Genre-defying jam band moe. have announced they are extending their 35th anniversary tour with a limited run of dates in the fall. The 13-date tour includes a stop in Cincinnati, OH for a performance at Taft Theatre on Friday, October 24.
ABOUT MOE.
Thirty-five years ago, a posse of University of Buffalo-based musician-friends got together to play music. Out of freewheeling sessions bursting with bold, genre-defying creativity and tongue-in-cheek humor, a 6-headed monster named moe. emerged.
Decades later, moe.’s tireless work ethic, DIY resourcefulness, infectious songwriting, and highly-engaged fanbase—the Famoe.ly—have enabled the sextet to earn a successful career. Yet, the guys have never rested on their laurels as “jam band pioneers.” They average 100 shows per year, and regularly release vital new music, including the band’s latest album, Circle of Giants (ATO), its 13th release.
moe. is a brotherhood, featuring Derhak, Schnier, guitarist/vocalist Chuck Garvey, drummer Vinnie Amico, percussionist/vibraphonist Jim Loughlin, and keyboardist Nate Wilson. The six-piece band came up in the primordial pouch of the early jam band scene, alongside Blues Traveler, Spin Doctors, Widespread Panic, and Phish.
Lauded by American Songwriter for its “mind-bending musicality,” moe. is beloved for its sonic adventurousness, unbridled showmanship, and its witty and insightful songwriting. NYS Music has said: “moe. has redefined what’s possible within the genre, leaving a lasting impact and challenging listeners to rethink the limits of musical expression.”
Since releasing its foundational album, Fatboy, in 1992, moe. has issued a vast and varied series of now-classic records. Select studio album highlights include 1998’s Tin Cans & Car Tires; 2004’s Wormwood; 2007’s The Conch (which reached #1 on Billboard’s “Heatseekers” chart); and 2012’s critically-acclaimed What Happened To The La Las.
moe. has undertaken innumerable headline tours. Played international festival sets from Bonnaroo to Japan’s famed Fuji Rock. And performed on music-themed cruises, and at sold-out shows alongside the Allman Brothers Band, members of the Grateful Dead, Dave Matthews Band, and The Who, among others. In addition, moe. has both promoted and headlined at multiple festivals of its own, including snoe.down and moe.down.
In the past few years, the band’s mettle has been tested when two of its founding members battled life-threatening illnesses. Derhak triumphed over nasopharyngeal cancer, and Garvey bounded back from a stroke.
Up next, moe. is finally able to enjoy its 35th anniversary, albeit a year late. “It feels good to celebrate after the amount of shit we’ve been through,” Dehrak says with a good-natured laugh. Schinier adds: “We have always found our way forward because we have each other.” Garvey concludes: “It’s this brotherhood and our extended moe. family that always gets us through.”
