depends. Yeah, it can be like that, where one of us kind of brings in a song that’s mostly complete, and, you know, some parts will shape around it. A lot of the time it’s also really, really collaborative. You know, just writing songs during rehearsal and whatnot.
Tell me a bit about “Dogfight,” your latest single. To me, at least, it sounds like the most shoegaze-y thing that you guys have done yet, with those big, fuzzy guitars in that chorus. What was the process for “Dogfight”?
George: Well, me and Lauden, I think, put most of the song together like a year ago. And, yeah, we play it last in our set most of the time. I don’t know, then we added a couple more things for the recording, like that fuzzy guitar you mentioned – we don’t play it live. Lauden added it in the recording.
On a similar note, your EP, “Baby’s First Television Set.” That one really interested me – the title, the cover art. I was wondering if you could tell me what the process was, what the story is behind that EP and the themes on that EP.
Lauden: Well, as far as process goes, we recorded it at the studio at Lane, the school we went to. We sort of recorded it for me and George’s audio engineering final project, just because we have a ton of time in the studio and decided it would be a good use of our final project time. So yeah, that was the recording process.
What about the lyrics and the cover art? What was the theme behind that if you don’t mind me asking.
Lauden: Lyrics, I mean, those songs were kind of written at different times, but you know, they’re pretty self introspective, or however you would say that. And cover art, we hired an artist who graduated from the U-of-O that we found. We were just looking through various artists to find whose stuff we liked and whatnot. And we found them. Shout out, Rylee [McConnell].
One question I always like to ask is how would you guys define the genre that you play? Some people have an answer right away. Then some of them are like, we don’t talk about genre at all. So I’m curious how you guys see it.
Sebastian: Well, I talk about genre way too much. It’s often disagreed with by these guys.
George: Sebastian, he calls it liminal shoegaze.
Sebastian: Liminal alt space shoegaze pop, there’s some space rock in there.
George: If someone asks me, I’ll just call it alternative rock.
You guys have been making a lot of music this year. Is there any new music coming out? Is there a debut album on the way?
Lauden: No album on the way right now, but we are working on our second EP right now. We hope to have that out as soon as we can.
George: Yeah, it’s got five songs on it, and it should be out, probably within February, so pretty soon.
Sebastian: Yeah, late February, early March. They’re all bangers. It’s gonna be a great EP.
Is there any sneak preview that you can talk about, or are you keeping it under wraps for now?
Lauden: I think we’re keeping it under wraps, just because I don’t know what we’d talk about. But other than what Sebastian said – they’re all bangers – it’s gonna be great.
George: Well, one thing we can talk about is at Lane, we got to record with an organ which was a lot of fun, and a Fender Rhodes. That’s used pretty sparingly on the EP, but it’s on there.
Sebastian: So yeah, I’ve heard there’s a glockenspiel in there as well.
Lauden: Shun may have added some glockenspiel in there as well. … We recorded this one at Lane as well. This time we came in for quite a few sessions over, like, two weeks during this last summer. And shout out for letting us use the studio, and shout out Ezra [Ezryn Cook] for recording us.
Sebastian: He’s a chef behind the scenes.
So you guys are based out of Eugene, I take it.
Lauden: Yeah.
What’s the music scene been like around here? I know the Eugene and Corvallis music scenes kind of blend together.
George: It’s been awesome. Everyone is super supportive. There’s a lot of house shows. People show up to the house shows, which is fun, but pretty much every single band we’ve played with has been super nice and accommodating.
Sebastian: Yeah. The scene, I like to think that Eugene and Corvallis are in this cool renaissance, or golden age, of underground music. So much good stuff is happening, blowing up all around the same time. Just really, really lucky to see.
For our readers who maybe haven’t been to a Moonbear show, how would you describe what they are like?
Sebastian: I can only say it from an on stage perspective. You know, don’t expect a whole lot of talk in between songs. We’ll play to the best of our ability. That might not always be the best, but, you know, I think we have fun, and we’ll try and bring a lot of fun. But we also take a lot of our songs very seriously. So if it’s a very serious song that I think we play very seriously – I don’t really know what I’m talking about, but there’s that [laughs].
