The Moondog Sessions Story Kirk Lumpkin and David Andrews first performed together in the rock band, DETOUR. Kirk played drums and wrote most of the lyrics and David played bass. While in that band David and Kirk wrote only one song together. When the band broke up Kirk wanted to sing his lyrics himself and David wanted to play his main instrument, the guitar. Kirk and David also believed they could write more songs together and they did. On the strength of those songs they co-founded the rock band, Shadow Government. After at least three distinct editions of Shadow Government they were ready to try something new. Kirk and David saw in MoonDog Studios a place to create their first full-blown album using a greatly expanded palette of sounds and styles. They recruited former band mates and one by one all of the best musicians they knew that they thought could add to their project. It took a quite awhile to get all of the many talented individuals that they wanted into the studio. [In the mean time Kirk and David had helped form a new band, the Wild Buds. All the Wild Buds (Bill Lackey, Mark Randall, Ted Higgins, David Andrews, & Kirk Lumpkin) play on this album, but the Wild Buds are another story and another soon to be released album.] Moondog Sessions has its own particular magic including some of the dark edginess of Shadow Government, some of the feel good rockin’ of the Wild Buds, and an amazing multitude of energies that their collaborators have brought to these songs. David Andrew: Bio David Andrews is a guitarist/songwriter currently playing with the Wild Buds (West Coast Mardi Gras music) and is the former co-leader of the rock band Shadow Government. Kirk Lumpkin: Bio Around the same time as Kirk was creating the rock band Shadow Government with David Andrews he was also the lyricist/lead vocalist/percussionist in the jazz-rock band, DETOUR (a Bay Guardian "Demo Tape o' the Week" winner) which more recently morphed into the music/poetry band, The Word-Music Continuum. About The Word-Music Continuum: “To say the house was rocked is an understatement. You were great! You showed us that the blend of word and music is limitless and that poetry has no bounds.”—William S. Gainer of the Nevada County Poetry Series “...powerfully performed...stunning performance...” “You knocked us out...wonderful spiritual fusion of words/music!!!” —Jesse Beagle, poet songwriter, poetry host Kirk has done featured performances of his poetry around much of California, has also done readings in Colorado, and in England and Scotland under the auspices of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND). Besides being published in numerous magazines and anthologies he is the author of two books of poetry Co-Hearing and In Deep. About In Deep: “Kirk Lumpkin has been an important part of the Bay Area (and beyond) poetry scene for years, hosting readings in San Francisco and Berkeley, helping to facilitate the Watershed Environmental Poetry Festival [with Poetry Flash (A Poetry Review & Literary Calendar for the West) and former U.S. Poet Laureate, Robert Hass], and hosting open mikes at Burning Man. We’re proud to see this new book gathering poems that are homages, poems that are evocative and tender love lyrics.”—Bay Area Poets Seasonal Review “I’m deeply honored to have your poem for me in a book with so many other wonderful poems.”—Michael McClure, legendary Beat poet & playwright He formerly hosted the Cafe International Performance Series in San Francisco (Bay Guardian Best of the Bay winner for “Best Spoken Word Open Mic” and City Search Audience Winner for “Best Open Mic/Spoken” in the Bay Area). He was the ZYGA Assemblage—Sound Director and Associate Editor and one the three co-creators of this multimedia arts publication that was on the Selection List of The Small Press Book Club. ("innovative...a must for those intrigued by vanguard culture."—Focus) He was a DJ on the pirate radio stations, Free Radio Berkeley and Berkeley Liberation Radio. In 2003 (the only year he ever submitted) a song he co-wrote was a finalist in the UNISONG International Song Contest and another was an Honorable Mention in the John Lennon Songwriting Contest. Currently Kirk is working on a CD with the Wild Buds (West Coast Mardi Gras music) and another with The Word-Music Continuum (its second). He is on the Board of PEN Oakland. He is on the staff of the Ecology Center as the Special Events Coordinator for the Berkeley Farmers' Market.