Moe.
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Rising from dingy college bars in upstate New York, moe. carved a niche for themselves with a distinct blend of Americana, playful melodic turns, exceptional songwriting, and diverse arrangements. While their improvisations were never as experimental as some of their contemporaries, they still managed to earn a devoted following through endless touring. Though all members of the band were born and raised in and around Utica, it took matriculation at the University of Buffalo for moe. finally to coalesce. Founded by bassist/vocalist Rob Derhak and guitarist/vocalist Chuck Garvey along with original drummer Ray Schwartz in 1990, the band played the party circuit under the name Five Guys Named Moe with several rotating members, covering both contemporary pop and classic ock songs and recording two demo tapes, Codename: Weaselshark and Spine of a Dog in 1991. Guitarist Al Schnier was also added in 1991.
At Buffalo bars like Broadway Joe's, they refined their cartoonishly offbeat sound, a slaphappy mix of Primus-like dementia and more focused rhythms. By the time of Fatboy (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 just before migrating east to Albany, where they would be based 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.
