{"id":535,"date":"2015-06-25T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-06-25T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.nysmusic.com\/2015\/2015\/06\/25\/moe-packs-saranac-and-celebrates-new-hoppy-hour-hero-and-moe-saic-ipa\/"},"modified":"2015-06-25T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2015-06-25T00:00:00","slug":"moe-packs-saranac-and-celebrates-new-hoppy-hour-hero-and-moe-saic-ipa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.nysmusic.com\/2015\/2015\/06\/25\/moe-packs-saranac-and-celebrates-new-hoppy-hour-hero-and-moe-saic-ipa\/","title":{"rendered":"Moe. Packs Saranac And Celebrates New ‘Hoppy Hour Hero’ and ‘moe.saic IPA’"},"content":{"rendered":"

moe. continued its 25th anniversary celebration with two shows at its hometown Saranac Brewery Friday and Saturday night. Old friends and new were on hand, as well as a brand new Saranac Double IPA named Hoppy Hour Hero in their honor.<\/p>\n

\"Hoppy
moe. Saranac Brewery<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Friday’s big surprise was the return of original moe<\/a>. drummer Ray Shwartz. Shwartz left the band following the band’s Fatboy<\/em> album in 1992. Current drummer Vinnie Amico graciously stepped aside while Shwartz sat in for the moe. classic “Don’t Fuck With Flo.”<\/p>\n

\"Hoppy
Saranac brewed a special batch in honor of the hometown boys’ return to the brewery for a pair of shows June 19-20.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The weekend had a mini-festival vibe about it, with Twiddle<\/a> opening Friday night and Cabinet<\/a> and Kung Fu<\/a> joining in Saturday. Additionally, Shnier and Amico’s side project\u00a0Floodwood<\/a>\u00a0took to the Celtic Harp stage following Friday’s show, and the legendary Ha Ha the Moose did the same Saturday night.\u00a0Ryan Montbelau<\/a>\u00a0was another post-show option for fans at Lukin’s just up Varick Street.<\/p>\n

\"Hoppy
moe. Saranac Brewery<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

moe. spent little time getting to the down and dirty on Friday, opening with “Tailspin” into “Bearsong” followed by the introduction of their new beer and the tried and true Saranac theme song “Happy Hour Hero” (for the record, as an avowed beer snob, your author made sure to grab a growler of the Hoppy Hour Hero from the Tavern. This is one of Saranac’s best outings, in this reviewer’s humble opinion).<\/p>\n

Friday night’s setlist<\/p>\n

Set I:<\/strong>\u00a0Tailspin > Bearsong, Hoppy Hour Hero, Mar-DeMa > Y.O.Y. > George > Lazarus<\/p>\n

Set II:<\/strong>\u00a0Don\u2019t Fuck With Flo*, Tubing The River Styx > The Pit > meat., White Lightning Turpentine, Blue Jeans Pizza > Downward Facing Dog<\/p>\n

Enc:<\/strong>\u00a0Billy Goat, Low (Cracker cover)<\/p>\n

Notes:<\/strong>\u00a0* with original drummer Ray Schwartz<\/p>\n

Saturday saw Cabinet kicking things off with its\u00a0blend of bluegrass and jam. Truly appreciative of the Utica love, they made an appearance in the merchandise tent following their solid set.<\/p>\n

Kung Fu followed and proved to be a formidable act to follow. They brought the funk promptly at 6:30 and proceeded to move many a booty in the Saranac crowd. If you haven’t had a chance to check out this fusion quintet, it is highly recommended. They blend Hancock’s Headhunter-era fusion with James Brown funk and some Zappa thrown in for good measure.<\/p>\n

moe. hit the stage Saturday with a rousing “Captain America” to engage the huge Saranac crowd. Over several years of shows at this venue, this one ranked among the highest attended.<\/p>\n

\"Hoppy
moe. Saranac Brewery<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

An easy ride through “Akimbo” was followed by “Not Coming Down” which seemed to mock the few sprinkles that started falling from the sky midway through.<\/p>\n

By far, the highlight of the night was the guest appearance of Tim Palmeiri and Rob Somerville of Kung Fu during “Silver Sun.” The addition of the sax invigorated this newer song and Palmieri’s guitar battles with Garvey and Schnier were the stuff of moe. legend. Check out this YouTube clip for just a scant view of what was truly something to behold in person:<\/p>\n