|
|
|
Written by Glenn BurnSilver
|
|
Wednesday, 31 May 2006 |
|
|
|
|
|
Page 1 of 2 Being labeled a jamband carries this weird connotation of a band that is unable to truly write a song and thus must forever “noodle” about aimlessly. The connotation further assumes this is something that appeals only to swirling hippies and acid casualties.
“Really, it all comes down to the clothes you wear,” moe. guitarist Al Schnier said with a laugh. 
But behind his laughter is a serious band of musicians who embrace their jamband tag proudly. They should, having won three Jammy Awards and heaps of praise from both Rolling Stone and Blender—and only shrug their shoulders at the jambands who don’t want to be called jambands.
“There is such a diversity in the scene with all these bands doing their own form of rock with improvisation. That’s what makes it great,” Schnier said. “Look at Sonic Youth, or the Velvet Underground. Those are the ultimate jambands, but you won’t hear anyone calling them that. It’s just the timing. Right now is a great time for jambands, but … you won’t get invited to places like Coachella.”
moe. doesn’t need Coachella. They put on their own festival, the annual Labor Day moe.down, which features a diverse array of bands, jam and not. Of course, that the festival is put on by a jamband means some bands, perhaps believing those connotations, won’t come.
“We keep inviting Wilco every year, but they turn us down,” Schnier said. “If it was some kind of folk or rock festival, maybe. But they don’t want to be associated with jambands.”
Nonetheless, moe.’s rising star allows them the freedom to experiment, both on stage and in the studio, where they are putting the finishing touches on their next album, “The Conch.” The process actually began a year ago when the band rented a small theater in Portland, Maine. Inside the band erected a small studio—complete with a lounge area with old couches from the Salvation Army—and performed comfortably in their regular stage set up. moe. recorded for a week before allowing fans in to hear the new material. The initial idea was to use a combination of tracks from the empty and full theater sets for the album, though that has changed a little.
“Well, that was a year ago,” Schnier added. “Now the album has new songs we wrote since that was completed, and it may be a double album. The new songs are ones the fans never heard before, which is really different for us.”
And with moe. different is good. Each album offers another side of the band, from the quirky goodness of “No Doy” to the adventurous song cycle that is “Wormwood,” as well as a host of live albums full of unusual cover songs spanning the musical horizon.
“All we try to do is write good songs with lyrics that don’t suck and have some meaning,” Schnier concludes. “And improvise a little from there.”
TO GO SEE moe.
• Doors 3:30 p.m., show 5:30 p.m.
• June 3
• Red Rocks, Morrison
• $35.50 general admission, $39.50 reserved
• With Umphrey’s McGee and Mason Jennings
• more at www.moe.org
|
|
|  | "Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is Alchemy's first law of Equivalent Exchange. In those days, we really believed that to be the world's one, and only truth." | |
|  | We're not that bright, even though in our own little world, we're geniuses. We like 80s hair bands and one-hit wonders, but among us we have respectable tastes, too. Metallica, Iron Maiden, U2. Pursuit of all things trivial is a lifestyle, not just a game. We like some sports, love other sports, and can find something to say about anything. We watch TV and movies and we've read a book or two, even a few classics (Yes, Classic Comics count!)
We call it insight, you call it what you will. | |
|  | Felix Wong is an outdoor enthusiast living in Fort Collins. A mechanical engineer by day, he is especially passionate about bicycling, running, and backpacking. | |
|  | Hola Amigos! I'm Sandra. I like to believe that people are 70 percent good and 30 percent dumb. I'm stickin to that story. Reading this blog might make you want to be good, but probably just dumb. | |
|  | Donovan Henderson is editor of NEXTnc. | |
|  | Here at Nextnc we have some characters. Get a sneak peak behind the curtain and find out what amusing antics our staffers get themselves into on a weekly basis. | |
|  | What is up FoCo?
I am a recent college graduate of Minnesota State University Moorhead. After recieving my B.A. in English and Mass Communications this past August I moved down to Colorado.
I enjoy long walks on the beach, candlelight dinners, and heavy metal. My hobbies include reading and writing, music, movies, and getting drunk. Some of my favorite contemporary authors include Bret Easton Ellis, Chuck Palahniuk, and Kurt Vonnegut. My top movies are anything directed by Kubrick. I enjoy listening to anything that rocks.
Right now I am just trying to get to know Colorado and FoCo better. Mostly in order to find the best drink specials on each day that ends in Y. So if you know where I can get a cheap drunk on, let me know!
--Drew | |
|  | Life's little morsels of inspiration, observation and encouragement seen through the eyes of the Nextnc reporter.
| |
|  | Ms. Giles currently lives in Colorado where she stars in her own private reality show. She writes aphoristic accounts of her life, taken completely out of context, and embellished with characters and situations disguised to resemble something close to interesting. | |
|  | over and out | |
| | My name is Michelle Turley and I'm 28 years old. I live in Severance with my hubbie, Brandon. We have 2 dogs and a cat. We enjoy camping, four-wheeling, and just being in the mountains. I like to cook, clean (go figure), flea market, and play poker. I have so much to say about poker... | |
|
|
