moe.

Hailed by American Songwriter for their “mind-bending musicality,” moe. is treasured for their mesmerizing musical synergy, unfettered showmanship, and smart, resonant songcraft. For three decades, the band has corralled myriad musical forms on a truly original journey rich with crafty, clever songwriting and astonishing resourcefulness. Fueled by an impassioned fan base, moe. has spent much of those thirty years on the road, encompassing countless live performances marked by eclectic wit, deep friendship, and exploratory invention. Having built an enduring legacy with hard work and a confirmed commitment to creativity and community, moe. seem as surprised as anyone to find themselves at such a significant landmark.

Al Schnier (guitars, vocals), Chuck Garvey (guitars, vocals), and Derhak first came together at the University of Buffalo in 1990, musician-friends uniting to play for the sheer fun of it. The band followed a handful of cassette-only releases with 1992’s Fatboy, recorded in an apartment studio above Buffalo’s Top Shelf Guitars with a bird’s eye view of Mighty Taco. Finding themselves with an increasingly avid local following, moe. ventured forth, now with master rhythmatist Jim Loughlin among their ranks.

moe. widened its reach across America, earning new fans and national attention with its ingeniously imaginative interplay and a regularly growing catalog. The band spent almost as much time in the studio as they did on the road, mastering their delightfully vibrant blend of inventive musicality and genre-blurring reach on now-classic LPs like 1998’s Tin Cans & Car Tires, 2004’s Wormwood, 2007’s The Conch (which reached #1 on Billboard’s “Heatseekers” chart), and 2012’s critically acclaimed What Happened To The La Las. As if all that weren’t enough, the moe. canon — released largely through their own Fatboy Records, as well as via two label deals, one major, the other independent — further includes a wide range of archival live releases (including 2000’s L), a Christmas album, even a re-recorded collection of greatest hits. 2020’s This Is Not, We Are — the band’s 12th studio album and first since 2014’s No Guts, No Glory — includes eight new songs, most of which were road-tested over the past two years of touring.

Impossible to pigeonhole as anything other than simply moe., this one-of-a-kind band has never been easily categorized, their sonic adventurousness and tongue-in-cheek humor distinctly and undeniably their own. Despite current circumstances, moe. is celebrating its milestone anniversary with characteristic self-deprecation and wistful optimism. Here’s to the next thirty.