moe.down / Lineup

 

moe.

Your gracious hosts for the weekend.

 

Ween

The brotherhood of Ween began in 1984 in New Hope, Pennsylvania when Aaron Freeman (Gene Ween) and Mickey Melchiondo (Dean Ween) met in an eighth grade typing class. Their earliest home recordings were anarchic and free-spirited, drawing on influences as far-reaching as Syd Barrett, The Beatles, Queen, Frank Zappa, Prince, Butthole Surfers, The Residents, and the lo-fi punk movement.  17 albums later, they’ve dabbled in everything from 70s soul to Nashville country and continue to defy the laws of alt rock. The band's eclectic style has earned them a loyal and rabid fanbase over the past 27 years, and while they could generally be referred to as "rock", one of their defining tendencies has always been toward experimentation with various styles, often incorporating a strong element of humor and absurdity. Gene and Dean handle all the guitar and vocals but will roll into moe.down as a five piece with drums, bass and keyboards buoying their sound.

 

The Levon Helm Band (plus Very Special Guest Bob Weir)

Levon Helm has worn many musical hats throughout his long career, including multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, singer, impresario, studio owner, studio engineer, and producer. His start in the touring circuit began in 1957, playing drums for charismatic front-man Ronnie Hawkins in “The Hawks”. Eager to expand their own musical interests, Levon and his fellow band members split from Hawkins, becoming “Levon and the Hawks”. They teamed up with Bob Dylan, who was looking to explore an electric sound. Dylan’s die-hard fans failed to embrace their vision, which disappointed Helm. He left the group temporarily to head back home to Arkansas, while the rest of the band took up residence near Dylan in Woodstock, N.Y.

Capitol Records soon came calling with a recording contract and Helm returned. Woodstock residents called them “the band,” so they kept the moniker. The name “The Band” fit. The sound was no frills rock and roll but far from simplistic.  As moe.’s Al Schnier puts it: “There is something cool about what they did, that no other band has really come close to. There was a collective sound that they made in a time when no one else was doing anything like it…something really sort of American….there was something really original about the music they were making, but there was a heritage quality to it somehow. They brought this very old soul to their music but they were really young guys when they were doing this.”

 Their first album, Music from Big Pink, was released in 1968 and made them household names. The group scored numerous hits over the next half-decade, many of which (“The Weight,” and “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down”) were spawned from stories of Levon’s beloved south. The Band held a farewell concert, The Last Waltz, at Winterland in San Francisco on Thanksgiving 1976. It was a bittersweet time for many who felt the group’s demise was too soon.

In 2004, Helm conceived the Midnight Ramble Sessions, a series of live performances at Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock. moe. joined Helm for a Ramble earlier this year, and are pleased to welcome the Levon Helm Band back to moe.down after their stellar 2008 appearance.

BOB WEIR (on stage with Levon Helm)

With a touring history that has made him one of the most traveled road musicians of all time and a restless music personality that has kept him occupied for over 50 years, Weir knows a thing or two about staying fresh and living in the moment. Although best known as one of the founding members of the Grateful Dead, adding Dead staples such as “Truckin’,” “Sugar Magnolia,” and “Cassidy” to the band’s catalog, Weir obtained a long and affluent music career that has allowed him to do what he loves and share it with others for nearly his entire life.

 While not consumed by music, Weir spends a great deal of time as a social activist. He has done work as an environmental activist with several organizations, such as Greenpeace, and currently serves on the Board of Advisors for the Rainforest Action Network and for Seva Foundation. He works with both the Rex Foundation, an organization started by the Dead in 1984, and the Furthur Foundation. Most recently, Weir is on the Board of Directors for Headcount, a nonprofit that registers voters and inspires participation in democracy through the power of music.

 In an event for the moe.down history books, Weir will join Levon Helm Band on stage – a rare collaboration not to be missed.

TV ON THE RADIO

The Brooklyn-based group TV on the Radio mix post-punk, electronic, and other atmospheric elements in such a creative way that it only makes sense that their core duo, vocalist Tunde Adebimpe and multi-instrumentalist/producer David Andrew Sitek, are both visual artists as well as musicians. Adebimpe is a graduate of NYU's film school and specializes in stop-motion animation, which his Brothers Quay-like video for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs single "Pin" demonstrates amply. He is also a painter, as is Sitek, who also produced the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Machine EP and their full-length Fever to Tell.

