All three of the songs on The Moderate‘s release, AM/FM, show a very strong imprint from singer/guitarist Jim Dempsey and drummer Drew Marks’ home state of North Carolina. From Dempsey’s twangy drawl to the songs’ seemingly heat and humidity laden relaxed tempo, there’s no question where this band’s roots lie. The blues that they evoke on “Lost Boy”, “Rock and Roll” and “Blue Eyes and Barflies” could make your puppy cry.

The majority of The Moderate’s catalog has been written in the 18 months since Dempsey and Marks came to D.C. and met bassist Mike Maloney. The band has since proven themselves worthy of notice in a city with a relatively crowded urban alt-country scene (Vandaveer, These United States, etc.): they’ve recently opened for national recording artist Denison Witmer and have garnered a spot playing at Fort Reno this summer, on June 30. A lot can happen in 18 months. We e-mailed all three members of the band to talk about North Carolina, their favorite spots in D.C. and what they’ve learned from The Grateful Dead.