Eat the Moon

Eat the Moon is the third album by FY5 – aka Finnders & Youngberg – and combines the swinging strings of bluegrass with the twanging licks of classic country to create a delightful hybrid strain of contemporary Americana. Based in Fort Collins, Colorado, FY5 consists of Mike Finders (guitar, lead and harmony vocals), Aaron Youngberg (banjo, pedal steel guitar, harmony vocals), Erin Youngberg (upright bass, lead and harmony vocals), Ryan Drickey (fiddle, viola, harmony vocals), and Rich Zimmerman (mandolin, harmony vocals). Old-time and alt-folk influences permeate the album's ten tracks, which range from hillbilly romps to dance-hall instrumental waltzes.

‘Saint Vrain’, which refers to the river that runs down from the Rocky Mountains about an hour north of Denver, features most of the characteristics that make FY5 an exceptional band. Youngberg starts things off with a droning saw on the bass, and is quickly joined by banjo and fiddle. The high, lonesome sound of Finders’ distinctive voice is joined by Zimmerman's mandolin, which then segues into a swinging session that rollicks like a rubber-tyre trip down an easy set of rapids. A fun, expertly produced joyride of an album.