Will Saw the Moon

What do you get when a Kentuckian enters an Oregon bakery? — A folk band. At least that’s how it happened for Will Saw the Moon. Hungry for a cinnamon roll, singer-songwriter Will Solomon walked into La Baguette Music Café in Ashland, OR. In a corner sat an acoustic guitar screaming “play me” like something out of a Lewis Carroll novel. A verse and chorus later, the sound started to grow. Hammer dulcimerist, Simon Chrisman and upright bassist, Jenika Smith happened to be in the shop that day with instruments on hand. They asked to play along and away to Wonderland went the fresh trio.

They stepped into a world colored with Folk, Newgrass, and Americana with melodies inspired by songs you might have heard on eighties pop radio. They create with symphonic vocal harmony, virtuosic dulcimer solos, and poetic lyricism. Solomon’s tenor voice accompanied by Chrisman’s exceptional percussive instrumentation and Smith’s jazz-inspired low-end lines sets their sound apart.

Prior to landing on the band name in November 2023, the three preformed under the name Will Solomon & Friends. They released their debut in April 2023 under this name, EP “La Baguette Sessions” featuring songs “Tracks” and “Around Again.” Embarking on their first tour together in promotion of their EP, they performed six shows across California; among them was a standing room only Hotel Café show in Los Angeles, CA.

In addition to making music with the trio, Chrisman is a member of instrumental band, The Bee Eaters and partner in a hammer dulcimer/banjo duo, Simon Chrisman & Wes Corbett. Smith belongs to the Oregon-based folk band, King Roy Wing. Solomon continues to preform as a solo act, now based in Nashville, Tennessee. Will Saw the Moon has exciting plans for 2024. “La Baguette Sessions 2” is set to release in late winter followed by a Southeast/Midwest tour.