Andy Frasco & The U.N. releases "Iowa Moon"
Published by New Jersey Stage
originally published: 06/10/2023
Photo by Stephanie Parsley
Andy Frasco & The U.N. have released their deeply moving new single, “Iowa Moon,” available now at all DSPs and streaming services. “Iowa Moon” heralds the upcoming arrival of Andy Frasco & The U.N.’s upcoming new album, L’Optimist, arriving via Fun Machine Records/Soundly Music on Friday, August 11. Pre-orders are available now.
Co-written by Frasco with Kenny Carkeet (AWOLNATION, Anti-Flag), singer-songwriter Paul McDonald, and veteran troubadour Steve Poltz, “Iowa Moon” sees the hard-traveling songwriter pondering the possibility of getting off the road to remain at home with his beloved, inspired in part by his first real girlfriend.
“She was the first girl I ever really committed to,” Frasco says. “It’s like, I don't know what the fuck I'm doing, this is a new world to me, but I know that I love being with you and I love you teaching me how to love. I'm not really a good communicator outside of my art, so I wrote ‘Iowa Moon’ to say, I know that I'm difficult. I know that I'm on the road all the time. But I love you.”
Frasco’s sixth released studio album and most hopeful and enthusiastic collection thus far, L’Optimist also includes the ebullient first single, “You Do You.”
A testament to Frasco’s wide-ranging influences and boundless energy, L’Optimist sees the magnetic frontman continuing to chart his path of self-exploration and personal discovery through increasingly introspective lyricism and musical adventure.
Recorded in Nashville, Los Angeles, and other cities, the album sees Frasco and the core U.N. roster – comprising guitarist Shawn Eckels, saxophonist Ernie Chang, drummer Andee Avila, and bassist/multi-instrumentalist Floyd Kellogg – joined by production and writing contributions from friends and studio collaborators including Kellogg, Kenny Carkeet (AWOLNATION, Anti-Flag), Chris Gelbuda (Robert Randolph Feat. Darius Rucker, Meghan Trainor), Cason Cooley (Needtobreathe, Ingrid Michaelson), Paul McDonald (Grand Magnolias, Vince Herman), and Harlem-based singer-songwriter Caleb Hawley, along with guest appearances by alternative hip-hop duo Little Stranger and the Southern Florida-based reggae collective Artikal Sound System.
Restless though it may be, L’Optimist sees Frasco fully in command of his craft, more comfortable and confident than ever before, his notorious party-animal persona giving way to a wiser, but no less enthusiastic, artist and band leader. Frasco once again challenged himself to explore difficult lyrical terrain, spanning relationships and chronic depression, empathy and alienation, inspired in part by his first real girlfriend. Songs like the deeply moving “Iowa Moon” touch on matters of the heart and mental health, emotional struggle and the sheer vulnerability of the human experience, all relayed through a wildly eclectic approach navigating funk, jazz, surf rock, blues, swing, gospel, reggae, exotica, and more with horn-blasted positivity and soulful power.
Truly a creative force to be reckoned with, Andy Frasco & The U.N. have long spent seemingly all their time on the road, performing more than 200 shows each year, as Atwood Magazine wrote, “spreading their bohemian philosophy of finding joy from existing in the moment.” Frasco also somehow finds time to host Andy Frasco’s World Saving Podcast and cater to his nearly 1M monthly dance party views on Twitch. L’Optimist now sees Frasco continuing to develop as a songwriter, band leader, and human being, his exploratory spirit giving way to something more firmly grounded yet no less adventurous. Having built a still-expanding career on forward motion, Andy Frasco remains positive in his determination to keep on keeping on, pushing himself and his music to grow and improve with every passing day.
“With so much bad news in the world, why not try to figure out a way to get out of the darkness,” Frasco says. “We’re not going to be able to change the world, but at least we can change the mind state we have moving forward. We can at least help the process along by being optimistic that the future will turn itself around. And if everyone changes their mind state about the future, then maybe we can change the world.”
A much-beloved live outfit renowned for unbridled improvisation, audience interaction, surprising covers, special guests, and animated antics unlike any other, Andy Frasco & The U.N. will celebrate L’Optimist with a stacked live schedule including a just-announced headline run getting underway September 28 at East Lansing, MI’s Hall 224 and then continuing through mid-December. In the meantime, Frasco will spend the summer traveling America on a wide-ranging itinerary that features headline dates, top-billed festival appearances, and an eagerly awaited double bill supporting Slightly Stoopid set for August 13 at Morrison, CO’s famed Red Rocks Amphitheatre. Additional dates will be announced. For complete details and ticket information, please visit www.andyfrasco.com/tour.
