Palmer musicians and music lovers are a resourceful lot. Faced with a dearth of traditional venues, they’ve industriously produced events featuring local and national talent in empty storefronts, living rooms, bowling alleys and, perhaps the most revered former location, a small tool shed in a suburban backyard.
“There have always been people around the Palmer area making music that they want to make,” says resident and musician Steve Moskal. “There have been people that have always supported that and gave people opportunities to get out and play a show. There have been the places like The Old Store and The Shed, but there have been countless basement shows and living room shows and a few bedroom shows. I just think Palmer has a good, supportive, small town scene.”
Moskal began playing trumpet at age 10, before moving on to guitar. His goal of playing in the school band motivated him and turned him on to all sorts of different music. In his teens, he began attending local DIY shows and playing some, as well as founding or getting involved with numerous projects like The Super 88, Ms. 45, The Westfield Orchestra of Jazz, and The Last Call Quintet.
His main outlet these days is The Moskal Band.
“It’s a rock band, for sure,” says Moskal. “I feel like at times there are elements of punk, country, folk, and just rock and roll. I’m still trying to figure out just where I lie within that.”
Moskal says his songs spring from “simple” ideas; then, he explains, “it’s a matter of building from that. I make an effort to finish the guitar parts and the lyrics together—it seems too forced if I have a guitar part and try to fit lyrics to it or vice versa. I always write on an acoustic guitar, because I feel like a good song should stand on its own, without a band behind it.”
The current focus for Moskal is getting stuff together with his current band—bassist John Morin and drummer Matt Santos—and playing shows, where he likes to cover at least one tune from one of the many artists who have inspired him to do his own thing. He’s been known to put his own stamp on tunes by the likes of Billy Bragg, The Clash, and Lefty Frizzell.
Moskal plans to record and release a full-length album in “the very near future.” No doubt there will a few Palmer folks on board to lend a hand.
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