Moon Valley w/ opening set by Mikey Wehling

Focal Point proudly presents an amazing “new” St. Louis based “Super Roots” band, Moon Valley! Moon Valley is an original music project led by St. Louis-based artist Gavin J. Duffy (songwriter & all things strings) and backed by Patrick O’Driscoll (guitar & vocals), Tom Souders (banjo & vocals), Roger Netherton (fiddle & vocals), Ryan “Green Bean” Bouma (horns, percussion & vocals) and Simon Schervitz (bass). Formed in 2021, Moon Valley draws inspiration from a wide range of genres including Celtic fiddle-tunes, bluegrass, jazz, Americana, and roots-rock. Moon Valley creates a rich and layered sound that reflects their diverse backgrounds and shared love of music. The group comprises skilled instrumentalists and exceptional vocalists who create captivating harmonies during their performances. Each member brings their unique voice and talent to the table, delivering outstanding vocal performances alongside their instrumental expertise.

As a Scottish-born immigrant, traditional American music ignited young Gavin’s passion to fuse sounds from his family’s homeland with those of his new world. Thus began a lifelong pursuit to discover the many ways in which music defines, preserves, heals and connects our human experiences.

Moon Valley’s first album, “Companion Songbook,” was released in 2021. The album is a collection of original songs written by Gavin Duffy. He wrote many of the songs in a place that is dear to him, a secluded valley in Missouri where the country road that leads you to its trailhead is called “Moon Valley.” The name is fitting for their project, as it pay homage to sources of inspiration. Their sources of inspiration include their musical influences, the vibrant river city they call home, and the relationships in their lives, all of which play a vital role in shaping their creative vision.

Inspired by his love of traditional American music, multi-instrumentalist Mikey Wehling’s latest release Camp Scout Vol. 2 (2023), an extension of Camp Scout (2021), brings forth a collection of compositions encapsulating his journeys alongside 9-year-old dog, Scout.

Wehling’s devotion to the outdoors brought the pair among the woods of Eastern Missouri, the Cumberland River of Nashville, Tennessee, and the pastoral settings of his family farm in Beaufort. In these reclusive moments, he developed his unique, meditative bucolic-sound on dobro and acoustic guitar, encompassing elements of the natural world around him.

With Camp Scout Vol. 2 (2023), Wehling hopes the three-track release leaves space for listeners to take on their own journeys and appreciate the expansive roots of traditional American music. In his homestead of St. Louis, Mikey’s career stems as composer, music teacher, dog-lover, and founding member of underground funk band Messy Jiverson. He anticipates a third-volume release to complete the Camp Scout trilogy in 2024.