 The duo met when Sitek moved into the building where Adebimpe had a loft; each of them had been recording music on his own, but realized their sounds would work well together. Sitek's brother Jason began playing drums and other instruments with the pair during their recording sessions, which resulted in a self-titled 24-track CD released by the Brooklyn Milk imprint. Jason Sitek left the band for a short time due to other musical commitments but returned to the band when it recorded its Touch & Go debut, the Young Liars EP.

 After the EP was completed, TV on the Radio added guitarist/vocalist Kyp Malone to their fold. Young Liars, which also features the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Brian Chase and Nick Zinner, was released in summer 2003 to critical acclaim, coinciding with their gigs opening for the Fall. Their first full-length release, Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes, arrived in spring 2004. The band remained busy for the rest of the year, embarking on its own tours as well as dates with the Faint and the Pixies. That fall, they released the New Health Rock EP and won the 2004 Shortlist Prize.

 In 2005, the band kept busy with touring and returned to Sitek's Stay Gold studio to work on its second album. They moved to Interscope and in the summer of 2006, resurfaced with Return to Cookie Mountain, a more polished but still searching collection of songs that featured David Bowie on backing vocals. The band went in a sleeker direction on 2008's Dear Science, which was followed by a brief hiatus while members focused on their own projects.

 As promised, the hiatus ended and TV on the Radio released Nine Types of Light, in early 2011. It is the final TV on the Radio album to feature bassist Gerard Smith, who died of lung cancer only nine days after its release. Rolling Stone Magazine describes the work as “grand alt-rock and thwumping future funk that's warm and grabby” and Spin Magazine awarded it 8 out of 10, claiming “this album has a there-and-back quality, one they couldn't have pulled off five years ago.” moe. is looking forward to having TV on the Radio join the ranks of versatile artists who have graced the moe.down stage over the past twelve years.

SLIGHTLY STOOPID

 With more than a decade of making music together, the members of Slightly Stoopid have perfected one of the rarest and most valuable skills a band can develop: the art of the stealth groove, that knack for quietly, almost innocently, sliding into a composition, and utterly lassoing anyone within earshot by mid-song.  That's where the band has come to reside, musically: deep in the pocket, that ever-elusive, funky trench where a band can entrance an audience, hypnotize it and hold on to it until the set or CD is finished.  Built on a bedrock of nasty, oceanic slabs of dubby bass, meditative vocal harmonies, rock-steady guitar licks and tightly syncopated percussive rhythms, Slightly Stoopid illustrate a case study in underground success, steeped in years of hard touring, an improvisational business model, and a creative process that continues to unwind and push the envelope of a new jam-based genre the band helped to create.

 Slightly Stoopid's dual front-men Miles Doughty (Guitar, Bass, Vocals) and Kyle McDonald (Guitar, Bass, Vocals), created their own label, Stoopid Records, in the early 2000’s to avoid signing a record deal and keep their DIY work ethic and freedom away from music industry politics. The west coast sound pioneers later added musicians Ryan ‘RyMo’ Moran (Drums) and Oguer 'OG' Ocon (Congas, Percussion, Harp, Vocals) from the B Side Players, as well as C-Money (Trumpet, Keyboard) and Dela (Saxophone) from John Browns Body; solidifying their on stage line up. Slightly Stoopid has built a large n’ loyal fan base, and has soared to one of the most successful independent artists of this decade.  The buzz surrounding the group continues to increase with each successive release; their album catalog sales have topped the 700,000 mark and the group continues to fill the most prestigious concert venues around the world, and continues to create a legion of "Stoopidheads" in the process!

 

BRUCE HORNSBY & THE NOISEMAKERS

 Bruce Hornsby's work continues to display the same creative iconoclasm that's been a constant in the artist's two-and-a-half decade recording career. His commercial stock soared early on, when "The Way It Is"--the title track of Bruce Hornsby and the Range's 1986 debut album--became the most-played song on American radio in 1987, winning ASCAP's Song of the Year award. "The Way It Is" and such subsequent hits as "Mandolin Rain" and "Every Little Kiss," established Hornsby as popular pop act, while high-profile work with the likes of Don Henley,and Huey Lewis made him an in-demand collaborator.

