Kyle Moon & the Misled Is Pure Denver Americana

Kyle Moon knows how to write a boot-stomping, country-crooning song. That much has been clear since the get-go, particularly on his band's 2019 debut, Straight Fine Livin’.

As the guitar-strumming singer-songwriter behind the eponymous Denver crew Kyle Moon & the Misled, he prefers playing a mix of blues, red-dirt and traditional country and western. But after putting out the sophomore album Everything But Normal, which initially released in March 2022 but has since removed from streaming services, Moon found himself in need of a little extra edge and oomph.

“It was probably a couple of years’ worth of writing,” he says.

Enter Andy Goldstone. He and Moon first met in 2019, when Moon was settling back into Colorado after a three-year stint in San Antonio, which is where he started the band in 2017. At the time, Goldstone, a classically-trained musician who previously studied at CU Denver, had just moved to the Front Range from Brooklyn, where he spent a decade in the corporate world, and wanted to get back into music. The two formed a bond, and Goldstone eventually began to play a couple Misled shows as a fill-in on bass and guitar before officially becoming the group’s lead guitarist.

As Goldstone built up his local studio and label, Platypus Sound, Moon decided to open up his personal songbook and ask for Goldstone’s input. He had six songs from the previous record that sought a second life and a couple more that were a mere mix of lyrics and elementary melodies. The result of the budding partnership was News & Redos (which dropped in November via Platypus Sound), which Goldstone also produced.

“It was the first time I really dove in with Andy and been stuck on a couple songs, and he really helped me bring it across the finish line,” Moon says.

Kyle Moon & the Misled — which also includes bassist Chase Baumgartner, drummer Brian Horan and slide guitarist Colin Bryant — will celebrate the album with a matinee release show on Sunday, January 19, at the Oriental Theater.
The News & Redos tracklist comprises six rerecorded songs originally from Everything But Normal and the two new tracks, “Bozeman” and “Hotel Water Fights,” co-written by Moon and Goldstone. Both of those tunes lean more into the rock side of Americana, a result of Goldstone being a self-professed “’90s grunge kid.” For “Bozeman,” a brooding road-trip ballad, he admits to drawing inspiration from Alice In Chains, which Moon appreciates.

“‘Bozeman’ was a prime example where we wanted to slow it down and I just didn’t quite hear it, and he’s really good at fingering and noodling around with different chord progressions,” he says. “It pushes me also to get out of what I’m comfortable with and pushes me on stage because it’s a little different song to sing.”

The subtle sonic shift introduced by Goldstone only adds to Moon’s quiver, which already included a raspy-yet-soothing vocal delivery and alt-country chops.

“I’ve always loved Kyle’s songs,” Goldstone explains. “I think a lot of his songs, earlier, feel a lot more country than they do rock and roll, and I’ve always looked at Americana as something that sits in the middle of that. My influence there and what I heard was a lot more rock and roll than country. Every time I hear his songs, I hear that.

“Kyle was gracious enough to let me do something that was entirely different from what he’s used to,” he continues. “The melding of Kyle and I, I think we developed a really good partnership. I think we’re a good team in that way.”

Moon couldn’t agree more. Whether they get together at Goldstone’s home studio, which is now a full-time endeavor, or he shares a voice memo of a song idea, Moon looks at Goldstone as a songwriting sidekick of sorts.

“It’s awesome. I think that the best part about is that I feel comfortable. I just trust him and go with it,” he says. “It’s always different. That flow for sure. I’m not going to be afraid to ask Andy for help now.

“Now it’s more of an open book, and I’m not going to question going to him and ask what this should like in his eyes,” Moon continues. “It’s been working out so I don’t know why we would move away from it. Unless you think otherwise Andy?”

Naturally, the two are on the same page, which translates well on the stage, too.

"It’s been my experience as an artist and producer over the years that folks might try to dumb down an idea in their head for an album so they can play it exactly the same way life, and I’ve completely abandoned that philosophy,” Goldstone says.

“The last few songs that Kyle and I’ve done together, there’s a lot going on and probably more than we can cover,” he concludes. “But what’s fun is that everyone’s trying to push themselves to find unique ways to make those things happen on stage and it ends up creating some really unique situations.”

Kyle Moon & the Misled, 3 p.m. Saturday, January 19, Oriental Theater, 4335 West 44th Avenue. Tickets are $15.