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Chapel Hill, NC artist Wake Moody plays a strange game: his music - built on old-school R&B, rock, and modern pop - stays focused on good vibes, while the lyrics often deal with something more conflicted. “Most of the songs,” he explains, “are ‘almost-love songs’” – songs where, if one detail was different, everyone would be happy. “So 90% of the situation is great,” he says, “but that last 10%, the deal-breaker, the problem, means you need to let go. But you won’t because the good parts are too good.” Songs like “Won’t Let Go” and “Next to You” mine this territory, though he admits it isn’t always apparent on first blush. “Everyone tells me the songs are feel-good. If it makes you feel something, somehow, that’s all I need - I said what I needed to either way!”

Sonic inspirations range from Frank Ocean to Earth Wind and Fire, from Silk Sonic to Stevie Wonder. “My childhood was sound-tracked by my parents’ favorite R&B, classic rock and soul records,” he explains, an influence apparent in his band’s soulful live shows, featuring hypnotic grooves and vocal harmonies. Moody's debut EP, Shivers, released March 2019. He was later awarded an Artist Support Grant by the Durham Arts Council and North Carolina Arts Council, which helped fund the recording of his sophomore EP, We’re So Above It Now.

The band’s live show includes hours of crowd-pleasing covers and originals, drawing inspiration from (and performing the music of) both classic and modern acts.

In the press:

• “Out of the best traditions of Earth, Wind & Fire, Kool & The Gang, Commodores, and Stevie Wonder, the silky single wrangles your attention to a full gaze as the falsetto hooks keep on engaging to the fullest.” – ComeHereFloyd April 4, 2019
  

• “The wordplay is satisfying – but it packs a poignant punch. ‘Shivers’ makes for a memorable calling card for Wake Moody.” – The Triangle Guide, February 1, 2019

Other credentials:

Recipient of North Carolina Arts Council Artist Support Grant (2022) towards the recording
of sophomore EP We’re So Above It Now (released October 2023).

Past performances include:

NC State Fair (Raleigh, 2019 and 2024)
Eno River Festival (Durham, 2019)
Lazy Daze Art Festival (Cary, 2022)
The Pinhook
Local 506
SoFar Raleigh, SoFar Charlotte, SoFar Greensoboro
opening for Ruth B (as Gabriel David)