MoonShine Abby has been featured in Tampa Bay Music News and recognized for high-energy performances and strong fan support. Read what others are saying about the band.
MoonShine Abby band walking in Tampa Bay, rock and cover band group photo inspired by Abbey Road style

CONGRATULATIONS ! MoonShine Abby Voted #1

Thank you to everyone who participated in our survey.

We had an impressive 156 bands entered.

Coming up next will be a presentation to Moonshine Abby by Tampa Bay Music News, News Director,  Vince Ciurca and a feature story about the band. Stay tuned!

MOONSHINE ABBY NAMED “FAN FAVORITE BAND OF 2024” BY TAMPA BAY MUSIC NEWS

By George Hudak, Publisher, Tampa Bay Music News 

 

It was a big night at the Dunedin Smokehouse as Tampa Bay Music News News Director  Vince Ciurca took the stage to present MoonShine Abby with the award for Fan Favorite Band of 2024.

“I’m here to congratulate MoonShine Abby on being named our ‘Fan Favorite Band of 2024’!” Ciurca announced. “This was no small feat—over 156 bands entered and a total of 1,845 votes were cast. Thanks to their incredibly passionate fan base, MoonShine Abby crossed the finish line on top. Congratulations to the band on this well-deserved recognition!”

Despite having only been together for a little over a year, this powerhouse four-piece has quickly made waves in the Tampa Bay music scene. The band features “Sneaky” Pete Austin on lead vocals, Jerrell “Woody” Baker on bass, Eric “The Animal” Walker on drums, and Joe “Mojo” O’Brien on guitar.

MoonShine Abby’s origin story is unique. Pete Austin had just recently moved to Tampa from Binghamton, NY, and responded to a Craigslist ad from a local guitarist looking to start a new project. Jerrell Baker joined shortly after. Over time, members came and went—including the original guitarist, who left behind one lasting contribution: the name “Abby,” inspired by one of his guitars. Pete and Jerrell later added “MoonShine” to give the band its full name and unique identity.

“We had a two-year plan,” Austin told Tampa Bay Music News. “In 2024, we really pushed hard to get our name out there. When you're a new band, it's tough to get gigs—but now we’re getting calls.” With support from Chandler Entertainment LLC, , their bookings have grown, as has their fanbase.

Austin credits the band’s success to their crowd-first philosophy. “A band can either play for themselves or for the audience—and we play for the audience. We focus on the hits people know and love, from the ’60s through the 2000s, and we play them the way they remember hearing them on the radio.” He added, “We’re not trying to be an original band. We just want to be the best cover band we can be—entertaining and keeping fans coming back.”

When asked how the band rallied so many votes, Austin gave full credit to their loyal supporters. “Our fans really wanted to see us win—and they got their friends involved too.” The final push came during their performance at Safety Harbor’s 3rd Friday.

Celebration, where more than 100 people gathered in front of the main stage. Between songs, Pete and Jerrell urged the crowd to visit Tampa Bay Music News on Facebook and vote. The band played for three high-energy hours, making sure every fan felt the excitement.

Looking ahead, MoonShine Abby has ambitious plans. “Jerrell and I want to play more festivals and get into some of the more prestigious venues,” Austin said. While they’ve already landed gigs at places like OCC Road House, they’ve set their sights on Whisky Wings, Arts Tap House, the Oldsmar Days Festival, Bogota, Social NPR, Toasted Monkey, Marker 48, Thirsty Marlin, Quaker Steak, Ka’Tiki, Diesel Garage. I have no doubt MoonShine Abby fever will be spreading to these venues so keep a lookout.

Marti Moulson, owner of the The Dunedin Smokehouse , is one of the band’s early champions. “I love this band,” Moulson said, adding that he was the one who recommended them for the Safety Harbor gig. He also owns  The Brinehouse in Safety Harbor.

From a chance Craigslist connection to fan-voted glory, MoonShine Abby’s rise has been nothing short of electric—and Tampa Bay is just beginning to feel the buzz.

Tampa Bay Music News is at The Pub at Safety Harbor

 

THE SWEET TASTE OF MOONSHINE ABBY

by photojournalist Peter J. Rein

 
Street fairs and festivals are quite common on the West Coast of Florida. Many are based on a particular day of the month, ie. Tarpon Springs hosts a 4th Friday, Tampa has a 3rd Thursday. The closed-off main streets are typically lined with food carts and vendors. Music fills the air, usually from just one stage, but not in Safety Harbor. Last night's 3rd Friday presented an uncommon experience for those in attendance. Within a football field of each other, were not one or two, but three opportunities to see three different Classic Rock cover bands on three separate stages. Fortunately, of the three bands, I was assigned to cover Moonshine Abby. A four-piece band with much more talent and combined experience than the celebration of their one-year anniversary would suggest.
 
Fronted by lead singer Peter Austin, MoonShine Abby smoothly ripped through classic hits such as Bush’s “Everything Zen” to Ozzy Osbourne’s “Bark at the Moon” and Tom Petty’s (RIP) “American Girl.” Peter deftly handled the vocal duties on tracks that many other singers would have dropped an octave. As a long-time fan of rock group RUSH, it was inspiring to hear “Limelight”, “Tom Sawyer” and the not enough-loved “Closer to the Heart” get proper respect from the stellar musicianship of Jerrell Baker on Bass/Vocals, Eric Walker Drums/Vocals and stand out lead guitarist, Joe “Mojo” O"Brien.
 
As a band, MoonShine Abby benefits from musicians with varied and eclectic backgrounds. Peter shined on Alternative rock songs by Alice in Chains, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Audioslave. Every track featuring a guitar solo was a "don't blink" moment watching "Mojo" rip through classics like Led Zep's "Stairway to Heaven" and the blistering guitar work in the song "Limelight" by RUSH, originally laid down by Alex Lifeson. In fact, when you look at the complete setlist which includes covering vocals of the late great Chris Cornell (Audioslave), Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin) Steve Perry (Journey), and Geddy Lee (RUSH). Peter, Jerrell, Eric, and "Mojo" took on songs that were not only incredibly challenging vocally, but required top-level mastery to properly pay homage to these timeless tunes! Most in the crowd were die-hard fans who knew them well, sang along with every song, and supported their efforts at the show outside of The Pub by purchasing merch.
Beyond the fact that they had to "compete" with two other fairly similar bands, there isn't anything negative to mention. This is the kind of band that will play the deeper tracks of the classic rock bands you love, most importantly for music snobs, they play them right. I for one have drank the MoonShine Abby and it tastes sweet with just the right amount of buzz.Looking forward to my next sip!