A band’s evolution is unique in a way its music could never be.
Music can’t help being derivative, a smudgy mirror of what came before it. While most bands come together under similar circumstances – via friends or bulletin-board ads – the individual paths they walk from there vary wildly.
And so the band’s story is every bit as interesting as its music, which is why moe.’s Colorado shows this week are so intriguing. The jam band that was formed in upstate New York 16 years ago is tracing its own evolution through a series of gigs at different area venues, starting Wednesday with an in-store appearance at the new Twist & Shout record store. From there moe. has gigs Thursday at the intimate Fox Theatre in Boulder, Jan. 26 at the midsized Gothic Theatre in Englewood and Jan. 27 at the larger Fillmore Auditorium.
“It blossomed out of us asking, ‘How do we make this work?’ and ‘How do we make this unique?”‘ moe. guitarist Al Schnier said earlier this week from his home in New Hartford, N.Y. “We thought it would be cool if we traced the history of moe. through the venues we played to get to where we are today.”
Schnier calls it the moe.volution, and this Colorado stand is the second time the band has explored its roots in this fashion. The guys did it once in Atlanta, and as they prepped for the shows, they found themselves asking the relevant questions.
Should we only play the music we had written when we were playing these
venues?
Should we wear the same clothes we wore all those years ago?
Should we sleep in the van?
They don’t take the moe.volution that seriously. But the shows do vary greatly.
“When we did do it before, the most intimate of all the shows tended to be a lot looser than the bigger, more formal presentation of the band,” Schnier said. “The music’s different and the banter’s different. The audience is practically sitting on the stage at that venue, much like it is at the Fox Theatre in Boulder. They’re just great places to interact with the crowd.”
moe. is no stranger to small venues. The band has spent most of its 16 years traversing the nation’s highways and byways, asking directions at gas stations for tiny rock clubs and dive bars. The band is familiar with Colorado – especially the mountain-town ski circuit it frequented in its early days – but the fact that the moe.volution is taking place here and nowhere else on this tour is purely coincidental.
Denver is the launching point for the tour for routing reasons, and it all kicks off at Denver’s premier record store the day after the release of moe.’s new full-length studio offering, “The Conch.” It’s hardly unusual for a jam band to release a studio recording, but moe.’s recording methods are unique.
Expanding on the recording methods behind “Wormwood,” its last full-length studio album, moe. attempted to merge the live show with studio recording. The players camped out in the State Theatre in Portland, Maine, for two weeks. They played every day and night, recording everything. Unlike their previous recordings, this time they played mostly to an empty theater.
“We wanted to rein in the variables that made ‘Wormwood’ so difficult,” said Schnier. “The audience was only there for two shows, but we recorded for two weeks. The majority of what’s on the album actually did not get performed in front of an audience.”
Like any jam band, moe. is more comfortable on a stage than in the studio. They members spend more time on a stage and in a van than they do in their homes. So converting a theater into a studio is a smart move, especially because the old rooms have their own acoustic profiles and sound pockets.
“That’s our element and what we’re used to, and that’s where these songs were born and raised, so why not do that,” Schnier said. “We have our own recording gear, so it’s easy for us to set up on a theater stage. You get into some of these nice little theaters, and the rooms are going to be superior to a studio room.
“We got some amazing sounds out of the State Theatre. It felt warm. And we also had a really good relationship with the people there.”
When telling moe.’s story, it’s essential to talk about the people – the industry friends who run the State Theatre and the fans just back from the moe. cruise in the Caribbean aboard the Norwegian Jewel. This is a band that wears the Golden Rule on its sleeve, and people’s allegiance to moe. is obvious – its Fox and Gothic shows are already sold out.
“There’s no grand design in maintaining that kind of relationship with our fans,” Schnier said. “It’s more just a reflection of who we are and how we operate, I guess. At the end of the day we’d like to think that we’re fairly normal people, and the separation between the band and the audience at a concert is minimal.
“We’re onstage and holding an instrument, and the fans are onstage and dancing to the music. There’s no hierarchy or difference in terms of who we are and why we’re all there. It’s all about the music at the end of the day.”
Pop music critic Ricardo Baca can be reached at 303-954-1394 or rbaca@denverpost.com.
