Lily B Moonflower hits the road this summer with new psychedelic country band MoonShroom

Jake Keegan and Lily Brown play onstage at the Spaceberry Music Festival // Courtesy Lily Brown

After establishing her solo career, “Grassadelic” Kansan country singer Lily B Moonflower has formed a new group with her partner Jake Keegan and band members Zach Bozeman and Colby Allen Walter. MoonShroom welcomes new fans with a groovy backwoods aesthetic. 

Moonflower’s brand of country music takes a new lyrical approach, challenging the popular topics in the often biblical genre. With the same country twang, she sings about dancing and being free in the water while remembering her spiritual friend who wore an amethyst necklace. For anyone who enjoys the sound of country music but can’t connect with the words, Moonflower doses listeners with style and spirituality to transgress the country genre while opening minds to new flavors. 

“I think one of the main purposes in life is to connect with other people and remember that we’re not alone in our experiences,” says Moonflower. “Everyone is living the same life but from a different perspective.”

Band members craft their rural psychedelic sounds with guitar, bass, melodica, mandolin, and lap steel, but no drums. MoonShroom operates primarily as a four-person string band. Moonflower expresses her gratitude for the connection of music that has brought the band and her partner together. 

“Growing up, we had always been writing music and expressing ourselves, which we were so lucky to do. It’s really helped us a lot in our lives to have that outlet,” says Moonflower. 

When writing music, Moonflower pulls inspiration from Dolly Parton, often making the lyrics about life events and journeys. Even though Dolly Parton sings not-so-popular country themes of working 9-5 or her dog passing away in “Cracker Jack” (one of Moonflower’s favorite songs), Moonflower says these messages come from the heart. She loves how Dolly Parton writes for herself, even if it veers away from country ideals. 

“I love writing about stuff like that. It might not be like a normal country song topic, but it’s still something that can relate with a lot of people,” says Moonflower. 

Even the visual aesthetics of Moonflower and MoonShroom stray from most country expectations. The band incorporates a vibrant neon theme to all their merchandise and concert announcements on social media. Moonflower adds personality with her mushroom earrings onstage or a small mushroom ornament on the tuners of her guitar. When writing songs and dressing for a concert, she embraces her own inner femininity without the outside pressure of appealing to certain beauty or performance standards. 

“I wish women would move away from that and move more into a space of taking their power back. I think that is happening in a lot of ways and in a lot of genres, but I still think the country music genre is a little bit behind,” says Moonflower. 

Because Moonflower and MoonShroom aim to travel their own path in country music, audiences are still adjusting to some of her soulful, honest lyrics. When Moonflower shares the realness of “Broke Bitch Blues,” crowd members, perhaps looking forward to an upbeat two-step song, become confused. She says the audience doesn’t always understand, but MoonShroom pushes forward and remains authentic. 

“We were trying so hard to please this crowd. But at the end of the day, you can’t please people that have a certain idea or expectation of you already ingrained into their mind,” says Moonflower.

Catch MoonShroom this Saturday, August 19, at The Warwick in Kansas City and Saturday, August 26, at the Kaw River Roots Festival in Lawrence. Stream Lily B Moonflower’s tracks on Spotify and view MoonShroom’s music videos on YouTube.