The Hillbilly Moon Explosion

A Swiss rockabilly combo, the Hillbilly Moon Explosion exists in the middle ground between the traditionalism of many rockabilly revival bands and the rougher, spookier sound of psychobilly. Founded by vocalist and rhythm guitarist Emanuela Hutter and bassist/vocalist Oliver Baroni, their music has more than its share of retro twang, with Hutter's polished, enigmatic singing blending with the sometimes raucous, sometimes moody guitar lines, and they add dashes of punk, lounge pop, country, and even ska to season their evocative mix. The band staked out their trademark sound on 2002's Introducing the Hillbilly Moon Explosion, they fully hit their creative stride on 2011's Buy Beg or Steal, collaborated with psychobilly veteran Mark "Sparky" Phillips for 2019's The Sparky Sessions, and showed off their rocking and sultry sides on 2024's Back in Time.

The Hillbilly Moon Explosion was formed in 1998 in Zurich, Switzerland. The group was put together by two musicians in the Zurich rockabilly community: Oliver Baroni had recently left his band the Hillbilly Headhunters, while Emanuela Hutter previously sang with MD Moon. With the addition of Pat Matteo on guitar and Aad Hollander on drums, the first edition of the Hillbilly Moon Explosion was complete. By the time the group cut their debut album, 2002's Introducing the Hillbilly Moon Explosion, Pat Matteo was out of the group, and Patrick Geser had become their guitarist. By 2004's Bourgeois Baby, Aad Hollander had left the lineup, and Luke Weyermann signed on as their drummer. American rockabilly picker Eddie Angel (best known for his work with Los Straitjackets) handled lead guitar chores on 2009's All Grown Up, but on 2011's Buy Beg or Steal, the band introduced a long-term guitarist in Duncan James. One of the tracks on Buy Beg or Steal, "My Love for Evermore," saw Emanuela Hutter duetting with Mark "Sparky" Phillips, lead singer for British psychobilly mainstays Demented Are Go, who would collaborate with the group again in the future. Phillips popped up on the song "Northern Crown" on 2013's Damn Right Honey! (Songs of Love & Loss, Life & Death), and in 2015, they did an album-length collaboration with French actress and vocalist Arielle Dombasle titled French Kiss. 2016 saw the release of With Monsters and Gods (featuring another guest spot from Phillips on a cover of the Johnny Cash/June Carter Cash duet "Jackson"). By this point, Luke Weyermann was no longer part of the band, and Sylvain Petite was behind the drums. 2019's The Sparky Sessions paired Mark "Sparky" Phillips with the Hillbilly Moon Explosion for a full album. The group backed retro-country singer Dale Watson on a cover of Buck Owens' "Act Naturally" for Watson's 2022 album Jukebox Fury. The band signed with Cleopatra Records for American distribution of their 2024 album Back in Time; the label also gave their first three albums a belated release in the United States. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi