Barely Civil and Known Moons Joint Split EP Release Party

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February 14, 2026

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4 min read

Photojournalist: Carrie Bergan

On December 3, 2025, local bands Barely Civil and Known Moons announced the coming of a collaborative project between the two of them, a split EP titled, Barely Known, which released on February 6, 2026. Not long after the announcement, a show was scheduled for the same day as the release to serve as the official EP release show. Barely Civil and Known Moons were the headliners of the night featuring The Hallelujah Ward and Frantic Repair as the opening support.

I’ve known the guys in Barely Civil for a couple years now, and being able to support such down to earth guys has been amazing. It’s only through them that I was able to meet frontman Andrew James from Known Moons. The threads of connections intertwining artists in the local scene is one of my favorite parts for the smaller artists. It’s so easy to connect to others just from knowing one band or one member of a band. I was very excited for both this EP and concert to come to.

This night was more than just a concert; it was a benefit raising funds for Voces de la Frontera. Each band donated a portion of their ticket sales, and the venue waived production fees in support of the cause. I love seeing bands choose to support other groups in need even though I know the DIY scene already doesn’t create a lot of income for them.

Frantic Repair was the first band to take the stage. Their sound was loud and energetic, but between each song there was the feedback noise while they tuned. I’m docking points from that because I am extra sensitive with sound since I was born with a hearing loss and I wear hearing aids in both ears. That said, I did enjoy their music and it was a great opening vibe for what was to come. Every band was very clearly handpicked for the music played. Up next was The Hallelujah Ward and they were fun. I loved the banter and talking between each song from the frontman. The light hearted jokes about themselves and shout-outs to Barely Civil and Known Moons kept the growing energy present.

Known Moons took the stage first and what you might not know is for some of their songs, there is a violin used. I love bands using uncommonly seen instruments — I think it really elevates their sound — creating something new and unexpected. The day this EP was announced, the two bands did a shared live set for the local radio station, WMSCE, where each band played a cover by one another. Both bands did that once again at the show, and Known Moons played “Year of the Dog” by Barely Civil during their set. This is one of my favorite tracks by Barely Civil and they haven’t played it at the past couple shows I’ve gone to so getting to hear a cover of it was amazing! In honor of this also being a co-headlining night, frontman of Barely Civil, Connor Erickson, joined Andrew James on stage to sing his part. The audience was really warmed up by then because the front row was full of some two-steppers, a very prominent dance at Midwest Emo shows. I don’t know how to two-step but I fully intend on learning soon!!!

Barely Civil was up next, and by now the room carried a fair amount of sweaty energy. The band took stage and they tuned, for a while. The room restlessly was ready to start grooving and from the first note, it was a frenzy. There was singing along, there was two-stepping, there was community happening. Barely Civil played “Simultaneous Heights” by Known Moons in return to one of their songs being played. The amount of love and togetherness in the room was undeniable. It was a Friday night to remember and clearly the room showed up to promote everyone present. You can stream Barely Known wherever you listen to music from and follow both bands on all social media pages to keep up for more news. You can also bet you’ll find me at more of their shows.

Barely Civil