Hailed by American Songwriter for their “mind-bending musicality,” moe.is treasured for their mesmerizing musical synergy, unfettered showmanship, & smart, resonant songcraft. For 3 decades, the band has corralled diverse musical forms on a truly original journey. Fueled by an impassioned fan base, moe. has spent much of those 30 years on the road, encompassing countless live performances marked by eclectic wit, deep friendship, & exploratory invention. Having built an enduring legacy with hard work and a confirmed commitment to creativity and community, moe. seem as surprised as anyone to find themselves at such a significant landmark. The more the band traveled, the more they grew creatively, evincing a remarkable willingness to progress as they went along. moe. quickly became part of a burgeoning scene centered around NYC’s Wetlands, a grassroots revolution that embraced freewheeling genre fusion – spanning funk & free jazz, country & classic rock, prog, new wave, calypso, pop & everything else under the sun – fan interaction, & unrestrained improvisation. moe. widened its reach across America, earning new fans and national attention with their ingeniously imaginative interplay and a regularly growing catalogue. The band spent almost as much time in the studio as they did on the road. As if all that weren’t enough, the moe. canon – released largely through their own Fatboy Records, as well as via two label deals, one major, the other independent – further includes a wide range of archival live releases (including 2000’s L), a Christmas album, even a re-recorded collection of greatest hits. moe. is truly a live band, rightly adored by a fervent following for their epic concert performances, each one imaginatively improvisational, rhythmically audacious, and utterly unique. Indeed, the band has spent much of its 30-year career on the road, including innumerable headline tours, international festival sets from Bonnaroo to Japan’s famed Fuji Rock, music-themed cruises, and sold-out shows alongside such like-minded acts as the Allman Brothers Band, Robert Plant, members of the Grateful Dead, Dave Matthews Band, The Who, Gov’t Mule, & Blues Traveler, to name but a few. As if that weren’t enough, moe. has both promoted and headlined at multiple festivals of their own, including snoe.down and moe.down. That illustrious career path has been supported and nourished by the band’s ever-growing legion of devoted fans and followers, known lovingly as moe.rons. With their astonishing prolificacy and awe-inspiring longevity, moe. is among the rare bands that somehow manage to transcend time and trend to be passed down from one generation to the next. Impossible to pigeonhole as anything other than simply moe., this one-of-a-kind band has never been easily categorized, their sonic adventurousness and tongue-in-cheek humor distinctly and undeniably their own. Despite current circumstances, moe. is celebrating their milestone anniversary with characteristic self-deprecation and wistful optimism. Here’s to the next 30.
I had the pleasure of catching up with Drummer of moe., Vinnie Amico ahead of the band’s arrival back in Madison on September 29th at The Barrymore Theater. We got into what someone new to the scene can expect from the live experience, which is really what this group of artist seems to live for. We talk about how, after thirty years, things are feeling as good and fresh as ever. This is one of those bands that gets into that (as Vinnie said), the music at times starts to play the band, so of course we talk about that in the moment spirt and energy between band members, the fans and the music. Once again, this is a band that has an idea or a map to what should go down once the how begins, but it is that shared moment of this is now happening, and here we go, makes each song, each setlist a unique to you experience. Being a big fan of Al’s writing, we find out a little bit about what happens when he walks into the studio and presents a song he’s working out. It’s a classic answer about process, discussion and family style working through.
Portraits by friend of the proGram Jay Blakesberg
