moe. will be coming back to where it all started on Thursday, June 19th at Buffalo, NY’s hottest summer venue, Canalside.Conehead Buddha will be opening for moe. and should be a great opening act as they have been playing for many years throughout the northeast. The show is also the second of many free events on Thursdays this summer at Buffalo’s waterfront area. There is also an option to purchase VIP tickets that allow front of stage access as well as complimentary beer, wine and appetizers.
moe. is coming off of their newest album release, No Guts, No Glory , which came out at the end of May. The band has several dates throughout the summer as well as many stops throughout New York. moe. never seems to disappoint when coming back to Buffalo, so make your plans to head out to Canalside to catch them at this free event.
This year’s Summer Camp Music Festival has once again proved itself as a one of the best music festivals in the United States, and Not Your Average Summer Camp. Over Memorial Day weekend, an estimated 15,000 people made the pilgrimage to the small town of Chillicothe, Illinois, for what can only be described as the experience of a life. Since 2001, Summer Camp has been one of the fastest growing festivals in the Midwest and this year was possibly the best one to date. Its seven stages and over 100 artists gave festival goers a non-stop feed of music with more options that one could wrap their head around. In the rare chance that those in attendance were not busy enjoying the music, there were countless other attractions to assure that they got the full experience.
There are numerous music festivals across the country with impressive lineups and exciting activates, but what sets Summer Camp apart is its blissful vibe. As soon as you enter the grounds of Three Sister’s Park, you are overtaken by a warm comforting sensation that starts deep in the stomach and radiates throughout your whole body. Being at Summer Camp felt like returning home after a long absence, which is something I have rarely said in my festival going career. I was in the parking lot for less than five minutes and a group of people approached me with hugs and greetings of smiles and gifts. It was as if everyone around was an old friend, all of them more excited to see you than the last.
Activities for Scampers were endless, ranging from a festival wide Treasure Hunt, to musical workshops with some of the top artists in the country. The Soulshine tent was home to most of the weekend’s many events. For those interested in lectures or other educational activities, there were classes and workshops focusing on Permaculture, Cob Building, Composting, Hula-Hooping, Sustainability, and Solar Energy. In the entertainment department, there were performances by members of LCD Soundsystem, Here Comes the Sun Stereo, Floodwood, and The Everyone Orchestra. There was also an art gallery with live art performances, daily raffles for charity, and a Non GMO March. Possibly the most exciting of all were the three carnival rides, supplying campers with non-stop thrills!
Though General Admission tickets only covered Friday to Sunday, Thursday was still an eventful night for those early comers. Starting off Summer Camp Music Festival 2014 was Soul Census, followed by a mix of folk and electronic music. The main events for the evening were Twiddle, Future Rock, The Ragbirds, Sun Stereo, and Upstate New York’s own, Floodwood. Floodwood is a folk/bluegrass band featuring Al Schnier and Vinnie Amico from moe.. For a fairly quiet first night, there was still plenty of fun to be had at Summer Camp.
The floodgates opened Friday morning as ecstatic festival-goers came from far and wide. By noon, Three Sisters Park was brimming with smiling faces and the music had only just begun; you could feel the excited anticipation in the air. moe.’s first set was nothing short of stunning. For over an hour and a half the quintet rocked their heavy jams to thousands of Scampers. With solos ranging from metal to psychedelic, this was perfect headliner to kick off the fest. More rocking jams were supplied by Umphrey’s McGee as they played the first two of their six sets. Umph Love was in abundance as the band exhibited their immense repertoire, including tracks off their soon to be released album, Similar Skin. Primus also reigned in a massive crowd for their one and only performance of the weekend. Les Claypool’s stellar bass playing was the foundation for the headliners unique funky yet dark sound. Besides moe., featured bands from the Upstate area were Jimkata and The Manhattan Project. Both bands are specialists in the electronic jam sector and represented NY well with their hot digital jams.
Saturday was again a perfect festival day, with sunny skies and warm weather. Like the previous day, moe. and Umphrey’s showed they were unstoppable, playing another two sets each! Other must-see performances for the day were Lotus, Devil Makes Three, Mike Dillon Band, and The Werks. Each band seemed to be as good if not better than the last, spreading love and good vibes throughout Summer Camp. With warm hearts and bright eyes all around, it was not hard to tell that everyone in attendance was having the time of their life. There to show the true talent of New York State were Floodwood, Break Science, and the very popular Big Leg Emma. Big Leg Emma played a diverse set of some of their original grassy jam mixed with covers including The Beatles’ Hey Jude.
