Video Premiere:Secret Emchy Society's 'Howlin' Sober at the Moon'

Cindy Emch is the kind of friend you want in your corner. Her band Secret Emchy Society's new song "Howlin' Sober at the Moon" is an anthem for "all of the artsy weirdos out there that some folks think are just too intense," and the people who love them.

""Howlin’ Sober at the Moon" is, at its heart, a love song to standing up for your friends and community in good times and bad," Emch tells The Boot. Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic and recent protests in support of racial equality, social justice and police reform, however, the song has taken on an added layer of meaning: "In these times, it feels like a love song to the world. To the people standing up for each other," Emch notes.

"We’ve got each other’s back whether we’re showing up in person on the streets or behind the scenes fundraising and sharing resources," she continues. "The song ends with the line 'I hope I see you soon,' and I think as we’ve all been sheltered in place going on three months now, that’s also a sentiment we can all get behind."

Secret Emchy Society released "Howlin' Sober at the Moon" on May 15, as part of their newest album, The Chaser, but they're premiering its new music video exclusively on The Boot. Press play above to watch.

The 11-track The Chaser is tailor-made for fans of Nikki Lane and Sarah Shook & the Disarmers' fuzzy, country-meets-punk, honky-tonk-ready sound. Emch and her band recorded the project at her home studio in Oakland, Calif. The Howell, Mich., native, who moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1995, is influenced by country legends such as Dwight Yoakam and Lucinda Williams, and by post-punk bands such as Black Flag and X.

An alum of the punk-country bands Vagabondage and Rhubarb Whiskey, among other groups, Emch is a well-respected part of the queer country scene: She hosts Emchy's Outlaw Americana on Gimme Country radio and is a former editor of Country Queer. She and her wife have been together for more than two decades.

"As a queer country musician, so far, I’ve mainly had positive experiences with folks of all colors and political views ... I don’t buy into the narrative that country music is only for conservatives or right-wing folks. I think that country music is for everyone, and I firmly ascribe to 'y’all means you all,'" Emch says. "As much as I can be a hard-drinkin', whiskey-lovin', late-night kind of gal -- I’m also a tend the garden, rescue the animals, make rhubarb pie and try to change the world person."

Fans can learn more about Emch, the Secret Emchy Society and her other projects at Emchy.com.

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