moe.
WARTS AND ALL VOLUME 2,
SEP 10, 2002
FEB 23, 2002
COMPILATION, LIVE
FATBOY RECORDS
1/Intro/1:04
2/Okay Alright/Derhak/5:04
3/She Sends Me/moe., Schnier/4:54
4/Spaz Medicine/moe., Schnier/9:58
5/Understand/Schnier/7:05
6/Letter Home/moe., Schnier/5:34
7/Timmy Tucker/Kids Jam/28:19
1/Kids/moe., Schnier/0:54
2/Mexico/Schnier/8:00
3/Happy Hour Hero/Derhak, moe./2:35
4/Seat of My Pants/Schnier/5:58
5/Sensory Deprivation/Bank/6:05
1/Four/Garvey, moe./13:41
2/Rebubula/Derhak, moe./20:28
3/Banter/2:05
4/Fire/Hendrix/32:32
Vinnie Amico/Drums
Rob Derhak/Bass Guitar, Vocals
Chuck Garvey/ Guitar, Vocals
Jim Loughlin/Acoustic Guitar, Percussion, Piccolo Bass
Al Schnier/Guitar, Mandolin, Vocals, Moog Synthesizer
REVIEW
by Rev. Keith A. Gordon
When the ever-popular Vermont band Phish went on hiatus in the late '90s, the steam was let out of the jam band movement, leading to dwindling live audiences and wholesale cuts by major labels looking toward the next trend. Don't tell the members of moe. that the jam band thing might have run its course, however. Dropped by Epic Records after a pair of decent albums for the label, moe. struck out on its own with encouraging results, touring constantly and slowly building a loyal following that revels in the band's instrumental virtuosity. Warts and All, Vol. 2 is a budget-priced three-CD set that captures the band in its natural environment (i.e., on-stage and playing in front of an enthusiastic audience). The second in a series of live albums released by the band's own Fatboy Records, Warts and All, Vol. 2 documents a February 2002 Atlanta performance in its entirety. The live setting allows the members of moe. to shine, the band kicking out a set list that includes material from each of its studio albums, from short, punchy rockers like "Okayalright" or "She Sends Me" to 20-minute-plus instrumental jams like "Kids." The band's mix of roots rock, blues, and jazz is refreshingly honest; Warts and All, Vol. 2 is a three-hour musical celebration of all that is right in the jam band genre.
BIOGRAPHY
by Jesse Jarnow
Rising from the dingy college bars of upstate New York, moe. carved a niche for itself with a distinct blend of Americana, melodic turns, clever songwriting, and jam band ethics. The bandmates were born and raised in the industrial town of Utica, but it took matriculation at the University of Buffalo for moe. to finally coalesce. Founded in 1990 by bassist/vocalist Rob Derhak, guitarist/vocalist Chuck Garvey, and original drummer Ray Schwartz, the band toured the University's party circuit under the name Five Guys Named Moe with several rotating members. Although they covered both contemporary pop and classic rock songs in concert, the group also recorded two demo tapes of original material -- Codename: Weaselshark and Spine of a Dog -- in 1991. Guitarist Al Schnier was added that same year.
While playing Buffalo bars like Broadway Joe's, they refined their cartoonishly offbeat sound, a slaphappy mix of Primus-like dementia and focused rhythms. By the time Fatboy was released in 1992), improvisation had begun to creep into the band's sets. Schwartz was soon replaced by Jim Loughlin. As Schnier began to develop his trademark psychedelic oscillating guitar sound, the quartet recorded HeadSeed in Buffalo and migrated east to Albany, which served as their homebase for the next three years. In early 1995, the band began to tour nationally; by mid-July, Loughlin had left to join Yolk and was replaced by Mike Strazza, a meticulously precise player. The band recorded Loaf over a two-night stand at New York City's Wetlands Preserve. By December, Strazza, too, was gone, replaced by Chris Mazur.
Mazur's playing, infinitely looser than Strazza's, opened the band up to wider improvisation, though it was a step back in terms of musical maturity. In the spring of 1996, moe. signed to Sony/550 Music, for whom they recorded No Doy in the summer. For their first single release, they chose a 46-minute cut of "Meat," recorded in the studio over the summer. In November, Mazur was fired, replaced by Vinnie Amico of Buffalo's Sonic Garden.
Following an opening slot on the Furthur Tour in the summer of 1997, moe. recorded Tin Cans and Car Tires as they began to place increasing importance on the traditional song form. Loughlin rejoined as an auxiliary percussionist in 1999, and the band was dropped from Sony's roster. That fall, the expanded lineup recorded and released the double-live album L on their own Fatboy Records, showcasing the new textures of the quintet. This was followed in early 2000 with Dither, an experimental effort that was co-produced with John Siket. Three years later, moe. highlighted their studio and live brilliance with the release of Wormwood. A parade of concert albums followed during the 2000s, including volumes in the Instant Live and Warts and All series.
moe. has been a staple for years at music festivals nationwide -- especially at Bonnaroo in the southeast. In addition to headlining festivals, moe. hosts two of their own: moe.down and snoe.down, both held in upstate New York in the late summer and late winter, respectively. Amid all this live activity, the band released a compilation of two earlier releases, No Doy/Tin Cans and Car Tires, in 2006. They followed it up with their first studio effort in four years, 2007's The Conch, and returned in 2008 with Sticks and Stones and Dr. Stan's Prescription, Vol. 1.
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