 His longstanding touring band the Noisemakers, an appropriately eclectic outfit that includes bassist J.V. Collier, guitarist Doug Derryberry, drummer Sonny Emory, reeds player Bobby Read and keyboardist John "J.T." Thomas has been together since '02.  "But J.T. has been with me for nineteen years, Bobby for sixteen, and JV has been here for fifteen, so I've got a lot of history with these guys," Hornsby states.  "The players come from disparate backgrounds and all bring something different to the table, but we're all on the same page in our pursuit of a joyful noise.  Playing with these guys consistently pushes me to improve, vocally and pianistically."

Despite his early successes, Hornsby chose to pursue a more personal, idiosyncratic musical path, focusing on projects that sparked his creative interest and musical progress. That direction was manifested in his lengthy association with the Grateful Dead, with whom he's performed more than 100 concerts as guest keyboardist. His work with the Dead encouraged Hornsby to incorporate his interest in musical improvisation into his own performances, while his eclectic musical interests have been reflected in a wide array of recording projects. Over the years, Hornsby has successfully ventured into jazz, classical, bluegrass and even electronica, as reflected by such acclaimed recent releases as the bluegrass project Ricky Skaggs and Bruce Hornsby and the jazz trio album Camp Meeting, with Jack deJohnette and Christian McBride. The prestigious list of Hornsby collaborators now includes such diverse figures as Ornette Coleman, Bob Dylan, Bela Fleck, Charlie Haden, Bonnie Raitt, Elton John, Branford Marsalis, Pat Metheny, Robbie Robertson, Leon Russell, Chaka Khan,Wayne Shorter, Squeeze, Tupac Shakur and Sting.

 "I guess I'm a bit of a musical proselytizer," says Hornsby. "I'm always hoping to turn the audience on to more adventurous music and music that's below the mainstream radar. I know that that may seem too pretentious to the rock and pop world. But for me it's all just beautiful music, and people seem willing to come along with me on the journey."

 

Ozomatli

Originally formed to play at a Los Angeles labor protest over a decade ago, Ozomatli spent some of their early days participating in everything from earthquake prep “hip hop ghetto plays” at inner-city elementary schools to community activist events, protests, and city fundraisers. Ever since, they have been synonymous with their city: their music has been taken up by both the Dodgers and the Clippers, they recorded the street-view travelogue “City of Angels” as a new urban anthem, and they have the distinction of headlining the Hollywood Bowl twice, in 2008 and 2010.

Ozo is also a product of the city’s grassroots political scene. Proudly born as a multi-racial crew in post-uprising 90s Los Angeles, the band has built a formidable reputation over five full-length studio albums and a relentless touring schedule for taking party rocking so seriously that it becomes new school musical activism. Their music — a notorious urban-Latino-and-beyond collision of hip hop and salsa, dancehall and cumbia, samba and funk, merengue and comparsa, East LA R&B and New Orleans second line, Jamaican ragga and Indian raga— has long followed a key mantra: it will take you around the world by taking you around L.A. But why stop there?

In 2007, they were invited by the U.S. State Department to serve as official Cultural Ambassadors on a series of government-sponsored international tours to Asia, Africa, South America, and the Middle East, tours that linked Ozomatli to a tradition of cultural diplomacy that also includes the esteemed likes of Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, and Louis Armstrong.  The band has traveled to Tunisia, India, Jordan, and Nepal, as well as Myanmar, Vietnam and Thailand, spreading its message of peace, communication and understanding through music, with a long standing tradition of performing for children all over the world. The band is currently in the studio with acclaimed producer Tony Berg, recording a children’s album for release in 2011, followed by a book, DVD and tour.

 

 

Railroad Earth

For more than 10 years, Railroad Earth has been a prominent figure in the American roots music scene. Their sound, which is something like an amalgam of Rock, Roots, Bluegrass and Celtic, leaves them near impossible to label. With a legion of loyal fans, Railroad Earth has been an undeniable force whose superb songwriting, singing and stage performances have kept them one of the most talked about bands on the festival circuit in years. Their music is driven by the remarkable songs of front man, Todd Sheaffer, and is delivered with seamless arrangements and superb musicianship courtesy of all six band members. Critics are hailing Railroad Earth’s newest self-titled album as their finest work yet. Vanity Fair raved that “The gritty guitars are turned up and the vocals evoke Full Moon Fever-era Tom Petty harmonies.”

