Goodnight Moonshine’s Bold Reimagining of Folk Jazz in ‘Business Unusual’

In a time when the world stood still, Goodnight Moonshine transformed pause into possibility. 

Guitarist Eben Pariser and vocalist Molly Venter, forced off the road by the 2020 shutdowns, turned domestic confinement into a creative crucible. Raising three children, including newborn twins, they embraced the paradox of exhaustion and inspiration, giving birth to Business Unusual, an album that reflects both their personal upheaval and the quiet magic of everyday life.

The songs navigate tension with subtlety—between devotion and depletion, ambition and care. Tracks like “Kitchen Table” spotlight mundane rituals, rendering the domestic as revelatory. Rather than seeking dramatic catharsis, the duo offers a record grounded in honesty and empathy, a soundtrack for families juggling love, labor, and longing in equal measure.

Musically, the album defies easy categorization. Pariser’s guitar dances with jazz fluidity, privileging space and tone over ornament, while Venter’s smoky voice carries the emotional heft of lived experience. Together with bassist Adam Chilenski and drummer Ryan Sands, the performances unfold like unedited snapshots, raw yet meticulously attuned, balancing the intimacy of folk with the sophistication of jazz improvisation.

Beyond sound, Business Unusual reflects a philosophy of connection. Before its digital release, nearly 1,000 copies were hand-delivered to listeners, transforming music consumption into a communal act. In this, the album becomes more than a collection of songs—it is a gesture, a reclamation of the mundane, and a reminder that beauty often emerges from life’s most unassuming corners.