Moon Hooch co-founder Michael Wilbur plays saxophone the way most DJs run a set, building loops live on bass sax, tenor, trumpet, and vocals, layering them into something that moves before you realize you’re moving. He’s at Lark Hall on Friday, Dec. 4 with DJ Aims, and the event billing is unusually honest about what you’re walking into: “a ritualistic journey, turning strangers into a sweating, swaying congregation united by rhythm and breath.” The format does what the description says.
About the Show
Wilbur co-founded Moon Hooch with bandmates he met at the New School in New York City. The origin story is genuinely good: they started busking on NYC subway platforms, and the first time they played together, 200 to 300 people spontaneously started dancing around them — enough of a crowd that the NYPD eventually restricted their performances at certain stations. Within eight months of forming, the band was tapped as house band for the Australian television show Hamish and Annie’s Gap Year; they went on to play in over 20 countries and release eight studio albums, with shows alongside Beats Antique, They Might Be Giants, and Lotus. Along the way, Moon Hooch developed their signature “Reverse DJ setup”: running live horn sounds through Ableton, attaching traffic cones to instrument bells for tonal manipulation. It made them one of the more genuinely interesting cases in brass-driven dance music.
Wilbur launched his solo career in 2024, describing it as “a sonic blend of all my life’s musical influences: from hip hop to house, techno, free improvisation and performance art.” He has released three solo albums under his own name and collaborated with Too Many Zooz, TAUK, and The Motet, with two more in progress: Bass Sax Beats Vol. 4 and Feeling is the Secret. Friday’s show pairs him with DJ Aims, whose live electronic production frames Wilbur’s looping work into what the event calls “an explosive blend of live-looped horns and electronic music” — house, jazz, hip-hop, soul, and EDM — across a 3.5-hour set. Wilbur’s own summary: “raw, fun, big, explosive saxophone energy. It is going to be a dance party.”
Venue & Logistics
Lark Hall at 351 Hudson Ave in Albany is a 300-capacity room in the Capital Region. It is the right size for a set built on this kind of physical sound. Doors open at 7 p.m.; the show runs until 11:30 p.m.
Tickets
Tickets are $30–$36. Buy tickets