Local favorite Anthony Mullis turning new page in 2013

Saturday, January 26, 2013
Gus Moon, known to local audiences as Anthony Mullis, will play a three-hour show at the Swizzle Stick beginning at 8 p.m. tonight. Mullis along with bandmates Brandon Tinkler and Dennis Furr will be playing songs from his debut "Worn Out Shoes" as well as newly written material for a forthcoming 2013 album.

Two months after releasing his debut album local favorite Anthony Mullis isn't resting on what he's already done.

Following the Nov. 6 release of "Worn Out Shoes," the artist who goes by the stage name Gus Moon wanted to change the direction of his music a bit in the new year.

"I said, '2013: a new year," Mullis told the Banner Graphic. "I'm setting a date."

Setting that date involved some serious changes to what Mullis is doing onstage and in the studio.

Onstage it means not being a cover act anymore and focusing on originals.

"I want to turn from doing three-hour bar or restaurant gigs and my goals are to get into more places where I can build more of an identity as an original artist and try to leave the jukebox thing behind," Mullis said.

He's even quit playing a couple of places where the crowds were used to the cover act.

Mullis said the plan begins tonight with an 8 p.m. Gus Moon show at the Swizzle Stick in downtown Greencastle.

Copies of "Worn Out Shoes" will be available at the show.

Tonight's show will also feature Dennis Furr and Brandon Tinkler, a pair of musicians Mullis has worked with extensively in the past and plans to keep playing with.

Instead of the old book of cover songs, Mullis plans to draw from his 11-song debut as well as the two additional albums worth of material he's already written.

The next album, a majority of which Mullis plans to play tonight, is planned for release this summer.

"The new album ('Worn Out Shoes'), I've recorded it and it's out, but I'm already thinking about the next album," Mullis said. "My mind is like, I'm on to the next."

As the new year brings change for many, Anthony Mullis will focus on his music career, which means longer sets and more original music.

Moving on to the next includes learning from the first record and changing his sound where it needs it.

"I learned so much from this last album," Mullis said. "Once you hear yourself back on an album and once you start selling something, it's like, 'Oh, this is a product.' I learned a lot about what I want my album to sound like and what I want my product to be."

The sound he wants doesn't include drastic changes -- Mullis still plans to work with the artist he collaborated with on "Worn Out Shoes." However, he wants to be a bit more vocal about making sure he is getting exactly the sound he wants as the songwriter.

Based on the sound of "Worn Out Shoes," listeners can expect some very good things from the upcoming release because the last album had some strong tracks.

Mullis' voice, both as a writer and a singer, has a smile and a tear in it at the same time.

The sadness he can express is evident even in the titles of songs such as "Before You Leave Me" or "I Was Born to Break Your Heart" or "Last Night's Girl."

The songs themselves back up the titles, carrying tales of heartache and trying to move on. They are also among the best songs the record has to offer.

And yet, there's always hope in Mullis' plaintive voice. Both in the sad songs and a more hopeful track like "Once in a While," a Gus Moon song can't help but make the listener smile.

It's a page out of the book of some of the best folk troubadours -- make 'em cry and make 'em smile.

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