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THE MOXIE CHICKS are pleased to announce the release of their second CD, a collection of melodic favorites of the past 90 years called MIDDLE AGED GARAGE BAND (Moo-Town Productions MTP011). Recorded live earlier this year at the Moxie Chicks’ 100th gig, Middle Aged Garage Band includes lively performances of songs written and made famous by Fats Waller, the Beatles, the Mills Brothers, Hank Williams, Neil Young, Gillian Welch, Bruce Springsteen, Gus Kahn, the Everly Brothers, and more, plus two new songs: Jonnie Guernsey’s “Tinker Bell Blues” and Milwaukee songwriter Brett Kemnitz’s “Living in Waltztime.” The lyrical and creative vocal harmonies of Jonnie Guernsey, Carol Lee Hopkins, and Chris Straw are underpinned by the solid rhythms and deft picking of guitarists Jon “Sly Dog” Pagenkopf and Jym Mooney.

Songs: When I'm 64, Dream a Little Dream of Me, Tinker Bell Blues, Java Jive, Annabelle, Hey Good Lookin', Living in Waltztime, Tell Me Why, Fire, All I Have to Do is Dream, Ain't Misbehavin', Robin Medley: Red Red Robin/Robin in the Rain/Rockin' Robin, Glory of Love

Produced by Jym Mooney. Recorded live at The Coffee House by Jonathon Leubner, SurroundinSoundStudio.

This exciting CD brings together two vibrant live sets by Milwaukee songwriter Jym Mooney. Recorded in 2009 and in 1981, these performances showcase Jym’s widely-appreciated songwriting craftsmanship and fine eye for the human detail. There are songs of love (“Do Us Both a Favor”) and loss (“House of Cards”), character sketches (“She’s a Mirror”), and topical songs: “Down in New Orleans” (co-written with his wife, Carol Lee Hopkins) looks at the pain of the homeless from a very personal point of view, and “Sisters” celebrates the imagination and courage of a group of young people in the terrible aftermath of 9/11. Of course, Jym’s ability to draw a smile and a chuckle is well-evident, with songs like “Springtime in Ohio,” “Mud Wrestling Queen,” and “Chocolate Chip Cookies.” LIVE…NOW AND THEN also features the CD debut of the infamous “Reagan Time,” a Brett Kemnitz song that the late Dick Nitelinger, then host of WMSE’s Folk City program, called “a regional classic that became an anthem for the decade.” Three songs that Jym wrote for the Moxie Chicks, the band that he and his wife Carol Lee Hopkins have performed in for the past nine years, are featured here performed by the author for the first time on CD.

Songs: She’s a Mirror, Do Us Both a Favor, Down in New Orleans,
Mistaken Misled and Misused, Sisters, Springtime in Ohio, Frank Said,
House of Cards, Mud Wrestling Queen, Chocolate Chip Cookies, Holidays,
Reagan Time, 289-0465, Why Don’t You Love Me?

Produced by Jym Mooney. Co-produced and engineered by Jonathon Leubner, SurroundinSoundStudio.

A specially-priced CD featuring Jym Mooney's eloquent "Frank Said" and Larry Penn's "In My Father's Mansion." These songs pay tribute to the life and work of the late Frank Zeidler, Milwaukee's last Socialist mayor and longtime community activist. "Frank Said" was recorded live at The Coffee House's 40th Anniversary Concert in 2007. Available exclusively at live performances by Jym Mooney, Larry Penn, and the Moxie Chicks.

Milwaukee folksinger and songwriter JYM MOONEY has released his newest solo CD, MOONEY TUNES AND MAYNARD MELODIES. This collection of warm, affectionate songs is a celebration of Jym’s large extended family, and, by extension, of your family as well. For many years Jym has been writing songs for birthdays, anniversaries, and other special occasions, and now he has collected them all together to present a portrait of the lives of one family. The songs are by turns lovingly teasing, thoughtful, whimsical, nostalgic, and often downright hilarious. The arrangements range from a cappela vocals through tasteful picking by some of Milwaukee’s best acoustic musicians, including Jym’s fellow Moxie Chicks. While this is probably Jym’s most personal work, his deft lyrical touch draws the listener in and invites you to join the warm, family circle he sings about.

Songs: Three Piece Suit, Young Sherlock and Ann, Aunt Dorothy's Birthday Song, Snapshots, Spoons, The Tree, She Taught Us to Sing, When You Tried, The 60th Anniversary Song, Murphy, The Cover of the Wooden Boat, When the Fat Man Comes, The Reunion Song, Jym with a Y

Produced by Jym Mooney. Co-produced and engineered by Jonathon Leubner at SurroundinSoundStudio.

The long-awaited debut CD from THE MOXIE CHICKS is here at last! Cross Me, Fool! features 14 wonderful songs sung with the Moxie Chicks' hallmark three-part harmonies and backed by some very tasty picking. Eleven of the songs were written by the band, and range from the sublime (“If You Knew Who Walked Beside You,” “Wash Away/Talk About Suffering”) to the ridiculous (“Springtime In Ohio,” which honors the annual arrival in Hinckley, Ohio of migrating vultures, and the hilarious title track, an ode to the physical and emotional changes that face a woman entering her middle years). There are also love songs (“Finding Your Way To Love,” “Take My Time”), as well as songs exploring timeless and topical issues such as homelessness (“Down In New Orleans”), domestic abuse (“Like A Moth To A Flame”), and the folly of war (“Let Peace Prevail” and “I Have Come To Take My Boy Home”).