When you thought it couldn’t get any better, the heat got turned way up on Sunday… literally. The temperature was near 90 degrees at Summer Camp as music lovers convened for one last day of immaculate tunes. Sunday was the biggest day of the weekend by far, bringing in over 1,000 more Scampers. The day was packed with big names of all genres. Groups such as Yonder Mountain String Band, The Wood Brothers, Bassnectar, Gramatik, and Lettuce were all on the line up for the last day. Zac Brown Band and Trey Anastasio Band also blessed Summer Camp with two sets each. And of course, to close things off, Umphrey’s McGee and moe. each played a set, joining together for a short epic jam session. The shining lights from New York State for the day were Turkuaz and Auto Body from Brooklyn. Dopapod and Aqueous illustrated Upstate’s talent, each playing an hour of psychedelic jam-rock.
An immense amount of work goes into putting on such a startlingly impressive gathering like Summer Camp Music Festival. Behind the scenes of all the fun, music, and art, was a volunteer staff of over 500 people who did everything from maintain a safe environment to sorting every single piece of trash generated by the immense crowd. Summer Camp’s Green Team was in charge of waste management at the festival, creating Earth friendly waste receptacles divided into trash, recyclables, and compost. All vendors also were required to use recyclable and compostable utensils and plates. Summer Camp is more than just a festival, it has become a movement for change and to bring awareness to important issues that affect us all. There was also a great amount of Non-Profit activity as well, mostly focused on sustainability and environmentalism.
For a seasoned festival-goer or a first timer, Summer Camp with leave you speechless with a smile on your face the whole way home. Three Sisters Park is the perfect venue for the fest and with the outstanding artist lineup, art, and weather, no one could possibly ask for anything more. Any chance there is to attend Summer Camp Music Festival is the chance of the lifetime and you are guaranteed not to leave disappointed. There is no festival with a comparable vibe.
You can download recordings from Summer Camp below.
Pretend for a second that you are in the band moe.: you’ve been playing together for twenty-five years, performed alongside rock-and-roll legends, hosted major festivals for fifteen years, acquired a cult-like following, and now you are staring down the barrel of recording your twelfth studio album. Now what? How do you create something new while acknowledging the path that brought you to this point in the first place? More importantly, how do you find the fire to keep going at all? These questions seem to be underlying motifs throughout, No Guts, No Glory!, a balls-to-the-wall, 11-track record, clocking in at just under an hour. No Guts, No Glory! is a unique blend of musical styles that stay true to the “moe. sound”, while acknowledging their journey as a band, and paying homage to their scene, contemporaries and influences.
The album opener, “Annihilation Blues” is a quintessential, up-tempo moe. song, with a sharp rock hook that busts into a sustained bluesy-guitar chorus. This tune, along with the last track,“Billy Goat”, which features catchy licks and quick, sealed bass lines are arguably the most ‘classic’ in terms of fun, sing-along type songs that are undeniable jam platforms. It is easy to imagine swaying to either song in the Upstate New York summer sun while polishing off a Saranac. The album really comes alive though on less-traditional tracks, where moe. explores different sounds and focuses more on succinct, meaningful song writing. “Same Old Story” for example, has a sort of washed out, surf-rock feel with rant-like lyrics, while “White Lightning Turpentine” showcases a tasty slide guitar and meditative xylophone patterns while maintaining a country-twang feel that feels like a rainy night. The nods to musical influences are also huge on this album: “Little Miss Cup Half Empty” starts off with a Beatles-type melody before transitioning into a 90’s ska/reggae up-stroke and percussion lines; “Calyphornya” has a grunge feel that challenges the idea of stardom and Hollywood and is very reminiscent of the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Californication”. “Silver Sun” is perhaps the most notable homage, with undeniable Pink Floyd influences (think specifically “On The Run”), including steady low-end drums, distorted dream-like vocals and a slow, tasty guitar solo with a thickened tone.
With all that said, my favorite tracks are where moe. turns introspective and self-referencing. “Do or Die”, for example, tackles the idea of keeping on as a band, while finding new inspiration and the drive to keep fans interested. This song also touches the idea of pseudo-stardom and always striving for the next level of success, with lines like: “Keep on workin’ / I know someday the time will come / I’ll make it someday.” The standout song of the album for me, however, is “The Pines and The Apple Trees” which is a beautiful, thoughtful, coming of age song that is bittersweet and nostalgic. This track is exceptional because it not only addresses the passage of time and changes for moe. as a band (“Wouldn’t trade those memories for diamonds or gold … Can’t guess where you’re headed next / overwhelmed and underdressed“), but for their fan base as well. The biggest moe.rons are now twenty-five years older than their first moe. show and the times have changed. Passed are the days of the “Happy Hour Hero” with “a pint of ale and a shot of jack / a pack of Camel Lights”; these days, as Rob sings in “The Pines”, it’s more like “can of beer, can of prier, and a fistful of pills”. Still, if No Guts, No Glory! is any indication, moe. doesn’t plan on slowing down or going anywhere anytime soon. With an arsenal of fresh songs and new ideas, paired with that classic feel-good moe. sound, fans are sure to enjoy continuing to age (gracefully) with the band until their next chapter.
Key Tracks: White Lightning Turpentine, The Pines and The Apple Trees, and Billy Goat
This year marks the 14th year of the ever-growing Summer Camp Music Festival set to take place at the Three Sisters Park in Chillicothe, Illinois during Memorial Day weekend, May 23-25, 2014. The over 15,000 festival goers expected to attend will nearly triple the population of the small town, as it is infiltrated with music lovers from far and wide. Since Summer Camp’s start in 2001, it has grown from 1,000 people, 20 bands, and 2 stages to 15,000 people, 100+ bands, and 7 stages.
moe. is a band that really speaks for itself. Since 2001, moe. has been making a name for themselves around the country and the world, playing festivals all over and even having their very own moe.down Music Festival. Dopapod, Jimkata, and Aqueous are becoming veterans of the music festival scene. They have made appearances at shows like Burning Man, Bonnaroo, moe.down, and Gathering of the Vibes, ever increasing their reputation as seasoned festival musicians. Big Leg Emma and Turkuaz and just now making their way to the bigger venues, such as Summercamp, as they continue to make a name for themselves as soulful funk and folk musicians that can be appreciated by all.
Besides Summer Camp Music Festival’s stellar lineup and prime location at the beautiful Three Sisters Park, there are countless activities for music lovers to partake in during their down time, if they choose to have any. There are five main stages and at least three smaller tent and indoor sights to see music as well. One of the big attractions for when your not out enjoying the wide selection of music, is the Soulshine Tent. This tent is an education and entertainment mecca for festivalgoers. The tent has everything everything, including a live art gallery, hands on permaculture display, yoga, hoola-hooping classes, and last but not least, live glass blowing.
Besides being one of the country’s top stops for music and fun this summer, Summer Camp Music Festival is always looking at the bigger picture through their sustainable initiatives and non-profit involvement. Known as “The Summer Camp Green Team,” hundreds of volunteers will be on sight to assist campers in disposing properly of their waste and to sort recyclables. The campgrounds are filled with clearly marked color-coded waste bins, many biodiesel generators, composting areas, and environmental education centers. There is also a special “Make a Difference” area at Three Sisters Park, where the many non-profit groups are set up for campers to donate and learn about local and global causes. It is obvious that the organizers of Summer Camp have more on their mind than music and profit and that the environment and local communities are deeply seeded in what is important to them.
Again this year, Summer Camp Music Festival is sure to prove itself as one of, if not the top music festival in the country. From the countless artists and performers both internationally and locally known, the numerous other spots for entertainment and education, and the general happy-go-lucky vibe that will make sure any person in attendance can feel the love, Summer Camp is undoubtedly the place to be this summer. It is a place people of all backgrounds and musical interests can go and enjoy themselves, have new experiences that will stay with them for a life time, and feel good about doing it, knowing your impact on the earth is as minuscule, yet as positive as it can be.
Tickets are available at Summer Camp’s Ticket Central or ETIX at 1-800-514-ETIX. General 3-Day General Admission tickets are on sale now for $214.50.
moe. will be playing back to back nights at Saranac Brewery on June 20-21. Saranac Brewery has hosted many shows in the past including moe., which are no strangers to the Utica, NY landmark. The band will be promoting their newest album, No Guts, No Glory – which will be out on May 27th. The summer tour will include stops in Bellevue, CO on June 13th and Kansas City, MO on June 15th. It looks like moe.’s summer is starting to fill up with many shows throughout the country.
Tickets go on sale for Saranac on Saturday, April 5th at noon.
moe. Upcoming Dates
5/28- New York, NY – No Guts, No Glory album release show
5/30-Providence, RI- Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel
5/31-Hampton Beach, NH- Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom
6/13-Bellevue, Co- Mishawaka Ampitheatre
6/14- Denver, Co- LOHI Music Festival
6/15- Kansas City, MO- The Crossroads
6/20- Utica, NY- Saranac Brewery
6/21- Utica, NY- Saranac Brewery
6/22-Hudson, NY- Clearwater’s Great Hudson Revival Festival
7/31- Breitenbach am Herzberg, Germany- Burg Herzberg Festival
8/2-8/3- Bridgeport, CT- Gathering of the Vibes
Floodwood takes the stage on Saturday, March 8th at The Waiting Room in downtown Buffalo. Floodwood, who call Upstate New York home is one of the region’s hottest bluegrass bands to date. Comprised from of Al Schnier (guitar) and Vinnie Amico (drums) and Woodenspoon’s Jason Barady (mandolin), Nick Piccininni (fiddle, banjo) and Zachary Fleitz (bass), the band really knows how to jam. Floodwood has been constantly touring when moe. is not and has been playing all over including some of the biggest festivals over the past few years.
Big Leg Emma will be opening the show, an American roots rock band from Western, NY. Big Leg Emma is known to get everyone up and moving with their dance vibe which is driven from traditional folk, bluegrass and country.
Funktional Flow, a local funky jam band will be special guest as well and we encourage everyone to make sure they get there early enough to catch them, as they are one of the freshest and up and coming bands in the Western, NY area.
Tickets for Floodwood can be purchased through the Waiting Room. $15- $18. Doors 8pm
moe. announced today that their newest album, No Guts, No Glory will be out on Tuesday, May 27th on Sugar Hill Records. The album marks the band’s eleventh studio album which features 11 songs . The deluxe CD, digital and vinyl records will feature 14 songs. The album cover art was done by world renown concert poster artist EMEK, the albums vibrant color and design looks great and we all can’t wait to hear the new album.
moe sure knows how to close out a tour and leave the fans wanting more, as they wrapped up another successful tour to a packed house at The F shed on Saturday February 15th.
The F Shed is a unique venue, located just miles off the New York State Thruway in Syracuse making it accessible from all major highways. It is essentially a giant garage that could easily store a fleet of commercial airlines. It almost gives the feel of an outdoor dance tent that most concertgoers would relate to, and it gives off an incredible vibe. Every city should really look at its model as something they should consider in their area.
Max Creek set the stage for the evening with some solid jams, led by Scott Murawski who would eventually join moe. on stage for a few songs. Max Creek has been a successful touring band for over 30 years and musically sound as great as any of the biggest names out there, with improvisational abilities that are top notch.
moe. wasted no time and opened the show with the classic fan favorite “Akimbo”, to thunderous applause. The lights were amazing and moe. was simply just hitting their stride when “32 Things” came up and got everyone flying. “Bring You Down >Awesome Gary > Mar De Ma” was an incredible run and gave the crowd not a moment to rest, with Rob Derhak giving off a hint of a smile as he slapped the bass. Scott Murawski from Max Creek joined the boys during “Mar De Ma” and helped accompany the band during a very solid cover of The Rolling Stones, “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking” with “Spaz Medicine” closing out a very hot first set.
“Okayalright” got the crowd up and running again and is such a perfect opening song. “Happy Hour Hero” paid homage to Saranac Brewery and is always a nice shout out to the home of Al Schnier. “Blue Jeans Pizza >Seat Of My Pants” had to be the highlight of the night, especially on Al side, where he went into full blown rockstar mode at the front of the stage, making sure everyone was able to get that classic pose captured on the sea of cell phones held up high. When Schnier was holding back, Chuck Garvey would come in to wallop you with his solos, keeping your attention on the entire stage. Closing out the set with “Spine Of A Dog > Buster”, the band filled out what was an incredible run of songs.
The two songs of the encore brought chills to the air with covers of Pink Floyd’s “Time” and Frank Zappa’s “San Ber’dino”, followed by an impromptu costume change during “Downward Facing Dog” as Schnier mocked in his dog costume that he decided to wear throughout the final song, a classic image for all moe. fans.
moe. certainly brings their A game every time they play Upstate and we’re all very fortunate to be able to see them so often in New York State where they are truly a gem.
Set1: Akimbo >32 Things, Bring You Down > Awesome Gary > Mar-DeMa*, Can’t You Hear Me Knockin’*, Spaz Medicine Set 2: Okayalright > Happy Hour Hero, Gone, Blue Jeans Pizza > Seat Of My Pants, Spine Of A Dog > Buster Encore: Time, San Ber’dino, Downward Facing Dog
{* w/ Scott Murawski}
moe.down 15 has announced their initial lineup and some heavy hitters are in store for moe.rons! Joining moe. this year will be jamtronica gurus Lotus, Les Claypool’s Duo de Twang, Soulive, O.A.R., Vermont’s Twiddle and Buffalo’s Aqueous. Expect more bands to be announced over the next two months to round out an already stellar lineup.
The Wetlands Preserve may be gone, but it is far from forgotten, thanks to Pete Shapiro and The Capitol Theatre, which served as the location from which to pay tribute to the fabled venue on the occasion of its 25th anniversary. The former lower Manhattan club is still fresh in the many memories of the fans but especially the musicians who performed in lower Manhattan in the 1990s. A wide group, including Jimmy Herring, Nate Wilson, Reid Genauer, Conehead Buddha, Peter Prince, Chris Barron and many more joined moe. over the course of February 7th and 8th. It was a night where those fans who did frequent The Wetlands and those who know the venue just from the oral history of the Jamband scene combined to share in the legacy of the venue and make new memories.
There is a great deal of history coming from The Wetlands, with extensive proof found in Wetlands Perserved, a must-see DVD. The venue lineup any given week was a who’s who of touring bands. Having moe. play for two nights and bring out friends served as a fitting throwback to yesteryear. When is moe. not moe.? When they have their friends playing with them on jam-friendly originals and a variety of covers on a special occasions such as this.
Opening for moe. were The Ringers, featuring three guitarists – Jimmy Herring,Wayne Krantz, Michael Landau, bassist Etienne Mbappe and drummer Gary Novak. A full set of rockin’ blues with glorious jamming was a sight not to miss. Flawless rock and shred done right, but the set was all too short. We need more Ringers shows, simple as that. In between the sets, video and photo footage was projected on the Capitol Theatre’s majestic walls; those in the balcony had a great view that aided the crowd in reminiscing.
moe. came out to “New York City”, naturally, then dipped into the past with “Y.O.Y.” and “Nebraska”, and brought up Nate Wilson to play piano and organ on “Blue Jeans Pizza” and “Plane Crash”, where he recalled “Giorgio by Morodor” from Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories. Michael Landeau joined on guitar, as did Jimmy Herring for “Buster”, with a projection of the flying pig on the tour poster projected across both sides of the stage. To cap off an already stellar set, members of Percy Hill, Max Creek, Strangefolk and Aquarium Rescue Unit joined moe. for an instant classic rendition of “Sugaree”, rotating verses between them. What a closer.
“Mexico” kicked off the second set, and moe.’s oft-used jam-vehicle for friends had yet another stellar showing, launching themselves into the rest of the night. Reid joined and led on vocals during this conversational “Mexico”. A surprise to many, Strangefolk’s “Speculator” kept Reid on vocals and was rocked out between Chuck, Reid, Al and Nate. In particular, Nate played the perfect accents of piano in “Speculator”, a song above all other Strangefolk songs that is greatly benefited by the addition of piano. It’s a good song. “Growin”, “She” and “The Road” rounded out the set, with a monstrous “Timmy Tucker” closing out the set. An encore of “Up on Cripple Creek” with Reid, Scott and Nate made for an ideal communal song to end the night’s festivities. This was a classic night that will be recalled vividly, and hopefully, repeated annually at The Cap.
Bonus from the two shows! Pick up a FREE download of the weekend’s shows: February 7thandFebruary 8th. Don’t miss out on these hot shows
moe. will be coming back to where it all started on Thursday, June 19th at Buffalo, NY’s hottest summer venue, Canalside. Conehead Buddha will be opening for moe. and should be a great opening act as they have been playing for many years throughout the northeast. The show is also the second of many free events on Thursdays this summer at Buffalo’s waterfront area. There is also an option to purchase VIP tickets that allow front of stage access as well as complimentary beer, wine and appetizers.
There is a great deal of history coming from The Wetlands, with extensive proof found in