MoonShroom: Take a Trip Review

MoonShroom could best be compared to Tedeschi Trucks Band due to the similarity of its formation story. Both bands began as two separate groups united by a love of music and a romantic connection. Vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist Lily B. Moonflower and vocalist, songwriter, and Dobro virtuoso Jake Keegan formed MoonShroom in Kansas City in 2022. They retained a couple of former bandmates, including accomplished electric guitar and mandolin player Colby Allen Walter and talented upright bassist Zach Bozeman. Rounding out the lineup on Take a Trip is drummer Nate Deel. All ten tracks were written by Moonflower, Keegan, or both of them together and recorded at Element Recording Studio in Kansas City, Kansas.

Both Keegan and Moonflower began playing guitar and writing songs as teenagers and grew up in the same neighborhood. When they reconnected after touring with their own bands, they experienced what they described as a “cosmic moment one night” while camping at Mt. Shasta in Northern California. Moonflower’s comment that the full moon above the mountain looked like a mushroom became the inspiration for naming the band MoonShroom. They’ve since established themselves as a national touring act, currently on the road promoting Take a Trip, which was released on June 27, 2025.

Take a Trip kicks off with “Sunflower State of Mind,” an explosive opening track co-written by Moonflower and Keegan. Moonflower’s soaring vocals paint a picture of the joys of life in the heartland of America, while the band accelerates the tempo with transcendent interplay between guitars, Dobro, and mandolin. Keegan and Walter add their voices in harmony with Moonflower’s mezzo-soprano delivery. “More With the Miles,” written by Keegan prior to forming MoonShroom, reflects on the challenge of leaving loved ones behind while following your passion on the road. Keegan’s raspy lead vocals harmonize with Lily and Colby, while Stas Heaney’s fiddle delicately interplays with Walter’s tuneful mandolin picking.

“If I could I would always be there
When I’m long time gone, I take you everywhere.”

“Take a Trip” is a lighthearted, country-inflected tune about the adventure of traveling the country to explore new places. Moonflower wrote the song and lends her ethereal vocals to Deel’s driving drumbeat. “Somewhere on a Mountain” reflects on life’s convoluted journey, “riddled with hurdles, adversity, and setbacks,” which are part of the process of reaching your goals. It’s a harmonic jam written by Keegan and performed with vocals from Moonflower and Walter, accompanied by frantic interplay between Dobro, guitar, and mandolin.

“And the sky’s on fire and the water keeps turnin’
My deep desires, and my soul keeps yearnin’”

“Driving Through the Night,” written by Moonflower, features her vocals leading into the metallic accompaniment of Walter’s wailing guitar and Keegan’s Dobro. The song serves as a meditation on the monotony of traveling endless miles in hopes of reaching each destination unscathed. Keegan wrote “Waves of Love” in a melodic style reminiscent of a 1950s doo-wop song. The tune, inspired by the relationship between the ocean’s tide and the sandy beach it embraces, is a gentle, heartfelt track about enduring love.

“I want to hold you
Like the ocean feels the sand”

“Do the Damn Thing,” another Moonflower composition, features vocals that evoke Sheryl Crow’s laid-back confidence. Stas Heaney’s Wurlitzer punctuates the track and plays off Bozeman’s thumping bass and Deel’s steady drumming. Melodic fills are woven through harmonies between the stringed instruments. The song speaks to determination and following through on your life plan despite voices telling you that you can’t. “Livin’ the Dream,” written by Keegan, features him leading the chorus with Heaney on piano and Walter delivering searing guitar licks. Inspired during a quartz crystal hunt in the Ozarks, the song reflects on discovering the self-healing properties of the gems.

“Just a chunk of white quartz
Livin’ in some red clay”

“Weekend with Me” opens with Walter’s guitar intro, leading into harmonies between Moonflower and Keegan, who co-wrote the song. The up-tempo track gives Walter room for extended guitar runs and tells the story of a joyful, love-filled weekend that ultimately gives way to the drudgery of Monday morning—and the inner resolve needed to push through the workweek. The album’s final track, “Party on the Moon,” co-written by Keegan and Moonflower, is a full-blown, throw-out-the-stops finale. Stas Heaney’s Fender Rhodes, combined with Mark Hamblin’s trumpet and sax blasts, rounds out the song. The jam builds with intensity, drawing the listener into a euphoric escape from everyday life.

“The world’s a tickin’ time bomb & we’re not there to stay
So all aboard the cosmic train, we’re blastin’ off today”

Take a Trip is a culmination of years of experience channeled through a musical and romantic partnership. It’s a unique blend of genre-crossing creativity, thoughtful songwriting, and instrumental prowess. By combining Americana, blues, country, and jam band sensibilities, Keegan and Moonflower have forged something distinctive. The album showcases a rising band with stunning vocal and instrumental harmonies, from the heartfelt opening of “Sunflower State of Mind” to the cosmic celebration of “Party on the Moon.”

The Review: 8.5/10

Can’t Miss Tracks

– Sunflower State of Mind
– Somewhere on a Mountain
– Do the Damn Thing
– Livin’ the Dream
– Party on the Moon

The Big Hit

– Sunflower State of Mind