Features : Joy, Music, and Family: Matt Axton’s “MUSCLECHOPS” Brings the Funky Jams to Mountain Soul Rock and Roll

Songwriter. Performer. Inheritor of a family tradition. California-based musician Matt Axton is many things.

Most of all, he is bringing his joyful brand of “mountain soul rock and roll” across the United States. A primary example is his latest EP, Same Old Story, with the lead single, a funky dance number called “Musclechops.”

It is the second of five tracks ranging from country to funk to rock and back again, and it features an eminently singable chorus.

And I just can’t let you go
I just can’t let you down
I just can’t let you go alone in this wicked land

“Musclechops” has become a kind of theme song for Axton’s mission of spreading positivity. It was the first song he wrote when he moved to Los Angeles five years ago. Through the ups and downs of life, he says, the song is about trusting that, more often than not, you’ll land on the upside.

A joyful family legacy

The Axton family musical legacy runs deep. Grandma Mae Axton helped launch the career of Elvis Presley. Dad Hoyt Axton was a successful actor who penned hit songs for groups like Three Dog Night and Steppenwolf.

Matt Axton takes seriously his role as custodian of the family’s musical tradition. He honored his grandmother by recording “Heartbreak Hotel,” which she co-wrote for Elvis, on his album, Blue Sky Rain (2023). And his father’s “The Pusher” will appear on his upcoming album.

But beyond all the remarkable hit songs attached to the family name, for Axton the family’s musical philosophy is based on joy. Consider his father’s hit song, “Joy to the World,” or Matt’s

“Americana Joy” music series and Tahoe Joy festival in California.

Matt says, “Joy is a family mantra. It is woven into our music in every form.”

Axton on tour

That joy drives Axton on as he maintains a busy touring schedule with his band, Badmoon. The band shares a name with the opening track on Same Old Story, a country tune with a locomotive-style snare drum shuffle and a reverb-drenched steel guitar. In the song, Axton paints a picture of life on the road.

We never travel in the day
Because we’re always on the run
The sun won’t give us away
Under the light of a bad moon

Axton and Badmoon recently completed a run of 30 shows in 35 days across the Mountain West. A slate of festivals is lined up for the summer, and then comes a run to Tennessee and up the East Coast in the fall.

The core of Badmoon is Axton’s voice, anchored by a quartet of bass, drums, two guitars, and three-part vocal harmonies. Axton plays one of the guitars, with tasty fingerstyle leads, while Taylor Kropp draws from a deep bench of techniques including slide guitar, jazz-influenced octaves, and chicken-fried country picking. Kropp and Axton frequently harmonize their leads in a manner reminiscent of the Allman Brothers.

In a recent appearance at Portland’s premiere stage, The Artichoke, Badmoon showed off their jam band chops: their performance of “Musclechops” stretched to nearly seven minutes with blistering solos and dynamic ups and downs mirroring the message of the song.

Badmoon is flexible in their performance presentation, comfortable leaning into blues, jamming, or stripped-down songwriting depending on the audience. Matt says, “We cater our show to each venue, so every performance is a little unique.”

Organic music

Axton is set to release a music video for “Musclechops,” animated by Rob Hughes (SpongeBob SquarePants). Like Axton’s music, the video is fully made by human hands. Axton acknowledges the usefulness of the tools of the digital world, but he believes in the value of organic art and human connection.

He says, “With the advancement of the digital world and AI technology, I think true organic art is going to have a premium to it.”

True to that mantra, Axton has also released Same Old Story in a limited run of 12” black vinyl. The record was pressed at Erika Records in California, one of the longest-running currently in the United States. Fans can get copies online or, better yet, in person at a show.

Music for joy

In homage to Axton's father, Badmoon shows typically end with a raucous performance of Hoyt Axton’s “Joy to the World.” He wants to leave listeners with a feeling of community and contagious joy, saying, “I always like to end our shows on an upbeat note, to send people out there with a big smile on their face.”

At a recent show, Matt ended with words of inspiration for the audience: “Do something that makes you happy. Do something that makes the person next to you happy. And pretty soon that snowball effect will cover the whole world in joy.”

“Musclechops” is out now with promotional support from Starlight PR. Listen everywhere, and follow Matt Axton and Badmoon at the links below.

Official Website | Spotify | YouTube | Instagram | Facebook | Apple Music | Amazon Music | The Axton Musical Legacy

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