Michael Moyer didn't do much talking the first seven years of his life. "I never would use my words," said Moyer, 20. "I had to take these classes to learn how to speak. I used to just point at things."

But by the time he was 13, things had changed. His sister, Tristan Moyer, who goes by the name Nancy Whiskey in the Vegas-based-band, Darby O'Gill and the Little People, bought Moyer his first guitar and took him to punk rock shows.

And later, he was singing, screaming, really. He remembers being at a party "screaming in the microphone, just whatever came into the top of my head."

Moyer, whose parents are divorced, moved when he was 14 from Las Vegas to Collierville to live with his dad. "I was this punk rock Vegas kid. I had cut-off shorts and All-Stars and spiked hair."

He was more into playing football than music. "Sometimes I would try to sing in front of all my really tough, burly friends around the neighborhood. They'd be like, 'Alright, that's pretty good, but we just want you to play football.'"

Moyer moved back to Vegas when he was 16 and lived with Tristan, a violinist who at that time recorded with the Killers band. Mark Stoermer, Killers bass player, bought Moyer some guitars and amps, Moyer said.

During a party, Moyer began screaming into the microphone with other musicians. Stoermer got on stage and played.

"I got to jam with a legend. I got to scream into the microphone with this multimillion-dollar empire bass player. It was really cool. Automatically, I was like, 'I don't know if I want to play football anymore.'"

Moyer began practicing guitar and writing music. He moved back to Memphis. "I bounced to Beale Street with my acoustic and started playing.

"The first time I played on Beale this girl came up and she loved it so much. She was like, 'Oh, cool. Indie rock.' Tipped me $20. I was like, 'Yes!' So, from then on I was like, 'Yeah, I'm gonna do this for awhile.'"

He went from shy street singer with acoustic guitar to confident singer on electric guitar with amps who also plays in the clubs.

"Beale Street is like one of my homes. A lot of people know who I am on Beale Street without even talking to me. I'm familiar there."

Michael Moyer

Performance at 7 tonight at Hollywood Disco, 115 Vance. Cover is $10. Call: 528-9313.

Listen Up spotlights area performers. Michael Donahue can be reached at 529-2797.