Lauden: Yeah, to further Sebastian’s point, I think there’s an energy that I feel we try to bring – it’s kind of a mix between, you know, just having fun on stage, and also, I think we care a lot about our songs. We try to treat them with some element of respect. But for the most part, we just try to make for the best shows we can.
So, outside of the band, what are you guys up to? Are you still in college?
Sebastian: I think I’m the only one who’s still in college. Right now, I’m finishing up my associates at Lane in audio engineering, to catch up with these boys. But then I might pursue classical upright bass. We’ll see. Or maybe I’ll just pursue the band. I don’t know what the other guys are up to.
George: I’m just working. I’m a cook. I’m on break right now.
Lauden: Same with me. I’m just working and making music when I can.
Shun: I also graduated last summer, and I just did some volunteering at Jazz station and WOW Hall.
So one thing I ask pretty much every band that I interview is, what’s the story behind the band name? I’m always very curious. And Moonbear is a very interesting band name.
Lauden: Well, this is debated between me and Sebastian. I guess I’ll let Sebastian go first. His version.
Sebastian: Well, as I remember it, there was a misheard lyric from a Strokes song. It was like, “dancing on a something.” I can’t remember the actual lyric, but I heard “moonbear,” and I was like, “You know what? That could be a pretty good name.” That’s what I remember.
Lauden: Well, that was my version, too. I thought your version was okay. Maybe we agree.
Sebastian: I guess we do.
Lauden: It was one of those Strokes songs on “The New Abnormal.” Forget which one, but he says “dancing on a moonbeam,” and it always just sounded like “moonbear.” So, yeah.
Sebastian: It was supposed to be a temporary name.
Lauden: It was. Fun fact – none of us like the name, but, you know, we couldn’t think of a better one.
Sebastian: We like it now. We like it now.
Are there any upcoming shows you’d like to shout out?
Sebastian: The only show we have on the books right now is the Valentine’s Day show at Monster House in Eugene. That’ll be fun. We’re hoping to get a Corvallis show sometime before the end of February, but we’ll see.
George: And be on the lookout for our EP release show coming at some point, but we don’t have it on the books yet.
Awesome. We are really cruising, time-wise. So I get to ask the dumb questions that I save for the end. So, you guys were on that collaboration album [“Somuchlove Compilation, Vol. 1”]. I forget the name, but there’s a song I found called “Mexico” that was backwards. And so I was just curious to hear the story.
Sebastian: It’s one of our recorded songs. We’ll let the audience figure out which one it is, but it’s one of the ones that’s out on Spotify right now.
Lauden: I’ll give an even bigger hint. It’s on our first EP as well.
Sebastian: I’ll give an even bigger hint: it’s the name of our first EP [laughs].
Lauden: It could be the title track. But the story behind that was, I think it was me and George. We were just messing with the song, and we sped it up and reversed it, and we were like, “This could use some drums.” And so we added some drums, and we just thought it was funny. So, yeah.
It works surprisingly well.
Sebastian: I thought so. Yeah, we always wanted to release a nightcore song.
That’s great. So it is, well, I guess it’s not the end of the year anymore, but people are still talking about the end of the year, so that means it’s the season for everyone to talk about their favorite albums that came out in 2024. What were yours?
George: My number one was probably “Brat.” I saw the Sweat Tour live. It was a lot of fun. And then the new Kendrick one, I liked it a lot too. But obviously my number one is “Brat.”
Sebastian: I gotta look. Yeah, the first one that comes to mind is the new Sierra Ferrell album. “American Dreaming,” I think it’s called (“Trail of Flowers”). I’ve listened to that one on repeat; it’s a great, great country album.
Lauden: I don’t know if I personally really listened to anything that came out this year.
George: You like the Julie album?
Lauden: Oh yeah, that Julie album was pretty good. I mostly like this one song. “My anti-aircraft friend,” I think is what it’s called, is enjoyable, I’ll say the song, “Very little effort,” good stuff.
Shun: I also don’t think I listened to a lot of songs from albums released recently.
… Alright, well, that’s all I got for you guys. Thanks for doing this, and I hope that you guys have a great new year.
Sebastian: Alrighty, I’ll see you guys.