 

THE NEW MASTERSOUNDS

 Though the New Mastersounds mine the rare groove and early soul-jazz territories of Jimmy McGriff, Grant Green, Jack McDuff, and The Meters, they do so with a strong compositional sense that makes their take on the classic organ/guitar funk sparkle with life and freshness. Led by guitarist Eddie Roberts, the New Mastersounds’ energized funk has been delighting music-lovers around the world since the band formed back in 1999. 

 As a band, and as individuals, they have since collaborated or jammed with an impressive array of musicians DJs and producers, including: Lou Donaldson (Blue Note), Corinne Bailey Rae (EMI), Quantic (Tru Thoughts), Carleen Anderson (Young Disciples / Brand New Heavies), Keb Darge & Kenny Dope (Kay Dee Records), John Arnold (Ubiquity), Mr Scruff (Ninja Tune), Snowboy (Ubiquity), Fred Everything (2020vision), Andy Smith (Portishead), James Taylor (JTQ), LSK (Faithless), Lack of Afro (Freestyle), Page McConnell (Phish), Karl Denson (Lenny Kravitz / Greyboy AllStars), Melvin Sparks (Blue Note Records), George Porter Jr (The Meters), Fred Wesley, Maceo Parker (JB's), and Art Neville (Neville Brothers, The Meters).

THE BREW

Since their inception, the members of The Brew have shared a common vision: transforming their urgent and unapologetically artistic musings into song. As childhood friends from the Boston area, now in their mid-twenties, they have traveled afar singing of romance and tragedy with their haunting and original voices. True musketeers in their friendship- Kelly Kane, Chris Plante, David Drouin, and Joe Plante bring their passionate and full-hearted performances night after night, with a fierce sense of family. Together they create an anthemic, purely original sound that marries the majesty of Queen with the nuance of Steely Dan, as their unbridled energy pulls more and more listeners into their world of songs.

With each release, the music of The Brew gets sharper, stronger and more pure, with an increasing emphasis on their burning and poignant lyrics.  Honest music from a band concerned with real expression.

Their success continues to build, hitting one benchmark after another while remaining humble and unified. They are quickly grabbing the ears of heavy weights in the record industry and listeners alike as they traverse the world on a mission.

 

Rubblebucket

Led by the musical couple of bandleader/trumpeter Alex Toth and frontwoman Kalmia Traver, Rubblebucket has spent the last four years building a reputation as a band that blurs the lines between psychedelic indie rock, upbeat dance, and radiant, left-field arrangements. The band’s initial roots can be traced back to an art show at a defunct bottling plant in Burlington, VT where Alex, Kalmia, and longtime percussionist Craig Myers played an off-the-cuff show. The impromptu songs they played that night were the early sketches of Rubblebucket songs. From there, they built an eight-piece band with a vision to create pop-friendly music that embraces skill, complexity and atypical arrangements.

In 2009, Rubblebucket released a self-titled album that turned heads. SPIN hailed the band as a "must-hear artist from the CMJ Festival” in 2009 and the band won that year’s Boston Music Award for Live Act of the Year.  The band then relocated to Brooklyn and released the Triangular Daises EP in 2010.  They are gearing up to release their latest full-length, Omega La La, collaborating for the first time with legendary producer/mixer Eric Broucek (LCD Soundsystem, Cut Copy, Hercules and Love Affair) for the Brooklyn eight piece’s most adventurous record yet.

 

DANGERMUFFIN

 Dangermuffin is an eclectic trio, providing a much-needed fresh perspective on American roots music. Seamlessly melding the feel of a back porch blues band with dance-floor grooves, their original yet familiar sound pleases crowds of all ages.

What sets them ahead of the pack is the refreshingly magnetic songwriting of Dan Lotti, winner of the 2005 “New Writers Showcase” held by the Songwriters Hall of Fame. His strong, articulate vocals frame each song perfectly, creating a stout foundation for the tasteful poly-groove jams and improvisational passages.

 Anchored by the creative beats of Steven Sandifer (Drew Emmitt Band, Adrienne Young, The Biscuit Boys) and embellished by the thrilling, twangy guitar stylings of Mike Sivilli, Dangermuffin is a complete work of art. The music has an inventive and fresh quality, while still retaining that organic Americana truthfulness.

