Moonlight and Melodies: Goodnight Blue Moon Takes the Stage

Olivia Yu ’27, Assistant Arts Editor

With their energetic and dynamic live performances, Goodnight Blue Moon (GNBM) introduces a unique genre of Americana folk music to the stage—featuring Hopkins’ very own band teacher, Erik Elligers, on guitar and vocals. Based in New England, GNBM features seven musicians who perform around the New Haven area. Goodnight Blue Moon also performed on campus during the Fall Festival, where students and faculty could enjoy their energetic music.

Elligers originally founded Goodnight Blue Moon “as a trio in 2008 and gradually brought in more people and
instruments over time.” The current lineup includes Mat Crowley on mandolin, guitar, and vocals, Nick D’Errico on drums, Dan Liparini on lap steel and guitar, Nancy Matlack on cello, banjo, and keyboards, Sean Rubin on bass and vocals, and Vicki Wepler on violin and vocals. GNBM works together to play everything from folk-pop music to jazz to bluegrass.

The members of Goodnight Blue Moon express their creative talents not only by performing, but also by writing
their own music. Elligers stated that “most of the songs are written by either me or the mandolin player, Mat Crowley.” In addition to their originals, the band also plays “traditional songs and covers.” However, when they do, Elligers said that GNBM “[tries] to mix it up and rearrange it so it doesn’t sound too much like the original.” Among Elligers’ favorite Goodnight Blue Moon songs that they perform are “‘Undertow,’ ‘Hollow,’ a song [they] haven’t recorded yet called ‘Howlin,’ and a cover of an LCD Soundsystem song called ‘Oh Baby.’” GNBM has three albums to their name: Dawning Dream, A Girl I Never Met, and How Long, with over twenty songs combined. Anyone can listen to their music on Spotify, YouTube, or Apple Music.

While being in a band offers the thrill of creating and performing music, coordinating rehearsals can be a major challenge. Elligers stated, “Trying to get seven members of a band in the same place at the same time can be difficult unless you are organized and can plan well in advance.” It’s hard to organize rehearsals because

“all of the other members of the band are busy with their day jobs, evening gigs, and rehearsals, and their own personal lives, so getting everyone [together] can sometimes be the hardest part [of being in a band].” Despite

difficulties revolving around rehearsals, there are many elements of being in a band that Elligers loves such as “writing, recording, and performing.” Elligers said, “It’s always an interesting process to see songs come to life with other musicians.”

Goodnight Blue Moon’s performance at Hopkins during Fall Festival was a memorable experience for both the band and the audience. “We loved being able to perform here on campus for the Fall Festival. Although it was a little cold, we still had a lot of fun sharing the stage with other student musicians and playing our music for everyone here,” Elligers shared. Students in the crowd certainly appreciated GNBM’s performance. Annie Zhang ’27 reflected on the experience, saying, “I really enjoyed their performance, but I think that was mostly in part to the atmosphere the crowd provided at seeing their favorite teacher perform, in addition to the band’s talent and choice of music.” Echoing this sentiment, Charis Olaleye ’27 remarked, “They sounded pretty nice! One of their songs set a chill mood, so I really loved that.” Avani DiLuna ’26 said, “I loved their band, they’re

good! They have good song choices too!”

With a mix of original music, creative cover arrangements, and a strong presence on stage, Goodnight
Blue Moon continues to deliver music to audiences both on campus and beyond.

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Moonlight and Melodies: Goodnight Blue Moon Takes the Stage