mad parade: Dead Moon - In The Graveyard

Dead Moon was a Portland, Oregon band fronted by longtime singer/guitarist/songwriter Fred Cole. Toody Cole, Fred's wife, played bass and Andrew Loomis played drums. Formed in 1987, the band combined garage rock, punk, and country in their stripped-down sound. Fred Cole engineered most of the band's recordings and mastered them on a mono lathe that was used for The Kingsmen's version of "Louie Louie". Their early records, such as In the Graveyard, were released on the Tombstone Records label, named for the musical equipment store Fred and Toody operated at the time. Soon they caught the attention of the German label Music Maniac Records, and toured Europe successfully. Not until the mid-nineties did they tour the United States. Much of their following is in Europe.

A U.S. filmmaking team (Kate Fix and Jason Summers) produced a 2004 documentary, Unknown Passage: The Dead Moon Story, which played in independent theaters around the U.S., New Zealand, and Melbourne International Film Fest, and was released on DVD in the fall of 2006. Dead Moon has recorded for labels such as Empty Records, but most releases are on Music Maniac abroad and Tombstone in the U.S. The Tombstone label has also provided cheap mastering and duplication for other bands, serving more as a cooperative than a promotional vehicle. Though Fred and Toody are in their fifties, they showed no signs of slowing down on their 2004 release Dead Ahead, continuing to tour the globe until 2006, which saw the release of the Echoes of the past compilation.

In December 2006, near the end of the Echoes of the Past tour, Dead Moon announced their disbandment. Their last gig was at the Vera club in Groningen on November 26, 2006. Fred and Toody currently own the Tombstone General Store in Clackamas, Oregon, and are building a shopping center nearby.

Pearl Jam covered the song "It's OK", they often segue it with their song "Daughter" in live performances. Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam has also covered "Diamonds in the Rough" and "Running Out of Time".

Fred and Toody formed a new band called Pierced Arrows with Portland punk musician Kelly Halliburton (who is the son of someone who played in a band with Fred in the 70s) of Severed Head of State, Defiance and formerly Murder Disco X. Pierced Arrow played their first show debuting on May 18, 2007 at Portland’s Ash Street Saloon with the reformed Poison Idea. Andrew Loomis now plays drums for a band called The Shiny Things from Longview, Washington, along with Terry French (vocals) Becca D. (lead guitar) and Marc Nelson (guitar).