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T H E<br />
M OA N E R S<br />
P L AY<br />
RO C K<br />
The Moaners play rock. Not<br />
alt.country (whatever that<br />
is), not punk, not screamo,<br />
not hardcore, slowcore, sadcore,<br />
noisecore, twee pop, not art-rock or<br />
neo-prog; just rock. This is appropriate<br />
because the two women that make<br />
up The Moaners, guitarist and vocalist<br />
Melissa Sw<strong>in</strong>gle and drummer/<br />
guitar/vocalist Laura K<strong>in</strong>g, also rock.<br />
Well, okay, it is k<strong>in</strong>d of southern rock,<br />
but it is bad ass southern rock.<br />
Both veterans of the Chapel Hill<br />
music scene, Melissa Sw<strong>in</strong>gle, with<br />
her guitar, saw and fantastically deadpan<br />
Mississippi drawl, has fronted<br />
Trailer Bride through five albums and<br />
a handful of s<strong>in</strong>gles, all drenched <strong>in</strong><br />
moody, southern macabre and country<br />
twang. Meanwhile Laura K<strong>in</strong>g<br />
has pounded the drums for Grand<br />
National. It is one of many examples<br />
of the good fortune that we have liv<strong>in</strong>g<br />
<strong>in</strong> the Triangle that they are now<br />
br<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong>g the best of both their musi-<br />
BY AARON SMITHERS<br />
18 IN/AUDIBLE fall 2004<br />
Chapel Hill rock group The Moaners play at Local 506 on July 13. Photo by Aaron Smithers.<br />
cal worlds together <strong>in</strong> The Moaners.<br />
Melissa Sw<strong>in</strong>gle has ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong>ed the<br />
clever and depress<strong>in</strong>g lyrical imagery<br />
and deceptively simple songwrit<strong>in</strong>g<br />
she honed with Trailer Bride and<br />
added it to the distorted, sludgy slide<br />
guitar from that band’s most rock<strong>in</strong>g<br />
moments, while also, as the new band<br />
name implies, reta<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g the lonesome<br />
wail of her voice. She has also,<br />
it seems, acquired a loop pedal she<br />
uses to good effect to occasionally fill<br />
out the duo’s sound. Along with K<strong>in</strong>g,<br />
who is one hell of a drummer, supertight<br />
and not afraid to hit th<strong>in</strong>gs hard,<br />
especially her cool red, white and blue<br />
kit, The Moaners are a welcome addition<br />
of talented rock and roll women<br />
to the testosterone fueled southern<br />
rock sound. The Moaners were<br />
k<strong>in</strong>d enough to offer a brief moment<br />
of their time for questions and pleasant<br />
conversation. Plus they didn’t<br />
even make fun of me for ask<strong>in</strong>g stupid<br />
questions.
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