Guest musicians on the album include Ben Sanders (three-time Wisconsin State Fiddle Champion), Lisa Horngren (of The Tennessee Three and The Reedy Buzzards), Tom Haines (formerly with the Rick Nelson band), mountain dulcimer whiz Joseph T. Ruback, and keyboardist Patty Stevenson, plus Sweet Diversity and WAMI-award winners Larry Penn and Barb & Tom Webber. Treat yourself to something special today, and pick up this CD!

Songs: Cross Me Fool, Running Circles, Must Be Love, Last Call, Like A Moth To A Flame, Genesis And Revelation, I Have Come To Take My Boy Home, If You Knew Who Walked Beside You, Let Peace Prevail, Take My Time, Finding Your Way To Love, Down In New Orleans, Wash Away/Talk About Suffering, Springtime In Ohio

Produced by Jym Mooney. Co-produced and engineered by Jonathon Leubner at SurroundinSoundStudio.

This exciting CD features fifteen songs from some of the finest songwriters on Milwaukee’s acoustic music scene, exploring the quest for peace and the price of violence. The performers include Ken Baron (Why Can’t Man Make Peace?), Linda Beck (La Tierra Misma [The Same Ball of Clay]), Fred & Ethel (Babies), Brett Kemnitz (Monument), Pamela Means (Mule), The Moxie Chicks (Sisters), Kevin Mulvenna (Never Again), Larry Penn (A Cannon for Washington Square), The Recycled Angels (Peace Light), Craig Siemsen (100 Years), Laurent Soucie (Wall to the Sea), John Stano (Be All You Can Be), Patty Stevenson (Doves and Rainbows), Sweet Diversity (I Have Come to Take My Boy Home), and Webber Webber & Lindsay (Wounded Kingdom). A portion of the proceeds from this CD will be donated to Peace Action Wisconsin. Milwaukee's vibrant folk music community boasts many, many fine songwriters. Over the past several years we began to note how many moving songs of peace had been created by these artists, and often fantasized that it would be nice to collect these songs together someday. The events of Fall 2001 made it clear that “someday” was here, and we set to work putting together this album. As we did, we were struck again by the range of issues addressed in these songs…from echoes of past wars to the present crisis, and the effects of violence from countries across the oceans to our own urban streets. The musical styles are also wide-ranging, from songs written in traditional folk styles to bluegrass to folk-rock to American fingerstyle guitar to hints of jazz. Our purpose in presenting this album is to share our hopes and fears, to give voice to our beliefs, and to offer encouragement to those who find speaking out for peace to be a lonely stance to take. Perhaps we are preaching to the choir…but if the choir is sufficiently fired up, they may go out and disperse the message further in the world!

Produced by Jym Mooney & Carol Lee Hopkins. Co-produced and engineered by Jonathon Leubner at SurroundinSoundStudio.

Celebrating 25 years of songwriting, EAST SIDE GUY features seven brand new songs from the fertile wit of Jym Mooney, plus another dozen songs from his previous, well-received recordings IT AIN’T A SIN TO GRIN, THE LINES ARE OPEN, and REAGAN TIME & OTHER LOVE SONGS FOR THE 80’S. The seven new songs featured on EAST SIDE GUY display the many facets of Mooney’s considerable songwriting talents. His keen eye for detail and hearty sense of fun run through “Murphy,” the tale of a “three-legged beer swillin’ hound" (which has been played multiple times on the nationally syndicated Dr. Demento radio show); “Molasses,” an ironic ballad of a 1916 industrial tragedy in Boston; and the jaunty title track, “East Side Guy.” Mooney turns to a more thoughtful mood with “Like A Moth To A Flame,” an examination of domestic violence. “When You Tried” explores anger, frustration, and ultimate understanding in the relationship between father and son. “I Have Come To Take My Boy Home,” while based on true incidents in the war in Chechnya, achieves a classic timelessness in its impassioned plea for peace. The list of new songs is rounded out by “Let’s Face The Facts,” a celebration of love and the redemption it can bring. Among the old favorites included on EAST SIDE GUY are the happy-go-lucky “Fool For You;” “Sarah Sings In The Opera Now;” “Katie’s Last Song;” “All The Dreams You Can Use;” and the holiday-flavored songs “Groundhog,” “When The Fat Man Comes,” “The Little Parade,” and (in a previously unreleased live recording) “Holidays.” Mooney has devoted much of the past twenty years to helping run The Coffee House, a volunteer organization that is Milwaukee’s longest-running folk music venue. The respect he has earned in the Milwaukee folk music community is reflected in the line-up of gifted musicians who back Mooney up on the CD, including Kevin Mulvenna, Lil’ Rev, David & Penny Fox, Sandy Stehling & Ruth Williams, Larry Penn, Patty Stevenson, Brett Kemnitz, Brennan Cornwell, Craig Siemsen, Fritz Schuler, Ray Kinney, and members of Frogwater and John The Conqueroo. Many of the songs feature exquisite harmony vocals by Mooney’s wife and longtime singing partner, Carol Lee Hopkins. Jym Mooney’s wry, witty, and thoughtful songs reveal a sharp ear for a well-turned phrase and a lively sense of melody, joyfully carried along by a lifelong love of the folk music tradition. EAST SIDE GUY is sure to delight and entertain anyone who enjoys their acoustic music leavened with a dose of good humor.

Songs: East Side Guy, Like a Moth To a Flame, Molasses, I Have Come To Take My Boy Home, Let’s Face The Facts, Murphy, When You Tried, Fool For You, The Little Parade, All The Dreams You Can Use, Groundhog, Katie’s Last Song, When The Fat Man Comes, Sandy Brown, Sarah Sings In The Opera Now, Dear Cindy, More Or Less The Lovesick Blues Again, Holidays, Song For Tusdy Jefferson

Produced by Jym Mooney & Jonathon Leubner.