What do you get when you cross blistering, improvisatory rock/reggae/funk with enough marijuana to choke a Rasta? That’s right, you get moe. at the State Theater! With rock overtones and ripping, unforgiving solos, the band’s Nov. 8 show captivated the audience for nearly four hours, only to leave them pleading for more.
Comprised of Al Shnier and Chuck Garvey on guitar, Rob Derhak on bass, Vinnie Amico on drums, and Jim Loughlin with an assortment of percussion, moe. originally formed in Buffalo, New York. Their genre of music is based on solos, and although moe. is very much like other jam bands on the surface, they play in a style all their own. Their songs often begin with rock and blues licks and then morph into strange yet beautiful mood music, eventually changing into something entirely different.
What really makes this band stick out is their use of segues. Instead of pausing in between songs like most bands do, moe. finishes a song and just keeps jamming, eventually beginning the next song. This makes for some very long performances. In fact, the entire second set of their Portland show was one jam session that linked four songs. Now, four songs does not sound like much, but those songs plus their accompanying jams accounted for nearly an hour and a half of uninterrupted music.
The band began the show by demonstrating their expertise in varying music styles. In the first song, “Threw It All Away,” they blended a reggae vibe with meticulous solos and experimented with different tempos, creating a mood that remained throughout the night. Shnier and Garvey’s creative guitar riffs and solos livened up the atmosphere as Amico and Loughlin’s full percussion section was joined with Derhak’s intelligent bass lines. The highlight of the night was at the end of the first set, when Strangefolk guitarist Jon Trafton appeared and delivered some impressive solos on “Moth.”
Although the show was better than average, there were a few problems, besides the band’s obvious shortcoming of being Yankees fans (they came onstage with a Yankees jersey and draped it over an amp). The biggest problem could be the length of their raw, unbridled jams. Fans of the jam band genre definitely would not have a problem with it, but for those of you who have short attention spans, the extended solos might be a little too much to bear and leave you bored. Judging from the reaction of the crowd, though, nobody seemed to have a problem with it.
All in all, moe. put on an exceptional show. It is good to see a band that appeals to a large audience but still retains its unique style. Bands like moe. demonstrate true talent and provide a worthy alternative to the overproduced world of bubble gum pop-stars and MTV.
Jon Blood can be contacted at [email protected]