ANDY FRASCO & THE U.N. - TOUR 2023
JUNE
16 – Swanzey, NH – Northlands Music & Arts Festival *
17 – Wellfleet, MA – Beachcomber +
18 – Nantucket, MA – The Chicken Box +
21 – Charlotte, NC – Visulite Theatre ©
22 – Isle of Palms, SC – The Windjammer
23 – Black Mountain, NC – Pisgah Brewing Company
24 – Kill Devil Hills, NC – Outer Banks Brewing Station ^
25 – Kill Devil Hills, NC – Outer Banks Brewing Station ^
27 – Roanoke, VA – 5 Points Music Sanctuary #
28 – Dewey Beach, DE – Bottle & Cork **
29 – Virginia Beach, VA – New Realm Brewing Co. #
30 – Baltimore, MD – Union Craft Brewing
JULY
1 – Scranton, PA – Peach Music Festival *
2 – Amagansett, NY – The Stephen Talkhouse +
13 – Rochester, NY – Party in the Park - *
14 – Buffalo, NY – Cobblestone Live! *
26 – Victor, ID – Knotty Pine
27 – Salmon, ID – Sweet Water Hollow +
28 – Livingston, MT – Pine Creek Lodge +
29 – Ketchum, ID – Argyros Performing Arts Center +
AUGUST
1 – Durango, CO – Animas City Theatre +
2 – Grand Junction, CO – Mesa Theater †
3 – Boulder, CO – Triple A SummitFest
4 – Steamboat Springs, CO – Snow Bowl Steamboat
5 – Telluride, CO – Sheridan Opera House †
6 – Aspen, CO – Belly Up Aspen †
10–12 – Yuba, WI – People Fest *
13 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre ++
17-19 - Thornville, OH - Secret Dreams Music & Arts Festival *
25-27 - Chicago, IL – Cultivate *
SEPTEMBER
7- Des Moines, IA - xBk Live +
8 - Urbana, IL - Canopy Club $
9 – Indianapolis, IN – All In Music & Arts Festival *
10 – St. Louis, MO – Music At The Intersection *
28 – E. Lansing, MI – Hall 224 ^^
30 - Pittsburgh, PA - Roxian Theatre ^^
OCTOBER
1 – Washington, DC – Atlantis ^^
4 – Burlington, VT – Higher Ground Ballroom ^^
8 – Portland, ME – Bayside Bowl ^^
11 – Richmond, VA – The Broadberry ^^
27-31 - Miami, FL - Bert Kreischer's Fully Loaded at Sea
NOVEMBER
2 – Nashville, TN – Brooklyn Bowl ††
4 – Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse ††
5 – Raleigh, NC – Lincoln Theatre ††
DECEMBER
2 - Louisville, KY - Mercury Ballroom $
5 - Little Rock, AR - Revolution Music Hall ##
6 – Tulsa, OK – The Vanguard ##
7 – Austin, TX – Mohawk @
8 – Dallas, TX – Deep Ellum Art Co. ##
9 – Houston, TX – Last Concert Cafe ##
10 - Baton Rouge, LA - Chelsea’s Live
16 – Fayetteville, AR – George’s Majestic Lounge @
* Festival Appearance
+ An Evening With (2 Sets)
© w/ Special Guest Cosmic Collective
^ w/Special Guest Kind Hearted Strangers
# w/Special Guest Joe Samba
** w/ Special Guest Chris Diller
† w/Special Guest Tenth Mountain Division
++ w/ Slightly Stoopid
^^ w/ Special Guest Cool Cool Cool
†† w/ Special Guest Doom Flamingo
## w/ Special Guest Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers
@ w/ Special Guest Maggie Rose
$ w/ Special Guest Dogs In A Pile
COLUMNS
BlowUpRadio.com's New & Notable NJ Music 8/10/26
Lazlo, founder of BlowUpRadio.com (an online radio station based around New Jersey artists), shines a light on some of the many new releases from NJ based musicians with this column. This week Lazlo takes a look at new releases by Des & the Swagmatics, Bamberdost, Owen Lake and the Tragic Loves, Jonny Couch, Sean Henry Tonight!, and Ava LaMonte. Plus a look back at "Duluth" by Particle Zoo.
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MPAC's Summer 2026 Preview
West Windsor Arts Announces 2026 Summer Music and More Series
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Advertise with The Penguin Rocks for $50-$100 per month, click here for info
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