 The band was recently celebrated by the 360,000 international readers of Relix Magazine as the April 2009 “Jam Off” competition winner. Their fanbase is skyrocketing, with a strong regional presence in the Southeast plus explosive tours out West, including an appearance at the revered Jazz Aspen Festival opening for Widespread Panic and Xavier Rudd. After having them play at Snoe.down in Vermont this past March, moe. is pleased to welcome Dangermuffin to the moe.down lineup.

THE RAGBIRDS

Led by dynamic, energetic front woman and multi-instrumentalist Erin Zindle, The Ragbirds utilize an arsenal of instruments from around the world. The Ragbirds are a fusion of folk rock and pop hooks over danceable world rhythms stirred with a Celtic fiddler's bow.

Surrounding Zindle's earthy-sweet voice is the whirlwind of guitarist T.J. Zindle and dynamic bassist Brian Crist, spinning over the world-beat grooves of drummer Loren Kranz and percussionist Randall Moore. Zindle skillfully switches between violin, mandolin, banjo, accordion, and percussion, all while dancing around the stage, drawing the awe of audiences across the country.

The Ragbirds albums have received local and national praise, hailed "Highly impressive!" by USA Today and touted as "Astounding international eclecticism" by Reveal Arts.  The Ragbirds were formed in 2005 with the release of "Yes Nearby."  2007's world-travel themed "Wanderlove" was Homegrown Music Network's #1 selling album in the fall of 2008. The 2009 international release of "Finally Almost Ready" saw the band invade Japan with the single "Book of Matches" reaching #1 on the charts in Osaka. In 2010 The Ragbirds reached yet another milestone in their young careers when they independently marketed and sold their 10,000th album.

The Ragbirds have performed in over 40 states to a tune of 150+ shows a year. Crisscrossing the nation in their converted diesel bus that runs on recycled waste vegetable oil, these festival favorites have performed at Rothbury, 10,000 Lakes, Summer Camp, Ann Arbor Folk Festival, Hookahville, and more, and have shared the stage with Rusted Root, Railroad Earth, Toubab Krewe, Hot Buttered Rum, The Duhks, and many others.  

Floodwood

Floodwood is a new, progressive string band, hailing from Upstate, NY. Its members are veteran musicians who've performed on stages around the world over the last 20 years. They breathe fresh life into timeless acoustic music & play with the dexterity & chops of seasoned pros.

Al Schnier & Vinnie Amico, not only play together in the premier jamband, moe., but they've also spent over 10 years recording & touring with the Americana group Al & The Transamericans. Likewise, Jay Barady spent over 10 years recording & touring with the Bluegrass group Wooden Spoon from Taos, until returning to his hometown in central, NY. Nick Piccinni is a classically trained violinist, who learned his bluegrass chops the old fashioned way - in festival picking circles. He's an award winning banjo player & fiddler in high demand on the NY bluegrass circuit. Bass player, Zachary Fleitz is an avant garde bassist, not unlike Wooten & Oteill, & has even developed his own patent pending midi instrument - "the midi wing chun dummy".

The foothills of the Adirondack Mountains in upstate New York, also known as "The Leatherstocking Region" is home to Floodwood, the northeast's new progressive string band.

 

 

GARY CLARK JR.

Rarely does an artist explode onto the music scene with the force and impact of a comet. But when it does happen — as it did when 26-year-old singer-guitarist Gary Clark Jr. delivered an incendiary debut performance of his song “Bright Lights” at Eric Clapton's 2010 Crossroads Guitar Festival last June — the result is magical. Funky, hip, and badass, Gary Clark Jr. is a rocking soul man for a new generation. 

 Weaned on John Lee Hooker, Lightnin’ Hopkins, and T-Bone Walker, Clark fuses his deep blues influence with a love of classic hip-hop and contemporary soul. His voice weaves between a melodic lilt and a seasoned blues howl with his guitar licks dancing and dodging between and behind the beat as if the essence of Snoop and Dre loom in his head by way of the Mississippi Delta. The virtuosity Clark displays, and the tone he rings from his cherry-red Epiphone Casino guitar, put most modern rock shredders to shame.   

“I don’t think y’all understand the greatness that is in front of you. Gary Clark Jr. is kickin’ ass and takin’ names.” - ?uestlove