Faith Kelly calls it a “two for one deal” when two vastly different performers will take the Soul Bar stage.
“We’re just a ‘;couple of wanderers’ who travel around America to share our songs to anyone, anywhere. When we’re not touring we’re at home playing gigs and hosting open mics & events locally in the Catskills mountains of New York,” Kelly wrote in an email.
The singers will wander down to Augusta on March 10 for the free performance that begins at 8:30 p.m.
Kelly, who has played the Soul Bar several times over the past decade with bands and as a soloist, brings her “spacey, folk, rock ‘n roll with an Appalachian twist” high-energy performance while Caswyn Moon offers a more laid-back approach in comparison.
While Kelly will accompany Moon some, the duo will take turns presenting their different styles throughout the night.
“I’m a little bit country, and she’s a little rock ‘n roll,” Moon said in a recent phone interview, alluding to a song made famous by Donny and Marie Osmond in the 1970s.
Kelly draws her inspiration from artists such as Spoon, The Flaming Lips and Pink Floyd. She played in a psychedelic rock band prior to going solo. But she also likes Miley Cyrus and James Brown, and she definitely brings an energy to the stage just as the Godfather of Soul did.
He may have been the hardest working man in show business, but she wants to be known as the hardest working woman.
Moon also has influences of Pink Floyd as well as Jethro Tull with Merle Haggard and Hank Williams Sr. plus Frank Zappa and David Bowie.
With that mix of sounds, of course, Moon and Kelly write their own music.
Moon likes to write songs that will connect to people in ways other songs won’t. He draws from real life experiences and the occasional overheard conversation at the grocery store. He recalled a couple of people talk about Christmas one year and how tough it was to get in the spirit and buy all the gifts, so he wrote “Blue Holiday’.
“People seem to like them. They are so different; people say ‘it doesn’t sound like anything I’ve heard,” he said.
Not only does it have its own vibe, the music is real. It’s not fueled by computer, AI or looping equipment.
Moon said if the power went out, they’d still be able to perform their sets.
Kelly said she’s excited to return to Augusta and the Soul Bar, where she first played in 2015 or 2016.
“I made friends with Jayson (Rubio, co-owner) and loved the community of Augusta,” she said.
After going solo, she knew Augusta and the Soul Bar was a place she wanted to return to play.
“There’s a community over there and a heart that’s like no other,” she said.
Charmain Z. Brackett, the publisher of Augusta Good News and Inspiring: Women of Augusta, has covered Augusta’s news for more than 35 years. She’s won multiple Georgia Press Association awards, is the recipient of the 2018 Greater Augusta Arts Council’s media award and was named Augusta Magazine’s best local writer in 2024 and 2025. Reach her at charmain@augustagoodnews.com. Sign up for the newsletter here.
