The Moss Brothers Band

Living rooms, bedrooms and basements have replaced woodsheds as the retreats where musicians hone their skills, but the term “woodshedding” still means practicing and developing songs.

On Thursday (December 28, 2006), a Puyallup-area quartet called the Moss Brothers Band will put its woodshed work on display at The Swiss. The group, which has a recent CD called “Royal Orleans,” plays a tasty mix of Americana and country rock.

One of the best songs on the album is a clever original called “Collard Greens.” Over Jeff Moss’ delightful Dobro guitar work and Troy Moss’ mandolin playing, the ode to a great green rolls out claims that include replacing Viagra, preventing bed-wetting and serving as an alternative fuel.

Another good tune, “Plantation,” also feature Jeff Moss’ delightful touch on the Dobro, an acoustic guitar with a metal resonator. It starts with an unusual intro that suggests the Civil War-era South.

“That’s just a sample of soldiers marching,” Troy Moss said, “and we threw in a little horse noise. … I visited some old plantations near New Orleans in ’03, and I wrote the song while I was down there.”
Moss said he imagined the marching sound, “and that’s how I got the beat of the song.”

He and brother Jeff share the band’s vocal duties. The group also features drummer David Smith, a former member of Junkyard Jane, and bassist Kevin Dale, who also performs with Americana artist Michael O'Neill.
- Rick Nelson; The Tacoma News Tribune (December 2006)

The new CD by the Moss Brothers Band built around Troy and Jeff Moss - both brothers of Rebel Storm guitarist Billy Moss, who appears as special guest on one number - contains a fine mix of country-rock influenced tunes… Very carefully arranged - with lots of acoustic guitars (though there are electric guitars in use as well) - dobros, slide guitars and the occasional piano solo… - the CD rocks, not in a overblown loud - but in a very decent and sophisticated manner with a lot of "southern-flair". Both Moss brothers are very good singers, with fitting vocal styles for the music recorded on this CD. Clocking in at 35 minutes, the CD may seem a bit short, but - good thing is it leaves the listener with a strong desire to hopefully hear more of this excellent band in the near future. - Michael Knippschild; SRA MusicShop, Germany

No mystery to the Moss Bros: the Tacomans are here for some Down South Jukin'. They were born in 'Bama but came here a quarter century ago, bringing their grits & greens sound with them. They've been leading exponents of the Tacoma Twang Trust but only now have they recorded, dang'em! This is Southern Rock as it was invented and intended, though skewed toward the acoustic to fit both the modern sensibility and an antiquey vibe. Lots of resonator guitar and general loud swagger means they need only a little electric guitar, still, this is one whuppin' record, ranking right up there with the first couple of Skynyrd albums, Creedence and Dickie Betts unplugged. Yes, it's THAT good. Each song covers a different facet of the southern blues sound, with some snaky voodoo here, some tub-thumpin' there, some crunching rock here, some moanin' blues there. The musicianship is expert and soulful throughout, as are the vocals. Aw, y'all jes' go git it!
- Tom Petersen; Victory Review (March 2007)